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Cisplatin is in a class of drugs known as platinum-containing compounds used to treat various types of cancers including metastatic testicular and ovarian tumors. The molecule was first discovered in 1845, but did not receive FDA approval until 1978. Today it is known as the "penicillin of cancer drugs," because it is so effective for many different cancers. There are three key players involved in Cisplatin's mechanism: (1) Cisplatin, (2) DNA (3) and an HMG Protein. Most Cisplatin enters the body through active transport, but some molecules are passively defused through the cell membrane. Once in the nucleus, Cisplatin can form an adduct with two consecutive guanine bases within a strand of DNA. The molecule loses its chlorine atoms in exchange for the nitrogen atoms of the target guanines. Cisplatin can bond more tightly with nitrogen because nitrogen balances the platinum charge more effectively than chlorine. It is this adduct-induced DNA bend that allows binding of proteins which contain the high mobility group, HMG domain. Once the protein is bound to the DNA, it inserts a wedge-like phenyl group of phenylalanine 37 into the widened minor groove created by the bend. The tightly bound HMG protein causes destacking of the nucleotide bases, resulting in the DNA helix becoming kinked. In this way, Cisplatin can be thought of as a monkey wrench in the DNA repair system. With the HMG protein bound to the DNA, the modified strand is not repaired properly and so the cell dies. The success of Cisplatin depends on its ratio of efficacy between cancerous and healthy cells.
Enzymes, or digestive juices, produced by the pancreas are secreted into the small intestine to further break down food after it has left the stomach. The gland also produces the hormone insulin and secretes it into the bloodstream in order to regulate the body's glucose or sugar level.
Coronary circulation is the circulation of blood in the blood vessels of the heart muscle (myocardium). The vessels that deliver oxygen-rich blood to the myocardium are known as coronary arteries. The vessels that remove the deoxygenated blood from the heart muscle are known as cardiac veins.
A new report analyzing FDA-approved monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) produced by a select group of leading biotechnology companies shows that clinical development times – specifically the duration of Phase II and Phase III trials – are lengthening, while FDA review times have remained constant. The average time from investigational new drug (IND) filing to market was 6.7 years for 11 mABs approved between 1994 and 2003 but shot up to 8.3 years for 12 mAbs approved between 2004 and March 9, 2011, according to Deloitte Recap LLC’s analysis, Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies – Insights, Strategies and Data.
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a group of disorders that affect the connective tissues that support the skin, bones, blood vessels, and many other organs and tissues. Defects in connective tissues cause the signs and symptoms of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which vary from mildly loose joints to life-threatening complications. Previously, there were more than 10 recognized types of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, differentiated by Roman numerals. In 1997, researchers proposed a simpler classification that reduced the number of major types to six and gave them descriptive names: the classical type (formerly types I and II), the hypermobility type (formerly type III), the vascular type (formerly type IV), the kyphoscoliosis type (formerly type VIA), the arthrochalasia type (formerly types VIIA and VIIB), and the dermatosparaxis type (formerly type VIIC). This six-type classification, known as the Villefranche nomenclature, is still commonly used. The types are distinguished by their signs and symptoms, their underlying genetic causes, and their patterns of inheritance. Since 1997, several additional forms of the condition have been described. These additional forms appear to be rare, affecting a small number of families, and most have not been well characterized.
The average human digestive tract is home to as many as 1,000 species of microorganisms. Most of them are harmless -- or even helpful -- under normal circumstances. But when something upsets the balance of these organisms in your gut, otherwise harmless bacteria can grow out of control and make you sick. One of the worst offenders is a bacterium called Clostridium difficile(C. difficile, or C. diff). As the bacteria overgrow they release toxins that attack the lining of the intestines, causing a condition called Clostridium difficilecolitis.