MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology' source. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:15:12 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577499&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201583%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rivera S, Yuan F Abstract RNA interference (RNAi) is a fundamental mechanism of gene regulation and has been harnessed to produce a new class of drugs for treatment of various diseases. A key issue in these applications is how to effectively deliver RNAi therapeutics into target cells. This review is focused on advances in RNA delivery in vivo. To achieve it, novel strategies have been developed to enhance stability of RNA in cells and tissues, overcome barriers to transport of RNA or its carriers in the body, and reduce immunogenicity and cytotoxicity of treatment. Approaches to RNA delivery are divided into three categories in this review: biological, chemical, and physical. Advantages and disadvantages of each method are discussed. At present, effective delivery of RNAi... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577499 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:33:37 +0100 5577499 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577498&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201584%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Fu BM PMID: 22201584 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577498 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:33:25 +0100 5577498 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577497&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201585%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Chen B, Dong JQ, Pan WJ, Ruiz A Abstract Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) modeling & simulation (M&S) provides quantitative assessment of dose/exposure-response relationships with extensive applications at the late stage drug development as well as during regulatory decision making. However, at preclinical and early phase clinical drug development, the importance of PK/PD M&S has not been as widely recognized. We reviewed selected PK/PD M&S literatures in order to convey importance of M&S in these early development phases. We focused on the application of M&S to select and optimize lead candidates, the use of preclinical PK/PD data to project the range of clinical doses, and the development of comprehensive dose/exposure-response models that ... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577497 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:33:13 +0100 5577497 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577496&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201586%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Konofagou EE, Tung YS, Choi J, Deffieux T, Baseri B, Vlachos F Abstract Over 4 million U.S. men and women suffer from Alzheimer's disease; 1 million from Parkinson's disease; 350,000 from multiple sclerosis (MS); and 20,000 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Worldwide, these four diseases account for more than 20 million patients. In addition, aging greatly increases the risk of neurodegenerative disease. Although great progress has been made in recent years toward understanding of these diseases, few effective treatments and no cures are currently available. This is mainly due to the impermeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) that allows only 5% of the 7000 small-molecule drugs available to treat only a tiny fraction of these diseases. On the other hand, safe ... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577496 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:32:58 +0100 5577496 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577495&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201587%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Fu BM Abstract The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a dynamic barrier essential for maintaining the micro-environment of the brain. Although the special anatomical features of the BBB determine its protective role for the central nervous system (CNS) from blood-born neurotoxins, however, the BBB extremely limits the therapeutic efficacy of drugs into the CNS, which greatly hinders the treatment of major brain diseases. This review summarized the unique structures of the BBB, described a variety of in vivo and in vitro experimental methods for determining the transport properties of the BBB, e.g., the permeability of the BBB to water, ions, and solutes including nutrients, therapeutic agents and drug carriers, and presented newly developed mathematical models which quantitative... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577495 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:32:45 +0100 5577495 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577494&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201588%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Choudhury N, He H Abstract Due to the molecular complexity of cancer, combination therapy is becoming increasingly important for better long-term prognosis with fewer side effects. To further increase the therapeutic effects, advanced drug delivery systems (DDSs), capable of simultaneously delivering multiple drugs to the site of action with specific time-programmed release profiles, are important requirements. Nanocarriers for the simultaneous co-delivery of multiple chemical drugs in combination therapy have been extensively reviewed. Here we focus on the nanotechnology enabled DDSs for the simultaneous co-delivery of therapeutic genes and chemical drugs for cancer treatment. The opportunities for this combination strategy and their challenges will be discussed. PMID... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577494 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:32:31 +0100 5577494 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577493&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201589%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wu F, Yang S, Yuan W, Jin T Abstract The birth of microneedles, an array of needles sufficiently long to penetrate epidermis but small enough to do not cause skin injury and pain feeling, has offered a highly promising solution for non-invasive delivery of protein and peptide drugs, a long-cherished desire over eighty years. However, the attempts to develop clinically feasible microneedle transdermal delivery methods encountered series of difficulties, for which a decade research efforts have yet to result in a single product. Microneedles may be incorporated into devices as skin pre-treatment tools, skin microinjectors as well as transdermal patches by their functions in drug delivery. They may also be categorized to insoluble solid microneedles, hollow microneedles, solu... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577493 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:32:17 +0100 5577493 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577492&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201590%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Peattie RA Abstract Hyaluronan (HA) is a highly biocompatible biopolymer that is widely used for a variety of therapeutic purposes including surgical preparations, adhesion prevention, viscosupplementation and drug and cytokine delivery. Delivery can be accomplished effectively when HA-based carriers are synthesized in the form of hydrogels, though doing so normally requires chemical modification of the native HA structure. Solute delivery from HA-based gels can be either "simple", that is from a gel not including separate components intended to control release, or "regulated" when specific components are included for that purpose. A variety of modified forms of HA have been developed and used for delivery of desired molecules in therapeutic, clinical, veterinary and labor... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577492 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:32:03 +0100 5577492 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577491&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201591%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bhagat M, Halligan S, Sofou S Abstract Solid tumors constitute the majority of diagnosed cancers. For effective killing, therapeutic agents should ideally be delivered uniformly and at lethal doses to all cancer cells comprising the tumors, while keeping normal organ toxicities to a minimum. This requirement sets two of the major challenges in drug delivery to solid cancers: uniformity in delivery, and delivery of at least a minimum amount of therapeutics per cancer cell. Herein we review various approaches that aim to improve the penetration and content release of delivered therapeutic agents from nanocarriers of self-assembling nature. Biophysical characteristics of solid tumors are briefly discussed to motivate and rationalize the design of reported nanoparticle structu... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577491 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:31:49 +0100 5577491 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577490&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201592%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Neuzil J, Moreno-Sánchez R PMID: 22201592 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577490 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:31:36 +0100 5577490 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577489&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201593%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Herst PM, Berridge MV Abstract The proliferative cancer cell paradigm that has driven cancer drug development for the past 50 years has failed to generate treatments that cure most metastatic adult cancers. This view is supported not only by cumulative experience with conventional cytotoxic anticancer drugs, but also by the application of highly-targeted anticancer compounds against, for example, BCR-ABL in CML and mutant BRAF in metastatic melanoma. Such drugs often send their respective cancers into complete molecular remission but fail to effect cures because a small population of quiescent or slowly self-renewing cancer cells that are drug and radiation resistant survive treatment indefinitely. This review explores the grounds for an emerging cancer paradigm that views... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577489 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:31:23 +0100 5577489 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577488&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201594%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sun Y, Holley AK, St Clair DK Abstract Accumulated evidence suggests that p53 plays an important role in the regulation of metabolism and intracellular redox homeostasis through transcription-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Mitochondria, the power plant of cells, provide cells with ATP for their functions by regulating energy metabolism. In addition, as the byproducts of metabolism, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in the mitochondria can serve as signaling molecules to regulate p53 function. The regulation of p53 by mitochondria, especially redox-mediated regulation, may be involved in controlling the cellular switch between survival and death. The interplay between p53 and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), an important mitochondrial antioxidant enzyme... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577488 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:31:10 +0100 5577488 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577487&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201595%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Elia U, Flescher E Abstract Mitochondria are known to play a key role in various cellular processes essential to both the life and death of cells, including calcium homeostasis, programmed cell death, and energy metabolism. Over 80 years ago, Otto Warburg discovered that in contrast to normal cells which produce most of their ATP via mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, cancer cells preferentially utilize glycolysis for production of ATP, a phenomenon known today as the "Warburg effect", and one which has been of great importance in the emergence of novel drugs and chemotherapeutic agents specifically targeting cancer cells. Several groups have reported in recent years that members of the plant stress hormones family of jasmonates, and some of their synthetic derivativ... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577487 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:30:59 +0100 5577487 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577486&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201596%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hofmanová J, Vaculová A, Kozubík A Abstract Experimental and epidemiological evidence supports the idea that dietary fat and fiber influence colon carcinogenesis. Particularly, their components, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and butyrate, have been proven to exhibit beneficial effects on colon epithelial cell metabolism, signaling, and kinetics, thus preventing colon inflammation and cancer. Moreover, these effects may be strengthened by PUFA and butyrate combination. It appears that administration of these compounds might be a relatively nontoxic form of supportive therapy improving cancer treatment outcomes and slowing down or preventing recurrence of certain types of cancer. However, their efficient application has to be based on solid scientific evidence o... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577486 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:30:48 +0100 5577486 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577485&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201597%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hahn T, Polanczyk MJ, Borodovsky A, Ramanathapuram LV, Akporiaye ET, Ralph SJ Abstract Cytotoxic drugs in cancer therapy are used with the expectation of selectively killing and thereby eliminating the offending cancer cells. If they should die in an appropriate manner, the cells can also release danger signals that promote an immune reaction that reinforces the response against the cancer. The identity of these immune-enhancing danger signals, how they work extra- and intracellularly, and the molecular mechanisms by which some anti-cancer drugs induce cell death to bring about the release of danger signals are the major focus of this review. A specific group of mitocans, the vitamin E analogs that act by targeting mitochondria to drive ROS production and also promote a mo... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577485 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:30:38 +0100 5577485 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577484&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201598%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rohlena J, Dong LF, Neuzil J Abstract Treatment of cancer is by no means universally successful and often manifests harmful side effects. The best way to improve the success rate and reduce the side effects would be to develop compounds that are able to kill cancer cells while leaving normal cells unaffected. In this respect, mitocans (an acronym from 'mitochondria' and 'cancer'), a summary term we proposed for compounds that induce cell death by targeting mitochondria, show an encouraging trend. Here we provide an overview of mitocans specific for the mitochondrial electron transport chain. These mitocans are particularly interesting, because a frequent consequence of electron transport chain inhibition is the induction of superoxide formation resulting in the preferentia... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577484 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:30:28 +0100 5577484 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577483&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201599%26dopt%3DAbstract The Warburg Hypothesis and the ATP Supply In Cancer Cells Is Oxidative Phosphorylation impaired in malignant neoplasias? Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2012 Jun 1; Authors: Rodríguez-Enríquez S, Gallardo-Pérez JC, Marín-Hernández A, Moreno-Sánchez R Abstract Since Warburg proposed that cancer cells exhibit increased glycolysis due to apparent mitochondrial damage, numerous researchers have assumed that glycolysis is the predominant ATP supplier for cancer cell energy-dependent processes. However, chemotherapeutic strategies using glycolytic inhibitors have been unsuccessful in arresting tumor proliferation indicating that the original Warburg proposal may not be applicable to all existing neoplasias. This review analyzes recent information on mitochondrial metabolism in seve... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577483 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:30:19 +0100 5577483 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577482&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201600%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Shoshan MC Abstract Oncogene-driven proliferative signaling in tumor cells requires comprehensive upregulation of cellular energy metabolism and macromolecule syntheses. These alterations are now known to include not only upregulated glycolysis, but also increased fatty acid metabolism, glutaminolysis, deregulated mitochondrial function and more. Many prospective targets for tumor-specific pharmacological modulation of metabolism have therefore been identified. While the prospective drugs do not necessarily show very high antitumor activity by themselves, they may by depriving tumor cells of energy and building blocks for repair and proliferation come to be of major clinical use as potentiators of standard chemotherapeutic drugs and/or radiation. To this end, not only inhi... