Curr Opin Invest Dr
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Curr Opin Invest Dr · Sep 2007
ReviewThe role of existing and novel cardiac biomarkers for cardioprotection.
Cardioprotection is an all-encompassing term for physico-biochemical or therapeutic interventions which slow or ameliorate the progression of cardiomyocyte necrosis. There are a number of established and novel biomarkers to assess coronary artery disease at initiation, ischemia, necrosis and myocardial dysfunction. ⋯ Novel markers are currently being investigated for detection and risk assessment in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Ischemia-modified albumin is used for the early detection of cardiac ischemia and could be a potential biomarker for assessing the early cardioprotective effects of damage-limiting interventional measures.
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Curr Opin Invest Dr · Jul 2007
ReviewAtypical antipsychotic drugs: current issues of safety and efficacy in the management of schizophrenia.
This review focuses on the comparative safety and efficacy profile of nine atypical antipsychotic drugs (amisulpride, aripiprazole, clozapine, olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, sertindole, ziprasidone and zotepine), which may ultimately affect the therapeutic options available for patients with schizophrenia. These antipsychotic compounds differ markedly in their potential to impact a number of quality-of-life measures. Furthermore, their differential effects on anxiety disorders, treatment-resistant depressive illness, cognitive functions and manic disorders may influence the selection of atypical antipsychotics for conditions associated with schizophrenia. The possible relevance of these parameters in evaluating the risk/benefit equation and probable involvement of varying receptor mechanisms is also discussed.
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Cannabinoids are effective at suppressing immune and inflammation functions in leukocytes in vitro, and in animal models of acute inflammation, such as the mouse hind paw, ear and air pouch models, as well as gastrointestinal, pulmonary, myocardial, vascular, periodontal, neural, hepatic, pancreatic and arthritic inflammation models. The non-psychoactive cannabinoid receptor CB2 is emerging as a critical target for cannabinoid regulation of inflammation, and thus CB2-selective agonists are undergoing intense investigation and research. This review discusses the evidence for cannabinoid regulation of inflammation across a range of models and highlights the most promising drug candidates.