Articles

Genotoxicity and acute and subchronic toxicity studies of a bioactive polyoxometalate in Wistar rats

Cs₂K₄Na [SiW₉Nb₃O₄₀] (POM93) is a novel broad-spectrum antiviral agent with high activity, high stability, and low toxicity in vitro. Most toxicity studies for POM93 have been performed in cultured cell lines rat...

Authors: Xiaofeng Qu, Kun Xu, Chao Zhao, Xiuling Song, Jinhua Li, Li Li, Wei Nie, Hao Bao, Juan Wang, Fenglan Niu and Juan Li

Treatment adherence and persistence with long-acting somatostatin analog therapy for the treatment of acromegaly: a retrospective analysis

Many patients with acromegaly require medical treatment that includes somatostatin analogs (SSAs). Long-acting SSA formulations are widely used, due in part to increased patient convenience and increased treat...

Authors: Michelle H. Gurel, Yi Han, Andrea L. Stevens, Aaron Furtado and David Cox

Parecoxib reduced ventilation induced lung injury in acute respiratory distress syndrome

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) contributes to ventilation induced lung injury (VILI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The objective of present study was to observe the therapeutic effect of parecoxib ...

Authors: Fan-you Meng, Wei Gao and Ying-nan Ju

Pharmacokinetics of surotomycin from phase 1 single and multiple ascending dose studies in healthy volunteers

Surotomycin, a novel, orally administered, cyclic, lipopeptide antibacterial in development for the treatment of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea, has demonstrated minimal intestinal absorption in animal...

Authors: Gurudatt Chandorkar, Qiao Zhan, Julie Donovan, Shruta Rege and Hernando Patino

Methimazole associated eosinophilic pleural effusion: a case report

Adverse reactions associated to anti-thyroid drugs include fever, rash, arthralgia, agranulocytosis and hepatitis that are thought to be hypersensitivity reactions. Five cases of pleural effusion associated to...

Authors: Pedro Gaspar-da-Costa, Filipa Duarte Silva, Júlia Henriques, Sónia do Vale, Sandra Braz, João Meneses Santos and Rui M.M. Victorino

Effectiveness of isosorbide dinitrate in cyanide poisoning as a function of the administration timing

Better and safer antidotes against cyanide poisoning are needed. Prior study has shown a favorable effect of isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) on the survival of cyanide-poisoned rabbits when administered as early a...

Authors: Ophir Lavon, Amit Avrahami and Arik Eisenkraft

A rare case report of acyclovir-induced immune thrombocytopenia with tongue hematomas as the first sign, and a literature review

Acyclovir has been widely used to treat infections caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varicella zoster virus (VZV). The common adverse effects of this drug include nausea, diarrhea, headache, dizziness a...

Authors: Xiaowei Hong, Xiaoqian Wang and Zhiyong Wang

Long-term treatment of clarithromycin at a low concentration improves hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidant/antioxidant imbalance in human small airway epithelial cells by increasing Nrf2 mRNA expression

Clarithromycin (CAM), a representative macrolide antibiotic, has been used widely at low doses for long-term therapy of chronic inflammatory airway diseases. Anti-inflammatory effects of macrolide antibiotics ...

Authors: Kuninori Iwayama, Ayuko Kusakabe, Keisuke Ohtsu, Takahiro Nawano, Ryosuke Tatsunami, Ko-ichi Ohtaki, Yoshiko Tampo and Nobumasa Hayase

Regulation of voltage-gated potassium channels attenuates resistance of side-population cells to gefitinib in the human lung cancer cell line NCI-H460

Side-population (SP) cells that exclude anti-cancer drugs have been found in various tumor cell lines. Moreover, SP cells have a higher proliferative potential and drug resistance than main population cells (N...

Authors: Seon Young Choi, Hang-Rae Kim, Pan Dong Ryu and So Yeong Lee

Antibiotic use practices of pharmacy staff: a cross-sectional study in Saint Petersburg, the Russian Federation

Non-prescription access to antimicrobials is common, and self-prescribing is increasingly popular in Russian society. The aim of this study was to assess the attitudes of community pharmacists regarding antibi...

Authors: Tatiana Belkina, Natalia Duvanova, Julia Karbovskaja, Jurjen Duintjer Tebbens and Jiri Vlcek

The polypill approach – An innovative strategy to improve cardiovascular health in Europe

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of disability and premature death. Despite European guidelines advocating the use of medical therapies in CVD, many patients still do not achieve the guideline-rec...

