Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 11, Issue 19, 2005

Infectious diseases are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, accounting for approximately 50% of all deaths in tropical countries and as much as 20% of deaths in the Americas. Despite the significant progress made in microbiology and the control of microorganisms, sporadic incidents of epidemics due to drug resistant microorganisms and hitherto unknown disease-causing microbes pose an enormo Read More

Secretory IgA (SIgA) is the antibody type produced in both mammals and birds that protects the body from infection at mucosal surfaces. While monoclonal IgG antibodies, particularly those against tumor antigens, have received a great deal of attention, both scientific and commercial, as immunotherapeutic agents, the potential of SIgA antibodies has only recently begun to be exploited. Part of the reason for this is that SI Read More

Antibodies are an important class of proteins that can be used for the prevention, treatment and diagnosis of many diseases. Consequently, there is an intense and growing demand for recombinant antibodies, placing immense pressure on current production capacity which is based largely on microbial cultures and mammalian cells. Alternative systems for cost effective antibody production would be very welcome, and plants a Read More

Plastid transformation technology is set to become a major player in the production of human therapeutic proteins. Protein expression levels that can be achieved in plant plastids are hundreds of times greater than the expression levels generally obtained via nuclear transformation. Plastids can produce human proteins that are properly folded and are biologically active. Effective protein purification strategies and strategies t Read More

Agitation is commonly seen in acute schizophrenic patients and core symptoms include a wide range of symptom. It requires rapid and effective treatment approaches in order to protect patient and caregiver from potential injury. Clinician's decision of pharmacological treatment should be individualized to the needs and circumstances of the patient. Benzodiazepines, typical antipsychotics, and combinations of typical antips Read More

Ceramide is not only structurally but also functionally a key molecule in diverse kinds of sphingolipids. In the past decade, ceramide has been shown to be of crucial significance in several cell functions including apoptosis, cell growth, senescence, and cell cycle control. Among them, the role of ceramide in apoptosis induction has extensively been studied, and ceramide-targeting molecular medicine for apoptosis-based diseases Read More

Heparin is a sulphated glycosaminoglycan currently used as an anticoagulant and antithrombotic drug. It consists largely of 2-O-sulphated IdoA → N, 6-O-disulphated GlcN disaccharide units. Other disaccharides containing unsulphated IdoA or GlcA and N-sulphated or N-acetylated GlcN are also present as minor components. This heterogeneity is more pronounced in heparan sulphate (HS), where the low-sulphated disaccharides Read More

Collagen fibers are the most abundant components of the extracellular matrix in arteries and myocardium. Disturbances in the collagen turnover (synthesis and degradation) have been linked to inflammatory diseases including cardiovascular pathological syndromes. In the myocardium, changes in collagen turnover may result in ventricle dilatation and subsequent contractile dysfunction. In arteries, collagen synthesis an Read More

The recognition that asthma is an inflammatory disease opens a new field to find effective models for the evaluation and development of new drugs. In this scenario, many novel candidate molecules have been shown to work perfectly in animal models, but not in clinical studies. Ancillary models are reviewed in association with the findings obtained in either transgenic or knockout mice. In parallel, genetic studies in animal Read More

Although well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas are usually curable by the combined effects of surgery, radioiodine ablation and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) suppressive therapy, recurrence develops in 20-40% of patients. During tumour progression, cellular de-differentiation occurs in up to 30% of cases and is usually accompanied by more aggressive growth, metastasis spread and loss of iodide uptake. The therapeutic o Read More