New Painkiller with Higher Efficiency, Less Side Effects

A large field of poppies on the outskirts of Jelawar village in the Arghandab Valley north of Kandahar, Afghanistan, in April. Bob Strong/Reuters/File
A large field of poppies on the outskirts of Jelawar village in the Arghandab Valley north of Kandahar, Afghanistan, in April. Bob Strong/Reuters/File
TT
20

New Painkiller with Higher Efficiency, Less Side Effects

A large field of poppies on the outskirts of Jelawar village in the Arghandab Valley north of Kandahar, Afghanistan, in April. Bob Strong/Reuters/File
A large field of poppies on the outskirts of Jelawar village in the Arghandab Valley north of Kandahar, Afghanistan, in April. Bob Strong/Reuters/File

Scientists have developed a new painkiller, which has the same morphine effect when given at a hundred times lower dose. The new drug is still under trial. According to a study published Saturday in the US Science Translational Medicine journal, the AT121 compound does not cause the same side effects caused by other harsh painkillers.

Mei-Chuan Ko, professor at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, said: “In our study, we found AT-121 to be safe and non-addictive, as well as an effective pain medication. In addition, this compound also was effective at blocking abuse potential of prescription opioids, much like buprenorphine does for heroin, so we hope it could be used to treat pain and opioid abuse."

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, more than 115 people die from opium overdoses each year in the United States.

Over 21-29 percent of patients with medical prescriptions including opium compounds used to relieve chronic pain have suffered from subsequent addiction. As of July 2017, opium addiction cases increased by 30 percent in 42 US states.

The currently marketed opium drugs focus on the so-called opioid receptors, a part of the brain that works to help people not to feel pain. Researchers have been working on developing a drug that can stimulate this part of the brain to avoid the side effects of opium, mainly addiction, shortness of breath, and increased sensitivity to pain later.



China Heatwaves Boost Ice Factory Sales

A worker uses tongs to move ice blocks inside a refrigerated store at the Feichao Ice Factory in Hangzhou. Heatwaves across China have caused demand for ice to soar  - AFP
A worker uses tongs to move ice blocks inside a refrigerated store at the Feichao Ice Factory in Hangzhou. Heatwaves across China have caused demand for ice to soar - AFP
TT
20

China Heatwaves Boost Ice Factory Sales

A worker uses tongs to move ice blocks inside a refrigerated store at the Feichao Ice Factory in Hangzhou. Heatwaves across China have caused demand for ice to soar  - AFP
A worker uses tongs to move ice blocks inside a refrigerated store at the Feichao Ice Factory in Hangzhou. Heatwaves across China have caused demand for ice to soar - AFP

In a high-ceilinged room on the outskirts of eastern China's Hangzhou, workers use tongs to slide large blocks of frosty white ice along a metal track into a refrigerated truck.

Sales have picked up in recent weeks, boosted by heatwaves sweeping the whole country as summer sets in, the owner of Feichao ice factory, Sun Chao, told AFP.

Globally, heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense because of climate change, experts say, and China is no exception -- 2024 was the country's hottest on record, and this year is also set to be a scorcher.

Last week, authorities warned of heat-related health risks across large swathes of eastern China, including Zhejiang province where Hangzhou is located.

"In the spring, autumn, and winter, a higher temperature of two to three degrees doesn't have a big impact on our sales," Sun said.

"But in the summer, when temperatures are slightly higher, it has a big impact."

Feichao is a relatively small facility that sells ice to markets, produce transporters, and event organizers.

As the mercury soared past 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in multiple cities across China recently, ice from businesses like Sun's was used to cool down huge outdoor venues.

In neighbouring Jiangsu province, organisers of a football match attended by over 60,000 people placed more than 10,000 large blocks of ice around the stadium, according to the state-owned Global Times.

As AFP watched lorries being loaded with Feichao's ice on Wednesday, an employee from a nearby seafood shop came on foot to purchase two ice blocks -- each selling for around $3.50 -- hauling them off in a large plastic bag.

"In May and June, I can sell around 100 tonnes a day. In July, that number grows, and I can sell around 300 to 400 tonnes," Sun told AFP.

China has endured a string of extreme summers in recent years.

In June, authorities issued heat warnings in Beijing as temperatures in the capital rose to nearly 40 degrees Celsius, while state media said 102 weather stations across the country logged their hottest-ever June day.

The same month, six people were killed and more than 80,000 evacuated due to floods in southern Guizhou province.

China is the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that scientists generally agree are driving climate change and making extreme weather more intense and frequent.

It is also a global leader in renewable energy, adding capacity at a faster rate than any other country.