Current pharmaceutical design
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Tobacco use is the leading risk factor for lung cancer, yet in addition to smoking habit, diet may also play a role in the disease's appearance. While there are reports to indicate that antioxidant vitamins and carotenoids may decrease the risk of lung cancer, results to date have been somewhat ambiguous. This review aimed to describe the results yielded by different studies, which have addressed antioxidant vitamin intake and lung cancer, and to indicate the mechanisms whereby these nutrients might be exercising their activity. ⋯ Insofar as provitamin A carotenoids were concerned, lutein/zeaxanthin, lycopene and alpha-carotene displayed a certain protective trend, yet beta-carotene exhibited no protective effect whatsoever; and indeed, there was speculation as to whether it might even be pernicious in smokers. Beta-criptoxanthin, on the other hand, showed a more consistent protective effect. The study highlighted the need to conduct further research on smokers and non-smokers alike, and in particular, to investigate the effect, if any, on lung cancer of carotenoids or vitamins when ingested in differing dosages.
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The aim of virtual high throughput screening is the identification of biologically relevant molecules amongst either tangible or virtual (large) collections of compounds. Amongst the various virtual screening approaches, those that are ligand based are becoming very popular due to the possibility to screen millions of molecules in a timely way. Descriptors and methods are briefly introduced and reviewed with more emphasis for those approaches that are based on fingerprint descriptors and that seems to be more utilized during the drug discovery process.
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Characteristic symptoms of fibromyalgia syndrome (FM) include widespread pain, fatigue, sleep abnormalities, and distress. FM patients show psychophysical evidence for mechanical, thermal, and electrical hyperalgesia. To fulfill FM criteria, the mechanical hyperalgesia needs to be widespread and present in at least 11 out of 18 well-defined body areas (tender points). ⋯ It frequently comprises multiple areas of deep tissue pain (trigger points) with adjacent much larger areas of referred pain. Analgesia of areas of extensive nociceptive input has been found to provide often long lasting local as well as general pain relief. Thus interventions aimed at reducing local FM pain seem to be effective but need to focus less on tender points but more on trigger points (TrP) and other body areas of heightened pain and inflammation.
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This article describes the studies that have been performed evaluating complementary or alternative medical (CAM) therapies for efficacy and some adverse events fibromyalgia (FM). There is no permanent cure for FM; therefore, adequate symptom control should be goal of treatment. Clinicians can choose from a variety of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic modalities. ⋯ Another CAM therapy such as chiropractic care has neither well-designed studies nor positive results and is not currently recommended for FM treatment. Once CAM therapies have been better evaluated for safety and long-term efficacy in randomised, placebo-controlled trials, they may prove to be beneficial in treatments for FM. It would then be important to assess studies assessing cost-benefit analyses comparing conventional therapies and CAM.
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Asthma treatment guidelines advocate the use of long-acting beta2-agonists (LABA) in addition to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in patients whose asthma is uncontrolled by ICS alone, thereby addressing two processes fundamental to asthma: bronchoconstriction and inflammation. Superior control--including a reduction in severe exacerbations--of asthma and COPD by ICS/LABA combination therapy has been demonstrated. Results from clinical studies suggest additive and potentially synergistic effects when the two agents are used in combination. ⋯ An ICS/LABA combination in a single inhaler represent safe, effective and convenient treatment options for the management of patients with asthma and COPD. Clinical results also suggest that adjustable dosing with budesonide/formoterol provides better asthma control than fixed dosing. Further elucidation of the underlying mechanisms responsible for this superior disease control is needed.