Authors: Valentín Fuster, Francesc Gambús, Aldo Patriciello, Margaretha Hamrin and Diederick E. Grobbee

Erratum to: Synthetic and natural antioxidants attenuate cisplatin-induced vomiting

Authors: Javaid Alam, Fazal Subhan, Ihsan Ullah, Muhammad Shahid, Gowhar Ali and Robert D. E. Sewell

A case report of intravenous posaconazole in hepatic and renal impairment patient with invasive Aspergillus terreus infection: safety and role of therapeutic drug monitoring

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a fatal infectious complication among immunocompromised patients. Aspergillus terreus, the fourth common species can be difficult to treat due to a unique resistance pattern. To dat...

Authors: Pitchaya Dilokpattanamongkol, Panadda Panusitthikorn, Rasda Boonprasert, Methee Chayakulkeeree and Porpon Rotjanapan

5-aminolevulinic acid combined with ferrous ion reduces adiposity and improves glucose tolerance in diet-induced obese mice via enhancing mitochondrial function

Mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with obesity and various obesity-associated pathological conditions including glucose intolerance. 5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a precursor of heme metabolites, is a nat...

Authors: Urara Ota, Takeshi Hara, Hitoshi Nakagawa, Emi Tsuru, Masayuki Tsuda, Atsuko Kamiya, Yasushi Kuroda, Yuya Kitajima, Aya Koda, Masahiro Ishizuka, Hideo Fukuhara, Keiji Inoue, Taro Shuin, Motowo Nakajima and Tohru Tanaka

Amitraz poisoning: A case report of an unusual pesticide poisoning in Sri Lanka and literature review

Amitraz is a pesticide used worldwide on animals and in agriculture. It contains triazapentadiene, which is a centrally acting alpha-2 adrenergic agonist. Amitraz poisoning is fairly uncommon in humans and occ...

Authors: H. M. M. T. B. Herath, S. P. Pahalagamage, Nilukshana Yogendranathan, M. D. M. S. Wijayabandara and Aruna Kulatunga

Identification and application of anti-inflammatory compounds screening system based on RAW264.7 cells stably expressing NF-κB-dependent SEAP reporter gene

NF-κB is one of the key transcription factors in the inflammatory response, transactivates a series of pro-inflammatory genes and is therefore regarded as an important target for anti-inflammatory drug screening.

Authors: Yue Li, Xiaomeng Wang, Juan Ren, Xi Lan, Jing Li, Jing Yi, Li Liu, Yan Han, Sanqi Zhang, Dongmin Li and Shemin Lu

Synthetic and natural antioxidants attenuate cisplatin-induced vomiting

Synthetic and natural antioxidants including Bacopa monnieri (L.) Pennell (Scrophulariaceae) which also possess anti-dopaminergic properties, have been proposed to be useful for emetogenic chemotherapy. In this s...

Authors: Javaid Alam, Fazal Subhan, Ihsan Ullah, Muhammad Shahid, Gowhar Ali and Robert D. E. Sewell

Anti-inflammatory effect of resveratrol in human coronary arterial endothelial cells via induction of autophagy: implication for the treatment of Kawasaki disease

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute febrile vasculitis in childhood, which is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children. If untreated, KD can result in coronary aneurysms in 25% of patients, and ev...

Authors: Fu-Chen Huang, Ho-Chang Kuo, Ying-Hsien Huang, Hong-Ren Yu, Sung-Chou Li and Hsing-Chun Kuo

The efficacy and safety of co-administration of fimasartan and rosuvastatin to patients with hypertension and dyslipidemia

Hypertension and dyslipidemia are major risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the co-administration of fimasartan and rosuv...

Authors: Moo-Yong Rhee, Taehoon Ahn, Kiyuk Chang, Shung Chull Chae, Tae-Hyun Yang, Wan Joo Shim, Tae Soo Kang, Jae-Kean Ryu, Deuk-Young Nah, Tae-Ho Park, In-Ho Chae, Seung Woo Park, Hae-Young Lee, Seung-Jea Tahk, Young Won Yoon, Chi Young Shim…

Deflazacort: therapeutic index, relative potency and equivalent doses versus other corticosteroids

Deflazacort is a synthetic corticosteroid characterized by a favourable pharmacokinetic profile, peculiar pharmacodynamic properties and a good safety profile. However, to the best of our knowledge, no dose-co...

