Current Drug Targets - Cardiovascular & Hematological Disorders - Volume 3, Issue 1, 2003

Remodeling of the myocardium is the major mechanism for disability and death in prevalent cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, heart failure and myocardial infarction (MI). It is a complex process that involves changes in structure, shape and topography at the global level and changes in myocytes and non-myocytes at cellular and subcellular levels that impact negatively on function. Although the myocytes sub Read More

Retinoids, the natural and synthetic derivatives of vitamin A, exert broad biological effects and have been used clinically to treat a variety of dermatological and neoplastic diseases. The principal mode of action of many retinoids is through the binding and activation of a family of nuclear receptors that modulate gene transcription. Recent evidence demonstrates that retinoids effectively attenuate experimental vessel wall Read More

Ion channels play a pivotal role in blood pressure regulation. Amongst them, much attention has been directed to dihydropyridine (DHP)-sensitive (L-type) voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (VDCCs) and iberiotoxin-sensitive Ca2+-dependent K+ channels which are distributed over the whole vascular tree and contribute to vascular tone regulation. Recent advances in vascular electrophysiology have, however, added novel an Read More

In renal transplantation, chronic renal transplant failure (CRTF) is the principal cause of late graft loss. Both immunological and non-immunological factors play a role in the pathogenesis of CRTF. However, CRTF is unresponsive to immunosuppressive therapy. In several kidney diseases, inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has shown to reduce the rate of progression of renal disease more effectively than conventional a Read More

Since the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and its widespread use, the incidence of AIDS-defining illnesses has decreased dramatically, leading to a much longer survival of patients. Despite some exciting new leads, non- Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) remains a fatal malignancy for the vast majority of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Multiple molecular pathways appear to o Read More