Drugs of today
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Upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a common cause of hospitalization and despite effective endoscopic treatments, it is responsible for a significant societal burden due to the associated morbidity, mortality and financial implications. As it has long been hypothesized that acid suppression may help to improve outcomes of patients with gastroduodenal ulcer bleeding, acid-suppressing agents such as histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H(2)RAs) and intravenous (i.v.) proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have been the subject of study. However, results for H(2)RAs show little if any improvement in outcomes, which may be explained by their insufficient acid suppression and the existence of rapid drug tolerance. ⋯ Randomized trials and meta-analyses have shown that acute high-dose i.v. PPI administration leads to improvements in patients undergoing endoscopic hemostasis for bleeding gastroduodenal ulcers and who also show high risk for rebleeding. However, the optimum dose, timing of administration and subgroups of patients who will benefit most from such treatment need to be further characterized.
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Not one of the currently available medications has, so far, unequivocally demonstrated its ability to fully prevent the occurrence of new vertebral or peripheral osteoporotic fractures once osteoporosis is established. Therefore, several new therapies are currently under development to optimize the risk/benefit ratio of osteoporosis treatment. Strontium ranelate is composed of an organic moiety (ranelic acid) and of two atoms of stable nonradioactive strontium. ⋯ The TROPOS study, showed a significant (p = 0.05) reduction in the relative risk of experiencing a first non-vertebral fracture in the group treated with strontium ranelate throughout the 3-year study compared with placebo in the intention-to-treat population. A 41% reduction in the relative risk of experiencing a hip fracture was demonstrated in the per protocol population. All these results imply that strontium ranelate is a new, effective and safe treatment for vertebral and nonvertebral osteoporosis, with a unique mode of action.
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Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder that affects approximately 2% of the US and European populations. Psoriatic lesions are extremely characteristic of the disease, which allows for simple diagnosis. A clear understanding of the pathogenesis of psoriasis does not yet exist. ⋯ First-line therapy for patients with moderate to severe psoriasis is the application of topical agents, followed by phototherapy (UVB) for more extensive disease. If extensive disease does not respond to UVB, second-line agents include psoralen plus UVA (PUVA), methotrexate, cyclosporine or other systemic agents, including novel biologic therapies. New psoriasis treatment regimens have been developed and include combination, rotational and sequential therapy.
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Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world. Currently, glaucoma is diagnosed as a progressive optic neuropathy with characteristic optic disc and nerve fiber layer damage, usually associated with loss of visual function. The intraocular pressure (IOP) is the most important risk factor for the disease, although a significant proportion of patients do not have elevated IOP. ⋯ If additional lowering of IOP is indicated or if medication fails to sufficiently lower the IOP, laser trabeculoplasty is usually the next step. If IOP is still not adequately controlled, incisional glaucoma surgery is indicated. Neuroprotective agents, which directly protect the optic nerve in glaucoma, are being evaluated in clinical trials.
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Pancreatic cancer is known to be one of the most problematic forms of cancer. Researchers around the world are still trying to find an adequate treatment for this disease. While surgical operation has been the dominant procedure for treating pancreatic cancer, adjuvant therapies such as radiation or chemotherapy (although the survival rate is still poor) also exist. ⋯ Gene therapy is currently in the spotlight as a promising new method for cancer cure. Many studies have revealed the potential of this therapy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, and early clinical trials are taking place to evaluate the success of gene therapy regimes in humans. Here we discuss basic scientific principles and clinical experience with respect to these regimes, including antisense strategies, gene- directed prodrug activation therapy, promoter-gene strategies and oncolytic viral therapy.