Authors: Luca Parente

Cytotoxicity of Plumbagin, Rapanone and 12 other naturally occurring Quinones from Kenyan Flora towards human carcinoma cells

Cancer is a major public health concern globally and chemotherapy remains the principal mode of the treatment of various malignant diseases.

Authors: Victor Kuete, Leonidah K. Omosa, Viviane R. Sipowo Tala, Jacob O. Midiwo, Armelle T. Mbaveng, Sauda Swaleh, Oğuzhan Karaosmanoğlu and Hülya Sivas

Effects on and transfer across the blood-brain barrier in vitro—Comparison of organic and inorganic mercury species

Transport of methylmercury (MeHg) across the blood-brain barrier towards the brain side is well discussed in literature, while ethylmercury (EtHg) and inorganic mercury are not adequately characterized regardi...

Authors: Hanna Lohren, Julia Bornhorst, Romy Fitkau, Gabriele Pohl, Hans-Joachim Galla and Tanja Schwerdtle

Neurotoxicity and nephrotoxicity caused by combined use of lithium and risperidone: a case report and literature review

Combination lithium, a mood stabilizer, and risperidone, an atypical antipsychotic drug, is widely used for treatment of psychotic disorders. Rare reports concern severe adverse drug reaction in multiple organ...

Authors: Chih-Wei Hsu, Yu Lee, Chun-Yi Lee and Pao-Yen Lin

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characterization of a novel formulation containing co-formulated interferons alpha-2b and gamma in healthy male volunteers

More potent antitumor activity is desired in Interferon (IFN)-treated cancer patients. This could be achieved by combining IFN alpha and IFN gamma. The aim of this work was to characterize the pharmacokinetics...

Authors: Idrian García-García, Ignacio Hernández-González, Alina Díaz-Machado, Carlos A. González-Delgado, Sonia Pérez-Rodríguez, Yanelda García-Vega, Rosario Campos-Mojena, Ángela D. Tuero-Iglesias, Carmen M. Valenzuela-Silva, Alieski Cruz-Ramírez, Alis Martín-Trujillo, Héctor Santana-Milián, Pedro A. López-Saura and Iraldo Bello-Rivero

High content imaging quantification of multiple in vitro human neurogenesis events after neurotoxin exposure

Our objective was to test neural active compounds in a human developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) model that represents neural tube stages of vulnerability. Previously we showed that 14 days in vitro (DIV 14) was...

Authors: Xian Wu, Anirban Majumder, Robin Webb and Steven L. Stice

Vancomycin microspheres reduce postoperative spine infection in an in vivo rabbit model

Surgical site infections are common and devastating complications after implants related surgeries. Staphylococcus aureus contamination is a leading cause of surgical site infections. This study aims at assessing...

Authors: Gang Liu, Si Chen, Jun Fang, Baoshan Xu, Shuang Li, Yonghong Hao, Naif A. Al-Dhabi, Shucai Deng and Veeramuthu Duraipandiyan

Distal renal tubular acidosis without renal impairment after use of tenofovir: a case report

Tenofovir, one of antiretroviral medication to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, is known to cause proximal renal tubular acidosis such as Fanconi syndrome, but cases of distal renal tubular ...

Authors: Kentaro Iwata, Manabu Nagata, Shuhei Watanabe and Shinichi Nishi

Pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and cytochrome P450 modulatory activity of plumbagin

The antimalarial activity of plumbagin (5-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone), a naturally occurring naphthoquinone widely distributed in the Plumbaginaceae family has previously been demonstrated in vitro (g...

Authors: Wiriyaporn Sumsakul, Tullayakorn Plengsuriyakarn and Kesara Na-Bangchang

l-tetrahydropalmatine reduces nicotine self-administration and reinstatement in rats

The negative consequences of nicotine use are well known and documented, however, abstaining from nicotine use and achieving abstinence poses a major challenge for the majority of nicotine users trying to quit. l

Authors: Shamia L. Faison, Charles W. Schindler, Steven R. Goldberg and Jia Bei Wang

National study on the adequacy of antidotes stocking in Lebanese hospitals providing emergency care

Antidotes stocking is a critical component of hospital care for poisoned patients in emergency. Antidote stocking represents a major health challenge worldwide and in Lebanon. Systematic data monitoring of ant...

