Drugs in the News

A short summary of interesting articles about drugs and medications in the last few days.

Lithium may promote bone healing: Researchers have described a novel molecular pathway that may have a critical role in bone healing and have suggested that lithium, which affects this pathway, has the potential to improve fracture healing.

Pigeon population control with birth control pills: Happening in Hollywood = Over the next few months a birth control product called OvoControl P, which interferes with egg development, will be placed in bird food in new rooftop feeders.

Marijuana's lung damage: Smoking a single joint of cannabis has the same impact on breathing capacity as up to five cigarettes, according to a New Zealand study published on Monday in a specialist British journal, Thorax.

Maternal smoking bad for baby's blood pressure: Smoking during pregnancy may raise newborn babies' blood pressure, a new Dutch study shows...Babies born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy had an average systolic blood pressure (the first number in a blood pressure reading) that was 5.4 points higher than that of babies whose mothers hadn't smoked or been exposed to secondhand smoke during pregnancy.