Search results for "AGENT"
showing 10 items of 8904 documents
Impact of serotonin 2C receptor null mutation on physiology and behavior associated with nigrostriatal dopamine pathway function.
2009
The impact of serotonergic neurotransmission on brain dopaminergic pathways has substantial relevance to many neuropsychiatric disorders. A particularly prominent role has been ascribed to the inhibitory effects of serotonin 2C receptor (5-HT2CR) activation on physiology and behavior mediated by the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway, particularly in the terminal region of the nucleus accumbens. The influence of this receptor subtype on functions mediated by the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway is less clear. Here we report that a null mutation eliminating expression of 5-HT2CRs produces marked alterations in the activity and functional output of this pathway. 5-HT2CR mutant mice displayed i…
Response to dopamine agonists of the rat isolated uterus.
1993
1. Quinpirole did not produce any effect in isolated uterus from oestrogenized rats even when it is contracted by KCl (37 mM). 2. Fenoldopam produced a relaxant effect on rat isolated uterus contracted by KCl which was not significantly modified by SCH 23390. 3. Reserpine decreased the effect of the lowest doses of fenoldopam. In reserpinized rats, propranolol (10(-9), 10(-8), 10(-7) M) antagonized the effect of the lowest doses of fenoldopam and neither SCH 23390, sulpiride nor ranitidine modified the effect of fenoldopam. 4. The results confirm our previous finding that DA1-receptors are not functional in our preparation. The effect of fenoldopam was partially due to a catecholamine-relea…
D2-dopamine receptor blockade modulates temporal resolution in goldfish.
2002
A possible effect of dopamine on the temporal resolution of goldfish was investigated in a behavioral, two-alternative, forced-choice procedure. Flicker fusion frequency (FFF) was measured before and after bilateral intravitreal injections of D1- or D2-dopamine receptor (D1-/D2-R) antagonists, or after depletion of retinal dopamine by bilateral intravitreal injections of the dopaminergic neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). Prior to drug injections, fish achieved FFFs of 33–39 Hz. A D1-R antagonist, SCH 23390, reduced FFF by about 12% (P > 0.1), whereas a D2 antagonist, sulpiride, reduced the relative FFF by 25% (P < 0.03). Depletion of retinal dopamine with 6-OHDA induced a gradual…
Adherence, compliance and persistence to oral antineoplastic therapy: a review focused on chemotherapeutic and biologic agents
2011
Introduction: To date, orally administered chemotherapy and biologic agents represent a significant percentage of all antineoplastic treatments in several types of cancer, which are most likely to increase in the near future. In this scenario, the issue of adherence and persistence to oral therapy is a key issue since poor compliance to oral antineoplastic treatments may negatively influence patients' clinical outcomes and, in turn, cause an increase in costs, number of hospitalizations and time spent in the hospital. Areas covered: The issue of adherence to new oral chemotherapeutic and/or biologic agents has not been deeply evaluated and data published in medical literature are quite scar…
Beyond Statins: New Lipid Lowering Strategies to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk
2014
Statins are the first-line therapy in LDL-Cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction and its clinical use has contributed to significant prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic vascular disease. Yet, a significant proportion of patients remain at high risk. Recently, a number of new therapies have been developed to further lower LDL-C. These agents may provide clinical benefit on top of statin therapy in patients with high residual risk, severe hypercholesterolemia or as an alternative for patients who are intolerant to statins. We review four novel approaches based on the inhibition of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), apolipoprotein-B100 (apoB), Cholesteryl ester transport pro…
Is 5-ASA Still the Treatment of Choice for Ulcerative Colitis?
2010
5-Amino-salacylic acid (5-ASA) is up to now the treatment of choice in the induction and maintenance of remission of mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC). Sulfasalazine, despite similar efficacy, is hampered by more side effects, but in presence of peripheral arthopaties it remains the treatment of choice. The new delayed release MMX formulation seems to be promising in reducing compliance problems, but further studies are warranted to show the superiority of new MMX formulation compared with the older formulations of 5-ASA. Some trials evaluated also the efficacy and safety of once-daily dosing of older 5-ASA formulations in maintenance of remission, finding a greater adherence to ther…
Optimization of the treatment with immunosuppressants and biologics in inflammatory bowel disease
2014
Many placebo controlled trials and meta-analyses evaluated the efficacy of different drugs for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including immunosuppressants and biologics. Their use is indicated in moderate to severe disease in non responders to corticosteroids and in steroid-dependent patients, as induction and maintainance treatment. Infliximab, as well as cyclosporine, is considered a second line therapy in the case of severe ulcerative colitis, or non-responders to intravenous corticosteroids. An adequate dosage and duration of therapy with thiopurines should be reached before evaluating their efficacy. Methotrexate is a valid option in patients with Crohn’s disease bu…
Obesity and cardiovascular risk: the new public health problem of worldwide proportions
2004
Obesity could be considered a new global health epidemic above all others, especially when it is characterized by central fat distribution. This is illustrated by dramatic provisional data, indicating a continuous increase in the trend of overweight and obese individuals in several countries, including the USA and countries in Europe. Several epidemiological, pathophysiological and clinical studies clearly indicate that two of the major independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease or events are being overweight, and obesity. Accordingly, weight loss and prevention of weight gain has to be considered one of the most important strategies to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseas…
Determinants of adherence to osteoporosis treatment in clinical practice.
2006
Introduction: Poor adherence to prescribed treatments is widespread in clinical practice and this can lead to potentially life-threatening events. This problem is apparently very common for osteoporosis treatment but the causes of discontinuation and low compliance are complex and poorly defined. Methods: Global adherence to osteoporosis treatment was specifically addressed in a nation-wide survey carried out in 9851 postmenopausal women referred to 141 Italian centres for osteoporosis management for a follow-up assessment, at least one year after having been prescribed a treatment with one of the following drugs: calcium±vitamin D supplements alone (CaVitD), hormone replacement therapy (HR…
Long-term efficacy of lipoprotein apheresis and lomitapide in the treatment of homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH): a cross-national retr…
2021
Abstract Background Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) is a rare life-threatening condition that represents a therapeutic challenge. The vast majority of HoFH patients fail to achieve LDL-C targets when treated with the standard protocol, which associates maximally tolerated dose of lipid-lowering medications with lipoprotein apheresis (LA). Lomitapide is an emerging therapy in HoFH, but its place in the treatment algorithm is disputed because a comparison of its long-term efficacy versus LA in reducing LDL-C burden is not available. We assessed changes in long-term LDL-C burden and goals achievement in two independent HoFH patients’ cohorts, one treated with lomitapide in Ita…