New study finds green tea extract may prevent Alzheimer's disease and dementia

In continuation of my update on green tea benefits......

New study finds green tea extract may prevent Alzheimer's disease and dementia

Salsalate may be useful for the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes .....

We know that Salsalate (see structure; source Drugs.com)  is a  non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) belonging to salicylates. It is used in the treatment of Osteo Arthritis and  Rheumatoid Arthritis. 

Now researchers from Harvard Medical School, lead by Dr. Allison Goldfine, have come up with interesting finding, i.e., Salsalate may be useful for the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes as well. In a three-month trial of people with type 2 diabetes ,  those who took the drug showed significantly improved blood glucose levels. 

Starting off, the patients all had levels of hemoglobin A1C (a standard measurement that reflects blood sugar levels over several months) in the range of 7.0 to 9.5%. A significant number of those who took salsalate saw this number drop by 0.5%, a result that is in the range of several recently released diabetes therapeutics. Other tests related to glucose levels also showed substantial improvement.  

Overall the drug appeared to be safe and to be tolerated well by patients. The study included 108 individuals, aged from 18 to 75 years, at 17 clinical sites around the United States. Patients were randomly divided into four; three groups were each given differing amounts of salsalate in three daily doses, while the fourth received placebos. All patients continued with their current regimes for managing diabetes.

Though these preliminary findings  suggests  that,   salsalate may provide an effective, safe and inexpensive new avenue for diabetes treatment, however the researchers  want to complete the ongoing  additional studies so that they can further substantiate their claim........

Ref : March 16 in the Annals of Internal Medicine

Study provides better understanding of how mosquitoes find a host......

In continuation of my update on on developments in mosquito repellents ......

The potentially deadly yellow-fever-transmitting Aedes aegypti mosquito detects the specific chemical structure of a compound called octenol as one way to find a mammalian host for a blood meal, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists report".......

Ref : http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0007032....

Eprotirome a promising addition to statin therapy ?

People with bad cholesterol have  risk of  future heart disease,  despite  cholesterol-lowering statin therapy. Now researchers from  Johns Hopkins have come up with interesting finding i.e.,  a drug that mimics the action of thyroid hormone [Eprotirome (new generic name for KB2115) structure source : chemBlink)  lowered cholesterol up to 32 percent in those already on statins, an effect equal to that expected from doubling the statin drug doses, without harmful side effects. 

Interestingly, the researchers caution that the results don't suggest that eprotirome will or should replace statins, which are the current gold standard for treating high LDL cholesterol.

However, the results of their small trial on 168 patients do suggest that eprotirome may eventually be a promising addition to statin therapy, a substitute for statins in people who can't tolerate their side effects, or a novel treatment for mixed dyslipidemia, a condition in which people have high levels of lipids other than cholesterol such as triglycerides or apolipoprotein B (apo B).

The researchers found that among the patients taking the 25, 50 or 100 mg doses of eprotirome reduced their LDL cholesterol levels by 22 percent, 28 percent, and 32 percent respectively, compared to only 6.5 percent in those taking placebo. Remarkably, they also found similar dose-related reductions in triglycerides, apo B, and Lp(a). They also found modest reductions in HDL cholesterol of approximately 3 percent.

As per the claim by the lead researcher Dr. Paul W. Ladenson,   'this drug represents a new class of medications that might offer hope to those at risk of future cardiovascular disease whose lipid profiles are not effectively altered with statin therapy, and perhaps for about a quarter of those who have tried statins but cannot tolerate their side effects'. Dr. Ladenson is a consultant to Karo Bio, maker of eprotirome.......

Ref : http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/362/10/906

From carnivorous plants to the medicine cabinet? Anti-fungal agents in pitcher plants investigated

Carnivorous plant : Nepenthes khasiana (see picture)......

From carnivorous plants to the medicine cabinet? Anti-fungal agents in pitcher plants investigated.....

Positive phase III efficacy clinical trial for Fentanyl sublingual spray .....

INSYS Therapeutics, Inc. announced positive results from the pivotal phase III efficacy  trial for patients utilizing the Fentanyl Sublingual Spray (SL Spray) technology to treat breakthrough cancer pain.  The company claims that all primary and secondary endpoints were achieved in the study, and the drug is the first product to ever show statistically significant pain relief when measuring the summary of pain intensity difference at five minutes (SPID(5)) in a phase III breakthrough cancer pain trial using Fentanyl.

Dr. Richard Rauck, a principal investigator in the Phase III study observed,  the sublingual spray demonstrated very rapid, effective pain relief. Patients began to experience meaningful pain relief within five minutes. This observation was supported by the clinical research findings.  As claimed by the researchers, to date, no other transmucosal Fentanyl  (see the general structure) product has produced pain relief this quickly. This  finding is supported with continued pain relief at all subsequent time intervals. 

Hope this easy-to-use oral spray that can produce effective, potent and very rapid pain relief will be a tremendous advantage for the  patients who experience moderate to severe cancer breakthrough pain.....

