Combination of bortezomib and panobinostat shows promise against advanced multiple myeloma

In co\continuation of  my update on Bortezomib...

A phase 2 clinical trial has shown that pairing bortezomib with an experimental drug, panobinostat: Panobinostat is a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, a type of drug that blocks key processes involved in gene expression and protein degradation. Panobinostat clogs up a protein disposal mechanism in myeloma cells so that harmful byproducts accumulate and eventually cause programmed cell death.(see below structure), may be a promising new treatment for such patients, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers say.

 The PANORAMA 2 trial included 53 patients with relapsed multiple myeloma who had undergone multiple rounds of prior treatment and, in more than half, also stem cell transplant. The researchers reported on 44 patients receiving the panobinostat-bortezomib-dexamethasone combination.

Results showed that in the first phase of the treatment, 9 of the patients had at least a partial response of their disease, and 2 of the 9 saw their myeloma almost disappear, a so-called near complete response. Another 7 patients experienced minimal response, which is also associated with clinical benefit. 

More : http://ash.confex.com/ash/2011/webprogram/Paper41145.html

Ruxolinitib reduces spleen size by 35% in patients with myelofibrosis

In continuation of my ruxolinitib

In a major advance in treatment, a multicenter study found that ruxolinitib did a better job than off-label chemotherapy drugs reducing the terrible symptoms associated with myelofibrosis, including pain, enlarged spleen, anemia, fever, chills, fatigue, and weight loss. 

Only about 10 percent of myelofibrosis patients are eligible for a bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy often falls short, Dr. Mesa says. A handful of off-label chemotherapy drugs have been modestly helpful, he says.

A randomized, double-blind clinical trial, known as the COMFORT-1 study, showed that ruxolinitib reduced spleen size by more than 35 percent in almost all of the 154 patients studied. An enlarged spleen, caused by sequestered over-proliferating blood cells, causes discomfort and can also lead to the need for blood transfusions and further medical complications for patients.

"The studies confirmed the drug is very effective. As a representative of a particular class of molecular inhibitors called JAK2 inhibitors, which are now being widely studied, ruxolinitib suggests this category will continue to be promising for myelofibrosis," Dr. Mesa says.

Ref : More...

American Friends of Tel Aviv University: Beating Superbugs with a High-Tech Cleanser

American Friends of Tel Aviv University: Beating Superbugs with a High-Tech Cleanser

Total Synthesis of Indolizidine (+)-223A :: ChemViews Magazine :: ChemistryViews

Total Synthesis of Indolizidine (+)-223A :: ChemViews Magazine :: ChemistryViews

UMass Amherst Researchers Test a Drug-Exercise Program Designed to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

In continuation of my update on Metformin...

Kinesiology researcher Barry Braun of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and colleagues recently reported unexpected results of a study suggesting that exercise and one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for diabetes, metformin, each improves insulin resistance when used alone, but when used together, metformin blunted the full effect of a 12-week exercise program in pre-diabetic men and women.

Ref : http://www.umass.edu/newsoffice/newsreleases/articles/142505.php

Editorial: An apple a day keeps colitis away

In continuation on my update on the benefits of apple

Editorial: An apple a day keeps colitis away:

More : http://msuextension.org/publications/AgandNaturalResources/MT200812AG.pdf

'via Blog this'

European Commission approves Vyndaqel® (tafamidis) for the treatment of Transthyretin Familial Amyloid Polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP)

We know that, Tafamidis (see structure) or Vyndaqel was discovered in the Jeffery W. Kelly Laboratory at The Scripps Research Institute using a structure-based drug design strategy and was developed at FoldRx pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company led by Richard Labaudiniere that was acquired by Pfizer in 2010.

Tafamidis or Vyndaqel functions by kinetic stabilization of the correctly folded tetrameric form of the transthyretin (TTR) protein. In patients with FAP, this protein dissociates in a process that is rate limiting for aggregation including amyloid fibril formation, causing neurodegeneration and failure of the autonomic nervous system and/or the peripheral nervous system and/or the heart.

Now, European Commission has approved Vyndaqel^® (tafamidis) for the treatment of Transthyretin Familial Amyloid Polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP) in adult patients with stage 1 symptomatic polyneuropathy.

More...

HSC NEWS - Bat plant could give some cancers a devil of a time

In a new study published this month in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, researchers with The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio have pinpointed the cancer-fighting potential in the bat plant, or Tacca chantrieri......

HSC NEWS - Bat plant could give some cancers a devil of a time

FDA Approves Intermezzo.....

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Intermezzo (zolpidem tartrate sublingual tablets) for use as needed to treat insomnia characterized by middle-of-the-night waking followed by difficulty returning to sleep.

This is the first time the FDA has approved a drug for this condition. Intermezzo should only be used when a person has at least four hours of bedtime remaining. It should not be taken if alcohol has been consumed or with any other sleep aid....

More....

Coffee may protect against womb cancer: Study

 In continuation of my update on the benefits of coffee

A new study shows that regular intake of coffee may significantly lower risk for endometrial or womb cancer.

For the study the researchers looked at coffee consumption and endometrial cancer risk in more than 67,000 women aged between 34 and 59 enrolled in the long-running Nurses' Health Study. The researchers found that women who took more than four cups of coffee a day over a 26-year period were 25 percent less likely to get the cancer. Women who drank two to three cups a day were 7 percent less likely to get it. Drinking less than four cups a day was not associated with reduced risk. Furthermore drinking tea did not reduce the risk. Additionally drinking more than two cups of decaffeinated coffee a day was tied to a 22 percent reduced risk for endometrial cancer.

The benefit wasn't a complete surprise, since coffee has been shown to lower estrogen and insulin levels, and higher levels of these hormones have been associated with an increased risk of endometrial cancer. But the new findings do help to clarify how obesity, estrogen and coffee might interact in triggering tumors.

“It would be premature to make a recommendation that women drink coffee to lower their endometrial cancer risk,” study author Dr. Edward Giovannucci, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health...

Ref : http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2011/10/03/1055-9965.EPI-11-0766.abstract?sid=d8d229ed-e4b4-4b7a-bc6a-f3f86cba4c0e