All posts; Tags Include "Pharmacology"
- May 11, 2011
- 08:02 AM
- 1,340 views
Fingolimod (Gilenya; Novartis) for Multiple Sclerosis
by David J Kroll in Terra Sigillata
A very well-written review of an orally-active drug for multiple sclerosis has just appeared in the April 25th issue of the Journal of Natural Products, a publication of ACS in conjunction with the American Society of Pharmacognosy. The review, Fingolimod (FTY720): A Recently Approved Multiple Sclerosis Drug Based on a Fungal Secondary Metabolite, is co-authored [...]... Read more »
Strader, C., Pearce, C., & Oberlies, N. (2011) Fingolimod (FTY720): A Recently Approved Multiple Sclerosis Drug Based on a Fungal Secondary Metabolite. Journal of Natural Products, 74(4), 900-907. DOI: 10.1021/np2000528
- May 9, 2011
- 03:44 PM
- 1,136 views
Antibiotics affecting ribosome's protein composition
by Vasili Hauryliuk in stringent response
Antibiotics kill bugs; and about a half of them are doing so by messing up translation. That usually means that the ribosome is stalled at a certain step, be it initiation or elongation or ribosomal recycling.But it is not always just that. Sometimes antibiotics also mess up the ribosome itself and affect its composition.Exhibit A: kasugamycin, an antibiotic that inhibits translation initiation in bacteria by interfering with binding of the the initiator ........ Read more »
Wilson DN. (2009) The A-Z of bacterial translation inhibitors. Critical reviews in biochemistry and molecular biology, 44(6), 393-433. PMID: 19929179
Schluenzen F, Takemoto C, Wilson DN, Kaminishi T, Harms JM, Hanawa-Suetsugu K, Szaflarski W, Kawazoe M, Shirouzu M, Nierhaus KH.... (2006) The antibiotic kasugamycin mimics mRNA nucleotides to destabilize tRNA binding and inhibit canonical translation initiation. Nature structural , 13(10), 871-8. PMID: 16998488
Schuwirth BS, Day JM, Hau CW, Janssen GR, Dahlberg AE, Cate JH, & Vila-Sanjurjo A. (2006) Structural analysis of kasugamycin inhibition of translation. Nature structural , 13(10), 879-86. PMID: 16998486
Kaberdina AC, Szaflarski W, Nierhaus KH, & Moll I. (2009) An unexpected type of ribosomes induced by kasugamycin: a look into ancestral times of protein synthesis?. Molecular cell, 33(2), 227-36. PMID: 19187763
Siibak T, Peil L, Dönhöfer A, Tats A, Remm M, Wilson DN, Tenson T, & Remme J. (2011) Antibiotic-induced ribosomal assembly defects result from changes in the synthesis of ribosomal proteins. Molecular microbiology, 80(1), 54-67. PMID: 21320180
Nevo-Dinur K, Nussbaum-Shochat A, Ben-Yehuda S, & Amster-Choder O. (2011) Translation-independent localization of mRNA in E. coli. Science (New York, N.Y.), 331(6020), 1081-4. PMID: 21350180
Tzareva NV, Makhno VI, & Boni IV. (1994) Ribosome-messenger recognition in the absence of the Shine-Dalgarno interactions. FEBS letters, 337(2), 189-94. PMID: 8287975
Andreev DE, Terenin IM, Dunaevsky YE, Dmitriev SE, & Shatsky IN. (2006) A leaderless mRNA can bind to mammalian 80S ribosomes and direct polypeptide synthesis in the absence of translation initiation factors. Molecular and cellular biology, 26(8), 3164-9. PMID: 16581790
Montero Llopis P, Jackson AF, Sliusarenko O, Surovtsev I, Heinritz J, Emonet T, & Jacobs-Wagner C. (2010) Spatial organization of the flow of genetic information in bacteria. Nature, 466(7302), 77-81. PMID: 20562858
- May 5, 2011
- 08:57 AM
- 1,504 views
Ether and the Discovery of Anesthesia
by Dan Bailey in Smells Like Science
There is an unusual, and mostly forgotten monument in a shaded area at the edge of the Boston Public Garden in downtown Boston. It was completed in 1868, and, like many other monuments built during the 19th century, it features classical statuary, granite columns, and biblical inscriptions. But unlike any other monument in the world, it memorializes a drug. The inscription on the front face of the monument reads: “To commemorate that the inhaling of ether causes insensibility to pain. Firs........ Read more »
Lewis JH. (1931) Contribution of an Unknown Negro to Anesthesia. Journal of the National Medical Association, 23(1), 23-4. PMID: 20892436
- April 29, 2011
- 02:53 PM
- 1,577 views
On discovering new medicines
by DrugMonkey in DrugMonkey
