BiotechMashup

(Wiley-Blackwell) Acamprosate reduces the number of patients being treated for alcoholism who return to drinking, according to a new Cochrane Systematic Review. The drug showed moderate benefits in trials when used in addition to non-drug treatments.

In small, early clinical trials, adults and children with autism and Fragile X syndrome have shown improved communication and social behavior when treated with acamprosate, according to new research.

(Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research) Kudzu extracts have been used in Chinese folk medicine to treat alcoholism for about 1,000 years.Daidzin is an anti-drinking substance in kudzu.A synthetic form of daidzin, called CVT-10216, can successfully reduce drinking and prevent relapse in preclinical rodent models.

A little-used medication can help treat alcoholism, an updated review of studies confirms. The medication naltrexone -- brand names are Depade and ReVia -- when combined with counseling or interventions like Alcoholics Anonymous, were found to help cut the risk of heavy drinking in patients who are dependent on alcohol.

Kudzu extracts have been used in Chinese folk medicine to treat alcoholism for about 1,000 years. Daidzin is an anti-drinking substance in kudzu. A synthetic form of daidzin, called CVT-10216, can successfully reduce drinking and prevent relapse in preclinical rodent models.

There is disagreement about the health benefits of moderate drinking. A new study has examined drinking and mortality during a 20-year period. Findings confirm an association between moderate drinking and reduced mortality among older adults.

Several decades ago, a number of clinics used LSD to treat alcoholism with some success. But until now, no research has pulled together the results of these trials to document exactly how effective LSD was. Now a new meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of the drug provides evidence for a clear and consistent beneficial effect of LSD for treating alcohol dependency.

(University of Houston) With the ultimate goal to discover a drug that one day treats alcoholism, a University of Houston pharmacy professor is working on pinpointing the mechanisms in the brain that respond to alcohol. Joydip Das, a medicinal chemist and pharmacologist, received a three-year, $450,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health. In the end, his team hopes their research will help lead them to a way to prevent people from drinking in excess.

(Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research) Drinking can be influenced by both personal and societal factors, the latter leading to "drinking cultures." Researchers have completed a review of 31 studies on birth-cohort and gender differences in drinking.Analysis shows that people born after World War II are more likely to binge drink and develop alcohol use disorders, and that women are "catching up" to men in terms of alcohol problems.