Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 20, Issue 28, 2014

The eradication of Helicobacter pylori not only heals peptic ulcers but also prevents their recurrence and reduces the risk of development of gastric cancer and other H. pylori-associated disorders. H. pylori eradication heals gastritis and may prevent the spread of infection, reducing the future costs required for the treatment of subsequent H. pylori-associated diseases. There are various guidelines for the management of H. pyl Read More

Gastric cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the world and second most common reason for cancer related death. Projections for the future predict that gastric cancer incidence will continue to rise. Risk factors for gastric cancer are Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection, host genetic factors and environmental factors. H pylori is a class I carcinogen and responsible for 60 % - 80 % of all gastric cancers of intesti Read More

Helicobacter pylori is a gram-negative, microaerophilic spiral bacillus that is associated with life-threatening diseases such as gastric cancer, gastric MALT lymphoma, and peptic ulcer disease. The definition of an effective therapy is one that achieves at least a 90% eradication rate on a per-protocol basis with the first attempt. Eradication rates of H. pylori have declined to unacceptable levels worldwide, mostly due to antibiot Read More

Various clinical presentations have been ascribed to Helicobacter (H.) pylori. Most importantly, H. pylori is considered the leading cause of gastric cancer worldwide and because of that, in adult population, it is listed as a number one carcinogen. However, children are less prone to develop H. pylori related serious diseases such as peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and cases of malignancy are only sporadically reported. On the other Read More

Treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is crucial for the management of prevalent digestive and more recently also extra-digestive disorders. Rising prevalence of clarithromycin resistance worldwide has accounted for a dramatic decline in the efficacy of standard triple therapies, which should not be prescribed, unless local clarithromycin-resistance is low (<20%) or culture confirms susceptibility to this a Read More

This review evaluates the current literature based on the impact of antibiotics on the intestinal microbiota and the critical role of intestinal bacteria in controlling infection and subsequent clinical disease caused by STEC and Salmonella, and the transmissibility of these important pathogens.A number of studies have indicated that antibiotic therapy could result in unexpected changes in the clinical picture of disease. This is obs Read More

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, immune-mediated disease of the gastrointestinal tract that develops in genetically susceptible individuals. Questions about the role of infections in the development and exacerbations of inflammatory bowel disease remain unanswered. Among numerous bacteria that have been linked to IBD, the most frequently associated is Clostridium difficile. Clinical symptoms of C. di Read More

Probiotics are nowadays frequently used by patients with inflammatory bowel disease, however literature data are conflicting related to their importance. In mild to moderate ulcerative colitis probiotics can be used effectively in induction and maintaining remission, and prevention of pouchitis. As the other side of the shield, there is not sufficient evidence to support the use of probiotics in daily clinical practice in Crohn Read More

The concept that the gut microbiota plays a major role in the development of pouchitis in ulcerative colitis patients after restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis, is widely accepted and supported by a widespread use of some antibiotics (metronidazole and/or ciprofloxacin, rifaximin) to treat this condition. A possible, safer therapeutic alternative is represented by probiotics. To date the c Read More

Although several studies have been published on the gut microbiota composition, they are mainly focused on bacteria. Therefore, the world of gut yeasts, the “gut mycome”, is still unclear. Over the last years, brand new gut microbiota analysis techniques have been applied to the study of yeasts, with exciting results both in health and in disease. A therapeutic potential for many gastrointestinal and extra-intestinal diseases Read More

Mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in the development of a wide spectrum of major human diseases, including diabetes mellitus, heart disorders, neurodegeneration and cancer. Several therapeutic approaches targeting mitochondrial function have been applied in most cases without however the desired outcome. The limited effectiveness of these therapeutic schemes is due to the fact that several important Read More

Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) (also referred to as chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) is expressed by mainly inflammatory cells and endothelial cells. The expression level is upregulated after proinflammatory stimuli and tissue injury which are associated with atherosclerotic lesion. Atherosclerosis is a progressive disease starting with accumulation of lipids, lipoproteins, and immune cells in the arterial wall. M Read More

Randomized trials comparing multi-vessel percutaneous coronary intervention to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) have demonstrated the long-term superiority of CABG in diabetic patients. Benefits include improved survival, fewer recurrent myocardial infarctions and a lower risk of the need for repeat intervention. The focus of this review article is to review the contemporary management of diabetic patients with multi- Read More

P2Y12 inhibitors constitute an essential part of the antithrombotic treatment, with proven clinical benefit in acute coronary syndromes and after percutaneous coronary interventions. Substantial evidence has emerged that, apart from their primary antiplatelet action, P2Y12 receptor inhibitors exhibit several off-target effects. In this review, we present the supporting evidence of P2Y12 inhibitors’ pleiotropic actions, dis Read More