A link from writedit pointed me to a review of drugs that were approved in the US with an eye to how they were identified. Swinney and Anthony (2011) identified 259 agents that were approved by the US FDA between 1999 and 2008. They then identified 75 which were "first in class", i.e., not just [...]... Read more »
Swinney, D., & Anthony, J. (2011) How were new medicines discovered?. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 10(7), 507-519. DOI: 10.1038/nrd3480
- April 22, 2011
- 04:24 PM
- 695 views
Let’s Get Cellular: Meth Metabolism
by Dirk Hanson in Addiction Inbox
Speedy fruit flies metabolize glucose differently.
We know from the work of Nora Volkow and others that meth abusers have chronically low levels of dopamine D2 receptors in their brains. But what is going on in the rest of the body when methamphetamine addiction is running full force? A study of meth-crazed fruit flies, just published at PLoS ONE by researchers at the University of Illinois, Purdue, and elsewhere, took a whole-body approach, tracing the meth-induced cascade of chemical reactio........ Read more »
Sun, L., Li, H., Seufferheld, M., Walters, K., Margam, V., Jannasch, A., Diaz, N., Riley, C., Sun, W., Li, Y.... (2011) Systems-Scale Analysis Reveals Pathways Involved in Cellular Response to Methamphetamine. PLoS ONE, 6(4). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0018215
- April 18, 2011
- 09:00 AM
- 2,293 views
Gastric Bypass Increases Metformin Bioavailability
by Arya M. Sharma in Dr. Sharma's Obesity Notes
One of the concerns of undergoing gastric bypass surgery is the impact on gut absorption of essential nutrients.
Although, with modern gastric bypass surgery, the length of gut that is bypassed is rather limited (around 80-120 cms) and all known nutritional deficiencies are generally manageable with dietary monitoring and supplementation, the impact of this surgery on [...]... Read more »
Padwal RS, Gabr RQ, Sharma AM, Langkaas LA, Birch DW, Karmali S, & Brocks DR. (2011) Effect of Gastric Bypass Surgery on the Absorption and Bioavailability of Metformin. Diabetes care. PMID: 21478461
- April 14, 2011
- 09:09 AM
- 1,740 views
Nicotine Replacement in Schizophrenia
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Inpatient psychiatric hospitals increasingly prohibit smoking by patients, staff and family in their units. Although the public health benefits of smoking restrictions are undeniable, there may be some situations where smoking restrictions have unintended consequences. One area is the emergency management of patients with serious psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder.Rates of smoking have been documented to be higher in both schizophrenia and bipo........ Read more »
Allen MH, Debanné M, Lazignac C, Adam E, Dickinson LM, & Damsa C. (2011) Effect of nicotine replacement therapy on agitation in smokers with schizophrenia: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. The American journal of psychiatry, 168(4), 395-9. PMID: 21245085
- April 13, 2011
- 10:44 AM
- 1,500 views
Ecstasy Acute Effects on Social Cognition
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
MDMA (Ecstasy) Chemical StructureAnecdotal reports suggest that some users of ecstasy (3,4-methlenedioxymethamphetamine-MDMA) experience increased feelings of empathy and are more social while under influence of the drug. Such effects may contribute to the timing and frequency of ecstasy use and may also contribute to risk of abuse or dependence. Understanding this phenomenon in more detail might provide clinicians with better strategies to reduce use and the associated complications........ Read more »
Bedi G, Hyman D, & de Wit H. (2010) Is ecstasy an "empathogen"? Effects of ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine on prosocial feelings and identification of emotional states in others. Biological psychiatry, 68(12), 1134-40. PMID: 20947066
- April 12, 2011
- 12:54 PM
- 1,506 views
Phentermine/Topiramate Combo for Obesity
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Molecular Model of TopiramatePrevious Brain Posts summarized some of the pharmacologic agents in the pipeline for weight loss as well as some drug combinations. A recent research study published in Lancet provides additional data on one of the drug combinations being studied: phentermine and topiramate.This new study is important because it looked at 56 weeks of treatment and target obese individuals with at least two obesity-related medical complications. Subjects were required to h........ Read more »
