Trends in pharmacological sciences
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Trends Pharmacol. Sci. · Mar 2006
Editorial Historical ArticleThe British Pharmacological Society: 75 years old and thriving.
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Multiple arousal systems maintain waking through the actions of chemical neurotransmitters that are released from broadly distributed nerve terminals when the neurons fire. Among these, noradrenaline-, histamine- and orexin-containing neurons fire during waking with behavioral arousal, decrease firing during slow-wave sleep (SWS) and cease firing during paradoxical sleep (PS), which is also known as rapid-eye-movement sleep. ⋯ The reciprocal activities and interactions of these wake-active and sleep-active cell groups determine the alternation between waking and sleeping. Selective enhancement and attenuation of their discharge, transmitter release and postsynaptic actions comprise the substrates for the major stimulant and hypnotic drugs.
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Homeopathy is a popular but implausible form of medicine. Contrary to many claims by homeopaths, there is no conclusive evidence that highly dilute homeopathic remedies are different from placebos. ⋯ Contrary to widespread belief, homeopathy is not entirely devoid of risk. Thus, the proven benefits of highly dilute homeopathic remedies, beyond the beneficial effects of placebos, do not outweigh the potential for harm that this approach can cause.
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Trends Pharmacol. Sci. · Oct 2005
ReviewEmerging molecular mechanisms of general anesthetic action.
General anesthetics are essential to modern medicine, and yet a detailed understanding of their mechanisms of action is lacking. General anesthetics were once believed to be "drugs without receptors" but this view has been largely abandoned. ⋯ Neurotransmitter-gated ion channels, particularly receptors for GABA and glutamate, are modulated by most anesthetics, at both synaptic and extrasynaptic sites, and additional ion channels and receptors are also being recognized as important targets for general anesthetics. In this article, these developments, which have important implications for the development of more-selective anesthetics, are reviewed in the context of recent advances in ion channel structure and function.
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Trends Pharmacol. Sci. · Aug 2005
ReviewReduction of blood pressure variability: a new strategy for the treatment of hypertension.
The main aims of the treatment of hypertension are to prevent end-organ damage (EOD) and to avoid consequent lethal complications associated with hypertension. Blood pressure level is a well-known determinant of EOD. ⋯ The reduction of BPV is an important contributory factor of the organ protection provided by some antihypertensive drugs. Thus, reduction of BPV might represent a new strategy for the treatment of hypertension.