Study shows how a drug-lead compound suppresses tumour formation

Study shows how a drug-lead compound suppresses tumour formation: A team of scientists from the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Department of Biological Sciences and Mechanobiology Institute have discovered how a drug-led compound - a compound that is undergoing preclinical trials as a potential drug - can deprive cancer cells of energy and stop them from growing into a tumour. This drug-led compound is named BPTES (see below structure). This is the the first detailed descriptions of precisely how BPTES inhibits glutaminase....

 

Ref : http://www.pnas.org/content/109/20/7705.full

Scientists unravel action mechanism of castor oil

Scientists unravel action mechanism of castor oil: Castor oil is known primarily as an effective laxative; however, it was also used in ancient times with pregnant women to induce labour. Only now have scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research succeeded in unravelling the mysteries of the action mechanism. A receptor by the name of EP3 on the cells of the intestine and uterus is apparently responsible. This is activated by an ingredient, i.e., Ricinoleic acid (12-hydroxy-9-cis-octadecenoic acid) is an unsaturated omega-9 fatty acid in the oil, see the structure).

More : http://www.mpg.de/5808639/receptor_castor_oil

New Blood Thinner May Lower Chances of Clots in High-Risk Heart Patients: FDA

In continuation of my update on Rivaroxaban

New Blood Thinner May Lower Chances of Clots in High-Risk Heart Patients: FDA:  The new blood thinner Xarelto appears to lower the chances of potentially fatal blood clots in high-risk heart patients, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration review has found.

Cobiprostone shows promise against NSAID-induced gastric mucosal injury

Cobiprostone shows promise against NSAID-induced gastric mucosal injury: Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the presentation of preclinical data at Digestive Disease Week 2012, in San Diego, which demonstrates the protective effect of cobiprostone (see structure)  against epithelial barrier dysfunction in models of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-induced gastric mucosal injury.

Ref : http://investor.sucampo.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=201197&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1697806&highlight=

Pernix Therapeutics introduces Omeclamox-Pak® for the treatment of H. pylori infection and duodenal ulcer disease

Pernix Therapeutics introduces Omeclamox-Pak® for the treatment of H. pylori infection and duodenal ulcer disease: Pernix Therapeutics Holdings, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company,  announced the introduction of Omeclamox-Pak®, a ten-day therapy of omeprazole (below 1st) delayed-release capsules (20 mg), clarithromycin (below 2nd) tablets (500 mg) and amoxicillin (below 3rd) capsules (500 mg) for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and duodenal ulcer disease (active or one-year history) to eradicate H. pylori in adult patients...

Two-Drug Combo (naproxen and sumatriptan) Helps Teens With Migraines

A two-drug combination that relieves migraines in adults also works well in adolescents, new research indicates.

Because the combination of Imitrex (sumatriptan see structure left) and naproxen (structure right) sodium (Aleve and other brand names) isn't approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for this age group, doctors must prescribe it "off label" to adolescents.

"There are no FDA-approved abortive [migraine] treatments for children," said Dr. Noah Rosen, director of the Headache Center at the Cushing Neuroscience Institute in Great Neck, N.Y. "This is the first really large-scale abortive treatment study for adolescents."

Migraines in children and adolescents are physiologically no different from migraines in adults, said Drexler, although migraines in younger people tend not to last as long.

The class of drugs known as triptans are the most studied, but none of those trials have shown a great benefit, possibly because of a large placebo response, the study authors wrote.

Advanced Prostate Cancer Drug May Help at Earlier Stage

In continuation of my update on abiraterone

Advanced Prostate Cancer Drug May Help at Earlier Stage:  A drug approved to treat advanced prostate cancer appears to help men who have localized high-risk prostate cancer if given before surgery. Adding Zytiga (abiraterone) to conventional hormonal treatments eliminated or nearly...

Experimental Drug Helps Fight Some Childhood Cancers, Study Finds

In continuation of my update on Crizotinib

Experimental Drug Helps Fight Some Childhood Cancers, Study Finds:  A new targeted drug therapy may help treat certain advanced cancers in children, a new preliminary study indicates.In some cases, the oral medication even made tumors disappear after regular cancer treatments had failed, the...

