Current Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 9, Issue 8, 2002

A noninvasive DNA sampling method has been implemented collecting buccalmucosa cells by cotton wool swabs. An amount of 0.2-2 μg DNA per patient wasobtained after the phenol-extraction procedure and 0.2-2 ng DNA template wassufficient for PCR amplification of the polymorphic 48 basepair repeat region of dopaminereceptor D4 (DRD4) gene. PCR products were visualized during microfabricated electrophoretic sep Read More

Selective Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have contributed to the major advances in the treatment of depression and other psychiatric diseases. This review summarises current knowledge concerning the SSRI class of drugs and discusses the importance of secondary pharmacology in the mechanism of action and effectiveness of these drugs. Particular attention is given to the emerging importance of the SSRI ‘plus’a Read More

The use of peptidomimetics has emerged as a powerful means for overcoming the limitations inherent in the physical characteristics of peptides thus improving their therapeutic potential. A peptidomimetic approach that has emerged in recent years with significant potential, is the use of β-amino acids. β-Amino acids are similar to α-amino acids in that they contain an amino terminus and a carboxyl terminus. However, in β- Read More

Kidney toxicity comprises an important type of hospital admission with associated high costs. Large numbers of chemicals are involved comprising a wide variety of classes, both organic and inorganic. These include therapeutic drugs, radiocontrast agents, carcinogens, metals, abused drugs, and industrial chemicals. This review provides extensive evidence for participation of oxidative stress (OS) and electron transfer (ET) as Read More

Prostaglandin-H synthase exists in two isoforms, PGHS-1 and PGHS-2. PGHS-1 is present and is constitutively expressed in most cells and tissues, whereas PGHS-2 is mainly thought to mediate inflammation. Selective prostaglandin-H synthase-2 (or cyclooxygenase-2) inhibitors have been shown to be potent antiinflammatory agents with fewer side effects than currently marketed nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAI Read More

Docetaxel is a new semi-synthetic anticancer agent derived from bacatin III of the needles of the European yew Taxus baccata. Docetaxel has a novel mechanism of action since it binds to tubulin inducing its polymerization and promoting stable microtubule formation. Several differences exist between docetaxel and paclitaxel: (i) broader activity of docetaxel against freshly explanted human tumors than paclitaxel; (ii) a 2- Read More

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a fatal disease: the majority of patients are diagnosed as having metastases or advanced inoperable tumors. The activity of chemotherapy in NSCLC patients is low with objective response rarely complete and sustained. Cisplatin-based combinations are considered as the standard chemotherapy treatment. Recently., the introduction of new and less toxic chemotherapeutic agents., su Read More

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a systemic illness. More than half of those patients who present with stage I-IIIA disease and are resected will experience distant relapse. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy has been evaluated in several randomized trials but the results of these trials have been inconclusive with increased survival reported in few trials. In resectable stage IIIA NSCLC the findings of three randomized tri Read More