Sheila A Doggrell

..In conclusion, this is an excellent demonstration of translating a mechanism of action of a drug into a clinical use...

..In summary, sapropterin effectively reduces blood phenylalanine levels in a small proportion of subjects with phenylketonuria...

..Aquaretics are useful in the treatment of edema/hyponatremia which ultimately occurs in end-stage heart failure, liver cirrhosis and the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone...

..Tamoxifen is the established adjuvant treatment for postmenopausal women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer...

..Thus, it may be premature to recommend varenicline for smoking cessation in preference to bupropion...

..Orlistat and sibutramine are the drugs used at present for weight loss, but they both have a relatively modest effect...

..One priority is an orally-active selective dopamine D1 receptor agonist...

..However, as the positive inotropic effect is not observed with clinically relevant concentrations at a physiological rate in heart failure, dofetilide is unlikely to be useful as a positive inotrope in the treatment of heart failure...

..In January 2004, Yamanouchi submitted an NDA in the US for injectable conivaptan for the treatment of hyponatremia and, in December 2004, the FDA issued approval, although additional safety data were requested...

..An ibutilide analogue, trecetilide, requires further investigation but may offer a less readily metabolised and pro-arrhythmic alternative to ibutilide...

..With the present information, there is little to distinguish between these combinations...

..However, 20-HETE synthase inhibitors can have cardioprotective and cerebroprotective effects in animal models, and can inhibit angiogenesis; therefore they may have clinical potential in these areas...

..Biogen Idec, under license from CV Therapeutics, is developing BG-9928, a selective oral adenosine A, receptor antagonist, for the potential treatment of congestive heart failure. By January 2003, phase II trials of BG-9928 were ongoing...

..In COMBINE, this percentage was high in the group having medical management and placebo pills, and naltrexone or additional behavioural therapy only had modest additional effects...

..These functional differences in beta1- and beta2-adrenoceptor-mediated responses of the left and right atria of pre-hypertensive SHRs cannot be caused by hypertension, and may be associated with the onset of hypertension...

..Torcetrapib was spectacularly withdrawn in December 2006, when a Phase III clinical trial showed increased cardiovascular adverse events...

..Alternatively, atorvastatin can be used in combination with a fibrate to increase HDL-cholesterol in patients with diabetes/metabolic syndrome...

..Otsuka is developing tolvaptan (OPC-41061), an orally active non-peptide vasopressin V2 antagonist, as a diuretic for the potential treatment of congestive heart failure. By November 2003, tolvaptan was undergoing phase III clinical trials...

..The results of the REALITY trial comparing the sirolimus- and paclitaxel-eluting stents in diabetics and other high-risk patients are eagerly awaited...

..To date, paclitaxel is showing promise as an eluting agent to prevent restenosis associated with stenting...

..5% in the placebo group and 26% in the AGI-1067 group. The lumen area of reference segments was reduced in the placebo group but increased with the higher doses of AGI1067. Unlike probucol, AGI-1067 did not alter QTc interval...

..Combination treatment should be considered in non-diabetic renal disease especially if the disease is progressing with ACE treatment alone...

..In hypertension, agonists at the 5-HT(7) and antagonists at the 5-HT(2B) may reduce blood pressure, and in diabetes, sarpogrelate may protect against nephropathy...

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..In conclusion, if tolerated, captopril should remain the preferred treatment for patients after complicated acute myocardial infarction...

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..Further longer-term studies of GW3333 in animal models are required to determine whether its benefit is maintained. TACE inhibition may represent a new approach to treating inflammation...

..Small clinical trials with recombinant growth hormone to thicken ventricles in dilated cardiomyopathy have given variable results...

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..Thus, the activation of somatostatinergic neurotransmission, with FK960 or a similar drug, has considerable potential in the treatment of cognitive impairment...

..A follow-up study is necessary to determine whether these effects translate into the important end points of reduced incidences of death, graft loss or a second transplantation...

..In nude mice, VX-680 markedly reduced human AML tumours. The development of VX-680 for use in AML should continue...

..Further trials are necessary in order to determine whether doxazosin GITS is superior to other alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonists in BPH...

..As hypercalcaemia is a relatively common adverse effect with calcitriol in the treatment of secondary osteoporosis, requiring monitoring of calcium levels, alendronate is the easier agent to use...

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..Peptide and non-peptide agonists and antagonists of the U-II receptor are being developed and will be useful in the characterisation of the effects of U-II, and may have some therapeutic potential...

..One interpretation of these results is that if finasteride is effective alone in BPH, the combination with an alpha 1 -adrenoceptor antagonist will give an additive effect...

..Vasopressin receptor type 2 antagonists should proceed to clinical trial for these polycystic kidney diseases...

..The combination of alendronate and PTH does not have greater benefit than either agent alone, and may even be detrimental, thus should not be used...

..There are no changes in affinity, but major changes in the sensitivity, maximum responses and aortic beta2-adrenoceptor reserves to isoprenaline in the maturation of normotensive and pre-hypertensive aortae...