Ref : http://www.insysrx.com/news.htm

Japanese patent for Archexin (a novel anti-cancer drug)....

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company commercializing potential best in class oncology and CNS therapeutics, announced that the Japanese Patent Office has issued a patent for its novel anti-cancer compound, Archexin. As per the claim by the company,  Archexin is a first in class, potent inhibitor of Akt protein kinase in the treatment of cancer. 

The AKT pathway is an important therapeutic target for cancer drug discovery as it functions as a main point for transducing extracellular and intracellular oncogenic signals. Moreover, alternations of the AKT pathway have been found in a wide range of cancers. Akt regulates signal processes of cell proliferation and survival, angiogenesis, and drug resistance in cancer. Archexin is being developed to treat solid tumors and has FDA Orphan drug designation for RCC, pancreatic, stomach, glioblastoma, and ovarian cancers. Archexin is in Phase II clinical development for pancreatic cancer as lead indication.

Archexin(R) was fromerly named as RX-0201, is  an oligonucleotide compound that  inhibits the expression of human Akt-1. I am really happy for this approval because, in my opinion this will boost the new field of drugs (ologonucleotides/antisense). I have covered some developments in this field, those interested can read earlier articles...

Combination therapy (Dutasteride & Tamsulosin) more effective for enlarged prostate...

Researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center, lead by  Dr. Claus Roehrborn have come out with something interesting finding, i.e., two drugs  (Dutasteride, see left structure)  and Tamsulosin (see below structure) commonly prescribed for enlarged prostate yielded better results than either of the medicines alone.

The study, which included more than 4,800 men, is one of the first to compare single and combo medication regimens in such a large group.

 The first group of study participants received the drug dutasteride; the  second group received tamsulosin; and the third received a combination of the two medicines. Researchers found that, the combination therapy to be superior at reducing risk of BPH   progression   (25 % reduction in prostate volume). Interestingly, patients who received the combination therapy also showed a 50 percent reduction of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a protein produced by both cancerous and noncancerous prostate tissue. 

Compared with tamsulosin alone, the combination of drugs reduced the incidence of acute urinary retention by 67 percent and reduced the need for BPH-related surgery by 70 percent.  They also  found  a 65 percent decrease in the relative risk of acute urinary retention or BPH-related surgery compared with tamsulosin alone and just over a 19 percent reduction compared with dutasteride alone.

Researchers conclude that  this research should provide physicians better information when they decide on a course of treatment for patients with BPH.....

Ref :  http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/cda/dept353744/files/578603.html

Presentations on Geron's Telomerase Inhibitor at AACR Special Conference

In continuation of my update on Geron's Telomerase Inhibitor..... Geron Corporation, announced several presentations at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Special Conference on The Role of Telomeres and Telomerase in Cancer Research held in Fort Worth, TX between February 27th and March 1st. The conference comprised ten scientific sessions with over fifty oral presentations.

Geron scientists and collaborators presented recent data on the company's telomerase inhibitor, imetelstat sodium (GRN163L), And highlighted the drug's activity against cancer stem cells. As per the claim by the CMO & EVP, Stephen M. Kelsey,   the telomerase inhibitor is showing anti-cancer stem cell activity in a range of preclinical models. In Phase II trials of imetelstat starting this year Greron is targeting malignancies that are thought to be driven, at least in part, by cancer stem cells ....

Ref: http://www.geron.com/media/pressview.aspx?id=1213

Maple Syrup and Maple water contain abscisic acid.....

It has recently been reported that maple syrup contains polyphenols  and shows ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, a unit of measurement for antioxidants developed by the NIH)  values which compare to commonly eaten fruits and vegetables such as broccoli. Now, further research on maple syrup and its original form, maple water, conducted by Dr Yves Desjardins and his colleagues (at  Institut des neutraceutiques et des aliments fonctionnels), has revealed that both products contain equally important quantities of terpenes, and in particular, abscisic acid (see structure), a phytohormone whose health benefits have only recently been discovered. 

Vegetable physiologists and botanical researchers have known about the physiological properties of abscisic acid in the vegetable kingdom for a long time, but its health benefits for humans has only recently come to light. Along with other effects, it is known to stimulate insulin release through pancreatic cells and to increase sensitivity of fat cells to insulin, which makes it a potent weapon against  metabolic syndrome and diabetes. So its good to see that maple products contain a whole host of complementary active elements. The sugar molecules which provide the energy and sweetness in maple products are inherently complemented by abscisic acid molecules because they encourage insulin homeostasis. 

The authors conclude that, further studies are obviously needed before one can more accurately understand how eating maple products affects insulin behavior......

Ref : Dr Yves Desjardins et.al., (Emerging Topics in Health Effects of Fruits and Vegetables symposium which forms part of the 28th International Horticultural Congress in Portugal, August 22-27, 2010.)