A drug helpful in treating high blood pressure is now effective in ceasing cocaine and alcohol addiction in animal models. This new research give hopes to millions of addicts around the world. Anti-hypertensive drugs block a particular type of ion channel, which is expressed not only in heart and blood vessels but also in certain brain cells. The researchers found that blocking these ion channels in brain cells, using a drug called isradipine, appears to reverse the rewiring that underlies memories of addiction-associated places. The research is published in the Molecular Psychiatry.
Scientists, including one of the Indian-origin, have found a blood test effective in detecting early pancreatic cancer in human as it is often diagnosed in the later stages. The report appeared in the journal Nature.

