Current Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 14, Issue 13, 2007

N-BP, rapamycin and its derivatives have been originally developed respectively as anti-resorptive and anti-fungal agents. In fact, in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that these compounds are multi-functional molecules exerting their effects on tumour cell growth and bone remodelling. The major challenge in treating cancer relates to mutations in key genes such as p53, Rb or proteins affecting caspase sign Read More

Immunosenescence is characterized by a peculiar remodeling of the immune system, mainly induced by lifelong antigenic burden and oxidative stress. Apoptosis or programmed cell death plays a central role in the ageing process. Both recurrent antigenic stimulations and oxidative metabolism by-products, impinging upon the immune system, modify the apoptotic capability of lymphocytes, driving immunosenescen Read More

Growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) axis is not only involved in the regulation of somatic growth but also has important physiological functions in adults. Several studies have shown that GH deficiency in adults is associated with abnormalities in body composition, metabolic derangements, and suboptimal physical performance. Furthermore, GH/IGF-I axis plays an important role in the maintenance Read More

Cardiovascular disease remains the most common cause of death worldwide, yet there is a wide variation in disease prevalence between different ethnic groups. One's individual risk is not entirely explained by ‘traditional’ risk factors and this, along with the observation that endogenous and lifestyle risk factors appear to cluster in the same individuals has led to the idea that there may be a common mechanism underlying thi Read More

The field of diagnostic cardiac biomarkers has grown exponentially since the development of an assay for aspartate transaminase activity to diagnose myocardial infarction in 1954. The clinician now has a vast array of clinical tools, which include biomarkers of inflammation, ischaemia and necrosis as well as sensitive imaging technology and coronary anatomy intervention at their disposal when evaluating acute corona Read More

Calcium-activated potassium channels modulate calcium signaling cascades and membrane potential in both excitable and non-excitable cells. In this article we will review the physiological properties, the structure activity relationships of the existing peptide and small molecule modulators and the therapeutic importance of the three small-conductance channels KCa2.1- KCa2.3 (a.k.a. SK1-SK3) and the intermediate-conductanc Read More

This review collates and analyses recent work done on dual action approaches to tackling the mounting health problem of resistance by human pathogenic bacteria to antibacterial agents. In particular the areas reviewed include the use of two drugs in combination, dual action prodrugs, and dual action drugs (or hybrid drugs)

On undergoing an operation under general anesthesia, we tend to lose consciousness, and on recovering from the anesthetic effect, we realize a memory loss during the operation, but do remember the happenings before the operation. It implies that the anesthesia deprivers us of short-term memory without affecting long-term memory. Drosophila melanogaster is known to be an excellent model for genetic studies related to Read More