Top anti-arthritis drugs cause skin disease
...ly of anti-arthritis drugs, Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-alpha) blocking agents, trigger skin conditions in 25% of patients undergoing treatment. TNF-alpha blocking agents are used to halt the process of joint destruction in patients with severe arthritis conditions. In the first study of the kind Mar...Metabolic side effects of antipsychotics are known, but rarely monitored
... this study is that risperidone actually decreases alpha 7 nicotinic receptors in the hippocampus and cortex, big areas for memory," says Dr. Terry. As an expert in drug function, he notes that it's probably impossible to develop a drug that has only positive actions without side effects. But he hopes his...Molecular change occurring during brain tumor progression also evident in breast cancer
...lecule is composed of three chains -- designated alpha (), beta (]) and gamma (^) -- that are linked together in various combinations to form 15 known isoforms or types of laminin. Each isoform has distinct characteristics and functions. Isoforms are known to change in normal tissues at various stages ...Diabetics with high blood pressure benefit from 'water pills'
...yme [ACE] inhibitors, calcium channel blockers and alpha receptor blockers," Whelton says. In an earlier publication (Journal of the American Medical Association, December 2002), the ALLHAT investigators reported that diuretics were superior in preventing adverse cardiovascular disease outcomes compared w...New discovery may help doctors treat infertility
...ally thought that there was only one receptor, the alpha receptor, that responded to estrogen. It wasn't un...more significant role in ovarian function than the alpha receptor. Researchers would like to further their investigation into the role of the beta receptor b...The Cochrane Library newsletter, 2005, issue 3
...lphonylureas, thiazolidinediones, meglitinides and alpha glucosidase inhibitors did not show any direct comparisons with metformin for these primary outcomes. They could, however, determine that metformin was as good as, or better than these other drugs at controlling blood glucose and lipids, and body wei...Blood pressure control and treatment is low, especially among older women with hypertension
...s ACE inhibitors and other classes of drugs (e.g., alpha blockers), although data supporting their efficacy in older hypertensive patients are limited." "With the aging of the population, the burden of hypertension is expected to increase significantly," the authors write. "It is rare to escape the deve...K-State researchers designing better drug to treat cystic fibrosis
...rived from the second transmembrane segment of the alpha subunit of the human spinal cord glycine receptor. Tomich said chloride ions are hydrogen bond acceptors; consequently, it is hypothesized the hydroxyl function contributes strongly to ion throughput across and/or ion selectivity within the channel s...Hopkins geneticist discovers mutations in cancer cells that suggest new forms of treatment
...and one in platelet derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA). FGFR1 and PDGFRA, said Riggins, have been implicated in several other cancers such as colorectal, breast and ovarian cancer, as well as chronic myelogenous leukemia, gastrointestinal stromal tumors and lymphoma. Riggins and colleagues analy...Synthetic protein eases arthritis symptoms in mice
...mmation is a chemical called tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). TNF-alpha starts a chemical chain reaction leading to inflammation by binding to two cell surface receptors, TNFR-1 and TNFR-2. Naturally occurring PLAD helps both forms of TNFR assemble and prepare to receive TNF-alpha. Synthetic PLAD, ...Biomarkers used to predict recurrent disease in hepatitis C transplant patients
...r develop fibrosis by using laboratory analysis of alpha smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA), a reliable marker for HSC activation. In one study, led by Samer Gawrieh of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, MN, 26 patients who underwent HCV-relate...Test predicts risk of liver scarring after transplant, study shows
...ed that a known valid biomarker of HSC activation alpha smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) could predict which patients would later develop fibrosis. The study involved 46 patients with hepatitis C virus who received liver transplants between 1997 and 2001. The patients were divided into two groups: those ...Trial demonstrates new drug's effectiveness against psoriasis
... needs long-term treatment. Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) a protein in the body involved in inflammation - is thought to play a part in the development of psoriasis. Scientists know that a drug called infliximab can neutralise the activity of TNF alpha. Infliximab is already approved for other ...Protein suppresses prostate cancer, enhances effects of vitamin E
...e first to describe the role of a protein known as alpha tocopherol associated protein or TAP in prostate cancer. Expression levels of TAP are significantly lower in prostate cancer than in a normal prostate, the researchers found. High expression of TAP protein in prostate cells may have a physiological r...Jefferson scientists show protein in heart and adrenal gland plays critical role in heart failure
.... Dr. Koch and his co-workers wondered if GRK2 and alpha 2-adrenergic receptor function were affected in th...techolamines, a feedback system that works through alpha 2-adrenergic receptors "is the brake on the system." They foundthat mice in heart failure had high l...Jefferson researchers find drug may give some cardiac protection 24 hours after heart attack
...and his co-workers knew that the drug Darbepoietin alpha would protect the ischemic heart. Darbepoietin is a long-acting cousin of erythropoietin (EPO), which has been shown to offer some protection to the heart from injury from ischemia, or a lack of oxygen. In previous studies, Dr. Koch had given EPO at ...New studies identify advances in treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia
...xyurea or anagrelide in 86 percent, and interferon alpha in 70 percent of patients. Approximately 54 percent of patients received imatinib for more than three years. Within the first six months, 90 percent of patients reached a complete hematologic response (87 percent resistant patients, 97 percent int...Soy diet worsens heart disease
...emale mice that overexpressed a mutant form of the alpha myosin heavy chain gene, which is one known cause of HCM in humans. The researchers found significant growth (known as hypertrophy) of the heart of male mice fed a soy-based diet, in comparison to male and female mutant mice fed a soy-free diet. The...Landmark hypertension study launches extensive physician and patient education program
...angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, or alpha blockers as initial treatment to lower blood press...ls. However, ALLHAT found that participants taking alpha blockers had 25 percent more cardiovascular events and were twice as likely to be hospitalized for h...Preventing toxic side effects of inflammatory disease therapy
.... In the case of certain autoimmune diseases, the alpha 4 integrins cause white blood cells to accumulate ...matory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis the alpha 4 integrin antagonist works by blocking cell adhesion. However, this anti-inflammatory therapy cou...