Current Drug Targets - Volume 2, Issue 4, 2001

Current theories of dopaminergic and noradrenergic mechanisms, which are thought to be of importance in the regulation of attention are reviewed. A biphasic model of dopaminergic function is described, in which tonic dopamine exerts a suppressive influence on subcortical dopamine systems by altering tonic / phasic dopaminergic relationships. Noradrenergic mechanisms are of importance in modulating sensory proc Read More

Given the current global epidemic of obesity there is a demand for new anti-obesity drugs to overcome the problem. Many pharmacological agents reduce food intake and significantly decrease body mass when administered to animals but affect feeding behaviour in a profoundly different way indicating the variety of biological mechanisms by which such agents act (appetite verses non-appetite). More limited clinical data demo Read More

Gene therapy, the expression in cells of genetic material that has therapeutic activity, holds great promise for the treatment of a number of human diseases. A gene delivery vehicle, or vector, that may be of viral or non-viral origin, is generally used to carry the genetic material. Viral vectors have been developed that exclude immunogenic genes while taking advantage of the genes responsible for proficient integration of the Read More

This review discusses the Ca2+-activated K+ channels of intermediate conductance (IK channels), and their historical discovery in erythrocytes, their classical biophysical characteristics, physiological function, molecular biology as well as their role as possible molecular targets for pharmacological intervention in various diseases. The first described Ca2+-activated K+ channel ever - the so-called Gardos channel fro Read More

Efforts to interfere with the initiation and promotion of breast and other cancers by endocrine manipulation are not new. It is of obvious benefit to cancer patients to administer substances that combine minimal general toxicity with maximal oestrogen inhibition. Raloxifene is a relatively recent addition to a group of compounds loosely designated as antioestrogens, which implies their ability to antagonize oestrogen effects via co Read More

Tuberculosis (TB) kills more youth and adults than any other infectious disease in the world today. The emergence of new strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistant to some or all current antituberculosis drugs is a serious and crescent problem. The resistance is often a corollary to HIV infection and drug-resistant TB is more difficult and more expensive to treat, besides to be more likely fatal. Thus, it is still necessary to s Read More