Kishore M Gadde, David B Allison, Donna H Ryan, Craig A Peterson, Barbara Troupin, Michael L Schwiers, Wesley W Day. (2011) Eff ects of low-dose, controlled-release, phentermine plus topiramate combination on weight and associated comorbidities in overweight and obese adults (CONQUER): a randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial. Lancet. info:/10.1016/S0140- 6736(11)60205-5
- April 7, 2011
- 08:58 AM
- 1,517 views
Gabapentin Improves Outcome in Alcoholism
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Molecular Model of GABAImproving abstinence rates in alcoholism continues to be a goal of treatment research. Several novel drug treatment strategies in alcoholism have targeted the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutryic acid or GABA. GABA is the major inhibitor neurotransmitter in the brain. Alcohol has effects through the GABA receptor. Alcohol withdrawal is typically treated with the sedative drug class of benzodiazepines known to have effects on GABA receptors. There are two m........ Read more »
Anton RF, Myrick H, Wright TM, Latham PK, Baros AM, Waid LR, & Randall PK. (2011) Gabapentin Combined With Naltrexone for the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence. The American journal of psychiatry. PMID: 21454917
- April 3, 2011
- 06:26 PM
- 1,454 views
When Smokers Move
by Dirk Hanson in Addiction Inbox
Is your new house a thirdhand smoke reservoir?
In the first published examination of thirdhand smoke pollution and exposure, researchers at San Diego State University discovered that non-smokers who move into homes purchased from smokers encounter significantly elevated nicotine levels in the air and dust of their new homes two months or more after moving in.
100 smoking households and 50 non-smoking households participated in the study, which was published in Tobacco Control. The researcher........ Read more »
Matt, G., Quintana, P., Zakarian, J., Fortmann, A., Chatfield, D., Hoh, E., Uribe, A., & Hovell, M. (2010) When smokers move out and non-smokers move in: residential thirdhand smoke pollution and exposure. Tobacco Control, 20(1). DOI: 10.1136/tc.2010.037382
- March 26, 2011
- 07:04 PM
- 1,167 views
Pharmacological Misinformation Foisted on Unsuspecting Public
by The Neurocritic in The Neurocritic
An article from January is making the rounds again. One in nextgov's exposé-like series on America's Broken Warriors, it highlighted the fact that 20% of U.S. active duty troops are on psychotropic medications. While this may not be a good thing, the article was filled with erroneous information about specific psych meds and general scare-mongering from antipsychiatry "experts" pitching their books. Let's take a look.Military's drug policy threatens troops' health, doctors sayBy Bob Brewin 01/1........ Read more »
Holmes MK, Erickson K, Luckenbaugh DA, Drevets WC, Bain EE, Cannon DM, Snow J, Sahakian BJ, Manji HK, & Zarate CA Jr. (2008) A comparison of cognitive functioning in medicated and unmedicated subjects with bipolar depression. Bipolar disorders, 10(7), 806-15. PMID: 19032712
Incecik F, Akoglu E, Sangün O, Melek I, & Duman T. (2007) Effects of valproic acid on hearing in epileptic patients. International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology, 71(4), 611-4. PMID: 17270285
Thompson PJ, & Trimble MR. (1981) Sodium valproate and cognitive functioning in normal volunteers. British journal of clinical pharmacology, 12(6), 819-24. PMID: 6803819
- March 22, 2011
- 04:05 PM
- 1,305 views
Emotional Processing Bias in Depression
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Clinicians and individuals with depression understand the tendency for depression to be associated with over-interpretation of negative cues in the environment. Depression seems to heighten perception of negative environmental cues including interpersonal (or social) cues. The cognitive behavioral model of depression emphasizes the cognitive triad—a negative bias (view) of the self, the environment and the future.Functional magnetic resonance imaging is providing a model to s........ Read more »
