Articles

The salvage therapy in lung adenocarcinoma initially harbored susceptible EGFR mutation and acquired resistance occurred to the first-line gefitinib and second-line cytotoxic chemotherapy

Epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) such as gefitinib can provide better efficacy and prolonged progression free survival (PFS) than cytotoxic chemotherapy for metastatic lung ...

Authors: Chih-Jen Yang, Jen-Yu Hung, Ming-Ju Tsai, Kuan-Li Wu, Ta-Chih Liu, Shah-Hwa Chou, Jui-Ying Lee, Jui-Sheng Hsu, Ming-Shyan Huang and Inn-Wen Chong

Effects of diacetyl-liensinine on electrophysiology in rabbit ventricular myocytes

Diacetyl-liensinine is a chemosynthetic derivative of liensinine, extracted from the seed embryo of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn, in China. It has been found to have extensive anti- arrhythmic actions. The present stu...

Authors: Feng Cao, Teng Wang, Wenmao Ding, Zhe Li, Shaobo Shi and Xiaozhan Wang

Drug-transporter mediated interactions between anthelminthic and antiretroviral drugs across the Caco-2 cell monolayers

Drug interactions between antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) and anthelminthic drugs, ivermectin (IVM) and praziquantel (PZQ) were assessed by investigating their permeation through the Caco-2 cell monolayers in a tr...

Authors: Gabriel Kigen and Geoffrey Edwards

Molecular mechanism of cardol, isolated from Trigona incisa stingless bee propolis, induced apoptosis in the SW620 human colorectal cancer cell line

Cardol is a major bioactive constituent in the Trigona incisa propolis from Indonesia, with a strong in vitro antiproliferative activity against the SW620 colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (IC₅₀ of 4.51 ± 0.76 ...

Authors: Paula Mariana Kustiawan, Kriengsak Lirdprapamongkol, Tanapat Palaga, Songchan Puthong, Preecha Phuwapraisirisan, Jisnuson Svasti and Chanpen Chanchao

Erroneous formulation of delayed-release omeprazole capsules: alert for importing countries

Poor drug quality is a matter of serious concern, especially in countries where drug regulation and law enforcement are constrained by limited resources. This study was carried out to investigate the cause of ...

Authors: Mohammad Sofiqur Rahman, Naoko Yoshida, Hirohito Tsuboi, Tep Keila, Tey Sovannarith, Heng Bun Kiet, Eav Dararth, Theingi Zin, Tsuyoshi Tanimoto and Kazuko Kimura

Large-scale detection of drug off-targets: hypotheses for drug repurposing and understanding side-effects

Promiscuity in molecular interactions between small-molecules, including drugs, and proteins is widespread. Such unintended interactions can be exploited to suggest drug repurposing possibilities as well as to...

Authors: Matthieu Chartier, Louis-Philippe Morency, María Inés Zylber and Rafael J. Najmanovich

Salidroside contributes to reducing blood pressure and alleviating cerebrovascular contractile activity in diabetic Goto-Kakizaki Rats by inhibition of L-type calcium channel in smooth muscle cells

Vascular disease is a common and often severe complication in diabetes mellitus. Hyperglycemia and hypertension are considered to be two of the leading risk factors for vascular complications in diabetic patie...

Authors: Yu-Guang Ma, Jun-Wei Wang, Yun-Gang Bai, Mei Liu, Man-Jiang Xie and Zhi-Jun Dai

Dichloroacetic acid-induced testicular toxicity in male rats and the protective effect of date fruit extract

The present study was designed to investigate the protective effect of aqueous date extract (ADE) against the dichloroacetic acid (DCA)-induced testicular injury in rats.

Authors: Amira El Arem, Lamia Lahouar, Emna Behija Saafi, Amira Thouri, Fatma Ghrairi, Zohra Houas, Fadoua Neffati and Lotfi Achour

Coenzyme Q10 prevents oxidative stress and fibrosis in isoprenaline induced cardiac remodeling in aged rats

The objective of the present study aimed to investigate the effect of CoQ10 treatment on isoprenaline (ISO)-induced cardiac remodeling in rats.

Authors: Anayt Ulla, Mustafe Khalid Mohamed, Biswajit Sikder, AFM Towheedur Rahman, Farzana Akther Sumi, Murad Hossain, Hasan Mahmud Reza, G. M. Sayedur Rahman and Md Ashraful Alam

Adverse drug events observed in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with 100 mg versus 300 mg canagliflozin: a systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials

Nowadays, canagliflozin monotherapy, or in combination with other oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs), is often administered in patients who are treated for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Therefore, we aimed to ...

Authors: Pravesh Kumar Bundhun, Girish Janoo and Feng Huang

Mechanism of the blood pressure-lowering effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors in obese patients with type 2 diabetes

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are reported to have BP-lowering effect in addition to blood glucose-lowering effect, however, its mechanism is still unknown. This study aimed to investigate ...

Authors: Shin Kawasoe, Yukiko Maruguchi, Shoko Kajiya, Hitoshi Uenomachi, Masaaki Miyata, Mariko Kawasoe, Takuro Kubozono and Mitsuru Ohishi

Impact of matrix metalloproteinase 9 rs3918242 genetic variant on lipid-lowering efficacy of simvastatin therapy in Chinese patients with coronary heart disease

Genetic variation of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) gene polymorphism has been suggested to modulate coronary heart diseases (CHD), yet the underlying mechanisms are not well understood.

Authors: Yuanyuan Xu, Yan Wang, Jixin Zhi, Lichun Qi, Tong Zhang and Xueqi Li

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

Drug adherence for antihypertensive medications and its determinants among adult hypertensive patients attending in chronic clinics of referral hospitals in Northwest Ethiopia

Adherence to prescribed medication is an imperative issue which can be directly linked with the management of chronic diseases like hypertension; failure to adhere can affect the effectiveness of medication as...

Authors: Habtamu Sewunet Mekonnen, Mignote Hailu Gebrie, Kokeb Haile Eyasu and Abebaw Addis Gelagay

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