Authors: Anthony Mansour, Layla Al-Bizri, Jad El-Maamary, Amanda al-Helou, Rayan Hamade, Elie Saliba, Dina Khammash, Karim Makhoul, Kamal Matli, Nada Ghosn, Mary Deeb and Wissam H. Faour

A greater focus on metals in biomedicine and neuroscience is needed

Metals have many essential functions in the brain and a large body of evidence supports important roles for altered metal stasis in many brain disorders. However, despite this evidence, acceptance of metals as...

Authors: Anthony R. White

“Manganese-induced neurotoxicity: a review of its behavioral consequences and neuroprotective strategies”

Manganese (Mn) is an essential heavy metal. However, Mn’s nutritional aspects are paralleled by its role as a neurotoxicant upon excessive exposure. In this review, we covered recent advances in identifying me...

Authors: Tanara V. Peres, Maria Rosa C. Schettinger, Pan Chen, Fabiano Carvalho, Daiana S. Avila, Aaron B. Bowman and Michael Aschner

Persisting neurobehavioral effects of developmental copper exposure in wildtype and metallothionein 1 and 2 knockout mice

Metallothioneins (MT) are small proteins, which are crucial for the distribution of heavy and transition metals. Previously, we found in mice that knockout of MT 1 and 2 genes (MTKO) impaired spatial learning ...

Authors: Ann Petro, Hannah G. Sexton, Caroline Miranda, Anit Rastogi, Jonathan H. Freedman and Edward D. Levin

Chronic early life lead (Pb²⁺) exposure alters presynaptic vesicle pools in hippocampal synapses

Lead (Pb²⁺) exposure has been shown to impair presynaptic neurotransmitter release in both in vivo and in vitro model systems. The mechanism by which Pb²⁺ impairs neurotransmitter release has not been fully eluci...

Authors: Sara Rose Guariglia, Kirstie H. Stansfield, Jennifer McGlothan and Tomas R. Guilarte

Involvement of heat shock proteins on Mn-induced toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans

All living cells display a rapid molecular response to adverse environmental conditions, and the heat shock protein family reflects one such example. Hence, failing to activate heat shock proteins can impair t...

Authors: Daiana Silva Avila, Alexandre Benedetto, Catherine Au, Julia Bornhorst and Michael Aschner

Quality of Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy for malaria found in Ghanaian markets and public health implications of their use

Ghana changed their antimalarial drug policy from monotherapies to Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies in 2004 in order to provide more efficacious medicines for treatment of malaria. The policy change can...

Authors: Mathilda Tivura, Isaac Asante, Albert van Wyk, Stephaney Gyaase, Naiela Malik, Emmanuel Mahama, Dana M. Hostetler, Facundo M. Fernandez, Kwaku Poku Asante, Harparkash Kaur and Seth Owusu-Agyei

Side effect profile similarities shared between antidepressants and immune-modulators reveal potential novel targets for treating major depressive disorders

Side effects, or the adverse effects of drugs, contain important clinical phenotypic information that may be useful in predicting novel or unknown targets of a drug. It has been suggested that drugs with simil...

Authors: Yu Sun, Vaibhav A. Narayan and Gayle M. Wittenberg

Study of arsenic accumulation in rice and evaluation of protective effects of Chorchorus olitorius leaves against arsenic contaminated rice induced toxicities in Wistar albino rats

In the present study, we investigated the arsenic accumulation in different parts of rice irrigated with arsenic contaminated water. Besides, we also evaluated the protective effects of Corchorus olitorius leaves...

Authors: Saeed Mohammed Imran Hosen, Dipesh Das, Rupkanowar Kobi, Dil Umme Salma Chowdhury, Md Jibran Alam, Bashudev Rudra, Muhammad Abu Bakar, Saiful Islam, Zillur Rahman and Mohammad Al-Forkan

Vitamin B12 deficiency in metformin-treated type-2 diabetes patients, prevalence and association with peripheral neuropathy

The association between long-term metformin use and low vitamin B12 levels has been proven. However, the prevalence estimates of metformin-induced vitamin B12 deficiency showed considerable variation among the...

Authors: Marwan A. Ahmed, George Muntingh and Paul Rheeder

The grass isn’t always greener: The effects of cannabis on embryological development

With the increasing publicity of marijuana due to recent legislation, it is pertinent that the effects of fetal exposure to the drug are assessed. While in utero cannabis exposure has been associated with early p...

Authors: Joseph Friedrich, Dara Khatib, Keon Parsa, Ariana Santopietro and G. Ian Gallicano

Current statins show calcium channel blocking activity through voltage gated channels

Statins are used for treatment of hypercholestremia. Common adverse reports associated with use of statins are generalized bodyache, rhabdomyolysis, muscles weakness and gastrointestinal disorders. The current...