Victor TA, Furey ML, Fromm SJ, Ohman A, & Drevets WC. (2010) Relationship between amygdala responses to masked faces and mood state and treatment in major depressive disorder. Archives of general psychiatry, 67(11), 1128-38. PMID: 21041614
- March 15, 2011
- 11:35 AM
- 482 views
Not All Medicinal Honey is Alike
by Michelle Ziegler in Contagions
Honey has been used in medicine since antiquity. It has been used in everything from wound dressings to hot tea to sooth a colicky bowel. Modern medicine is finally beginning to investigate the basis for these folk remedies.... Read more »
- March 9, 2011
- 09:51 AM
- 1,272 views
Alzheimer's: Challenges in the Newly Diagnosed
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Alois AlzheimerMemory loss is a cardinal feature in the presentation and diagnosis of new patients with Alzheimer’s disease(AD). However, the accompanying neurological and psychiatric problems seen in this population can be significant challenges. Spalletta and colleagues have recently published a comprehensive assessment of the prevalence and types of problems families and clinicians face. Between 2003 and 2005, five Italian outpatient memory clinics studied a series of 1015 ........ Read more »
Spalletta G, Musicco M, Padovani A, Rozzini L, Perri R, Fadda L, Canonico V, Trequattrini A, Pettenati C, Caltagirone C.... (2010) Neuropsychiatric symptoms and syndromes in a large cohort of newly diagnosed, untreated patients with Alzheimer disease. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, 18(11), 1026-35. PMID: 20808086
Gauthier S, Juby A, Dalziel W, Réhel B, Schecter R, & EXPLORE investigators. (2010) Effects of rivastigmine on common symptomatology of Alzheimer's disease (EXPLORE). Current medical research and opinion, 26(5), 1149-60. PMID: 20230208
- March 4, 2011
- 09:37 AM
- 1,608 views
Fluoxetine (Prozac) Boosts Motor Recovery After Stroke
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Antidepressant drugs are being used for multiple non-depression indications including chronic pain, peripheral neuropathy, migraine prophylaxis, irritable bowel syndrome, hot flashes, premature ejaculation and insomnia (list not inclusive). I had previously posted results of research looking at the effect of antidepressants after stroke on cognitive recovery. This study from the University of Iowa College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry found that escitalopram was linked ........ Read more »
Chollet F, Tardy J, Albucher JF, Thalamas C, Berard E, Lamy C, Bejot Y, Deltour S, Jaillard A, Niclot P.... (2011) Fluoxetine for motor recovery after acute ischaemic stroke (FLAME): a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Lancet neurology, 10(2), 123-30. PMID: 21216670
- March 2, 2011
- 10:19 AM
- 1,842 views
Decoding the Faces of Depression: Anhedonia and Dopamine
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Diego Pizzagalli presented the March 2011 Warren Frontiers in Neuroscience Series lecture in Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 1, 2011. Dr. Pizzagalli works at the Harvard Medical School affiliated Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research & Neuroimaging Center at McLean Hospital in Boston. He has been involved in research related to brain abnormalities in major depression as well as predictors of treatment response. I will highlight some of the key points from his lecture ........ Read more »
Pizzagalli DA. (2011) Frontocingulate dysfunction in depression: toward biomarkers of treatment response. Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 36(1), 183-206. PMID: 20861828
Pizzagalli DA, Holmes AJ, Dillon DG, Goetz EL, Birk JL, Bogdan R, Dougherty DD, Iosifescu DV, Rauch SL, & Fava M. (2009) Reduced caudate and nucleus accumbens response to rewards in unmedicated individuals with major depressive disorder. The American journal of psychiatry, 166(6), 702-10. PMID: 19411368
Wacker J, Dillon DG, & Pizzagalli DA. (2009) The role of the nucleus accumbens and rostral anterior cingulate cortex in anhedonia: integration of resting EEG, fMRI, and volumetric techniques. NeuroImage, 46(1), 327-37. PMID: 19457367
- February 24, 2011
- 03:34 PM
- 1,384 views
Smoking and Adolescent Attention Deficit
by Dirk Hanson in Addiction Inbox
Are young smokers risking cognitive impairment as adults?
