(November 5, 2008 - Insidermedicine) From Switzerland - According to research in Cell Metabolism, a new synthetic drug may help fight obesity. In the study, researchers fed mice a high fat diet for 4 months and also gave them 100 to 500 mg per day of an experimental new drug that works in a similar fashion to resveratrol, the natural compound found in red wine. Mice on the high dose of the drug did not become obese, and had their levels of cholesterol, fasting blood glucose and insulin come down.

From Philadelphia - According to research in the Journal of the American Medical Association, teens addicted to opioid drugs are more likely to quit if they receive longer-term treatment. In a study of 152 patients, researchers found that those who received continued treatment with the combination medication buprenorphine-naloxone were significantly less likely to test positive for drug use after 4, 8 and 12 weeks than those who received short-term treatment.

And finally, from Detroit - According to research presented to the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, hepatitis C infection may increase the risk for kidney cancer. In a study of over 3,000 patients with hepatitis C, researchers found that the rate of renal cell carcinoma was 0.6 per 100. In contrast, the researchers found that, among 64,000 uninfected individuals, the rate of renal cell carcinoma was only 0.3 per 100. Larger studies will be needed to confirm these results.

For Insidermedicine in 60, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.