Abiraterone acetate can help eliminate prostate tumors

In continuation of my update Abiraterone

Abiraterone acetate can help eliminate prostate tumors: A hormone-depleting drug approved last year for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer can help eliminate or nearly eliminate tumors in many patients with aggressive cancers that have yet to spread beyond the prostate, according to a clinical study to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), June 1-5, in Chicago.

Mylan receives final FDA approval for Clopidogrel Tablets ANDA

Mylan receives final FDA approval for Clopidogrel Tablets ANDA: Mylan Inc.  announced that its subsidiary Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Clopidogrel Tablets USP, 75 mg and 300 mg.

Celery Chemical, Apigenin Tackles Breast Cancer

Apigenin, a natural substance found in grocery store produce aisles, shows promise as a non-toxic treatment for an aggressive form of human breast cancer, following a new study at the University of Missouri. MU researchers found apigenin shrank a type of breast cancer tumor that is stimulated by progestin, a synthetic hormone given to women in combination with estrogens to ease symptoms related to menopause.

“This is the first study to show that apigenin, which can be extracted from celery, parsley and many other natural sources, is effective against human breast cancer cells that had been influenced by a certain chemical used in hormone replacement therapy,” said co-author Salman Hyder, the Zalk Endowed Professor in Tumor Angiogenesis and professor of biomedical sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center.

In the study, Hyder and his colleagues implanted cells of a deadly, fast-growing human breast cancer, known as BT-474, into a specialized breed of mouse. Some of the mice were then treated with medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), a type of progestin commonly given to post-menopausal women. A control group did not receive MPA.

Later one group of MPA-treated mice was treated with apigenin. Cancerous tumors grew rapidly in the mice which did not receive apigenin. In the apigenin-treated mice, breast cancer cell growth dropped to that of the control group, and the tumors shrank.

New combination of two previously approved FDA drugs treat lung cancer

In continuation of my update on Erlotinib..

Dr. Narla's laboratory focuses on the identification and characterization of the genes and pathways involved in cancer metastasis. By studying the functional role of the KLF6 tumor suppressor gene, Dr. Narla and his team have identified new signaling pathways regulated by this gene family thus providing new insight into cancer diagnosis and treatment. The team's research found that KLF6 and FOXO1, both tumor suppressor genes, are turned off as cancer spreads through the body. By using a combination of two existing FDA drugs -Erlotinib (left structure), a targeted cancer drug, and Trifluoperazine (below right structure), a medication used to treat schizophrenia, the team developed an understanding of the properties that turn these critical genes back on, initiating tumor cells to die.

Since first discovering the KLF6 gene 13 years ago as a medical student at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in the laboratory of Dr. Scott Friedman, Dr. Narla has been involved in the identification and characterization of the KLF6 gene and its role in cancer development and the progression of cancer.

Read details at JCI.....

New combination of two previously approved FDA drugs treat lung cancer

Caffeine can prevent memory loss in diabetes

Caffeine can prevent memory loss in diabetes: Badly controlled diabetes are known to affect the brain causing memory and learning problems and even increased incidence of dementia, although how this occurs is not clear. But now a study in mice with type 2 diabetes has discovered how diabetes affects a brain area called hippocampus causing memory loss, and also how caffeine can prevent this. 

Isis commences ISIS-APOCIIIRx Phase 2 study in hypertriglyceridemia

Isis commences ISIS-APOCIIIRx Phase 2 study in hypertriglyceridemia: 

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the initiation of a Phase 2 study 

evaluating ISIS-APOCIIIRx in patients with hypertriglyceridemia......

Ref:http://ir.isispharm.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=222170&p=irol-newsArticle_pf&ID=1509616

Potential new drugs for fox tapeworm infection in humans

Potential new drugs for fox tapeworm infection in humans: Scientists are reporting development and testing of a new series of drugs that could finally stop the fox tapeworm  which causes a rare but life-threatening disease in humans  dead in its tracks. The report shows that specific organometallic substances that help combat cancer are also the surprising best new hope for a treatment against tapeworm infection.

The group prepared and evaluated several ruthenium complexes (see structure)

as potential drugs against the fox tapeworm. Some were effective in killing the tapeworms and also were less toxic on normal cells in laboratory dish tests, making them prime candidates for further development as treatments for AE.

Ref : http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/jm300291a#showFigures
        http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/jm300291a/suppl_file/jm300291a_si_001.pdf