Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 10, Issue 31, 2004

A large number of IL-1 protein sequences have become available recently from a range of vertebrate species and especially from bony fish. However, 3D structures are still only known for mammalian IL-1. In this review, we use a multiple sequence alignment of all published non-mammalian vertebrate IL-1β proteins to locate the structurally important residues critical for maintaining the βtrefoil fold and we investi Read More

The interleukin-10 (IL-10) family of cytokines includes IL-10, a number of its viral gene homologs, and eight recently discovered cellular cytokines (IL-19, IL-20, IL-22, IL-24, IL-26, IFN-l1, IFN-λ2, IFN-λ3). IL-10 is an intercalated dimer consisting of two six-helix bundle domains. Signal transduction occurs when each domain of IL-10 binds to two receptor chains, IL-10R1 and IL-10R2. Viral homologs use the same IL-10 receptor syste Read More

In this review, we compare the sequence and structural relationships of two epidermal growth factor (EGF) family related proteins that have recently been discovered in invertebrate species. The first is L-EGF, a secreted growth factor from the gastropod mollusk Lymnaea stagnalis. The second is a peptide toxin (Gigantoxin I), isolated from the sea anenome Stichodactyla giganteus, which can paralyze crabs. L-EGF and Gi Read More

Peptide and protein growth factors play critical roles in the control of proliferation, differentiation and survival of most, if not all, cell types. In this review, we describe a newly isolated growth factor from Aplysia californica, mollusk derived growth factor (MDGF), that is a member of the adenosine deaminase-related growth factor (ADGF) subfamily. Other known subfamily members from a range of invertebrate and verte Read More

Biological activity and clinical efficacy of a therapeutic protein are contingent upon the structural stability, bioavailability, and clearance rates of the protein. In this review, we examine the class of 4-helical bundle cytokines for common stability properties that may affect biological structure and efficacy. Three critical stability features that are hallmarks of this class of cytokines are the pH dependence of structural stability, the pr Read More

The CCN family of growth factors is composed of six structurally related proteins including the cysteine-rich 61 (Cyr61), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), nephroblastoma overexpressed (NOV), Wnt-1 induced secreted protein-1 (WISP-1), WISP-2 and WISP-3. Each family member consists of four conserved cysteine rich modular domains with sequence similarity to the insulin like growth factor binding proteins, von Read More

Since the concept of Pharmaceutical Care was introduced from United States about twenty years ago, this initiative has become a dominant form of practice for thousands of pharmacists around the world. Currently, pharmaceutical care is understood as the pharmacists' compromise to obtain the maximum benefit from the pharmacological treatments of the patients, being therefore responsible of monitoring their pharmacoth Read More

Medicines are a great contribution to the rising life expectancy in XX century. But a lot of drug safety problems were reported since 1960's. More recently, ineffectiveness is also being considered as a problem. Since 1975, the term 'drug-related problem' (DRP) is being used for several definition and purposes. This has led to a number of different DRP classifications. The aim of the present review is to gather different po Read More

Pharmaceutical care started in the nineties in the United States and has rapidly extended in many other countries. Although there are different trends, such as clinical pharmacy services, cognitive services, medication management, medication review, they all share the same philosophy and objectives, namely “the responsible provision of drug therapy for the purpose of achieving definite outcomes that improve a patient's qu Read More

This manuscript reviews 25 years of experience that include developing the practice of pharmaceutical care and initiating new practices. The impact this practice has on practitioners in the ambulatory setting is described as well as data that reflect its clinical and economic impact. There is a great need to prepare new practitioners to provide pharmaceutical care. A focused training program was developed and delivered to Read More