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Diabetes medication could treat alcohol addiction

Published

9 years ago

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London: A medication used for diabetes and obesity could also be used for the treatment of alcohol dependence, suggests new research.

Alcohol dependence causes morbidity as well as mortality and is major health problem in today’s society.

Swedish researchers identified that interfering with the hormone GLP-1 could be a target for treating alcohol dependence.

Researchers have found that a medication that resemble GLP-1, which is used to treat Type-2 diabetes as well as obesity, also could be used to treat alcohol dependence.

“We suggest that medications that resemble GLP-1 could be used to treat alcohol dependence in humans,” said one of the researchers Elisabet Jerlhag from Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

Usually, dopamine is released in the brain’s reward center in response to drinking alcohol, which leads to a sense of euphoria.

The GLP-1-like substance prevents the ability of alcohol to increase dopamine in reward areas in the mice, suggesting that they no longer experience a reward from alcohol, the findings showed.

“The GLP-1-like substance reduced the alcohol consumption by 30-40 percent in rats that drank large quantities of alcohol for several months,” Jerlhag noted.

The researchers found that the diabetes medication also reduced the motivation to drink alcohol in rats that were bred to drink a lot of alcohol.

The medication also prevented relapse drinking in rats, which is major problem for alcohol dependent individuals.

The study was published in the journal Addict Biology.

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Corona

Covid toll in Karnataka is a worrying sign for state government

Published

2 years ago

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May 4, 2022

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Even though Karnataka recorded the lowest number of Covid deaths in April since the virus struck first in 2020, the state is recording a rise in the positivity rate (1.50 per cent). Five people died from the Covid infections in April as per the statistics released by the state health department. In March, the positivity rate stood around 0.53 per cent. In the first week of April it came down to 0.38 per cent, second week registered 0.56 per cent, third week it rose to 0.79 per cent and by end of April the Covid positivity rate touched 1.19 per cent.

on an average 500 persons used to succumb everyday in the peak of Covid infection, as per the data. Health experts said that the mutated Coronavirus is losing its fierce characteristics as vaccination, better treatment facilities and awareness among the people have contributed to the lesser number of Covid deaths.

During the 4th and 6th of April two deaths were reported in Bengaluru, one in Gadag district on April 8, two deaths were reported from Belagavi and Vijayapura on April 30. The first Covid case was reported in the state in March 2020 and three Covid deaths were recorded in the month. In the following month 21 people became victims to the deadly virus, and May 2020 recorded 22 deaths. The death toll recorded everyday after May crossed three digits. However, the third wave, which started in January 2

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