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News tagged with drug

Device may inject a variety of drugs without using needles

Getting a shot at the doctor’s office may become less painful in the not-too-distant future.

Technology / Engineering

created May 24, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (7) | comments 5 | with audio podcast

Tool-wielding robots crawl in bodies for surgery

Imagine a tiny snake robot crawling through your body, helping a surgeon identify diseases and perform operations.

Electronics / Robotics

created May 29, 2012 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (5) | comments 0

Medical treatments from 200 miles up

In the hunt for cancer treatments, researchers have had some help from higher authorities -- way higher. The International Space Station, orbiting the Earth at more than 200 miles in the sky, houses scientific ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created May 28, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Speeding up drug discovery with rapid 3-D mapping of proteins

A new method for rapidly solving the three-dimensional structures of a special group of proteins, known as integral membrane proteins, may speed drug discovery by providing scientists with precise targets ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created 4 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New type of biosensor is fast, super-sensitive

(Phys.org) -- A whole new class of biosensor that can detect exceptionally small traces of contaminants in liquids in just 40 minutes has been developed by a UNSW-led team of researchers.

Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry

created May 29, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

New study shows why swine flu virus develops drug resistance

Professor Adrian Mulholland and Dr Christopher Woods from Bristol's School of Chemistry, together with colleagues in Thailand, used graphics processing units (GPUs) to simulate the molecular processes that take place when ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created May 29, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Drug

A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.

In pharmacology, Dictionary.com defines a drug as "a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being." Drugs may be prescribed for a limited duration, or on a regular basis for chronic disorders.

Recreational drugs are chemical substances that affect the central nervous system, such as opioids or hallucinogens. They may be used for perceived beneficial effects on perception, consciousness, personality, and behavior. Some drugs can cause addiction and habituation.

Drugs are usually distinguished from endogenous biochemicals by being introduced from outside the organism.[citation needed] For example, insulin is a hormone that is synthesized in the body; it is called a hormone when it is synthesized by the pancreas inside the body, but if it is introduced into the body from outside, it is called a drug.[citation needed]

Many natural substances such as beers, wines, and some mushrooms, blur the line between food and drugs, as when ingested they affect the functioning of both mind and body.

For more information about Drug, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.