Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 15, Issue 29, 2009

Non-selective cannabinoid ligands display a wide range of physiological effects including analgesic, antiinflammatory, anti-convulsive and immuno-suppressive activities. A separation between therapeutic effects and undesirable CNS side effects may be accomplished by increasing the selectivity for the CB2 receptor over the CB1 receptor. There is considerable interest in developing new cannabimimetic compounds possessing pr Read More

Atrial fibrillation (AF) following cardiac surgery is a common complication, which increases incidence of other complications, hospital and healthcare costs. The reported rate of the occurrence of postoperative AF varies with different studies, depending on population profile, type of surgery, arrhythmia definition and detection methods, design of study. Nonetheless, the precise mechanisms of AF related to cardiac surgery are Read More

Frailty is now defined as a clinical entity and potentially responsive to medications. This article reviews the drugs available and those under development. While, at present, exercise is the primary therapy, it is expected over the next decade that numerous drugs will be available to treat components of the frailty syndrome.

Metastases are the cause of 90% of human cancer deaths. The current treatment of cancer with chemo,- and/or radiotherapy is based on cell death by DNA damage neglecting the fact that cancer cell invasion into surrounding tissues and metastasizing are fundamental features of neoplasms and the major reason for treatment failure. Metastasis is the result of several sequential steps and represents a highly organi Read More

Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) is an independent risk predictor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, as well as for total mortality, independent of the subsequent development of overt diabetes mellitus. Increased rates of major adverse cardiac event and shorter survival in subjects with IGT who are post acute myocardial infarction have also been observed. The aim of this review article is to provide an overv Read More

Mast cells, originating from bone marrow pluripotential cells are generally populated near to strategic locations of mammalian body. They store a wide variety of biologically active molecules in their granules and also can de novo synthesize an additional spectrum of mediators, depending on their microenvironment, phenotype and status. Mast cells have numerous receptors that can trigger a wide spectrum of cellular respons Read More

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of risk factors, each one individually associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. Treatment of all components of MetS is expected to result in reduced risk. Treatment of MetS mainly includes lifestyle changes. In addition, drug therapy may be considered, especially combinations of different drugs, in order to tackle all the features of MetS. We review the therapeutic strategies c Read More