Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology - Volume 13, Issue 10, 2012

Psoriasis is a common (1-3% of the population worldwide), multifactorial, immune-mediated chronic skin disease. In psoriasis pathogenesis an over-reaction of local innate immune response initiates inflammation with subsequent involvement of adaptive immune response leading to the production of a panel of cytokines, chemokines and growth factors leading to epidermal hyperplasia. Recently, IL-21 has been involved i Read More

Gene therapy is a potential treatment for severe inherited disorders for which there is little hope of finding a conventional cure. These include lethal diseases like immunodeficiencies and metabolic disorders, and non lethal conditions associated to poor quality of life and life-long symptomatic treatments, like muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis or thalassemia. Skin adhesion defects belong to both groups. For the non-lethal form Read More

Pemphigus is a group of rare autoimmune blistering diseases of the skin in which autoantibodies to desmosome cadherins, desmogleins, induce loss of cell-cell adhesion (acantholysis). In addition to steric hindrance and activation of intracellular phosphorylation cascade signaling pathways, apoptosis has been suggested to contribute to the mechanism by which pathogenic IgG induces acantholysis. We review the literature e Read More

Defensins and cathelicidins are anti-microbial peptides (AMPs) that act as natural antibiotics and are part of the innate immune defence in many species. We consider human defensins and LL37, the only human member of the cathelicidin family. In particular, we refer to the human alpha-defensins called human neutrophil peptides (HNP1 through 4), which are produced by neutrophils, HD5 and HD6, mainly expressed in Pa Read More

The human sebaceous gland is a microscopic branched type multiacinar gland been present everywhere on the body except on the palms and soles, whereas they are sparsely located on the dorsum of hands and feet. Several medical conditions are related with sebaceous gland pathology, such as acne, sebaceous hyperplasia, sebaceous adenoma and sebaceous carcinoma. Acne is a common, complex, chronic disorder of Read More

Acetylcysteine has been used to treat acetaminophen overdose for nearly 50 years. While no placebo controlled trials have been conducted, the efficacy of acetylcysteine is accepted for the prevention of hepatic injury when administered early after acetaminophen overdose. Acetylcysteine can be administered as an infusion or oral solution. The duration of treatment varies from 21 to 72 hours, depending on the protocol. Ac Read More

Aptamers, or nucleic acid ligands, have gained clinical interest over the past 20 years due to their unique characteristics, which are a combination of the best facets of small molecules and antibodies. The high binding affinity and specificity of aptamers allows for isolation of an artificial ligand for theoretically any therapeutic target of interest. Chemical manipulations of aptamers also allow for fine-tuning of their bioavailability, Read More

Black widow spider (Latrodectus mactans) envenomation has been recognized since antiquity. The syndrome, latrodectism, is characterized by painful muscle rigidity and autonomic disturbances such as tachycardia, hypertension, and diaphoresis. Symptoms typically last for 1-3 days. Treatment has ranged from local folk remedies to administration of specific antivenom. Opioid analgesics combined with muscle relaxan Read More

Cyanide poisoning can present in multiple ways, given its widespread industrial use, presence in combustion products, multiple physical forms, and chemical structures. The primary target of toxicity is mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase. The onset and severity of poisoning depend on the route, dose, physicochemical structure and other variables. Common poisoning features include dyspnea, altered respiratory patterns, abnorm Read More

The cumulative cardiac toxicity of the anthracycline antibiotics and their propensity to produce severe tissue injury following extravasation from a peripheral vein during intravenous administration remain significant problems in clinical oncologic practice. Understanding of the free radical metabolism of these drugs and their interactions with iron proteins led to the development of dexrazoxane, an analogue of EDTA with in Read More

The accidental or intentional release of plutonium or americium can cause acute and long term adverse health effects if they enter the human body by ingestion, inhalation, or injection. These effects can be prevented by rapid removal of these radionuclides by chelators such as calcium or zinc diethylenetriaminepentaacetate (calcium or zinc DTPA). These compounds have been shown to be efficacious in enhancing the elim Read More

More than 90% of all fatal mushroom poisonings worldwide are due to amatoxin containing species that grow abundantly in Europe, South Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Many cases have also been reported in North America. Initial symptoms of abdominal cramps, vomiting, and a severe cholera-like diarrhea generally do not manifest until at least six to eight hours following ingestion and can be followed by renal and hepa Read More

Rapid decontamination of the skin is the single most important action to prevent dermal absorption of chemical contaminants in persons exposed to chemical warfare agents (CWA) and toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) as a result of accidental or intentional release. Chemicals on the skin may be removed by mechanical means through the use of dry sorbents or water. Recent interest in decontamination systems which both par Read More

Background: Animal-derived antivenoms have been used to treat snake envenomation for more than 100 years. Major technological advantages in the past 30 years have produced antivenoms that are highly purified and chemically modified to reduce the risk of acute hypersensitivity reactions. Like all pharmaceutical manufacture, commercial-scale antivenom production requires making trade-offs between cost, purity, pharma Read More

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 form Read More

Primary Sjogren'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 Euro Read More

T cells are implicated in both local and systemic pathophysiology of primary Sjogren'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 hyp Read More