Scientists Uncover How Grapefruits Provide a Secret Weapon in Medical Drug Delivery...

Lipids (right panel first three tubes) derived from grapefruit. GNVs can efficiently deliver a variety of therapeutic agents, including DNA, RNA (DIR-GNVs), proteins and anti-cancer drugs (GNVs-Drugs) as demonstrated in this study. University of Louisville researchers have uncovered how to create nanoparticles using natural lipids derived from grapefruit, and have discovered how to use them as drug delivery vehicles.

"These nanoparticles, which we've named grapefruit-derived nanovectors (GNVs), are derived from an edible plant, and we believe they are less toxic for patients, result in less biohazardous waste for the environment, and are much cheaper to produce at large scale than nanoparticles made from synthetic materials," Zhang said.

The researchers demonstrated that GNVs can transport various therapeutic agents, including anti-cancer drugs, DNA/RNA and proteins such as antibodies. Treatment of animals with GNVs seemed to cause less adverse effects than treatment with drugs encapsulated in synthetic lipids.

"Our GNVs can be modified to target specific cells -- we can use them like missiles to carry a variety of therapeutic agents for the purpose of destroying diseased cells," he said. "Furthermore, we can do this at an affordable price."

The therapeutic potential of grapefruit derived nanoparticles was further validated through a Phase 1 clinical trial for treatment of colon cancer patients. So far, researchers have observed no toxicity in the patients who orally took the anti-inflammatory agent curcumin encapsulated in grapefruit nanoparticles.

Ref : http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v4/n5/full/ncomms2886.html

Experimental drug beneficial in trial to treat a rare sarcoma

We know that, Cediranib (tentative trade name Recentin), also known as AZD2171, is a potent inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor tyrosine kinases. It is being developed by AstraZeneca as a possible anti-cancer chemotherapeutic agent for oral administration. Beginning in 2007, it is undergoing Phase I clinical trials for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, kidney cancer, and colorectal cancer in adults, as well as tumors of the central nervous system in children. Phase I trials of interactions with other drugs used in cancer treatment are also underway.\

On February 27, 2008, AstraZeneca announced that the use of Recentin in non-small cell lung cancer will not progress into phase III after failing to meet its main goal. On 8th March 2010, AstraZeneca issued a press-release stating that Recentin had failed Phase III clinical trials for use in first-line metastatic colorectal cancer when it was compared clinically with the market-leader bevacizumab. 

As of November 2012, it is currently in double-blind studies for the treatment of methylated Glioblastoma Multiforme at the University of Washington Medical Center at a 20mg daily dose.

Now...

Patients with advanced alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS), a rare cancer, achieved some control of their disease using an experimental anti-cancer drug called cediranib. The results from this largest clinical trial on ASPS to date were published online ahead of print on April 29, 2013, in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Ref : http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/early/2013/04/29/JCO.2012.47.4288

Experimental drug beneficial in trial to treat a rare sarcoma

Nearly five million asthmatics worldwide could benefit from antifungal therapy

Clinical studies have shown that oral antifungal drugs significantly improve symptoms and asthma control in asthmatics with ABPA, treatment endorsed by the Cochrane Collaboration. This is the first time that a global estimate of ABPA numbers has been made.

In national league tables of asthma rates in adults, only Australia and Sweden have a higher prevalence than the UK. In global league tables of ABPA occurrence, New Zealand tops the list with a 3.5% rate in new patients attending chest clinics at hospitals. The rates were 2.6% in Cape Town, 2.3% in Saudi Arabia, 2.5% in China and 0.7% in an older study from Ireland. No population-based studies have been done.

Itraconazole

Posaconazole

Voriconazole

In addition to standard asthma therapy, the antifungal therapy used is itraconazole  now a generic, inexpensive antifungal  with a response rate of 60%. The researchers also found that antifungal therapy also benefits patients with severe asthma sensitized to fungi, called SAFS.

Alternatives include voriconazole and posaconazole, which have 75-80% response rates. In a recent assessment of voriconazole and posaconazole for both ABPA and SAFS, 75% of patients were able to stop taking oral corticosteroids, a major benefit, and 38% of patients had their asthma severity downgraded on antifungal therapy.

