Berkeley Pharma Tech Journal of Medicine

Chloroquine Defeats Aging?

James Larrick — 2023-06-30

Autophagy, the turnover of cellular components including organelles, declines with age. Thus, enhancement of this characteristic process is hypothesized to improve health and extend lifespan. Two recent papers present data indicating that contrary to expectation, chloroquine (CQ), a nominal inhibitor of autophagy, extended the lifespan of middle-aged mice and rats by ~10%. Details of these studies provide a cautionary tale regarding traditional reagents or “tool compounds” of “established” mechanisms often used in cellular biological research. However, these and earlier studies support a deeper investigation of CQ or its more commonly used clinical analog, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), as potential drugs to increase health span and slow the aging process.

Gene Therapy as a Promising Approach for the Underlying Causes of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Kelly An — 2023-06-30

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a range of developmental disorders characterized by impaired traits associated with three distinct domains: communication, social interaction, and stereotypic repetitive behavior. Although its etiology depends on various components, current research mainly focuses on the genetic factors that contribute to the development of ASD and its effects. A big treatment consideration is gene therapy, which has disease-modifying potential. This article provides an insight into the foundation of ASD and the leading gene therapies that aim to rescue impaired neurological behavior. It will discuss how certain genetic factors can have large contributions to ASD development and how scientists can go about targeting these for potential remedy.

Novel Therapies for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review

Jillian Popovich — 2023-06-30

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychological disorder that affects about 12 million Americans every year. The main treatments for PTSD are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Although SSRIs have been shown to produce a response rate of about 60% in patients with PTSD, the complete remission rate is only about 20% to 30%. The SSRIs sertraline and paroxetine hydrochloride are the only two FDA-approved PTSD treat-ments, though they are highly outdated. PTSD is a widely misunderstood disorder that extends far beyond its classification as solely a psychiatric disorder. PTSD has been correlated with elevated levels of gene expression, an overactive immune system, and elevated levels of norepinephrine (NE), all of which contribute to physical and psychological symptoms. This systematic review aims to evaluate novel therapeutic approaches which can be used in concert with psychotherapy to further improve the symptoms of PTSD compared to current treatments.

The Predictive Power of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Genetic Risk Factors

Ashley Varatip — 2023-06-30

Issues regarding disorganization and hyperactivity are large burdens on the pediatric population, and the severity of these behavioural disorders, called attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) falls on the slow-developing treatments that are unable to fully solve the symptoms of those affected. Limiting factors include the heterogeneous responses that many patients have in response to pharmacological treatments, the range of comorbid symptoms and conditions associated with ADHD, and the intricacies of environmental-genetic interactions involved. Since ADHD has a strong genetic component, with up to 80% heritability for the condition, epigenetic and genetic studies offer valuable insight into how future treatments could tackle the issue. In particular, the study reveals how genes might provide indicators for patients’ response to medication, their symptomatology and unique risks for comorbidities. This paper outlines the current pharmacological and cognitive treatments for ADHD, discusses their limitations and offers an overview of present genetic risk factors to analyze how they may provide insights for detection, prevention and responses to treatment.