Drugs of today
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Stroke is the number three cause of death and the most common cause of adult disability in the United States. Few patients receive the only established effective therapy, intravenous tissue plasminogen activator. Failure to treat may occur due to several reasons, a crucial one being the lack of acute neurologic coverage, particularly in rural settings. ⋯ We detail the emerging evidence for the safety and efficacy of these remote telestroke systems through observational studies (TEMPiS and REACH). Lastly, we discuss areas where telestroke could potentially expand to provide more complete stroke care beyond the acute thrombolysis phase, as well as its potential to improve clinical research and the need for cost-effective research. We conclude that telestroke is currently the most practical solution to any setback faced by stroke specialists with respect to low thrombolytic rates.
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The pharmacologic management of type 2 diabetes has changed dramatically in the past two decades. We have moved from a situation of only having two choices, insulin and sulfonylureas, to a position of myriad choices from 11 categories of medications (insulin, sulfonylureas, biguanides, α-glucosidase inhibitors, gliptins (dipeptidyl peptidase 4 [DPP IV] inhibitors), bromocriptine, glucagon-like peptide analogues, thiazolidinediones, glinides, amylin analogues and bile acid sequestrants. One of the most recent additions to this list are the DPP IV inhibitors commonly known as gliptins. ⋯ This manuscript will review alogliptin, its chemistry, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, drug interactions, clinical trials and its current state of FDA review. Preclinical animal data have been reviewed elsewhere and will not be outlined in this manuscript. The interested reader is referred to those recent reviews (4, 5).