Current Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 15, Issue 3, 2008

This minireview aims to demonstrate that (i) natural nanotubes play important roles in chemical signaling and (ii) they represent one of the deep functional similarities between neural and immune synapses. We also pay attention to the related receptor assemblies and possibilities of chemically synthesized carbon nanotubes to simulate functions of the natural ones.

With the advances in molecular biology and biochemistry new imaging and treatment modalities based on the biological properties of tissues have been developed where important progress has been achieved using antibodies and peptides. This paper will concentrate on peptide vectors. When labeled with therapeutic radioisotopes these agents are suitable for endoradiotherapy and exploit the targeting potential for highly speci Read More

Positron Emission Tomography has become a powerful scientific and clinical tool probing biochemical processes in the human body. Their clinical applications have proven to be vital in the evaluation and diagnosis of diseases. This is due, in large part, to advances in instrumentation and synthetic chemistry. Carbon-11 is a valuable radionuclide in PET as it virtually permits the synthesis of radiolabelled versions of any com Read More

In this review it is shown that nimesulide, a selective cyclooxigenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, is different from other selective COX-2 inhibitors and classical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The anti-inflammatory effect mechanism of nimesulide (inhibition of inflammatory mediators) is similar to other classic NSAIDs, but the protective effect of nimesulide on classic NSAIDinduced ulcers elucidates the differ Read More

In this review, benefits and side-effects of current and emerging therapies to treat and prevent pathological bone loss are described. Bisphosphonates are the antiresorptive compounds most widely used in the treatment of bone-loss associated diseases. They are generally well-tolerated although have recently been associated with osteonecrosis of the jaw and other complications. Therapies modulating estrogen Read More

Octacalcium phosphate (Ca8H2(PO4)6.5H2O; OCP) has been advocated to be a precursor of biological apatite crystals in bone and tooth. Recent studies, using physical techniques, showed that OCP is present as a transient phase during biological apatite formation in human dentin, porcine enamel and murine bone. However, there is still a controversy regarding the chemical nature of the first mineral formed in the biominer Read More