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577482 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:30:09 +0100 5577482 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577481&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201601%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Chesney J, Telang S Abstract High glucose uptake is a characteristic of most metastatic tumors and activation of Ras signaling in immortalized cells increases glycolytic flux into lactate, de novo nucleic acid synthesis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and increases NADH shuttling, oxygen consumption and uncoupling of ATP synthase from the proton gradient. Fructose-2,6-bisphosphate, C-Myc, HIF1α and AKT each have been found to be key regulators of glycolysis and to be controlled by Ras signaling, and there is abundant evidence for cross-talk between these regulators. The reprogramming of glycolytic and mitochondrial metabolism by Ras enables an integrated activation of energetic and anabolic pathways via the redox state of NADH that is required for the survival and grow... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577481 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:29:59 +0100 5577481 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577480&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201602%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Schmidt R PMID: 22201602 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577480 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:29:49 +0100 5577480 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577479&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201603%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bösch F, Tsui TY Abstract Carbon monoxide is generally believed to be a 'toxic' gas molecule due to its binding capability with hemoglobin. Overexposure to carbon monoxide leads to a hypoxic state that may cause the death of a mammalian. In contrast, directly exposure of carbon monoxide may protect cells or organs from various disease insults. The paradox effects of carbon monoxide might vary on the ways of exposure and the amounts being exposed. Here we highlighted the characteristics of this gas molecule and summarized its protective effects and therapeutic potentials in liver diseases and liver transplantation. PMID: 22201603 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577479 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:29:39 +0100 5577479 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577478&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201604%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Barbagallo I, Marrazzo G, Frigiola A, Zappala A, Volti GL Abstract During the degradation of heme by the enzyme heme oxygenase (HO), Carbon monoxide (CO) is generated. Although it is considered as a non - significant and potentially toxic waste gas of heme catabolism, CO is a key signaling molecule used to regulate different cardiovascular functions. In this review, we focus the protective roles of CO in vascular injury/disease, which may be important to explore the overall protective roles of HO-1/CO system in the pathogenesis of human vascular disease. Key Words: Carbon monoxide, Heme oxygenase, oxidative stress, hypertension, vascular diseases. PMID: 22201604 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577478 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:29:29 +0100 5577478 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577477&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201605%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Csongradi E, Juncos LA, Drummond HA, Vera T, Stec DE Abstract Carbon monoxide (CO) is an endogenously produced gas resulting from the degradation of heme by heme oxygense or from fatty acid oxidation. Heme oxygenase (HO) enzymes are constitutively expressed in the kidney (HO-2) and HO-1 is induced in the kidney in response to several physiological and pathological stimuli. While the beneficial actions of HO in the kidney have been recognized for some time, the important role of CO in mediating these effects has not been fully examined. Recent studies using CO inhalation therapy and carbon monoxide releasing molecules (CORMs) are demonstrating that increases in CO alone can be beneficial to the kidney in several forms of acute renal injury by limiting oxidative injury, decr... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577477 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:29:18 +0100 5577477 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577476&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201606%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dolinay T, Choi AM, Ryter SW Abstract Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease involving airways restriction, alveolar destruction, and loss of lung function, primarily due to cigarette smoke (CS) exposure. The inducible stress protein heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) has been implicated in cytoprotection against the toxic action of many xenobiotics, including CS. HO-1 also protects against elastase-induced emphysema. Differential expression of HO-1 in epithelial cells and macrophages may contribute to COPD susceptibility. Genetic polymorphisms in the HO-1 gene, which may account for variations in HO-1 expression among subpopulations, may be associated with COPD pathogenesis. Carbon monoxide (CO), a primary reaction product of HO-1 has been implicated in cytoprotec... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577476 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:29:07 +0100 5577476 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577475&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201607%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Faller S, Hoetzel A Abstract Despite modern clinical practice in critical care medicine, acute lung injury still causes unacceptably high rates of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the challenge today is to identify new and effective strategies in order to improve the outcome of these patients. Carbon monoxide, endogenously produced by the heme oxygenase enzyme system, has emerged as promising gaseous therapeutic that exerts protective effects against inflammation, oxidative and mechanical stress, and apoptosis, thus potentially limiting acute lung injury. In this review we discuss the effects of inhaled carbon monoxide on acute lung injury that results from ischemia-reperfusion, transplantation, sepsis, hyperoxia, or mechanical ventilation, the latter referred to as ven... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577475 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:28:57 +0100 5577475 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577474&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201608%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Loop T, Schlensak C, Goebel U Abstract Although a potentially toxic gaseous molecule, carbon monoxide recently gains rising scientifically and clinical interest as its beneficial effects and mechanisms of action are defined substantially in various in vitro and in vivo experiments. Its anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and anti-proliferative properties but its increasing impact concerning numerous disease models in means of protection, well describe this gas as a new and challenging therapeutic alternative. In this review, we focus on the extensively analyzed advantageous value of pre- and postconditioning with inhaled carbon monoxide in the context of lung and kidney injury, induced by the low perfusion during and after cardiopulmonary bypass. Mechanisms like the heat sho... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577474 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:28:46 +0100 5577474 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577473&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201609%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Nakao A, Toyoda Y Abstract Carbon monoxide (CO) is an invisible, chemically inert, colorless and odorless gas and is toxic at high concentrations due to its interference with oxygen delivery. However, CO is endogenously and physiologically generated in mammalian cells via the catabolism of heme in a rate-limiting step of heme oxygenase systems, and CO potently protects against cellular injury. CO relaxes blood vessels and exerts anti-thrombotic effects by inhibiting platelet aggregation and derepressing fibrinolysis. In addition, CO reduces ischemia/reperfusion injury and inflammatory responses. CO inhibits apoptosis of endothelial and epithelial cells and reduces proliferation of smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts and T lymphocytes. Thus, there is accumulating evidence to s... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577473 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:28:35 +0100 5577473 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577472&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201610%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Schmidt R, Ryan H, Hoetzel A Abstract Carbon monoxide (CO) has long been considered a purely toxic by-product of incomplete combustion processes. Acute exposure to high concentrations of CO is one of the leading causes of fatal poisoning in industrial countries. However, after two decades of intensive research, there is ample evidence that CO endogenously produced by heme oxygenase enzymes has essential physiological functions and is of vital importance for cellular hemostasis. Furthermore, exogenously applied CO in low concentrations mediates potent cytoprotective effects. An overwhelming number of different in vitro and in vivo models demonstrated the protective action of CO application, e.g., in ischemia/reperfusion, transplantation, oxidative stress, inflammation, and ... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577472 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:28:24 +0100 5577472 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577471&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201611%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Schwer CI Abstract Carbon monoxide (CO), often referred to as the silent killer, is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas. It combines with hemoglobin to produce carboxyhemoglobin, which is ineffective for delivering oxygen to animal and human tissues. On the other hand, CO is endogenously produced in the body as a byproduct of heme degradation catalyzed by the heme oxygenase (HO) enzymes. In the past decade, evidence has accumulated to suggest important physiological roles for CO in mammalian tissues. In the pancreas, modulation of endogenous CO production or administration of exogenous CO may represent a therapeutic option for the treatment of endocrine and exocrine pancreatic disorders. In cell culture, CO exerts anti-diabetic effects and brief exposure of purified mo... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577471 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:28:13 +0100 5577471 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577470&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22201612%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wilson JL, Jesse HE, Poole RK, Davidge KS Abstract Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless and odourless gas that has long been considered as a potent respiratory poison. Recent advances have demonstrated its production by haem oxygenases in both mammals and microbes, and it has roles as a gasotransmitter in higher organisms. This review concentrates on the application of CO, via carbon monoxide-releasing molecules (CO-RMs), as an anti-bacterial agent. Currently, the scope of literature on the effects of CO on bacteria is small, and we have included discussions on the production of CO by bacteria via haem oxygenase enzymes, the use of CO as an energy source, and existing knowledge on CO sensors in bacteria. CO is known to target haem proteins and is an effective inhibitor of ... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577470 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:28:02 +0100 5577470 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577469&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22204369%26dopt%3DAbstract The Warburg Hypothesis and the ATP Supply In Cancer Cells Is Oxidative Phosphorylation impaired in malignant neoplasias? Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2012 Jun 1; Authors: Rodríguez-Enríquez S, Gallardo-Pérez JC, Marín-Hernández A, Moreno-Sánchez R Abstract Since Warburg proposed that cancer cells exhibit increased glycolysis due to apparent mitochondrial damage, numerous researchers have assumed that glycolysis is the predominant ATP supplier for cancer cell energy-dependent processes. However, chemotherapeutic strategies using glycolytic inhibitors have been unsuccessful in arresting tumor proliferation indicating that the original Warburg proposal may not be applicable to all existing neoplasias. This review analyzes recent information on mitochondrial metabolism in seve... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577469 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:27:52 +0100 5577469 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577449&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22216767%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Razansky D, Deliolanis N, Vinegoni C, Ntziachristos V Abstract For centuries, biological discoveries were based on optical imaging, in particular microscopy but also several chromophoric assays and photographic approaches. With the recent emergence of methods appropriate for bio-marker in vivo staining, such as bioluminescence, fluorescent molecular probes and proteins, as well as nanoparticle-based targeted agents, significant attention has been shifted toward in vivo interrogations of different dynamic biological processes at the molecular level. This progress has been largely supported by the development of advanced tomographic imaging technologies suitable for obtaining volumetric visualization of bio-marker distributions in small animals at a whole-body or whole-organ... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577449 Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577449 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577468&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22208650%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ng WF PMID: 22208650 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577468 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577468 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577467&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22208651%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bombardieri M, Pitzalis C Abstract It has long been demonstrated that a subset of patients with Sjogren's syndrome (SS) develop ectopic lymphoid structures (ELS) in the salivary glands (SG). These structures are characterised by periductal clusters of T and B lymphocytes, development of high endothelial venules and differentiation of follicular dendritic cells (FDC) networks. Evidence in patients with and animal models of SS demonstrated that the formation and maintenance of ELS in the SG is critically dependent on the ectopic expression of lymphotoxins (LT) and lymphoid chemokines CXCL13, CCL19, CCL21 and CXCL12. Several cell types, including resident epithelial, stromal and endothelial cells as well as different subsets of infiltrating immune cells, have been shown to be... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577467 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577467 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577466&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22208652%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Smith PM, Dawson LJ Abstract Sjögren's syndrome is a systemic autoimmune condition centred around salivary gland dysfunction and atrophy. There are a plethora of antibodies that mark the decline of the salivary glands, most of which relate to apoptopic mediated destruction of acinar cells. The best known of these autoantibodies, anti-Ro and anti-La form part of the diagnostic criteria for the condition. An emerging viewpoint in recent years is that glandular dysfunction precedes rather than follows glandular atrophy and attention has shifted to the interface between the immune system and the secretory process. An autoantibody against the muscarinic type 3 acetylcholine receptor occupies precisely this position because it inhibits the acetylcholine receptor which controls ... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577466 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577466 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577465&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22208653%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Youinou P, Saraux A, Pers JO Abstract T cells have originally occupied central stage of the debate on the type of lymphocytes governing the pathogenesis of Sjögren's syndrome (SS). However, B cells has since been substituted for T cells, and insights into their functions have revealed that they accomplish various tasks. Beyond the paradigm that T lymphocytes maintain strict control over B lymphocytes, these latter cells solicit their own help from the former, release a flurry of cytokines, and act as antigen-presenting cells. In SS, excessive of the B cell-activating factor (BAFF) may cause B-cell quantitative anomalies, such as inflation of mature B (Bm)2'Bm2' cells in the circulation, or accumulation of transitional type 2, marginal zone (MZ) and memory B cells within t... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577465 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577465 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577464&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22208654%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bowman SJ Abstract Primary Sjögren's Syndrome (PSS) is characterized by dryness of the eyes and mouth due to lymphocytic infiltration of secretory exocrine glands. As well as disabling dryness, patients commonly have fatigue and arthralgia and an associated reduction in quality of life. The condition principally affects adult women and is relatively common - approximately 1:1000 to 1:250 adult women are estimated to have the condition in European/North American studies. Current therapy is principally symptomatic with the use of artificial tears and oral gels, pastilles and sprays. Medications to stimulate residual glandular secretion can be helpful for appropriate individuals. A proportion of patients also develop extraglandular features such as skin vasculitis, or lung, ... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577464 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577464 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577463&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22208655%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gottenberg JE, Mariette X Abstract Many important clinical questions concerning primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) remains, that can only be adequately addressed by prospective cohorts. Thus, a better knowledge of the clinical outcome, the course of disease activity and the risk factors of lymphoma requires the setting up of cohorts with biobanks. The homogeneous collection of clinical data, disease activity, patient-related outcome, and biological samples, including DNA, RNA and serum, is definitively mandatory to determine new biological prognostic factors and identify disease activity markers. Three large prospective cohorts have already started to enroll patients with pSS. This will be highly invaluable for scientists and clinicians to gain a better insight into the pat... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577463 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577463 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577462&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22208656%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Vissink A, Bootsma H, Spijkervet FK, Hu S, Wong DT, Kallenberg CG Abstract Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune inflammatory disorder of exocrine glands. SS particularly affects the lacrimal and salivary glands. Dry mouth and dry eyes are frequently proffered as presenting symptoms, but non-specific symptoms such as malaise and fatigue, and extraglandular manifestations like purpura, polyneuropathy and arthritis are also often present. Moreover, lymphomas develop in about 7.5% of SS patients, mostly marginal zone B-cell lymhomas. Futhermore, SS has a very substantial impact on the patients' quality of life and their daily activities. Recently, many breakthroughs have been seen in salivary diagnostics, which not only can be used for diagnosis but also for monitoring of... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577462 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577462 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577461&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22208657%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Nordmark G, Eloranta ML, Rönnblom L Abstract Patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) have an activated type I interferon (IFN) system that contribute to the etiopathogenesis and clinical manifestations of the disease. The type I IFN system consists of the stimuli for type I IFN production, the receptors, cells and transcription factors involved in the synthesis of type I IFNs, the type I IFN-receptor and the effects on target cells. Increased type I IFN activity has been demonstrated in sera from patients with pSS and IFN-α, the main type I IFN, has been detected in the minor salivary glands. Gene expression profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and minor salivary glands from pSS patients display an up-regulation of type I IFN-induced genes, an ... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577461 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577461 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577460&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22208658%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Busch R, Hadjinicolaou AV, Hall FC Abstract T cells are implicated in both local and systemic pathophysiology of primary Sjögren's syndrome (PSS). Lymphocytic infiltrates in exocrine glands are dominated by CD4+ T cells, some contributing to ectopic lymphoid tissue, others, unusually, exhibiting cytotoxic potential. Cytokine secretion patterns are complex, with Th1 and Th17 components implicated in pathology. Circulating T cells exhibit phenotypes consistent with hyperactivation, cytokine imbalance, and homeostatic alterations; CD4 lymphopenia is recognized as a risk factor for developing lymphoma. Evidence of oligoclonal expansion is found locally and systemically. Functional alterations (e.g. cytokine secretion profile, migratory potential, target cell interactions) are... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577460 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577460 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577459&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22208659%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dantec CL, Varin MM, Brooks WH, Pers JO, Youinou P, Renaudineau Y Abstract There is growing evidence that epigenetics, the study of heritable changes in gene expression that do not involve mutations in the DNA itself, may play an essential role in autoimmune diseases (AID). In Sjögren's syndrome (SS), a chronic AID characterized by an epithelis of the exocrine glands, epigenetic studies have focused on three mechanisms: DNA methylation and its consequences including human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) expression; microRNA expression; and protein post-translational modifications associated with autoantibody production. Although in its infancy, comprehension of the epigenetic (dys)regulation in SS may help us to understand: why SS affects predominantly middle-aged women; why... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577459 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577459 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577458&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22214498%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kiessling F PMID: 22214498 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577458 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577458 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577457&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22214499%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Slabu I, Güntherodt G, Schmitz-Rode T, Hodenius M, Krämer N, Donker H, Krombach GA, Otto J, Klinge U, Baumann M Abstract For the development of a surgical mesh implant that is visible in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), superparamagnetic iron oxides (SPIOs) are integrated into the material of the mesh. In order to get a high quality mesh regarding both mechanical and imaging properties, a narrow size distribution and homogenous spatial distribution, as well as a strong magnetization of SPIOs within the filament of the mesh are required. In this work, six different samples of SPIOs composed of a magnetite core are synthesized with and without stabilizing dodecanoic acid and analyzed using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID), transmission electron micros... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577457 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577457 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577456&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22214500%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bäuerle T, Komljenovic D, Semmler W Abstract Bone is among the most common locations of metastasis and therefore represents an important clinical target for diagnostic follow-up in cancer patients. In the pathogenesis of bone metastases, disseminated tumor cells proliferating in bone interact with the local microenvironment stimulating or inhibiting osteoclast and osteoblast activity. Non-invasive imaging methods monitor molecular, functional and morphologic changes in both compartments of these skeletal lesions - the bone and the soft tissue tumor compartment. In the bone compartment, morphologic information on skeletal destruction is assessed by computed tomography (CT) and radiography. Pathogenic processes of osteoclast and osteoblast activity, however, can be imaged u... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577456 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577456 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577455&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22214501%26dopt%3DAbstract This article provides an overview over the various methods, with a particular emphasis on PET and MRI for imaging of hypoxia, and reviews their performance in preclinical and clinical studies. PMID: 22214501 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577455 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577455 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577454&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22214502%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hoffman RM Abstract Fluorescent proteins have revolutionized in vivo biology. Due to their intrinsic brightness, multiple colors, and ease of generic manipulation, fluorescent proteins are the genetic reporters of choice for in vivo imaging. The present report reviews applications of fluorescent protein for imaging cancer progression, gene expression, angiogenesis, stem cells, bacterial infection, Leishmania, and asthma at the cellular level in live mice. With fluorescent protein-expressing cells and a highly sensitive small animal imaging system, cellular and subcellular dynamics can now be observed in live mice in real time. Fluorescent proteins thus enable both micro as well as macro imaging technology and thereby provide the basis for the new field of in vivo cell biol... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577454 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577453&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22214503%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kunjachan S, Jayapaul J, Mertens ME, Storm G, Kiessling F, Lammers T Abstract Nanomedicine formulations are considered to be superior to standard low-molecular-weight drugs because of an increased drug accumulation at the pathological site and a decreased localization to healthy non-target tissues, together leading to an improved balance between the efficacy and the toxicity of (chemo-) therapeutic interventions. To better understand and further improve nanomedicine-mediated drug targeting, it is important to design systems and strategies which are able to provide real-time feedback on the localization, the release and the therapeutic efficacy of these formulations. The advances made over the past few years with regard to the development of novel imaging agents and techniq... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577453 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577453 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577452&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22214504%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lederle W, Palmowski M, Kiessling F Abstract Angiogenesis is a complex multistep process and a crucial pre-requisite for tumor growth, invasion and metastasis. A profound knowledge of the mechanisms including the elucidation of markers for angiogenic vessels is essential for the generation of new anti-angiogenic chemotherapeutic agents and the improvement of specific imaging techniques. During the last decades, numerous angiogenesis inhibitors have been developed and some of them have shown promising results in preclinical and clinical trials. However, the response to anti-angiogenic treatment is often delayed and shows high inter-individual variations. In order to improve anti-angiogenic therapy, new specific surrogate markers are necessary that allow the characterization... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577452 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577452 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577451&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22214505%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Keereweer S, Hutteman M, Kerrebijn JD, van de Velde CJ, Vahrmeijer AL, Löwik CW Abstract In cancer imaging, many different modalities are used that each have their specific features, leading to the combined use of different techniques for the detection, staging and treatment evaluation of cancer. Optical imaging using near-infrared fluorescence light is a new imaging modality that has recently emerged in the field of cancer imaging. After extensive preclinical research, the first steps of translation to the clinical practice are currently being made. In this article, we discuss the preclinical and clinical results of near-infrared optical imaging for non-invasive detection and classification of tumors, therapy monitoring, sentinel lymph node procedures, and image-guided c... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577451 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577451 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577450&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22214507%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Thorek DL, Grimm J Abstract Molecular imaging of disease development, progression and treatment is seen as key to further advancement in the understanding and triumph over illness. The role of enzymes is to catalyze the biochemical reactions that help regulate health, and when dysregulated in complex organisms lead to or indicate disease. The ability to image the action of these proteins for diagnostic purposes opens a window for the researcher and clinician to witness specifc molecular events in vitro and in vivo. Such probes have been developed and deployed for the optical, radionuclide and magnetic resonance modalities and offer significant benefits over conventional agents. The signal of enzymatically-activated probes is regulated by the specific activity of the desire... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577450 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577450 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5546351&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22188438%26dopt%3DAbstract This article gives an overview of the mechanisms of antibacterial resistance and actual resistance data worldwide of the most prevalent Gram positive (MRSA, VISA/VRSE and VRE) and Gram negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter spp., ESBL producing Enterobacteriaceae and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia). Furthermore, strategies to reduce antibiotic resistance are reviewed. Most important is institution of infection control policies including guidelines on surveillance, isolation of colonized patients and contact precautions, hand hygiene, decolonization measures and environmental decontamination. Antimicrobial stewardship, or striking the balance between an optimal antibiotic treatment for a patient and a minimal risk of development of antibiotic resistance, is another important... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5546351 Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5546351 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5473776&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22122477%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gil-Izquierdo A, Peñalvo LJ, Gil IJ, Medina S, Horcajada NM, Lafay S, Silberberg M, Llorach R, Zafrilla P, García-Mora P, Ferreres F Abstract Cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality rates are lower in Asian countries where dietary patterns are very different from Western diet. A number of studies have linked these lower rates to the inclusion of soy products as a staple food in those countries. Soy is the richest dietary source of isoflavones, a type of phytoestrogen associated with many potentially beneficial effects. Isoflavone-containing soy protein consumption has been linked to reduced levels of LDL cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic patients. This effect is increased with the concomitant administration of isoflavones, and seems to be also complemented by the isofla... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5473776 Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5473776 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5473775&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22122478%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Pereira DM, Valentãoa P, Correia-da-Silvab G, Teixeirab N, Andrade PB Abstract Nowadays we have a number of chemical and biological agents at our disposal to treat chronic pathologies such as cancer. Although most drugs display significant activity, thus improving the clinical outcome, side-effects and emergence of resistances cannot be looked down. From an historical point of view, higher plants have been very important in the search of new therapeutic agents and they were in the origin of the first medicines used in human health. The contribute of plants to treat pathologies such as cancer is far from being over, mainly due to the high number of new drugs that are currently being evaluated in clinical trials. Metabolomics-based studies have rendered several new chemical... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5473775 Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5473775 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5473774&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22122480%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cacabelos R, Martínez-Bouza R, Carril JC, Fernández-Novoa L, Lombardi V, Carrera I, Corzo L, McKay A Abstract CNS disorders are the third major problem of health in developed countries, with approximately 10% of direct costs associated with a pharmacological treatment of doubtful cost-effectiveness. There is an alarming abuse of psychotropic drugs worldwide and only 20-30% of patients with CNS disorders appropriately respond to conventional drugs. The pathogenesis of most CNS disorders is the result of the interplay of genetic and epigenetic factors with environmental factors leading to post-transcriptional changes and proteomic and metabolomic dysfunctions. It is estimated that genetics accounts for 20% to 95% of variability in drug disposition and pharmacodynamics, and... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5473774 Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5473774 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5473773&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22122481%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cécile M, Davide DE, Antonin B, Catherine B, Antoinette L Abstract Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver pathology characterized by fat accumulation in a context of metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance. It can be associated with obesity, diabetes, hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia as well as hypertension. NAFLD consists of a large spectrum of hepatic lesions including benign steatosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. Upon chronic stress, NASH would occur via at least "two-hits" process involving modulation of a high number of genes and proteins. Firstly, the accumulation of fat, either due to the increased inflow of free fatty acids or de novo lipogenesis, leads to steatosis. Secondly, when adaptiv... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5473773 Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5473773 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5473772&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22122482%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lamazière A, Wolf1 C, Quinn PJ Abstract The rising incidence of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in industrialized countries has led the pharmaceutical industry to make them key areas of drug development. These diseases imply a clustering of metabolic factors where lipid metabolites play a relevant role. Measurement of pharmacodynamic endpoints of drugs on lipid metabolism pathways and downstream biological processes appear crucial for a rational drug discovery/development. Fortunately, recent mass spectrometers with an enhanced sensitivity and resolution in combination with multivariate statistical analysis provide the practical possibility to analyze and measure wide portions of the lipidome. The final goal is to identify lipid signatures which fit with specific ph... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5473772 Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5473772 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5473771&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22122483%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Serino M, Chabo C, Burcelin R Abstract Over the last five years an increasing effort has been made to understand the role of intestinal microbiota in health and disease, resulting in regarding to it as a new organ actively involved in the control of host metabolism, both in humans and mice. Amongst hundreds (up to thousand) germ species inhabiting the intestine, few of them are cultivable. Nevertheless, next-generation sequencing-based molecular technologies have been developed, allowing to overcome this problem and shed light on the way the gut microbiota undergoes dramatic changes during (patho)-physiological modifications of the host. Hence, the study of the overall gut germ genome (metagenome) and transcriptome (microbiome) has been launched. Thus, Genomics and Transcr... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5473771 Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5473771 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378480&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039783%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: González-Canga A PMID: 22039783 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378480 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378480 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378479&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039784%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Campbell WC Abstract The macrocyclic lactones enjoy a position of prominence in the control of parasites, and their history may be of interest, and even of use, in an age in which the search for chemotherapeutic agents has been transformed by modern technology. Much of their history has been recorded piecemeal in a wide variety of publications. The present review provides additional detail, and offers a personal perspective on the history of ivermectin and related avermectins. Brief notes are included on the subsequent development of other macrocyclic lactones. Milbemycin preceded the avermectins as a macrocyclic lactone of agricultural importance, but was used for a different purpose. Development of the avermectins arose from the isolation, in the laboratories of the Kit... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378479 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378479 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378478&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039785%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Geary TG, Moreno Y Abstract Macrocyclic lactones (MLs), exemplified by the prototype of the class, ivermectin (IVM), are mainstays of programs for the control of nematode and arthropod parasites and pests. Since their introduction 30 years ago, research has revealed that they act on a family of ligand-gated chloride channels gated by glutamate, which is largely restricted to animals in the phyla Nematoda and Arthropoda. Studies on IVM in model organisms have contributed greatly to our understanding of ML pharmacology, but our understanding of the basis for differences among species and among MLs in potency and spectrum remains far from complete. PMID: 22039785 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378478 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378478 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378477&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039786%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wolstenholme AJ, Kaplan RM Abstract Resistance to the macrocyclic lactones (MLs) has been confirmed or suspected in many target organisms and is a serious problem in some. For some species, such as parasitic nematodes of small ruminants, ML resistance has become severe enough to threaten effective worm control worm control. Resistance is also a major concern in horse parasites and an emerging problem in cattle. Despite this, we have insufficient understanding of the mechanisms of ML resistance, especially in nematodes. Some insect and mite agricultural pests express higher levels of detoxifying enzymes, leading to cross-resistance to other pesticide classes. A major difficulty is in the identification of true resistance and distinguishing this from other causes of treatmen... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378477 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378477 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378476&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039787%26dopt%3DAbstract The objective of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of the pharmacokinetics of macrocyclic lactones and to interpret where that information may prove clinically useful. PMID: 22039787 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378476 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378476 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378475&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039788%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lifschitz A, Ballent M, Lanusse C Abstract Macrocyclic lactones (MLs) are antiparasitic drugs used against endo-ectoparasites. Regarding the wide use of MLs in different species, it is likely that drug-drug interactions may occur after their co-administration with other compounds. A new paradigm was introduced in the study of the pharmacology of MLs during the last years since the interactions of MLs with ATP-binding cassete (ABC) transporters have been described. The current review article gives an update on the available information concerning drug-drug interactions involving the MLs. The basis of the methodological approaches used to evaluate transport interactions, and the impact of the pharmacology-based modulation of drug transport on the MLs disposition kinetics and... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378475 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378475 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378474&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039789%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: González-Canga A, Belmar-Liberato R, Escribano M Abstract The characterisation of ivermectin pharmacokinetics can be used to predict and to ensure an optimal activity in the target species and for designing programmes aimed for parasite control. Ivermectin pharmacokinetic studies performed in several minor ruminant species are reviewed in this paper with the aim of facilitating the adoption of rational basis for the establishment of appropriate dosage schedules. PMID: 22039789 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378474 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378474 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378473&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039790%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Danaher M, Radeck W, Kolar L, Keegan J, Cerkvenik-Flajs V Abstract A review of the developments on the analysis residues of avermectins and milbemycins (both macrocyclic lactones) is presented. The macrocyclic lactones (MLs) are an important class of chemicals, which are used worldwide as veterinary drugs and as crop protection agents. As a result, residues of MLs are important from both a food safety and environmental perspective. A review of the developments in ML residues in food was carried out in detail in 2006. As a result, this paper covers recent developments in the area of food analysis, which are mainly multi-residue assays based on liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). A brief coverage of HPLC fluorescence (HPLC-FLD) based methods... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378473 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378473 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378472&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039791%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Woodward KN Abstract The macrocyclic lactone endectocides typified by ivermectin are safe and effective drugs when used according to label directions. However, off-label use, misuse and overdosing can result in toxicity in animal patients as revealed by pharmacovigilance activities. Preclinical toxicity studies demonstrates that the major clinical signs of toxicity are those associated with neurotoxic effects and these are the most common adverse drug reactions noted in overdosed treated animals. Subpopulations of some strains or breeds of some species appear to be uniquely sensitive to the neurotoxic effects of the macrocyclic lactones due to enhanced brain penetration by these drugs as a result of a deficiency in P-glycoprotein arising as a result of a mutation in the MD... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378472 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378472 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378471&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039792%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Geyer J, Janko C Abstract P-glycoprotein, encoded by the multidrug resistance gene MDR1, is an ATP-driven drug efflux pump which is highly expressed at the blood-brain barrier of vertebrates. Drug efflux of macrocyclic lactones by P-glycoprotein is highly relevant for the therapeutic safety of macrocyclic lactones, as thereby GABA-gated chloride channels, which are confined to the central nervous system in vertebrates, are protected from high drug concentrations that otherwise would induce neurological toxicity. A 4-bp deletion mutation exists in the MDR1 gene of many dog breeds such as the Collie and the Australian Shepherd, which results in the expression of a non-functional P-glycoprotein and is associated with multiple drug sensitivity. Accordingly, dogs with homozygou... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378471 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378471 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378470&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039793%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Escribano M, San Andrs MI, de Lucas JJ, Gonzlez-Canga A Abstract From a human safety perspective, the administration of ivermectin to food producing animal species entails potential risks related to the presence of drug residues in edible tissues, milk, and other derived products. The European Medicines Agency has established the maximum residue limits for ivermectin in the European Union, with values of 100 µg∙kg-1 in fat and liver and 30 µg∙kg-1 in kidney for all mammalian food producing species, in order to ensure that the amount of ivermectin that can be found in animal foodstuff is below dangerous levels for the consumers. According to these values, withdrawal periods after subcutaneous injection were recently established in the European Union (2009), in 49 days... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378470 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378470 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378469&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039794%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Yang CC Abstract Macrocyclic lactones, including avermectins and milbemycins, are novel parasiticides and insecticides that are produced through fermentation by soil-dwelling microorganisms. Although various macrocyclic lactones may differ in their potency and safety, all of them are believed to share common pharmacologic/toxicologic mechanisms, i.e. leading to paralysis and death of parasites and other target organisms via the activation of a glutamate-gated chloride channel in the invertebrate nerve and muscle cells and/or through the effect on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors. Ivermectin is the first macrocyclic lactone that was released for use in both animals and humans, and has demonstrated both excellent efficacy and high tolerability in the treatment of par... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378469 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378469 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378468&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039795%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lumaret JP, Errouissi F, Floate K, Rmbke J, Wardhaugh K Abstract The avermectins, milbemycins and spinosyns are collectively referred to as macrocyclic lactones (MLs) which comprise several classes of chemicals derived from cultures of soil micro-organisms. These compounds are extensively and increasingly used in veterinary medicine and agriculture. Due to their potential effects on non-target organisms, large amounts of information on their impact in the environment has been compiled in recent years, mainly caused by legal requirements related to their marketing authorization or registration. The main objective of this paper is to critically review the present knowledge about the acute and chronic ecotoxicological effects of MLs on organisms, mainly invertebrates, in the ... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378468 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378468 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378467&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039796%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ballweber LR, Baeten LA Abstract The use of macrocyclic lactones has become the main stay for the treatment of endo- and ectoparasites in the cattle industry. Here we review those drugs that are currently approved for use in cattle in the United States. The general efficacy, tissue distribution and toxicity of each drug formulation are discussed. Included is a discussion regarding the current status for nematode anthelmintic resistance in cattle populations within the United States. Also provided is a current summary of ecological effects of macrocyclic lactones residues in manure. PMID: 22039796 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378467 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378467 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378466&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039797%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lyons ET, Tolliver SC Abstract Macrocyclic lactones (MLs) revolutionized parasite control in horses and other animals. They are unique in that they are effective against arthropods and nematodes. The first of the widely used avermectins was ivermectin. In 1983, it was marketed for use in horses as an injectable formulation but was withdrawn in 1984 after about a year and half on the market because of adverse problems. It was replaced by a paste formulation and an oral/stomach tube liquid formulation. Ivermectin is highly active on bots, ascarids, large and small strongyles, pinworms, strongyloides, stomach worms, and some other internal parasite species. Another ML, moxidectin, became available in 1997 as a gel formulation for oral administration. The parasiticidal activit... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378466 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378466 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378465&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039798%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Nolan TJ, Lok JB Abstract Macrocyclic lactones (MLs) have many anti-parasitic applications in small companion animal medicine. They were first developed as chemoprophylactics against heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) infection to be applied monthly for retroactive killing of third- and fourth-stage larvae. ML-containing products formulated for oral (ivermectin, milbemycin oxime), topical (selamectin, moxidectin) or injectable sustained release (moxidectin, ivermectin) are approved for heartworm prevention in dogs or cats. Clearance of microfilariae and gradual or "soft" killing of adult heartworms constitute increasingly prevalent extra-label uses of MLs against D. immitis. Some commercial ML formulations contain sufficient levels of active ingredient (milbemycin oxime, sela... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378465 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378465 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378464&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039799%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Horsberg TE Abstract The main indication for use of avermectins in aquaculture-produced fish is infestations with ectoparasitic copepods. The compounds ivermectin and emamectin benzoate are predominantly used as in-feed formulations on salmonid fish against copepods in the family Caligidae: Lepeophtheirus salmonis, Caligus elongatus and C. rogercresseyi. These agents are well-documented as very effective on all developmental stages of the parasites. The duration of effect can be up to 10 weeks. The safety margin for ivermectin is narrow, but better for emamectin benzoate. Environmental impact from these chemicals on bottom-dwelling and sediment-dwelling organisms occurs, but these are restricted to the immediate area around the production site. Avermectins are incompletely... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378464 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378464 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378463&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039800%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: González P, González FA, Ueno K Abstract Ivermectin is a broad spectrum antiparasitic veterinary drug introduced in human medicine in 1987. It is considered the drug of choice in onchocerciasis and strongyloidiasis infections, and remains as a therapeutic option for mass treatment in lymphatic filariasis, for which it has widely proved its efficacy. While research continued for human use, new therapeutic targets for ivermectin have emerged. It is currently the better therapeutic option in the treatment of gnathostomiasis and crusted scabies, and could be an alternative option in ascariasis and Mansonella infections. Although these uses are already included in clinical guidelines, more trials are needed to increase their grade of evidence and to obtain their official appr... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378463 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378463 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378462&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039801%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hopkins A Abstract The donation of Mectizan® by Merck & Co Inc. in 1987 "as much as was needed for as long as was needed for onchocerciasis control" was a major change from traditional corporate drug donations. The company realised that those who needed the drug most would never be able to purchase it, and so gave it away. The donation enabled the Onchocerciasis Control Programme in West Africa to add Mectizan distribution to its ongoing control strategy. For the first time there was hope for those living in other areas of Africa, Latin America and Yemen. Governments and non-governmental development organizations quickly got together to begin treatment in these new areas. Two new programmes and partnerships were created; the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Contr... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378462 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378462 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378461&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039802%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Nomura Y PMID: 22039802 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378461 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378461 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378460&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039803%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Goto T, Sato M, Takahashi E, Nomura Y Abstract HIF-1α is regarded as a target for drug development in several diseases such as cancer. For high throughput screening of HIF-1α-targeted drug, we need to examine the activity quantitatively.In the present study, we proposed a method where stable expression system of HIF-1αwas combined with image correlation analysis. When the stable transformants were labeled with DRAQ5, we could detect Co(2+)-induced nuclear translocation by the use of cross-correlation analysis of the dual labeling images. In the case of high throughput screening for HIF-1α-targeted drug, we should use Pearson's correlation coefficient to judge nuclear translocation. PMID: 22039803 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical B... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378460 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378460 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378459&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039804%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hirano T Abstract Calcium-activated photoproteins are important and useful bioluminescent reagents for detecting the calcium ion (Ca(2+)) in biological systems. In conjunction with photon imaging technology, they can be used to observe Ca(2+)-related life processes in a living cell. To develop useful applications of calcium-activated photoproteins, we need to understand the molecular basis of the bioluminescence reaction. For this purpose, this review describes the oxygenation, chemiexcitation, and light emission processes of calcium-activated photoproteins in the bioluminescence reaction together with the fundamental chemistry of the luminous substrate, coelenterazine, based on recent results from mechanistic chemical studies of these primary processes. Finally, the whole... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378459 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378459 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378458&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039805%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ishii K Abstract Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy is a powerful technique for studying the structures and dynamics of living cells. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) is also used to study dynamic characteristics and it has the potential to measure cell dynamics. However, it is difficult to apply DLS to highly scattering media. In this article, we review low-coherence dynamic light scattering (LC-DLS). It strongly suppresses the influence of multiple scattering and has a greater potential for measuring cell dynamics than conventional DLS. The properties of LC-DLS are described theoretically and experimentally. Measurement of the diffusion coefficients of macromolecules in turbid media and interparticle and molecular interactions by LC-DLS is demonstrated. PMID: 220398... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378458 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378458 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378457&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039806%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kawamata J, Suzuki Y Abstract This paper describes a novel molecular design strategy for obtaining efficient two-photon absorption (TPA) materials. The most popular strategy for enhancing the TPA cross-section (σ((2))) of a molecule is to enhance its transition dipole moment. However, this strategy also red shifts the one-photon absorption (OPA) band. Consequently, molecules with large transition dipole moments typically exhibit strong OPA at visible wavelengths, making it difficult to use such molecules for TPA-related applications in the visible wavelength region. Therefore, an alternative molecular design principle for TPA materials to enhance the transition dipole moment is strongly required. The present paper describes a novel molecular design strategy for reducing t... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378457 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378457 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378456&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039807%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kageshima M Abstract Experimental method of studying viscoelasticity, a common idea to understand properties of microscopic biological soft matter systems, especially single biopolymer chains, using atomic force microscopy (AFM) with magnetically-driven cantilever is surveyed. The experimental setup of applying well-characterized excitation to the cantilever and the analysis method to derive the viscoelasticity of the system under study are briefly introduced. Examples of measuring viscoelasticity of single peptide molecule and single titin molecule are shown. Considering the close relation of viscoelasticity and the time-scale for nonequilibrium dynamics in soft matter, extension of the method to a frequency-resolved analysis is attempted. A result of measuring viscoelast... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378456 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378456 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378455&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039808%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Matsumoto T Abstract Atomic force microscopy (AFM) provides a novel way to understand the structure-function relationship of protein synthesis at a single-molecular level. High-resolution AFM imaging in air, liquid and vacuum allows for single DNA, RNA and proteins to be observed at the nano-scale in addition to their conformational transitions, bound states, temporal behavior, and assembly. The recent development of frequency modulation mode AFM has led to imaging hydration structures of DNA in water and molecular polarization of DNA complexes in vacuum. Real-time imaging in near-physiological environments captures transcriptional activation with characteristic conformation of DNA-protein complexes. We review current achievements and the future potential of methodological... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378455 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378455 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378454&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039809%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, the effect of isoproterenol, a positive inotropic agent, on local contractions of isolated neonatal rat CMs was explored by atomic force microscopy (AFM). We observed that changes in local contraction amplitude of CM in the presence of isoproterenol were heterogeneous; they were unchanged or increased, at different positions, with respect to the amplitude of untreated CMs. Interestingly, spatial heterogeneities of local contraction amplitude of CM in the presence of isoproterenol did not obviously correlate with the local elasticity, indicating that the local contractions were facilitated by cooperative dynamics of the cytoskeletal structure in relatively large regions, rather than those just under AFM indentation. Moreover, local contraction amplitude of CM in the presence ... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378454 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378453&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039810%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Muto H, Kinjo M Abstract In many signaling pathways, various factors have been isolated by molecular genetic studies and whole-genome analysis. Understanding the interactions among these factors is crucial to understanding the signaling process as a whole. Recent studies on auxin signaling in the regulation of plant growth and development have discovered primary factors interacting with each other, and elucidated a very simple pathway modulating gene expression in response to auxin. However, these studies of auxin-signaling led to the question of how such a simple pathway generates multiple types of regulation in various processes of different cells throughout the life of a plant. Here, we provide an overview of recent progress in auxin biology focusing on protein-protein ... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378453 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378453 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378452&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039811%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Nagahori N, Uchida M, Kinjo M, Yamashita T Abstract Functional analysis of carbohydrates is needed to understand the initial interface between membranes and the outer world. For this analysis we need individual protocols such as a method to modify the surfaces of nanoparticles with a variety of carbohydrates effectively and exhaustively, to synthesize an oligosaccharide on each particle's surface by chemical or enzymatic sugar elongation reaction, and to analyze the binding properties of carbohydrates using surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Moreover, to elucidate the functions of carbohydrates in vivo, we attempted real-time live cell / animal imaging using quantum dots (QDs) conjugated with carbohydrates. In this article, we describe the basic strategies for scooping up pr... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378452 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378452 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378451&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039812%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Nomura Y Abstract Mitochondria are known to be one of major organelles within a celland to play a crucial role in many cellular functions. These organelles show the dynamic behaviors such as fusion, fission and the movement along cytoskeletal tracks. Besides mitochondria, mitochondrial DNA is also highly motile. Molecular analysis revealed that several proteins are involved in mitochondria and mitochondrial DNA dynamics. In addition to the degeneration of specific nerves with high energy requirement, mutation of genes coding these proteins results in metabolic diseases. During the last few years, a significant amount of relevant data has been obtained on molecular basis of these diseases but mitochondrial dynamics in cells derived from the patients is poorly understood. So... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378451 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378451 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378450&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039813%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Okajima T Abstract Rheological properties of living cells play important roles in regulating their various biological functions. Therefore, measuring cell rheology is crucial for not only elucidating the relationship between the cell mechanics and functions, but also mechanical diagnosis of single cells. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is becoming a useful technique for single cell diagnosis because it allows us to measure the rheological properties of adherent cells at any region on the surface without any modifications. In this review, we summarize AFM techniques for examining single cell rheology in frequency and time domains. Recent applications of AFM for investigating the statistical analysis of single cell rheology in comparison to other micro-rheological techniques a... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378450 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378450 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378449&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039814%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sasaki N Abstract Tyrosine (Tyr) sulfation is a common posttranslational modification of secreted proteins or membrane-bound proteins that is implicated in numerous physiological and pathological processes. The Tyr sulfation modifies protein-protein interactions involved in leukocyte adhesion, homeostasis, and receptor-mediated signaling. To data, 80 Tyr-sulfated proteins have been identified. As new methodologies and bioinformatics for the detection of Tyr sulfation become available, the number of Tyr-sulfated acceptor proteins discovered is bound to increase. Further, recent advances in microscopy and fluorescence technology will provide information on the true spatial and temporal nature of Tyr-sulfated proteins within the intact cell. This review summarizes the methods... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378449 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378449 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378448&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039815%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sawada S, Kato N, Kaihatsu K Abstract Methods for regulating peptide conformation by non-harmful light stimuli can be useful for remotely controlling cellular functions in vitro. Here, we synthesized a series of p-heteroatom-substituted azobenzenes and studied their photoisomerization properties. The trans-isomer of p-sulfur-substituted azobenzene was effectively isomerized by visible light irradiation and the cis-isomer was thermally stable at physiological temperature. We developed a novel visible light sensitive amino acid (AZO), via p-sulfur-substituted azobenzene, and utilized it as a photosensitive modulator of the SV40 nuclear localization signal (NLS). The cellular uptake of the AZO-NLS conjugate was controlled by visible light irradiation. Our technology can be ut... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378448 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378448 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378447&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039816%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Tani S, Nakagawa K, Honda T, Saito H, Suzuki Y, Kawamata J, Uchida M, Sasaki A, Kinjo M Abstract We have examined optical properties of a fluorene derivative with two positively charged substituents, 1,1'-diethyl-4,4'-(9,9-diethyl-2,7-fluorenediyl-2,1-ethanediyl)dipyridinium perchlorate (1), in water. The photoluminescence quantum yield of 1 was relatively high (35%) for use as a fluorescent probe in water. We also examined two-photon absorption (TPA) properties of 1 in methanol. The maximum value of the TPA cross-section (730 GM at 750 nm, 1 GM = 10(-50) cm(4) s photon(-1) molecule(-1)) was larger than that for most two-photon-excited fluorescent dyes including a classical mitochondria-selective fluorescent dye rhodamine 123. Preliminary fluorescence imaging experiments o... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378447 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378447 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378446&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039817%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Yamamoto J, Iwai T Abstract Dielectric particles including living cells are trapped within focused laser beam spots, and as a result, they can be transferred by displacing the beam spots. Such the particle manipulating technique is called optical tweezers. Holographic optical tweezers (HOT) enables highly flexible and precise control of particles, introducing holography technique to them. HOT is one of the most expected techniques for investigations of cell-cell signaling which require precise arraying of living cells. We had developed a new highly controllable HOT system where two different intensity patterns, a carrier beam spot and a beam array, are generated quasi-simultaneously by time-division multiplexing. Particles are transferred to the beam array by the carrier b... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378446 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378446 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378445&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039818%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Yamashita T Abstract Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) are present in all mammalian cell plasma membranes and intracellular membrane structures. They are especially concentrated in plasma membrane lipid domains that are specialized for cell signaling. Plasma membranes show typical structures called rafts and caveola domain structures, with large amounts of sphingolipids, cholesterol, and sphingomyelin in the cell membranes. Plasma membranes have two faces, many kinds of receptors for intercellular signal transducers such as GPI-anchored proteins on the exoplasmic faces of the rafts/caveolae and src family kinases on the cytosolic face. Thus they play a role in transmembrane signal transduction, following the phosphorylation of some substrates and gene expression. On the other hand... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378445 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378445 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378443&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039820%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Yao L Abstract Natural compounds represent a significant source for the development of novel medicines. Finding the target proteins for a natural compound is the most important step towards understanding its molecular mechanism for therapeutic usage. In fact, the search for target proteins could be considered the first step of the drug discovery and development pipeline. While experimental determination of compound-protein interactions remains very challenging, effective in silico approaches have been developed and have demonstrated appealing advantages, including their low-cost and capability to scale up easily. The goal of this article is to provide an introduction to in silico search for drug targets of natural compounds. I first review currently available natural compo... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378443 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378443 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378442&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039821%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we have explored the interaction of a large number of substrates (n = 120) with wild-type and mutated CYP2D6 by molecular dockingusing the CDOCKER module. Before we conducted the molecular docking and virtual mutations, the pharmacophore and QSAR models of CYP2D6 were developedand validated. Finally, we explored the interaction of a traditional Chinese herbal formula, Fangjifuling decoction, with CYP2D6 by virtual screening. The optimized pharmacophore model derived from 20 substrates of CYP2D6 contained two hydrophobic featuresand one hydrogen bond acceptor feature, giving a relevance ratio of 76% when a validation set of substrates were tested. However, our QSAR models gave poor prediction of the binding affinity of substrates. Our docking study demonstrated that 117 out o... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378442 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378442 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378441&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039822%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Uesawa Y, Takeuchi T, Mohri K Abstract Concomitant consumption of grapefruit juice (GFJ) causes increases in the plasma concentration of a variety of drugs due to inhibition of intestinal CYP3A enzyme. Dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers belong to the category of drugs that are most prone to undergo such interaction. Increases inarea under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) due to GFJ differ greatly depending on the dihydropyridine administered. Therefore, a meta-analysis of each dihydropyridine was performed based on availableliterature. The criteria for using a publication were: subjects were healthy adults, dihydropyridinesweretaken with GFJ concomitantly or within one hour after intake of the juice, and the control groupadministered water in place of GFJ.In... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378441 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378441 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378440&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039823%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hu M, Wang DQ, Xiao YJ, Mak VW, Tomlinson B Abstract Herbal supplements are often used concomitantly with conventional medications resulting in considerable potential for herb-drug interactions. These interactions, which are generally through interfering with pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic pathways, may result in beneficial effects or more often adverse reactions such as toxicity or treatment failure and may be influenced by multiple environmental and/or genetic factors. The pharmacogenetic approach may help to identify some interactions which may be more pronounced or only occur in specific groups of subjects although the complex nature of the herbal medicines may limit the discovery of such an interaction. Preclinical studies such as gene expression profiling in ... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378440 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378440 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378444&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22039819%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Li CG PMID: 22039819 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378444 Thu, 27 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378444 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5378439&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22040378%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dunn SP, Macaulay TE Abstract Antiplatelet therapy is of paramount importance in the treatment and prevention of adverse cardiovascular events and stroke. Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) among antiplatelet therapies have been growing in both prevalence and clinical importance. Most DDIs with antiplatelet therapies are pharmacodynamic in nature. DDIs with thienopyridines and proton pump inhibitors have resulted in advisories from regulatory agencies although the full significance of this interaction is unknown. Other DDIs with thienopyridines may potentially exist with statins, calcium channel blockers, and warfarin but lack demonstratable evidence of harm. Aspirin may interact with a variety of medications, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents and angiotensin inh... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5378439 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5378439 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5216568&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21902625%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Barbacka K, Baer-Dubowska W Abstract The endoperoxide sesquiterpene lactone artemisinin, which is isolated from the plant Artemisia annua, and its semi-synthetic derivatives, are potent, novel, antimalarial drugs. They are effective against multidrug-resistant Plasmodium strains and have become essential components of the so-called Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy, that is recommended by the World Health Organization as the treatment of choice for malaria tropica. Moreover, artemisinin and its derivatives show additional anti-parasite, antitumor, and anti-viral properties. The plants, however, are very poor resources for the drug, as the content of artemisinin is low (from 0,1 to 1,5 % of dried leaves) and dependent on seasonal and somatic variations as well as the in... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5216568 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5216568 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5216567&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21902626%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jakóbkiewicz-Banecka J, Piotrowska E, Gabig-Cimińska M, Borysiewicz E, Słomińska-Wojewódzka M, Narajczyk M, Węgrzyn A, Węgrzyn G Abstract Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are inherited metabolic disorders, caused by mutations leading to dysfunction of one of enzymes involved in degradation of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in lysosomes. Due to their impaired degradation, GAGs accumulate in cells of patients, which results in dysfunction of tissues and organs, including the heart, respiratory system, bones, joints and central nervous system. Depending on the kind of deficient enzyme, 11 types and subtypes of MPS are currently recognized. Although enzyme replacement therapy has been developed for 3 types of MPS (types I, II and VI), this treatment was found to be effective only... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5216567 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5216567 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5216566&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21902627%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kaczmarek E, Koziak K Abstract Well-established evidence links extracellular nucleotides to numerous vascular pathologies, including restenosis associated with angioplasty, atherosclerosis and transplant arteriosclerosis. Through activation of purinergic P2 receptors, extracellular nucleotides contribute to the pathogenesis of occlusive vascular diseases by mediating thrombosis, and vascular smooth muscle proliferation and migration. Therefore, there is a growing interest in the enzymes that hydrolyze nucleotides for their capability to modulate nucleotide-triggered pathologies. In this review, we present the current data addressing the therapeutic potential of nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolases (NTPDases) to prevent intimal hyperplasia and treat vascular intimal ... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5216566 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5216566 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5216565&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21902628%26dopt%3DAbstract This article summarizes these data on glycine as an integral constituent of bacterial LPS and also some other amino-acid esters in the teichoic acids and phosphatidylglycerol of Gram-positive bacteria. The possible functions of such noncarbohydrate ester-linked substituents in bacterial antigens are discussed. Because glycine, an inherent component of bacterial lipopolysaccharides in the core region, is supposed to participate in epitope formation, such a structure may be considered for potential use in the construction of a vaccine with broad specificity. PMID: 21902628 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5216565 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5216565 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5216564&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21902629%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ciach T, Moscicka-Studzinska A Abstract The presented paper describes the drug delivery devices which can be considered as advanced or potentially "intelligent". Due to the current development state and the legal problems of implantable drug releasing electronic devices the review is limited to the systems which delivers drugs through the skin or mucosa. The article shows the principle of operation and some construction details of such devices. It also discusses the possible methods of sampling body fluids across the drug delivery barriers to introduce a feedback loop which is necessary to react on the metabolic process in the human body and their malfunctioning. In the near future presented devices will evolve towards the highly sophisticated systems which will monitor ou... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5216564 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5216564 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5216562&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21902630%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Slomkowski S, Gosecki M Abstract Progress in many therapies, in particular in the therapies based on peptides, proteins and nucleic acids used as bioactive compounds, strongly depends on development of appropriate carriers which would be suitable for controlled delivery of the intact abovementioned compounds to required tissues, cells and intracellular compartments. This review presents last ten years' achievements and problems in development and application of synthetic polymer nanoparticulate carriers for oral, pulmonary and nasal delivery routes of oligopeptides and proteins. Whereas some traditional synthetic polymer carriers are only briefly recalled the main attention is concentrated nanoparticles produced from functional copolymers mostly with hydroxyl, carboxyl and... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5216562 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5216562 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5216561&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21902631%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jackowiak P, Figlerowicz M, Kurzyńska-Kokorniak A, Figlerowicz M Abstract At present, about 3% of the human population are infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV). The first, acute stage of the disease is usually asymptomatic. However, only 15-25% of the infected eliminate the virus, while the remaining patients develop chronic hepatitis C (CHC). After 10-30 years of CHC, cirrhosis occurs in 20-30% of patients; 5-10% of this group eventually suffer from hepatocellular carcinoma. Unfortunately, up till now no effective methods protecting against HCV or allowing for efficient CHC treatment have been elaborated. This is primarily because not much is known about the mechanism of CHC emergence and the factors affecting anti-HCV therapy. There are several lines of evidence that s... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5216561 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5216561 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5216560&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21902632%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Piwecka M, Rolle K, Wyszko E, Zukiel R, Nowak S, Barciszewska MZ, Barciszewski J Abstract Malignant gliomas are the deadliest brain tumors, which are characterized by highly invasive growth, a rampant genetic instability and intense resistance to apoptosis. Such an aggressive behavior of malignant gliomas is reflected in the resistance to chemo- and radiotherapy and weak prognosis in spite of cytoreduction through surgery. Brain tumors preferentially express a number of specific protein and RNA markers, that may be exploited as potential therapeutic targets in design of the new treatment modalities based on nucleic acids. For almost three decades, a possibility to apply DNA and RNA molecules as anticancer therapeutics have been studied. A variety of antisense oligonucleoti... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5216560 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5216560 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5216559&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21902633%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lewandowska-Szumieł M, Wójtowicz J Abstract It was only in December 2008 that the European Union regulated the approval procedure for tissue engineered products (TEPs). Due to this regulation, TEP is classified as an advanced therapy medicinal product and as such may be recognized as a tool in pharmaceutical biotechnology. This paper gives a short review of the concept, the experimental evaluation and the clinical potency of tissue engineering (TE), with a particular focus on bone tissue engineered products. After a period of great enthusiasm about TE at the end of the 20th century a slight disappointment followed in the early 2000s. The review refers also to the continuously growing scientific interest, accompanied by the still modest representation of TEPs on the medic... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5216559 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5216559 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5216558&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21902634%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zakrzewska M, Szlachcic A, Otlewski J Abstract Over the last two decades proteins have become increasingly important in human therapy and diagnosis. Engineering therapeutic proteins through improving their biological activity and stability has been a major interest in our group. In this mini-review we summarize our research on three proteins with pharmaceutical potential - serine protease inhibitor from squash seeds (CMTI), bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI), and human fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1). To improve the functional properties of these proteins we used multiple techniques such as homology approach, rational design, total chemical synthesis, site-directed mutagenesis and phage display. The physicochemical properties of the obtained protein variants were... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5216558 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5216558 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5216557&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21902635%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zuba-Surma EK, Józkowicz A, Dulak J Abstract Multiple populations of stem cells have been indicated to potentially participate in regeneration of injured organs. Especially, embryonic stem cells (ESC) and recently inducible pluripotent stem cells (iPS) receive a marked attention from scientists and clinicians for regenerative medicine because of their high proliferative and differentiation capacities. Despite that ESC and iPS cells are expected to give rise into multiple regenerative applications when their side effects are overcame during appropriate preparation procedures, in fact their most recent application of human ESC may, however, reside in their use as a tool in drug development and disease modeling. This review focuses on the applications of stem cells in pharma... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5216557 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5216557 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5216556&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21902636%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rychlowska M, Gromadzka B, Bieńkowska-Szewczyk K, Szewczyk B Abstract A major advantage of recombinant DNA technology is its flexibility allowing for "on demand" production of specific proteins with theurapeutic value in heterologous expression systems. Gene expression vectors based on baculovirus, insect virus attacking mostly lepidopteran species, are frequently used for relatively inexpensive and fast production of such proteins. This expression system is recognized as one of the most powerful technologies for commercial synthesis of glycoproteins originating from vertebrate themselves or from vertebrate viruses. Glycosylation pathways utilized by insects are not identical, though they are similar to vertebrate glycosylation pathways. In the review special attention is... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5216556 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5216556 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5216555&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21902637%26dopt%3DAbstract Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2011 Sep 9; Authors: Koziak K, Grynkiewicz G PMID: 21902637 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5216555 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5216555 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046622&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740354%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wennier ST, Liu J, McFadden G Single agent therapies are rarely successful in treating cancer, particularly at metastatic or end stages, and survival rates with monotherapies alone are generally poor. The combination of multiple therapies to treat cancer has already driven significant improvements in the standard of care treatments for many types of cancers. The first combination treatments exploited for cancer therapy involved the use of several cytotoxic chemotherapy agents. Later, with the development of more targeted agents, the use of novel, less toxic drugs, in combination with the more classic cytotoxic drugs has proven advantageous for certain cancer types. Recently, the combination of oncolytic virotherapy with chemotherapy has shown that the use of these two therapie... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046622 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046622 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046620&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740357%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Liang M The oncolytic virus, being a promising new therapeutic strategy for cancer, has inspired a wave of recent clinical research and development in China. The first commercialized oncolytic virus, Oncorine, was approved by Chinese SFDA in November 2005 for nasopharyngeal carcinoma combined with chemotherapy. Since then, a number of oncolytic viruses have been moved into clinical trials. Among these are the armed oncolytic adenoviruses such as H103 (expressing the heat shock protein) currently has finished phase I trial, and KH901 (expressing GM-CSF) now launched in phase II trial In this review, we will discuss the current status of ongoing oncolytic virus projects being conducted at various clinical stages in China, including the preliminary market response for Oncorine af... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046620 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046620 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046615&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740358%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Liu XY, Li HG, Yang DQ, Gu JF Cancer Targeting Gene-Viro-Therapy (CTGVT) and Gene Armed Oncolytic Virus Therapy (GAOVT) both are identical by inserting an antitumor gene into an oncolytic virus. This approach has gradually become a hot topic in cancer therapy, because that CTGVT (GAOVT) has much higher antitumor than that of either gene therapy alone or oncolytic virotherapy alone. We proposed the CTGVT strategy in 1999-2001, insisted it as a long term systematic approach to be examined over 10 years and have Publish: 1 June 2011ed 58 SCI papers some in good Journals. The CD gene armed oncolytic adenovirus therapy (GAOVT) for cancer treatment with potent antitumor effect was also named in our laboratory in 2003. Several modifications to CTGVT will be carried out by our group a... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046615 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046615 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046614&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740361%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Msaouel P, Iankov ID, Dispenzieri A, Galanis E Attenuated measles virus vaccine strains have emerged as a promising oncolytic vector platform, having shown significant anti-tumor activity against a broad range of malignant neoplasms. Measles virus strains derived from the attenuated Edmonston-B (MV-Edm) vaccine lineage have been shown to selectively infect, replicate in and lyse cancer cells while causing minimal cytopathic effect on normal tissues. This review summarizes the preclinical data that led to the rapid clinical translation of oncolytic measles vaccine strains and provides an overview of early clinical data using this oncolytic platform. Furthermore, novel approaches currently under development to further enhance the oncolytic efficacy of MV-Edm strains, including s... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046614 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046614 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046602&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740362%26dopt%3DAbstract This article reviews synergistic interaction of virotherapy and chemotherapy, and illustrates the potential application for the treatment of human cancer. PMID: 21740362 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046602 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046602 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046601&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740365%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Breitbach CJ, Thorne SH, Bell JC, Kirn DH Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are designed to replicate in, and subsequently lyse cancer cells. Numerous oncolytic virus platforms are currently in development. Here we review preclinical and clinical experience with JX-594, the lead candidate from the targeted and armed oncolytic poxvirus class. JX-594 is derived from a vaccinia vaccine strain that has been engineered for 1) enhanced cancer targeting and 2) has been "armed" with the therapeutic transgene granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) to stimulate anti-tumoral immunity. Poxviruses have many ideal features for use as oncolytic agents. The development of oncolytic vaccinia viruses is supported by a large safety database accumulated in the smallpox eradication progra... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046601 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046601 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046600&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740366%26dopt%3DAbstract Mining the Adenovirus "Virome" for Systemic Oncolytics. Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2011 Jul 8; Authors: Barry MA, Weaver EA, Chen CY Adenoviruses (Ads) are arguably one of the most potent viruses for in vivo gene therapy, vaccine, and oncolytic applications. The attraction for the use of Ads stems from their ability to infect a wide range of dividing and non-dividing cell types in some cases to efficiencies of nearly 100%. Additional benefits include their stability, the ability to purify the vector to concentrations of up to 10(13) particles/ml, and the fact that viral vectors self-assemble into particles of specific size (≈100 nm). The vast majority of clinical applications of Ad have utilized Ad serotype 5 (Ad5) viruses. Considering that at least half of humans are already imm... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046600 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046600 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046598&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740367%26dopt%3DAbstract Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2011 Jul 8; Authors: Jia W PMID: 21740367 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046598 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046598 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046596&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740368%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cieslik-Bielecka A, Choukroun J, Odin G, Dohan Ehrenfest DM The use of platelet concentrates for topical use is of particular interest for the promotion of skin wound healing. Fibrin-based surgical adjuvants are indeed widely used in plastic surgery since many years in order to improve scar healing and wound closure. However, the addition of platelets and their associated growth factors opened a new range of possibilities, particularly for the treatment of chronic skin ulcers and other applications of regenerative medicine on the covering tissues. In the 4 families of platelet concentrates available, 2 families were particularly used and tested in this clinical field: L-PRP (Leukocyte- and Platelet-rich Plasma) and L-PRF (Leukocyte- and Platelet-Rich Fibrin). These 2 families ... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046596 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046596 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046594&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740369%26dopt%3DAbstract The Role of "Eye Platelet Rich Plasma" (E-Prp) for Wound Healing in Ophthalmology. Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2011 Jul 8; Authors: Alió JL, Arnalich-Montiel F, Rodriguez AE Blood derived products have demonstrated their capacity to enhance healing and stimulate the regeneration of different tissues and this enhancing effect is attributed to the growth factors and bioactive proteins that are synthesized and present in blood. Eye platelet rich plasma (E-PRP) provides higher concentration of essential growth factors and cell adhesion molecules by concentrating platelets in a small volume of plasma as compared with autologous serum, the latter being used widely in ophthalmology for epithelial wound healing of the cornea for the last two decades. These growth factors and cell adhesion ... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046594 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046594 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046593&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740370%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Simonpieri A, Del Corso M, Vervelle A, Jimbo R, Inchingolo F, Sammartino G, Dohan Ehrenfest DM Platelet concentrates for surgical use are innovative tools of regenerative medicine, and were widely tested in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Unfortunately, the literature on the topic is contradictory and the published data are difficult to sort and interpret. In bone graft, implant and reconstructive surgery, the literature is particularly dense about the use of the various forms of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) - Pure Platelet-Rich Plasma (P-PRP) or Leukocyte- and Platelet-Rich Plasma (L-PRP) - but still limited about Platelet-Rich Fibrin (PRF) subfamilies. In this second article, we describe and discuss the current published knowledge about the use of PRP and PRF during implant pl... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046593 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046593 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046592&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740371%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Del Corso M, Vervelle A, Simonpieri A, Jimbo R, Inchingolo F, Sammartino G, Dohan Ehrenfest DM Platelet concentrates for surgical use are innovative tools of regenerative medicine, and were widely tested in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Unfortunately, the literature on the topic is contradictory and the published data are difficult to sort and interpret. In periodontology and dentoalveolar surgery, the literature is particularly dense about the use of the various forms of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) - Pure Platelet-Rich Plasma (P-PRP) or Leukocyte- and Platelet-Rich Plasma (L-PRP) - but still limited about Platelet-Rich Fibrin (PRF) subfamilies. In this first article, we describe and discuss the current published knowledge about the use of PRP and PRF during tooth avulsion or... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046592 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046592 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046591&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740372%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zumstein MA, Berger S, Schober M, Boileau P, Nyffeler RW, Horn M, Dahinden CA Surgical repair of the rotator cuff repair is one of the most common procedures in orthopedic surgery. Despite it being the focus of much research, the physiological tendon-bone insertion is not recreated following repair and there is an anatomic non-healing rate of up to 94%. During the healing phase, several growth factors are upregulated that induce cellular proliferation and matrix deposition. Subsequently, this provisional matrix is replaced by the definitive matrix. Leukocyte- and platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF) contain growth factors and has a stable dense fibrin matrix. Therefore, use of L-PRF in rotator cuff repair is theoretically attractive. The aim of the present study was to determine 1) th... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046591 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046591 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046590&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740373%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Mishra A, Harmon K, Woodall J, Vieira A Platelet rich plasma (PRP) is a powerful new biologic tool in sports medicine. PRP is a fraction of autologous whole blood containing and increased number of platelets and a wide variety of cytokines such as platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-B1), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) among many others. Worldwide interest in this biologic technology has recently risen sharply. Basic science and preclinical data support the use of PRP for a variety of sports related injuries and disorders. The published, peer reviewed, human data on PRP is limited. Although the scientific evaluation of clinical efficacy is in the early s... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046590 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046590 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046589&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740374%26dopt%3DAbstract This article introduces the reader to L-PRP properties and L-PRP applications in trauma surgery, including applications of L-PRP in bone healing, acute soft tissue wound healing, and repairing of acute muscle, tendon, ligament, nerve and cartilage injury caused by trauma. PMID: 21740374 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046589 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046589 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046588&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740375%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Everts PA, Hoogbergen MM, Weber TA, Devilee RJ, van Monftort G, de Hingh IH Tissue repair at wound sites begins with clot formation, and subsequently platelet degranulation with the release of platelet growth factors, which are necessary and well-regulated processes to achieve wound healing. Platelet-derived growth factors are biologically active substances that enhance tissue repair mechanisms, such as chemotaxis, cell proliferation, angiogenesis, extracellular matrix deposition, and remodeling. This review describes the biological background and results on the topical use of autologous platelet-rich plasma and platelet gel in gynecologic, cardiac, and general surgical procedures, including chronic wound management and soft-tissue injuries. PMID: 21740375 [PubMed - as sup... