Current pharmaceutical design
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Advances in the characterization of pain signaling in recent years indicate that distinct neurophysiological and neurochemical mechanisms contribute to pain arising from injury to the nervous system (neuropathic pain). Tissue injury results in the release of pro-nociceptive mediators that sensitize peripheral nerve terminals (peripheral sensitization), leading to neurochemical and phenotypic alterations of sensory neurons and increased excitability of spinal cord dorsal horn neurons (central sensitization). ⋯ In this review, attention is given to the experimental modeling of neuropathic pain in preclinical studies. Recently, an increased understanding of the neurophysiological plasticity of the nervous system in response to chronic pain has led to the discovery and development of novel pharmacological interventions that may have clinical utility in treating neuropathic pain.
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The need to offer first line therapy for primary and recurrent cancers has spurred the clinical development of rapid desensitizations for chemotherapy and monoclonal antibodies. Rapid desensitizations allow patients to be treated with medications to which they have presented with hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs), including anaphylaxis. Rapid desensitization achieves temporary tolerization to full therapeutic doses by slow administration of incremental doses of the drug inducing the HSR. ⋯ We have generated a universal 12-step protocol that was applied to 413 cases of intravenous and intraperitoneal rapid desensitizations using taxanes, platins, liposomal doxorubicin, doxorubicin, rituximab, and other chemotherapy drugs. Under this protocol all patients were able to complete their target dose, and 94% of the patients had limited or no reactions. No deaths or codes were reported, indicating that the procedure was safe and effective in delivering first line chemotherapy drugs.
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Ageing is an inevitable biological process with gradual and spontaneous biochemical and physiological changes and increased susceptibility to diseases. Some nutritional factors (zinc, niacin, selenium) may remodel these changes leading to a possible escaping of diseases, with the consequence of healthy ageing, because they are involved in improving immune functions, metabolic homeostasis and antioxidant defence. Experiments performed "in vitro" (human lymphocytes exposed to endotoxins) and "in vivo" (old mice or young mice with low zinc dietary intake) show that zinc is important for immune efficiency (both innate and adaptive), metabolic homeostasis (energy utilization and hormone turnover) and antioxidant activity (SOD enzyme). ⋯ Improved immune performance, metabolic homeostasis, antioxidant defence occur in elderly after physiological zinc supplementation, which also induces prolonged survival in old, nude and neonatal thymectomized mice. The association "zinc plus selenium" improves humoral immunity in old subjects after influenza vaccination. The association "zinc plus niacin" in elderly is actually in progress.
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Fibromyalgia (FM) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are poorly understood disorders that share similar demographic and clinical characteristics. The etiology and pathophysiology of these diseases remain unclear. Because of the similarities between both disorders it was suggested that they share a common pathophysiological mechanisms, namely, central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction. ⋯ To date, no pharmacological agent has been reliably shown to be effective treatment for CFS. Management strategies are therefore primarily directed at relief of symptoms and minimising impediments to recovery. This chapter presents data demonstrating CFS, abnormal pain processing and autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction in FM and CFS and concludes by reviewing the new concepts in treatments in CFS and FM.
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Hyperglycemia is a common feature of the critically ill in general and of patients with sepsis in particular. Even a moderate degree of hyperglycemia appears detrimental for the outcome of critically ill patients, since maintenance of normoglycemia (blood glucose levels