Medicinal Chemistry

What’s in an epidural? – Medications for labour and birth

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As you might have picked up from previous pregnancy-related posts on the site (here and here), my wife and I have been expecting our first child. During labour and birth, terms like ‘epidural’, ‘gas and air’ and ‘induction of labour’ get thrown around, but what specific drugs do these involve? How do they work? What are the benefits and risks? This graphic and post aim to provide the chemical answers.

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Improving stability of cone snail toxins for therapeutic use

From toxin to tonic: improving cone snail toxin stability for medical use

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Improving stability of cone snail toxins for therapeutic use
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Cone snail toxins can be deadly to humans – but they also have potential uses in anaesthesia and to treat other medical conditions. This latest Chemunicate graphic takes a look at one way scientists are trying to optimise them for this use.

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C&EN – Platinum drugs for cancer preview

40 years of platinum drugs for cancer – in C&EN

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C&EN – Platinum drugs for cancer preview
Click to view full graphic on the C&EN site

2018 marks 40 years since the FDA first approved cisplatin, a platinum-containing drug to treat cancer. This month’s edition of Periodic Graphics in Chemical & Engineering News looks at how it works and some of the other platinum-containing drugs that followed. Click through to see the full version of the graphic on the C&EN site.

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