Ref : http://www.e-nmr.eu/CASD-NMR
Friday, December 4, 2009
CASD-NMR a boon to structure validation....
Ref : http://www.e-nmr.eu/CASD-NMR
Thursday, December 3, 2009
New target for diabtes type 2 treatment ?
The researchers (Dr. E. Dale Abel, chief of the endocrinology and metabolism division at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City) found that when insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas can't respond to circulating insulin, it triggers a "molecular cascade" that damages the normal action of a certain molecular receptor on the surface of the mitochondria. The damaged mitochondria then begin to destroy adenosine triphosphate, the prime fuel for cellular activity. As a result, the beta cells die.
The study provides novel insights into the role of insulin signaling in the regulation of the BAD/GK complex, glycolytic enzyme activity and mitochondrial metabolism in pancreatic β-cells. Ser112-BADS and its upstream kinases may be potential targets for the maintenance of the BAD/GK complex that is necessary for normal mitochondrial function and the regulation of β-cell survival....
Source : http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0007983
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
CCII capsules offer safe and effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis
More....CCII capsules offer safe and effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis
Positive data from rose bengal disodium for psoriasis & atopic dermatitis....
In its Phase 2 trial of PH-10 for atopic dermatitis (“eczema”), preliminary data from the first 18 subjects indicated that 94% of subjects had improvement in the Eczema Area Severity Index (EASI) during four weeks of treatment. Subjects applied PH-10 daily for up to four weeks to skin areas affected by atopic dermatitis, with response observed weekly throughout this treatment phase and for one month after the end of this period. As in the psoriasis study, the treatments were generally well tolerated with no significant safety issues identified. Hope a sigh of relief for those suffering from psoriasis and atopic dermatitis....
Ref : http://www.pvct.com/pressrelease.html?article=20091201
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Positive Results from Chronic Study of Rivaroxaban (anticoagulant drug)...
Rivaroxaban is undergoing review by the FDA, On March 19, 2009, an advisory panel recommended FDA approval of rivaroxaban 10 mg once daily for use in patients undergoing hip or knee replacement surgery. The advisory panel concluded that the record trials demonstrate that rivaroxaban is non-inferior and possibly superior to subcutaneous enoxaparin 40 mg once daily. However, they also found an increased risk of bleeding with rivaroxaban and did not address the question of long-term (i.e. > 35 days) use. The advisory panel noted that 1 participant out of 6183 randomized to rivaroxaban died of liver toxicity.....
Source :http://abstracts.hematologylibrary.org/cgi/content/abstract/112/11/436?maxtoshow=&HITS=50&hits=50&RESULTFORMAT=&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&displaysectionid=Oral+Session&fdate=1/1/2008&tdate=12/31/2008&resourcetype=HWCIT
Monday, November 30, 2009
S-methylmethionine (Vitamin U) as antiulcer agent .......
S-Methylmethionine, or S-methyl-L-methionine, is a derivative of methionine In plants, it is produced from methionine by the enzyme methionine S-methyltransferase. S-Methyl- methionine is sometimes called vitamin U in naturopathic medicine, but it is not recognized as a vitamin by mainstream nutrition science. Methionine in itself has not been demonstrated as effective for treating peptic and duodenal ulcers. Its proponents claim that sources of methionine are limited, or claim it can be found only in raw cabbage; however, these claims are incorrect. Methionine is a common amino acid found in a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and legumes.
More interesting results by the researchers from the Stanford University, have further substantiated the claim that it can be used to treat peptic and duodenal ulcers.
Acetaminophen is a pain reliever present in many over-the-counter cold and flu medicines. It is broken down, or metabolized, in the body into byproducts , one of which can be very toxic to the liver. At normal, therapeutic levels, this byproduct is easily deactivated when it binds to a naturally occurring, protective molecule called glutathione. But the body's glutathione stores are finite, and are quickly depleted when the recommended doses of acetaminophen are exceeded. Acetaminophen overdose is the most common cause of liver transplantation and the only effective antidote is an unpalatable compound called NAC that can induce nausea and vomiting, and must be administered as soon as possible after the overdose.
As per the claim by the authors, an enzyme called Bhmt2 helped to generate more glutathione. Bhmt2 works by converting the diet-derived molecule S-methylmethionine, or SMM, into methionine, which is subsequently converted in a series of steps into glutathione. The researchers confirmed the importance of the pathway by showing that SMM conferred protection against acetaminophen-induced liver toxicity only in strains of mice in which the Bhmt2 pathway was functional.
By administering SMM, which is found in every flowering plant and vegetable, we were able to prevent a lot of the drug’s toxic effect,” said Peltz. He and his colleagues are now working to set up clinical trials at Stanford to see whether it will have a similar effect in humans. In the meantime, though, he cautions against assuming that dosing oneself with SMM will protect against acetaminophen overdose....
Source : http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2009/november/peltz.html
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Mode of action of tetrathiomolybdate (a drug for Wilson's disaese) established ?
The drug brings three copper chaperones into close quarters, weaving them together through an intricate metal-sulfur cluster in a manner that essentially shuts down the copper ferrying system.
The nest-shaped structure of the metal-sulfur cluster discovered by the researchers was completely unanticipated. The sulfur atoms in the tetrathiomolybdate bound to the copper atoms to form an open cluster that bridged the chaperone proteins. In this manner, three copper proteins were jammed onto one thiomolybdate. More interestingly the structure of the complex has been concluded by X-ray studies. Based on the structure and additional experiments, the scientists propose that the drug inhibits the traffic of copper within the cell because of its ability to sequester copper chaperones and their cargo in clusters, rendering the copper inactive.
Ref : http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2009/11/crystal.html
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Palmitoylethanolamide - a natural body fat as antiinflammatory agent !
For decades, it has been known that palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), is a potent anti-inflammatory substance that reduces both allergic symptoms and occurrences of rheumatic fever, but researchers understood little about how PEA works. But now Daniele Piomelli, the Louise Turner Arnold (Chair in Neurosciences at UCI), and colleagues found that levels of PEA are tightly regulated by immune system cells. In turn, PEA helps control the activity of these cells, which are called into action to fight infection, disease and injury in the body. In addition, they found that PEA - also present in foods like eggs and peanuts , is deactivated by a protein called N-acylethanolamine-hydrolyzing acid amidase, which is an enzyme that breaks down molecules controlling cell inflammation.
As most of the antiinflammatory drugs available these days have side effects, this drug may be a boon to the sufferers....
Ref : http://today.uci.edu/news/nr_PEA_091116.php
Generating electricity from air flow
Details ..........Generating electricity from air flow