Pharmaceuticals
November 3, 2025
Jay Toulany, Jasmyn E. A. Cunningham, Abraham Nunes
Lithium is the standard long-term treatment for bipolar disorder, but only 30% of patients respond, and there is no way to predict who will benefit. Ketamine, a rapid antidepressant, may work better in patients whose symptoms typically predict poor lithium response. This scoping review of 19 preclinical and 23 clinical studies found that ketamine and lithium act on overlapping biological pathways (GSK-3β/mTOR and synaptic plasticity), but the clinical predictors of response diverge: ketamine response is linked to metabolic risk, anxiety, and mixed features—factors that predict poor lithium response. No study directly tested whether ketamine response predicts lithium response. The findings suggest mechanistic overlap but clinical divergence, though sampling bias may confound results.
Pharmaceuticals
October 28, 2025
Kacper Żełabowski, Kamil Biedka, Wojciech Pichowicz et al.
The effects of psychoactive substances on driving performance depend on dose, tolerance, and medical condition. Therapeutic amphetamine and methylphenidate can improve psychomotor function and safety in patients with ADHD, while recreational or high-dose methamphetamine and MDMA impair coordination and increase impulsivity. Opioid effects vary: small therapeutic fentanyl doses in chronically treated patients do not notably impair driving, but methadone and tramadol commonly cause somnolence, slowed reactions, and higher accident risk. The review confirms that substance impact is multifactorial and supports individualized pharmacotherapy and further research for evidence-based guidelines.
Pharmaceuticals
July 6, 2025
Pauline Braekow, Joachim Neumann, Uwe Kirchhefer et al.
Psilocybin and psilocin enhance the force of contraction and increase phospholamban phosphorylation in isolated mouse hearts that overexpress human 5-HT4 receptors, but have little effect in hearts overexpressing human H2 receptors. LSD increases both force and phosphorylation in hearts with either receptor. Ergometrine and ergotamine only increase force in H2-receptor-overexpressing hearts, with ergometrine also increasing phosphorylation. None of these substances affect force or phosphorylation in wild-type mouse hearts. The findings suggest that phospholamban phosphorylation partly explains the positive inotropic and relaxant effects of these hallucinogenic compounds in these animal models.
Pharmaceuticals
August 1, 2020
Michael Wagner, Johan G. Doverfjord, Joachim Tillner et al.
A fully automated, GMP-compliant manufacturing process was developed for the radiopharmaceutical [68Ga]Ga-DO3A-VS-Cys40-Tuna-2, which binds specifically to the glucagon receptor (GCGR). The process achieved a non-decay-corrected radiochemical yield of 45.2 ± 2.5% with a synthesis time of 38 minutes and a quality control release procedure of 20 minutes. The radiochemical purity was 98.9 ± 0.6%, and the product was stable at ambient temperature for at least 2 hours. All acceptance criteria for radionuclidic purity, sterility, endotoxin content, residual solvents, and filter integrity were met. The validated tracer was subsequently used in a clinical study to quantify GCGR occupancy by a dual anti-diabetic drug in humans.