Idrugs
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In the majority of cases, epilepsy develops in three phases: (i) initial brain damaging insult (eg, head trauma, stroke, status epilepticus), resulting in (ii) epileptogenesis, which in turn leads to (iii) recurrent seizures (epilepsy). The current treatment of epilepsy, however, focuses exclusively on the prevention or suppression of seizures, ie, the end result of the disease process. ⋯ Furthermore, if epilepsy has already emerged, can the harmful effects of seizures on the brain be alleviated? Experimental data indicate that attenuation of the severity of the initial insults associated with seizure activity by anti-epileptic drugs improves the outcome by reducing epileptogenesis, resulting in a milder disease. Although there are no true anti-epileptogenic compounds that interfere with the molecular cascades underlying epileptogenesis, there are several new concepts that offer new targets for the treatment of epileptogenesis and disease modification, including neurotrophins, neuropeptides, caspase inhibitors and anti-inflammatory agents.
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Cough is an important defensive reflex of the airway and a common symptom of respiratory disease. After an upper respiratory tract virus infection, cough is transient, but is more persistent with conditions such as asthma, rhinosinusitis, gastroesophageal reflux, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer. ⋯ The most effective antitussives are opioids, such as morphine, codeine or pholcodeine, but they produce side effects including drowsiness, nausea, constipation and physical dependence. Opioids such as k- and d-opioid receptor agonists, non-opioids such as nociceptin, neurokinin and bradykinin receptor antagonists, vanilloid receptor VR(1) antagonists, blockers of sodium-dependent channels, and maxi-K calcium-dependent channel activators of afferent nerves may all represent novel antitussives and this needs to be confirmed in clinical trials.