Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 17, Issue 15, 2011

Sleep disorders are increasingly recognized as a serious medical problem in the general population as well as to an individual's well being [1]. Moreover, excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) continues to be an important public health concern. EDS related to sleep disorders is present in about 10% of adults. Complaints such as non-restorative sleep, insomnia, and EDS are obtained from at least 50% of subjects in general Read More

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a growing public health hazard fueled by the obesity epidemic and an aging population. Untreated sleep apnea can result in significant consequences both in the short-term and long-term. We need to educate the public to recognize the symptoms of sleep apnea and to publicize that effective treatments are available. Positive airway pressure therapy remains the gold standard currently in tr Read More

After the discovery and characterization of the H3R and H4R receptors, they have become widely anticipated as potential therapeutic agents in the treatment of sleep disorders. In preliminary studies, histamine H3 receptor (H3R) antagonists and inverse agonists have demonstrated promise in the treatment of sleep disorders associated with excessive daytime sleepiness. This review article summarizes the current research in t Read More

Studies examining GABAB receptor agonists have reported effects on sleep including decreased sleep onset latency (SOL), increased sleep consolidation and increases in slow wave sleep (SWS). γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is proposed to act as a GABAB receptor agonist; however, the mechanism of action of GHB is controversial. In addition, the GABAB receptor agonist, baclofen, has also been proposed to exert similar Read More

Restless legs syndrome (RLS), formally identified and described by Ekbom in the 1940s, is a common clinical disorder, characterized by an overwhelming urge to move the legs, often accompanied by uncomfortable and unpleasant sensations. This impulse can also be present in the upper limbs or other parts of the body. Well recognized in the adult population, the symptoms associated with this condition have comm Read More

Opioid medications are increasingly used to treat chronic pain. Opioid-associated respiratory depression, and their potential to cause nocturnal apneas, is increasingly recognized as a major contributor to nocturnal hypoxemia and sleep-disordered breathing. Given the widespread use of opioids, understanding their mechanism of action and their potential to cause adverse effects particularly during sleep is critical. This art Read More

There is growing research focusing on the sleep problems of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in recent years. High incidence of sleep disorders in children with ADHD may be associated with a substantial impact on their quality of life and exacerbation of ADHD symptoms. The core symptoms of ADHD can be effectively treated by various medications, including methylphenidate (MPH), ampheta Read More

The master biological clock situated in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the anterior hypothalamus plays a vital role in orchestrating the circadian rhythms of multiple biological processes. Increasing evidence points to a role of the biological clock in the development of depression. In seasonal depression and in bipolar disorders it seems likely that the circadian system plays a vital role in the genesis of the disorder. For major uni Read More

Insomnia is a highly prevalent condition, and due to ongoing demand from patients suffering with this condition, new pharmacological treatments are actively being sought. As our neurophysiological understanding of insomnia grows, so too do the available treatment options. A significant advance in the treatment of insomnia came with the development of the nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic medications, zolpidem, zaleplon a Read More

Hypocretin neuropeptides have been shown to regulate transitions between wakefulness and sleep through stabilization of sleep promoting GABAergic and wake promoting cholinergic/monoaminergic neural pathways. Hypocretin also influences other physiologic processes such as metabolism, appetite, learning and memory, reward and addiction, and ventilatory drive. The discovery of hypocretin and its effect upo Read More

Proteasome inhibition is a modern and surprisingly successful approach how to cancer treatment. Bortezomib (Velcade®) is a first-in-class proteasome inhibitor and has been approved for first-line treatment of multiple myeloma and second-line treatment of mantle cell lymphoma. There have been almost 200 clinical trials with bortezomib, both as a single agent and in combination with other drugs, for various canc Read More

Until the 2000s Testosterone (T) Replacement Therapy (TRT) was not very satisfactory for male hypogonadic patients because the available T formulations were not able to reproduce the physiological pattern of T secretion in man. In fact, oral formulations (oral undecanoate T) showed very short half-life (<24 hours), requiring the administration of several daily doses, whereas the old injection products (T esters) were ch Read More

Drugs for several diseases are still given without regard to the time of the day. Variation in dosing time is generally related with the effectiveness and toxicity of many drugs. On the other hand, several drugs affect the circadian clock. The knowledge of interactions between the circadian clock and drugs is valuable in clinical practice. The pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of the medication influence the chronopharmac Read More

Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death worldwide with survival rates still remaining suboptimal. Unfortunately, most cardiac arrest patients, who achieve return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), develop a multi-faceted post-cardiac arrest syndrome, including post-cardiac arrest brain injury, myocardial dysfunction, and systemic ischemia/reperfusion response. Erythropoietin (EPO), the principal hematopoie Read More