Authors: Niaz Ali, Robina Begum, Muhammad Saleh Faisal, Aslam Khan, Muhammad Nabi, Gulfam Shehzadi, Shakir Ullah and Waqar Ali

Dependence to legally prescribed opioid analgesics in a university hospital in Medellin-Colombia: an observational study

In some countries the misuse and diversion of prescribed opioid analgesic is increasing considerably, but there is no official data regarding the situation in Colombia. The aim of this study was to identify al...

Authors: Maria G. Garcia-Orjuela, Lineth Alarcon-Franco, Juan C. Sanchez-Fernandez, Yuli Agudelo and Andres F. Zuluaga

Differential HbA1c response in the placebo arm of DPP-4 inhibitor clinical trials conducted in China compared to other countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

It has been observed that the efficacy of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors as compared to the placebo groups in some clinical trials conducted in China is weaker than that in trials conducted outside ...

Authors: Lingyu He, Shu Liu, Chun Shan, Yingmei Tu, Zhengqing Li and Xiaohua Douglas Zhang

A suicide attempt by intoxication with Taxus baccata leaves and ultra-fast liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry, analysis of patient serum and different plant samples: case report

Taxus (yew) is one of the most frequently reported plants causing potentially fatal outcome when taken incidentally or for suicidal reasons. A fast and reliable method of detection of poisonous compounds or th...

Authors: Małgorzata Kobusiak-Prokopowicz, Anna Marciniak, Sylwester Ślusarczyk, Krzysztof Ściborski, Aneta Stachurska, Andrzej Mysiak and Adam Matkowski

Potentially inappropriate medications in elderly ambulatory and institutionalized patients: an observational study

The elderly are frequently exposed to drug related problems causing hospitalizations and increased costs of care. Information about Romanian prescribing practices among the elderly and potential medication ass...

Authors: Daniela Petruta Primejdie, Marius Traian Bojita and Adina Popa

Intracellular accumulation of Praziquantel in T lymphoblastoid cell lines, CEM (parental) and CEMvbl(P-gp-overexpressing)

Praziquantel (PZQ) is an antihelminthic drug whose P-glycoprotein (P-gp) substrate specificity has not been conclusively characterized. We investigated its specificity by comparing its in vitro intracellular accu...

Authors: Gabriel Kigen and Geoffrey Edwards

Using Positive Deviance to reduce medication errors in a tertiary care hospital

The number of medication errors occurring in healthcare is large and many are preventable. To analyze medication errors and evaluate whether Positive Deviance is effective in reducing them.

Authors: Fabio Teixeira Ferracini, Alexandre R. Marra, Claudio Schvartsman, Oscar F. Pavão dos Santos, Elivane da Silva Victor, Neila Maria Marques Negrini, Wladimir Mendes Borges Filho and Michael B. Edmond

The synergy and mode of action of quercetin plus amoxicillin against amoxicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis

Staphylococcus epidermidis is one of the most multiple resistances to antibiotics in the recent years. Therefore, practically-prescribed antibiotics in the treatment of these strains are not effective. Plant-deri...

Authors: Supatcharee Siriwong, Yothin Teethaisong, Kanjana Thumanu, Benjawan Dunkhunthod and Griangsak Eumkeb

Role of phenolics from Spondias pinnata bark in amelioration of iron overload induced hepatic damage in Swiss albino mice

Crude Spondias pinnata bark extract was previously assessed for its antioxidant, anticancer and iron chelating potentials. The isolated compounds gallic acid (GA) and methyl gallate (MG) were evaluated for their ...

Authors: Dipankar Chaudhuri, Nikhil Baban Ghate, Sourav Panja and Nripendranath Mandal

Placental transfer and mammary excretion of a novel angiotensin receptor blocker fimasartan in rats

Fimasartan (FMS) is a potent angiotensin receptor blocker for the treatment of mild to moderate hypertension. This study aimed to evaluate the transfer of FMS to fetus and breast milk in rats.

Authors: Tae Hwan Kim, Min Gi Kim, Soyoung Shin, Yong-Ha Chi, Soo-Heui Paik, Joo-Han Lee, Sun Dong Yoo, Yu Seok Youn, Jürgen B. Bulitta, Sang Hoon Joo, Seok Won Jeong, Kwon-Yeon Weon and Beom Soo Shin