Professor David Denning, professor of medicine and medical mycology at the University of Manchester and Director of the University Hospital of South Manchester's National Aspergillosis Centre, led the study into the total number of asthmatics worldwide. He said the study results implied that asthma admissions and deaths could be avoided with more extensive use of antifungal therapy.

"We were surprised by the number of patients with ABPA, and by the lack of community based studies done," he said. "Our National Aspergillosis Centre treats hundreds of these patients each year, generally with major improvement, and so a conscious program to seek out ABPA from all asthmatics is required."

Professor Donald Cole of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto was the senior author of the study and contributed his expert epidemiological knowledge to the development of the model and provided a 'reality' check of the model's estimates.

Nearly five million asthmatics worldwide could benefit from antifungal therapy

Popular diabetes drug does not improve survival rates after cancer

In continuation of my update on metformin

Despite previous scientific studies that suggest diabetes drug metformin has anti-cancer properties, a new, first-of-its-kind study from Women's College Hospital has found the drug may not actually improve survival rates after breast cancer in certain patients.

The study, published in the journal Diabetes Care, failed to show an improved survival rate in older breast cancer patients with diabetes taking the drug metformin, a first-line treatment for diabetes. However, the authors caution further research is necessary to validate the study's findings.

"Metformin is a drug commonly used by diabetic patients to control the amount of glucose in their blood," said the study's lead author Dr. Iliana Lega, a research fellow at Women's College Research Institute. "Although existing scientific literature suggests that drug may prevent new cancers and death from breast cancer, our study found the drug did not significantly impact survival rates in our patients."

Scientific research has found metformin is associated with an up to 30 per cent reduction in new cancers and a reduction in tumour growth in non-diabetic breast cancer patients treated with the drug, Dr. Lega notes in the study.

To test the drug's anti-cancer properties, the authors examined 2,361 women, aged 66 or older who were treated with the drug and diagnosed with breast cancer between April 1, 1997 and March 31, 2008. The women were followed from their date of breast cancer diagnosis until their death or until March 30, 2010. The researchers found no significant statistical correlation between cumulative use of metformin and death from all causes or a significant reduction in deaths due to breast cancer.

"What makes our study so unique is that while the effects of metformin have been well documented, previous research has not examined the cumulative effects of the drug on patients, particularly breast cancer patients with diabetes," Dr. Lega said. "This is important given that diabetic patients may switch drugs over the course of their treatment."

The authors note a lack of data on body mass index, breast cancer stage and a short followup period for breast-cancer specific deaths, limit interpretation of their findings. Further research is necessary in a younger population of patients with breast cancer and diabetes.

"Understanding the effects of metformin on breast cancer patients is critical in helping address the gap in cancer outcomes in patients with and without diabetes," she added. "The findings will help physicians inform treatment plans for patients with diabetes."

Ref : http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2013/04/30/dc12-2535

Popular diabetes drug does not improve survival rates after cancer

Soy and tomato may be effective in preventing prostate cancer

Tomatoes and soy foods may be more effective in preventing prostate cancer when they are eaten together than when either is eaten alone, said a University of Illinois study.

"Eating tomato, soy, and the combination all significantly reduced prostate cancer incidence. But the combination gave us the best results. Only 45 percent of mice fed both foods developed the disease compared to 61 percent in the tomato group, and 66 percent in the soy group," he said.

Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men, but the disease has nearly a 100 percent survival rate if it's caught early. In older men, it is often a slow-growing cancer, and these men often choose watchful waiting over radiation and surgical treatments that have unwelcome side effects, said Krystle Zuniga, co-author of the paper.

Soy isoflavone serum and prostate levels in the mice are similar to those found in Asian men who consume one to two servings of soy daily. In countries where soy is eaten regularly, prostate cancer occurs at significantly lower levels, Erdman noted.

How much soy and tomato should a 55-year-old man concerned about prostate health eat in order to receive these benefits?

"The results of the mouse study suggest that three to four servings of tomato products per week and one to two servings of soy foods daily could protect against prostate cancer," Zuniga said.

According to the scientists, these findings reinforce the recommendation that we should all eat a wide variety of whole fruits and vegetables.

"It's better to eat a whole tomato than to take a lycopene supplement. It's better to drink soy milk than to take soy isoflavones. When you eat whole foods, you expose yourself to the entire array of cancer-fighting, bioactive components in these foods," Erdman said.

