GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Florida researchers have received a nineteen million dollar grant to tackle the growing problem of stimulant use disorder.
Dr. Chris McCurdy, a professor of Medicinal Chemistry and his team at the U.F. College of Pharmacy have developed a molecule that targets key components of the brain that regulate how drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine affect the body.
“Right now, there is no FDA approved treatment for stimulant use disorders or methamphetamine or cocaine addiction and what our molecule has shown is really great promise in blocking rodents from being able to self-administer either cocaine or methamphetamine,” McCurdy said.
McCurdy said the next step in research is to demonstrate the effectives of the oral drug therapy in human clinical trials.
RED MEAT LINKED TO DIABETES
A new Harvard study links eating red meat with the risk of developing type two diabetes.
The study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition involved more than 200,000 participants over a 13-year period.
Participants who ate the most red meat were found to have a 62 percent higher risk of developing type two diabetes than those who ate the least.
People who swapped red meat for nuts or vegetables had a 30-percent reduced risk.
CDC WARNS OF TROPICAL PARASITE
Move over mosquitos, there’s another blood-sucking biter Americans need to guard against: the sand fly.
The tan-colored flies are about a quarter of the size of a mosquito and so small that they can slip through ordinary netting and window screens.
The insects carry a disease that can infect internal organs and even be fatal if left untreated.
Experts say they’re still learning about the bugs, but they can be repelled by bug sprays containing deet.
Make sure to see a doctor if a bug bite doesn’t go away or you have any new skin sores.