Current drug targets
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Current drug targets · Jan 2018
ReviewBlood Eosinophils as Biomarkers to Drive Treatment Choices in Asthma and COPD.
Asthma and COPD are complex, heterogeneous conditions comprising a wide range of phenotypes, some of which are refractory to currently available treatments. Elucidation of these phenotypes and identification of biomarkers with which to recognize them and guide appropriate treatment remain a priority. ⋯ Before extensive application in clinical practice, further evaluation of these findings in prospective clinical studies, and standardization of the appropriate thresholds of clinically relevant eosinophilia are needed, together with establishing whether single or multiple measurements are required in different clinical settings.
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Current drug targets · Jan 2018
Systemic Delivery of Free Chitosan Accelerates Femur Fracture Healing in Rats.
Chitosan-containing compounds have been shown to be suitable for bone replacement, but few studies demonstrate the impact of the chitosan as a free drug on the fracture.In this study, we aimed to evaluate possible effects of free chitosan on fracture healing. ⋯ Systemic delivery of free chitosan can accelerate the bone healing process in rat femur fracture at the early-middle stage.
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Current drug targets · Jan 2018
ReviewVirulence Factor Targeting of the Bacterial Pathogen Staphylococcus aureus for Vaccine and Therapeutics.
Staphylococcus aureus is a major bacterial pathogen capable of causing a range of infections in humans from gastrointestinal disease, skin and soft tissue infections, to severe outcomes such as sepsis. Staphylococcal infections in humans can be frequent and recurring, with treatments becoming less effective due to the growing persistence of antibiotic resistant S. aureus strains. Due to the prevalence of antibiotic resistance, and the current limitations on antibiotic development, an active and highly promising avenue of research has been to develop strategies to specifically inhibit the activity of virulence factors produced S. aureus as an alternative means to treat disease. ⋯ The major prevalence of antibiotic resistant strains of S. aureus combined with the lack of new antibiotic discoveries highlight the need for vigorous research into alternative strategies to combat diseases caused by this highly successful pathogen. Current efforts to develop specific antivirulence strategies, vaccine approaches, and alternative therapies for treating severe disease caused by S. aureus have the potential to stem the tide against the limitations that we face in the post-antibiotic era.
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Current drug targets · Jan 2018
ReviewJAK/STAT Signal Transduction: Promising Attractive Targets for Immune, Inflammatory and Hematopoietic Diseases.
JAK/STAT signal pathway, a requisite part in the signaling process of growth factors and cytokines, has become attractive targets for numerous immune, inflammatory and hematopoietic diseases. ⋯ Research and development of isoform selective JAK inhibitors has become a hot topic in this field. With the assistance of high throughput screening and rational drug design, more and more JAK inhibitors with improved selective profiles will be discovered as biological probes and even therapeutic agents.
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Current drug targets · Jan 2017
ReviewTargeted Temperature Management in Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage: A Systematic Review.
Fever is common in neurocritical care patients and is associated with poor outcome. Targeted temperature management (TTM), i.e. therapeutic hypothermia or controlled normothermia, after acute brain injury has been studied as a neuroprotectant for several decades. In contrast to pharmacological agents with specific targets TTM affects multiple pathophysiological mechanisms and is primarily thought to attenuate secondary brain injury. Most promising results have been obtained from experimental studies on cerebral ischemia or traumatic brain injury showing beneficial effects of hypothermia on structural and functional outcome. ⋯ A positive influence of hypothermia has been observed in animal models of spontaneous ICH improving, among others, perihematomal edema, blood-brain barrier integrity, inflammation and thrombin-induced injury. However, results regarding functional outcome are conflicting. Little data is available on the effect of TTM after spontaneous ICH in humans. Single-center observational studies have shown reduced perihematomal edema under mild hypothermia and an association with favorable outcome. However, these beneficial effects on mortality and functional outcome have not been confirmed in randomized studies so far. Thus, results from ongoing, prospective randomized-controlled trials are highly anticipated.