The researcher's whole-food recommendation is bolstered by the way soy germ performed in this study. He noted that soy germ has a very different isoflavone profile than the rest of the soybean.

"Of the isoflavones, genistein gets most of the attention. But soy germ is very high in the other isoflavones, daidzein and glycitein, and low in genistein," he said...

Ref : http://cancerpreventionresearch.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2013/04/16/1940-6207.CAPR-12-0443

Soy and tomato may be effective in preventing prostate cancer

Carnitine supplement may improve survival rates of children with heart defects

We know that, Carnitine is a quaternary ammonium compound biosynthesized from the amino acids lysine and methionine. In living cells, it is required for the transport of fatty acids from the cytosol into the mitochondria during the breakdown of lipids (fats) for the generation of metabolic energy. It is widely available as a nutritional supplement. Carnitine was originally found as a growth factor for mealworms and labeled vitamin B_T, although carnitine is not a proper vitamin. Carnitine exists in two stereoisomers: Its biologically active form is L-carnitine, whereas its enantiomer, D-carnitine, is biologically inactive.

New research shows it appears to normalize the blood vessel dysfunction that can accompany congenital heart defects and linger even after corrective surgery, said Dr. Stephen M. Black, cell and molecular physiologist at the Vascular Biology Center at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University.

"My hope is this is going to have a major, major impact on survival of babies," Black said. About half the babies born with heart defects have excessive, continuous high pressure on their lungs from misdirected blood flow. Early surgery can prevent full-blown pulmonary vascular disease, but scientists are finding more subtle disruptions in the signaling inside blood vessels walls that can be problematic -- even deadly -- up to 72 hours after surgery.

The good news is the changes are reversible and that carnitine speeds recovery and can even prevent the damage in a lamb model of these human heart defects, according to studies published in the journal Pediatric Research.

Carnitine supplement may improve survival rates of children with heart defects

Cancer drug prevents build-up of toxic brain protein

In continuation of my update on Nilotinib

We know that, Nilotinib (AMN107, trade name Tasigna), in the form of the hydrochloride monohydrate salt, is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia

Now, researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have used tiny doses of a leukemia drug nilotinib,  to halt accumulation of toxic proteins linked to Parkinson's disease in the brains of mice. This finding provides the basis to plan a clinical trial in humans to study the effects.....More...

Cancer drug prevents build-up of toxic brain protein

Ref : http://hmg.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/05/09/hmg.ddt192

Eating Peppers Tied to Lower Parkinson's Risk, Study Finds - Drugs.com MedNews

Eating vegetables that naturally contain nicotine, such as peppers and tomatoes, may reduce your risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a new study....

Eating Peppers Tied to Lower Parkinson's Risk, Study Finds - Drugs.com MedNews

FDA Approves Merck’s Liptruzet (ezetimibe and atorvastatin), a New Product That Can Help Lower LDL Cholesterol

In continuation of my update on ezetimibe and atorvastatin
FDA Approves Merck’s Liptruzet (ezetimibe and atorvastatin), a New Product That Can Help Lower LDL Cholesterol

FDA Approves Breo Ellipta to Treat Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Breo Ellipta (fluticasone furoate above structure) and vilanterol (below structure)  inhalation powder) for the long-term, once-daily, maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema. It is also approved to reduce exacerbations of COPD in patients with a history of exacerbations......

FDA Approves Breo Ellipta to Treat Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

FDA Approves Amitiza for Opioid-Induced Constipation

We know that, Lubiprostone (marketed under the trade name Amitiza) is a medication used in the management of chronic idiopathic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for this purpose on 31 January 2006.

Now, has approved Sucampo’s supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for Amitiza (lubiprostone) (24 mcg twice daily) as the first and only oral medication for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in adult patients with chronic, non-cancer pain. The effectiveness of Amitiza in the treatment of opioid-induced constipation in patients taking diphenylheptane opioids (e.g., methadone) has not been established...

FDA Approves Amitiza for Opioid-Induced Constipation

New potential target for cancer therapy identified

In continuation of my update on telomerase...

Source: http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/retrieve/pii/S2211124713001186?_returnURL=http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2211124713001186?showall=true

The enzyme telomerase is overexpressed in almost all cancer cells, and previous research efforts have failed to identify good telomerase inhibitors. The study by Dr. Woodring Wright and UT Southwestern colleagues in the April 4 issue of Cell Reports identifies a new approach for inhibiting telomerase, which is an enzyme that drives uncontrolled division and replication of cancer cells.