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046588 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046588 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046587&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740376%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bielecki T, Dohan Ehrenfest DM, Everts PA, Wiczkowski A Platelet concentrates for topical use are innovative tools of regenerative medicine and their effects in various therapeutical situations are hotly debated. Unfortunately, this field of research mainly focused on the platelet growth factors, and the fibrin architecture and the leukocyte content of these products are too often neglected. In the four families of platelet concentrates, 2 families contain significant concentrations of leukocytes: L-PRP (Leukocyte- and Platelet-Rich Plasma) and L-PRF (Leukocyte- and Platelet-Rich Fibrin). The presence of leukocytes has a great impact on the biology of these products, not only because of their immune and antibacterial properties, but also because they are turntables of the woun... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046587 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046587 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046586&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740377%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dohan Ehrenfest DM, Bielecki T, Jimbo R, Barbé G, Del Corso M, Inchingolo F, Sammartino G Platelet concentrates for surgical use are tools of regenerative medicine designed for the local release of platelet growth factors into a surgical or wounded site, in order to stimulate tissue healing or regeneration. Leukocyte content and fibrin architecture are 2 key characteristics of all platelet concentrates and allow to classify these technologies in 4 families, but very little is known about the impact of these 2 parameters on the intrinsic biology of these products. In this demonstration, we highlight some outstanding differences in the growth factor and matrix protein release between 2 families of platelet concentrate: Pure Platelet-Rich Plasma (P-PRP, here the Anitua's PRGF - ... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046586 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046586 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046585&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740378%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Borzini P, Balbo V, Mazzucco L More or less after a decade of experimental and pioneering manual procedures to prepare platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for topical use, several portable and bedside devices were made available to prepare the PRP at the point-of-care. This technical opportunity increased the number of patients who got access to the treatment with autologous PRP and PRP-gel. Since topical treatment of tissue with PRP and PRP-gel was restricted to autologous preparation, blood transfusion centers that professionally prepare donor-derived platelet concentrates were not able to cover the overwhelming request for autologous PRP supply. Principally for logistic and organization reasons blood transfusion centers usually fail the challenge of prompt delivery of PRP to the phy... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046585 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046585 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046584&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740379%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Dohan Ehrenfest DM, Bielecki T, Mishra A, Borzini P, Inchingolo F, Sammartino G, Rasmusson L, Everts PA In the field of platelet concentrates for surgical use, most products are termed Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP). Unfortunately, this term is very general and incomplete, leading to many confusions in the scientific database. In this article, a panel of experts discusses this issue and proposes an accurate and simple terminology system for platelet concentrates for surgical use. Four main categories of products can be easily defined, depending on their leukocyte content and fibrin architecture: Pure Platelet-Rich Plasma (P-PRP), such as cell separator PRP, Vivostat PRF or Anitua's PRGF; Leukocyte- and Platelet-Rich Plasma (L-PRP), such as Curasan, Regen, Plateltex, SmartPReP, PCC... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046584 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046584 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046583&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21740380%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bielecki T, Dohan Ehrenfest DM PMID: 21740380 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046583 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5046583 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953514&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21657991%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Muñoz E, Bosch E, Fernández I, Portela S, Ortiz G, Remohí J, Pellicer A LH is a glycoprotein that plays a crucial role in folliculogenesis during the natural ovarian cycles. It has the same activity and shares receptors with hCG. However the use of LH in combination with FSH in controlled ovarian stimulation remains controversial. A practical approach concerning the usefulness of LH according to the endogenous level of LH is described herein. Specific groups of patients can benefit from ovarian stimulation with LH. New applications of LH/hCG activity are also discussed. PMID: 21657991 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953514 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4953514 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953513&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21657992%26dopt%3DAbstract Conclusion: Use of a model that simulates the serum levels of FSH during gonadotropin administration provided a framework for learning how to achieve the desired serum FSH levels more rapidly in patients. With knowledge of a particular patient's τ(in) and τ(out), optimal FSH administration for that patient can be determined through modeling. PMID: 21657992 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953513 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4953513 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953512&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21657993%26dopt%3DAbstract Conclusion: Knowledge of τ(in) and τ(out) permits us to predict serum FSH levels and time course during daily injections of gonadotropin. PMID: 21657993 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953512 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4953512 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953511&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21657994%26dopt%3DAbstract Conclusion: Knowledge of the slow changes of FSH that occur during modeled FSH administration will provide a framework for understanding the gonadotropin profiles that occur in patients during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. PMID: 21657994 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953511 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4953511 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953510&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21657995%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Loutradis D, Theofanakis C, Anagnostou E, Mavrogianni D, Partsinevelos GA Obtaining an adequate number of good quality oocytes while minimizing adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and cycle cancellation rates is considered the gold standard in controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) for fertility treatment. Patients who undergo IVF/ICSI cycles tend to present with different responses to exogenous gonadotrophin administration. Research has shown that the secret probably lies in the various single nucleotide polymorhisms (SNPs) in their receptor genes. The decryption of human genome provided specialists with additional information in assessing and even predicting ovarian response to COH. In this context, the study of Pharmacogenomics, Pharmacogenetics and SNPs unravels as a promisin... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953510 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4953510 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953509&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21657996%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: La Marca A, Argento C, Sighinolfi G, Grisendi V, Carbone M, D'Ippolito G, Artenisio AC, Stabile G, Volpe A Markers of ovarian reserve are associated with ovarian aging as they decline with chronologic age, and hence may predict stages of reproductive aging including the menopause transition. Assessment of ovarian reserve include measurement of serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), and inhibin-B. Ultrasound determination of antral follicle count (AFC), ovarian vascularity and ovarian volume also can have a role. The clomiphene citrate challenge test (CCCT), exogenous FSH ovarian reserve test (EFORT), and GnRH-agonist stimulation test (GAST) are dynamic methods that have been used in the past to assess ovarian reserve. In infertile women, ovari... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953509 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4953509 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953508&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21657997%26dopt%3DAbstract In conclusion, in patients treated with GnRH antagonists and gonadotrophins, progesterone elevation on the day of hCG administration is significantly associated with a lower probability of clinical pregnancy. PMID: 21657997 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953508 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4953508 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953507&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21657998%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Fatemi HM, Blockeel C, Devroey P In assisted reproductive technology, medications and ovarian stimulation play a crucial role. The availability of gonadotrophins and GnRH analogues has allowed the tailoring of several stimulation schemes. The two most commonly used gonadotrophin forms are urinary hMG and recombinant FSH in combination with GnRH agonists or GnRH antagonists. Cycles stimulate with recombinant FSH appear to have a higher risk of premature progesterone rise in the late follicular phase, if not triggered on time. Recently, corifollitropin alfa, a new long acting recombinant FSH was introduced which sustain multiple follicular growth for 7 days in women undergoing ovarian stimulation using GnRH antagonists. GnRH antagonist and agonist do have similar live birthrate.... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953507 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4953507 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953506&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21657999%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: De Leo V, Musacchio MC, Di Sabatino A, Tosti C, Morgante G, Petraglia F Pharmacological ovarian stimulation has a major role in reproductive medicine and has been used in anovulatory patients and in the induction of multifollicular development required for the procedures of assisted reproductive techniques (ART). Currently, gonadotropins are the most important tools to proceed with ovarian stimulation for all purposes, including ART and anovulation disorders, like hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and hypothalamic hypophyseal dysfunction. Gonadotropin preparations derived from human urine have been used clinically since the early 1960s and the first urine-derived preparation containing only FSH (urofollitropin) became available in 1983. More recently, the application of recombinan... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953506 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4953506 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953505&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21658000%26dopt%3DAbstract Conclusion: This study supports the hypothesis that a multigenic model, including the well studied ESR1 and FSHR genes is involved in the controlled ovarian stimulation outcome indicating that the CC/AA genotype presents the worst ovulation induction profile, while the TC/SA genotype presents the higher number of pregnancies in our population. PMID: 21658000 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953505 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4953505 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953504&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21658001%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Tiboni GM PMID: 21658001 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953504 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4953504 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4904228&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21619533%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hilbig A, Oettle H Pancreatic cancer has high incidence and mortality rates, and effective treatment remains a clinical challenge. As deregulation of the cytokine transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) contributes to the progression of pancreatic carcinoma, the TGF-β pathway has been targeted using various strategies, including small molecule inhibitors of TGF-βRI, TGF-β-specific neutralizing antibodies and antisense compounds. As increased TGF-β2 levels in serum or tumor tissue of patients with pancreatic cancer correlated with poor prognosis, inhibition of TGF-β2 synthesis via the antisense oligonucleotide trabedersen (AP 12009) is a promising approach. PMID: 21619533 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology) Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4904228 Thu, 26 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4904228 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4904227&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21619534%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: van Meeteren LA, Goumans MJ, Ten Dijke P Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels is essential for diverse physiological processes such as development but also for pathological conditions like tumor growth. Most studied in this context are tyrosine kinase signaling pathways such as those involving vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). There is however accumulating evidence that more pathways are as essential for angiogenesis. Knockout studies of factors in transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling have for example showed that also this pathway is indispensable for angiogenesis. This review highlights our understanding of TGF-β signaling in vascular development and angiogenesis. In particular, we focus on recent insights into the role of the TGF-β type I r... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4904227 Thu, 26 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4904227 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4904226&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21619535%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lonning S, Mannick J, McPherson JM The role of TGF-β in tumor development and progression is complex. Genetic mutations that disrupt the anti-proliferative signaling effects of TGF-β play a key role in the process of malignant transformation for many types of tumors. Paradoxically, this loss of sensitivity to TGF-β's inhibitory actions often leads to TGF-β overexpression by the tumor cells or by normal cells that are recruited to the tumor microenvironment. Elevated concentrations of TGF-β in the tumor microenvironment have been shown to facilitate tumor growth and metastasis. Numerous published studies have provided evidence that inhibition of TGF-β using antibodies, soluble receptors and small molecule inhibitors of TGF-β signal transduction can have beneficial effect... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4904226 Thu, 26 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4904226 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4904225&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21619536%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jaschinski F, Rothhammer T, Jachimczak P, Seitz C, Schneider A, Schlingensiepen KH Despite remarkable advances in cancer research, patients with malignant tumors such as high-grade glioma or advanced pancreatic carcinoma still face a poor prognosis. Because of the severe morbidity and mortality of such malignant tumor types, the identification of suitable molecular drug targets for causal treatment approaches is an important area of current research. Transforming growth factor-beta 2 (TGF-β2) is an attractive target because it regulates key mechanisms of carcinogenesis, in particular immunosuppression and metastasis, and is frequently overexpressed in malignant tumors. Here we describe the development of the antisense phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotide trabedersen (AP 1200... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4904225 Thu, 26 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4904225 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4904224&cid=s_37014_70_f&fid=37014&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21619537%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ikushima H, Miyazono K Transforming growth factor (TGF)- β signaling has been implicated as an important regulator of almost all major cell behaviors, including proliferation, differentiation, cell death, and motility. Which cell responses are induced or suppressed in response to TGF-β depends on the cell type and the context in which TGF-β signaling is received. TGF-β ligands, their receptors, and intracellular Smad effectors lie in the center of TGF-β signaling. TGF-β ligands signal via receptor serine/threonine kinases that phosphorylate and activate Smad proteins as well as other signaling molecules. Smad complexes associate with chromatin and regulate transcription, defining the biological response of a cell to TGF-β stimulation. In addition, numerous factors const... Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4904224 Thu, 26 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4904224