Happy #MedicineMonday! The #FDA just approved the first treatment for #RettSyndrome, a rare, genetic, neurological disorder affecting brain development. This condition affects about 1:10,000 females, males to a far rarer extent and leads to a loss of language and motor skills developed earlier in life.

The medication Daybue (trofinetide) is for people 2 or older, delivered orally or via gastrostomy tube.

#DrugDevelopment #RareDisease

Thought 1️⃣: what a weird superhero name
Thought 2️⃣: I gotta Google this!

“The American tampon Meds started in the 1930s and disappeared in the 1970s, the vanishing reflecting the general decline of its sister brand, Modess pads, once the main competitor of Kotex sanitary napkins and tampons.”source: museum of menstruation and women’s health

J&J made silent purchase coupons, so you didn’t have to say tampon https://ourstory.jnj.com/modess-sanitary-napkin

Thought 3️⃣: is Modess a mix of modest and goddess?
#MedicineMonday

Happy #MedicineMonday!

A question I often get is “what’s the difference between acetaminophen and paracetamol?”

They’re the same thing!

Before naming conventions, the chemical name was either N-acetyl-para-aminophenol or
para-acetylaminophenol. Paracetamol and acetaminophen are abbreviations of the chemical names.

Taking a bit of time off #MedicineMonday and #PharmPhriday to take care of my baby. Hopefully he’s all better after getting ear tube surgery 🤞🏽

Happy #MedicineMonday! Sharing a document I wasn’t expecting to see today: #FDA issues guidance on clinical research with #cannabis https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/cannabis-and-cannabis-derived-compounds-quality-considerations-clinical-research-guidance-industry

“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhuman because it often results in physical death.” - #MLK, 1966 #MedicineMonday

Almost forgot it’s #MedicineMonday! A friendly #TooteRx reminder to not cut pills unless they’re scored (have lines).

The medication may not be evenly distributed, meaning you may get more or less than half the dose in half the pill. Also, if there are any timed release properties (e.g., delayed release, controlled release), you could be affecting that by cutting it.

#MedicineMonday is going to be me venting a bit. We were catching up with a family friend complaining about the number of kidney infections she’s had.

I dig deeper and find out
1️⃣ She keeps getting UTIs but stops taking her #antibiotic after 2-3 doses
2️⃣ She uses the remaining antibiotic anytime she feels under the weather.

Remember to always finish the full course of antibiotics for bacterial infections and that antibiotics won’t work for viruses/allergies!

For #MedicineMonday, here are some facts about #fentanyl

1️⃣ Fentanyl is commonly used in medical settings and is a safe and efficacious opioid analgesic. It was in my epidural when I was in labor!
2️⃣ Fentanyl does not aerosolize.
3️⃣ Aside from a special patch formulation, fentanyl is not readily absorbed through the skin. Touching fentanyl does not lead to an overdose.
4️⃣ If someone can self-administer #Narcan (aka #naloxone), they didn’t need Narcan.

Today’s #MedicineMonday is brought to you by amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. I’m both grateful we got some (baby has an ear infection) but also have been up since 4:30am due to its side effects 😅

This medication has two components:
💊 #Amoxicillin: β-lactam #antibiotic (interferes with bacterial cell walls by inhibiting peptidoglycan synthesis)
💊Potassium #clavulanate: β-lactamase inhibitor (prevents breakdown of amoxicillin, so it can stick around and do it’s job longer, and you need less of it!)

Re-introducing myself 🤗

I’m Monica, an #immigrant and #scientist, more specifically a neuropharmacologist turned “whole body” pharmacologist and public health worker.

I post #MedicineMonday, #PharmPhriday, and of course, #caturday, as well as other things I find interesting.

I love #neuroscience, #pharmacology, drug development, and volunteering with #BlackInNeuro (check out https://blackinneuro.com!)

Sharing this again for #MedicineMonday

COVID NEWS: FDA grants EUA to Moderna and Pfizer for bivalent vaccines.

Details:
💉#Moderna authorized as a bivalent booster for kids 6m-5y, 2+ months after primary series with Moderna
💉#Pfizer authorized to replace third shot in primary series for kids 6m-4y, not authorized as booster (will revisit)

More here: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-updated-bivalent-covid-19-vaccines-children-down-6-months

#Bivalent #Omicron #COVID19 #Booster

Happy #PharmPhriday! 😆#MedicineMonday was about coca wine, so I thought I’d share one of my favorite vintage ads. Cocaine, like lidocaine and related drugs, is a local anesthetic. It works by blocking sodium channels, preventing action potential propagation.

What causes some of the “feel good” effects? Cocaine blocks the reuptake of monoamines like dopamine after release, meaning more stays in the synaptic cleft and can exert its effects longer.

Good morning, and happy #MedicineMonday! This advertisement is for Vin Mariani, a coca wine. The ethanol extracted cocaine from the coca, yielding 6 (later 7.2) mg/ounce! This was the inspiration for Pemberton’s French Wine Coca which, due to prohibition, was reformulated to become Coca-Cola (the cocaine was removed from Coca-Cola ~1903).

@lachesis Ahh, great change! And yes! I briefly mentioned the naming for #MedicineMonday, with 🐮 Warfarin - WARF (Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation), arin from coumarin. Love that you credit the students because (1) it’s true and (2) so many students and lab assistants get little to no credit (see: Mary Hunt and penicillin).

Blood isn’t normally my thing, but I could have gone on forever about naturally occurring coumarin, warfarin vs heparin, etc. SO INTERESTING! 🩸

Happy #PharmPhriday! Earlier for #MedicineMonday, I said I’d share more about #warfarin, one of the earliest #anticoagulant drugs.

In the 1920s, there was an outbreak of cattle dying of hemorrhaging after routine procedures. Veterinarians Frank Schofield and Lee Roderick identified moldy silage from sweet clover as the cause. Chemists led by Karl Link identifed the anticoagulating agent, dicoumarin, and further developed it for use as rat poison (1948) then clinically for humans (1954).

Hope everyone is having a nice start to their week and a smooth transition back for those returning from holiday.

Today’s #MedicineMonday is about #drug names.

🐴 Premarin - pregnant mare urine
6️⃣ Vicodin - 6 (VI) times stronger than codeine
⏱️ Lasix - lasts 6 hours
🐮 Warfarin - WARF (Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation), arin from coumarin
🩸 Xarelto - Inhibits factor Xa
😴 Ambien - AM, bien (Spanish for “good”)

Any you’d like to add?

More about #warfarin later this week for #PharmPhriday!

I was going to post a #MedicineMonday, but then my baby got #RSV, so instead, I’ll shout from the rooftops that there is no vaccine, no treatment (can only manage symptoms), and our hospitals are slammed.

Happy #PharmPhriday! For #MedicineMonday, I posted about the Parkinson’s disease (PD) treatment levodopa. Today, I wanted to share a little #MedicalHistory about the MPTP model for PD.

In the 1970s, heroin was difficult to to get, so an opioid (MPPP) grew in popularity. A chemistry grad student Barry Kidston found the 1947 paper and tried to make his own. He was hospitalized for Parkinsonism and was treated with levodopa. Upon his death, his autopsy showed PD pathology in his brain. 1/2 🧵

No. I am not going to attend a team meeting. You didn’t listen to a single recommendation from our consult. It’s been one of those days…#medicinemonday