Alternative splicing allows genetic information to be assembled in different ways and is almost always controlled by DNA sequences that are immediately adjacent to the parts of a gene that code for protein. "In the case of the telomerase gene, we found that these controlling regions are located very far from the protein coding regions and that they contain unusual DNA sequences," said Dr. Wright, professor of cell biology and internal medicine. "Their unusual DNA structure suggests that humans regulate telomerase in a very different fashion that we may be able to exploit to develop inhibitors of the enzyme."

Most of the splice variants that telomerase makes are inactive, but Dr. Wright's team demonstrated that it was possible to shift the splicing to make even less active telomerase, potentially providing a new approach for cancer therapy....

New potential target for cancer therapy identified

New drug stimulates immune system to kill infected cells in animal model of hepatitis B infection

In a study conducted at Texas Biomed's Southwest National Primate Research Center, researchers found that the immune modulator GS-9620 (see structure below), which targets a receptor on immune cells, reduced both the virus levels and the number of infected liver cells in chimpanzees chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV). Chimpanzees are the only species other than humans that can be infected by HBV. Therefore, the results from this study were critical in moving the drug forward to human clinical trials which are now in progress.

The new report, co-authored by scientists from Texas Biomed and Gilead Sciences, appears in the May issue of Gastroenterology. Gilead researchers had previously demonstrated that the same therapy could induce a cure of hepatitis infection in woodchucks that were chronically infected with a virus similar to human HBV.

"This is an important proof-of-concept study demonstrating that the therapy stimulates the immune system to suppress the virus and eliminate infected liver cells," said co-author Robert E. Lanford, Ph.D., of Texas Biomed. "One of the key observations was that the therapy continued to suppress virus levels for months after therapy was stopped.

The current therapy for HBV infection targets the virus and works very well at suppressing viral replication and delaying progression of liver disease, but it is a lifelong therapy that does not provide a cure.

"This GS-9620 therapy represents the first conceptually new treatment for HBV in more than a decade, and combining it with the existing antiviral therapy could be transformative in dealing with this disease," stated Lanford.

Ref: http://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085%2813%2900169-8/abstract?referrer=http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130426152556.htm?utm_source=feedburner

New drug stimulates immune system to kill infected cells in animal model of hepatitis B infection

Research on soy-based treatment for colorectal cancer presented at AACR annual meeting

In continuation of my update on genistein

Genistein is one of several known isoflavones.Genistein was first isolated in 1899 from the dyer's broom, Genista tinctoria; hence, the chemical name derived from the generic name. The compound nucleus was established in 1926, when it was found to be identical with prunetol. It was chemically synthesized in 1928.

Led by Randall Holcombe, MD, and Sofya Pintova, MD, both from Mount Sinai, the research team treated colon cancer cell lines with genistein and found that it inhibited cell growth and blocked Wnt signaling hyperactivity. The findings are counter to some other tumor types, such as breast, for which soy, because it has estrogen-like properties, increases the risk of developing tumors. Drs. Holcombe and Pintova are launching a clinical trial later this year for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, which utilizes genistein in combination with chemotherapy based on this research.

"Genistein is a natural product with low toxicity and few side effects and our research shows that it may be beneficial in treating colorectal cancer," said Randall Holcombe, MD, Professor of Medicine in the Division if Hematology and Oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "This is an exciting area of research and we look forward to studying the benefits of this compound as an adjunctive treatment in colorectal cancer in humans."

Research on soy-based treatment for colorectal cancer presented at AACR annual meeting

Dexmedetomidine may be an effective treatment option for opioid-induced hyperalgesia

We know that, Dexmedetomidine (trade names Precedex, Dexdor) is a sedative medication used by intensive care units and anesthetists. It is relatively unusual in its ability to provide sedation without causing respiratory depression. Like clonidine, it is an agonist of α₂-adrenergic receptors in certain parts of the brain.  It is the S-enantiomer of medetomidine, used in veterinary medicine. The drug has been developed by Orion Pharma...

Now researchers have reported that, Dexmedetomidine may be an effective treatment option for opioid-induced hyperalgesia.....

Dexmedetomidine may be an effective treatment option for opioid-induced hyperalgesia