Call it “nicolescence.” It’s that time of life when certain 18-and-unders discover cigarettes. Most adult smokers begin their habit before the age of 19, and a majority of adolescents have tried cigarettes at least once. But for some of them—those who were “born to smoke,” in a sense—early exposure to nicotine may influence adolescent cognitive performance in ways that adult exposure to nicotine does not. Furthermore........ Read more »
Counotte, D., Goriounova, N., Li, K., Loos, M., van der Schors, R., Schetters, D., Schoffelmeer, A., Smit, A., Mansvelder, H., Pattij, T.... (2011) Lasting synaptic changes underlie attention deficits caused by nicotine exposure during adolescence. Nature Neuroscience. DOI: 10.1038/nn.2770
- February 17, 2011
- 03:18 PM
- 3,176 views
A Decade of Penn Medicine Research Translates into a New Drug for Depression
by Kim Menard in Penn Medicine News Blog
Tucked away in two separate labs at the Department of Psychiatry at Penn Medicine, researchers have spent more than a decade researching and testing a new treatment for depression. The drug became the first new medicine to treat depression in more than a decade when it received FDA approval in January.... Read more »
Page ME, Cryan JF, Sullivan A, Dalvi A, Saucy B, Manning DR, & Lucki I. (2002) Behavioral and neurochemical effects of 5-(4-[4-(5-Cyano-3-indolyl)-butyl)-butyl]-1-piperazinyl)-benzofuran-2-carboxamide (EMD 68843): a combined selective inhibitor of serotonin reuptake and 5-hydroxytryptamine(1A) receptor partial agonist. The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics, 302(3), 1220-7. PMID: 12183683
Rickels K, Athanasiou M, Robinson DS, Gibertini M, Whalen H, & Reed CR. (2009) Evidence for efficacy and tolerability of vilazodone in the treatment of major depressive disorder: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 70(3), 326-33. PMID: 19284933
- February 15, 2011
- 04:58 PM
- 1,231 views
Cannabis Use and Psychosis (Part 2)
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
I reviewed a research study last fall examining a Dutch study of cannabis use and psychotic symptoms. That post is linked here. In summary, the study suggested cannabis probably does not produce psychotic symptoms in the majority of users. However, if you have a family member with a psychotic disorder (suggesting you may have a genetic risk for psychosis) you may be more likely to experience psychotic symptoms (i.e. hallucinations/delusions) with cannabis use. This risk m........ Read more »
, ., Kahn, R., Linszen, D., van Os, J., Wiersma, D., Bruggeman, R., Cahn, W., de Haan, L., Krabbendam, L., & Myin-Germeys, I. (2010) Evidence That Familial Liability for Psychosis Is Expressed as Differential Sensitivity to Cannabis: An Analysis of Patient-Sibling and Sibling-Control Pairs. Archives of General Psychiatry. DOI: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.132
van Winkel, R., , ., Kahn, R., Linszen, D., van Os, J., Wiersma, D., Bruggeman, R., Cahn, W., de Haan, L., Krabbendam, L.... (2010) Family-Based Analysis of Genetic Variation Underlying Psychosis-Inducing Effects of Cannabis: Sibling Analysis and Proband Follow-up. Archives of General Psychiatry, 68(2), 148-157. DOI: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.152
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