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Medical Use (medical + use)
Selected AbstractsPatenting Pharmaceutical Inventions on Second Medical Uses in BrazilTHE JOURNAL OF WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, Issue 4 2009Viviane Yumy Mitsuuchi Kunisawa The current Brazilian industrial property law (Law 9279 of 14 May 1996) allows patents for pharmaceuticals, along with the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights provisions. Since 1999, after an amendment in the legislation, two governmental authorities,the Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial (INPI) and the Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA),have been concomitantly acting in the patent-granting procedures for pharmaceuticals. The INPI is the office usually responsible for the examination and granting of patents, and the ANVISA is the agency primarily responsible for the granting of marketing approval of drugs. In a peculiar situation, the two institutions have been responsible for the granting or denial of applications and have very often been divergent in their positions. The patentability of pharmaceutical inventions claiming second medical use is an example. The purpose of this work is to analyze the current situation of the Brazilian patent-granting system in the pharmaceutical field, with a special focus on the patentability of inventions claiming second medical use. It debates the two governmental positions and questions whether the existing conflicts are harmful to the system. [source] OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO PAIN RELIEF IN THE CARIBBEANDEVELOPING WORLD BIOETHICS, Issue 3 2009CHERYL MACPHERSON ABSTRACT This paper examines pain and pain relief in the Caribbean, where pain is widely perceived as an unavoidable part of life, and where unnecessary suffering results from untreated and under treated pain. Barriers to pain relief in the Caribbean include patient and family attitudes, inadequate knowledge among health professionals and unduly restrictive regulations on the medical use of opioids. Similar barriers exist all over the world. This paper urges medical, nursing and public health professionals, and educators to examine attitudes towards pain and pain relief and to work towards making effective pain relief and palliation more accessible. It recommends that i) health professionals and officials be better educated about pain, palliation and opioids, ii) regulatory restrictions be updated in light of clinical and scientific evidence, iii) opioid procurement policies be adjusted to facilitate increased medical use, iv) medical charts and records be modified to routinely elicit and document patients levels of pain, and v) educational campaigns be developed to inform the public that moderate and severe pain can be safely relieved at the end of life and other stages of life. The professional, respectful, and beneficent response to patients in pain is to provide rapid and aggressive pain relief or to urgently consult a pain or palliative specialist. When a health system hinders such efforts the ethical response is to identify, facilitate and advocate for overcoming barriers to improvement. [source] Enhanced Strength and Ductility of Ultrafine-Grained Ti Processed by Severe Plastic Deformation,ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 8 2010Irina Semenova This work deals with the study of strength and ductility in ultrafine-grained (UFG) Ti Grade 4 produced by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) in combination with subsequent thermomechanical treatments. We found that additional annealing of UFG Ti resulted in unusual enhancement of strength and ductility, which is associated with not only small grain size but also with a grain boundary structure. The origin of this phenomenon is investigated using the results of transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography. The innovation potential of UFG Ti for medical use is considered. [source] Molecular basis of antibiotic resistance and ,-lactamase inhibition by mechanism-based inactivators: perspectives and future directionsFEMS MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS, Issue 3 2000Christian Therrien Abstract Antibacterial chemotherapy is particularly striking in the family of penicillins and cephalosporins. Over 40 structurally different ,-lactam molecules are available in 73 formulations and the majority of them are currently prescribed for medical use in hospitals. ,-Lactams are well tolerated by humans with few side effects. They interact very specifically with their bacterial target, the d -alanyl- d -alanine carboxypeptidase-transpeptidase usually referred to as dd -peptidase. The outstanding number of ,-lactamases produced by bacteria represent a serious threat to the clinical utility of ,-lactams. The discovery of ,-lactamase inhibitors was thought to solve, in part, the problem of resistance. Unfortunately, bacteria have evolved new mechanisms of resistance to overcome the inhibitory effects of ,-lactamase inactivators. Here, we summarize the diversified mechanistic features of class A ,-lactamases interactions with mechanism-based inhibitors using available microbiological, kinetic and structural data for the prototype TEM ,-lactamases. A brief historical overview of the strategies developed to counteract ,-lactamases will be presented followed by a short description of the chemical events which lead to the inactivation of TEM ,-lactamase by inhibitors from different classes. Finally, an update on the clinical prevalence of natural and inhibitor-resistant enzyme mutants, the total chemical synthesis to design and synthesize a new structure and produced a broad spectrum ,-lactamase inhibitor that mimics the ,-lactam ring, but does not contain it is discussed. [source] Pharmacological and clinical evidences on the potential for abuse and dependence of propofol: a review of the literatureFUNDAMENTAL & CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 5 2007Anne Roussin Abstract Propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol) is an intravenous short-acting anaesthetic widely used for inducing and maintaining anaesthesia. Propofol is also being increasingly used for sedation. Beside medical use, propofol is abused for recreational purpose, mostly in medical professionals who are not informed of the risk of dependence to this compound. The aim of this review was to provide an overview of molecular, animal and clinical pharmacological data of the literature evidencing the potential for abuse and dependence of propofol. [source] The application of an empowerment modelHUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS IN MANUFACTURING & SERVICE INDUSTRIES, Issue 4 2001Eric Molleman In this study we applied an empowerment model that focuses on (a) the need for empowerment in light of organizational strategy, (b) job design issues such as job enlargement and job enrichment that facilitate empowerment, and (c) the abilities, and (d) the attitudes of workers that make empowerment work. We applied the model in the manufacturing department of a firm that produces catheters for medical use and interviewed managers and supporting staff and surveyed 231 operators. The leading performance indicators in this firm are efficiency and quality. The reassignment of 12 out of 33 tasks was believed to contribute to these organizational objectives. For most workers, their abilities and their attitudes toward empowerment proved to be no major barrier to the reallocation of these tasks. However, for temporary workers, mainly working in a "short shift," the leeway to learn skills is limited, which probably impedes empowerment. The study shows that our model helps to diagnose the need for empowerment, to design work structures that facilitate empowerment, and to select appropriate human resource management practices. Further validation in other organizational settings is desirable. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] Biodegradable polymers: An updateISRAEL JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY, Issue 4 2005Ariella Shikanov The use of polymeric materials for the administration of pharmaceuticals, and as biomedical devices has increased dramatically. This review focuses on synthetic biodegradable polymers of current interest for medical use, based on ester and anhydride bonds. Special attention is given to factors affecting biodegradation, including: polymer structure, morphology, molecular weight, radiation, and chemical treatment, as well as the effects of drugs and plasticizers added to the polymer mass. The toxicity and biocompatibility of the polymers and their current and future applications in medicine are also briefly reviewed. [source] Functional water-soluble polymers: polymer,metal ion removal and biocide propertiesPOLYMER INTERNATIONAL, Issue 10 2009Bernabé L Rivas Abstract Water-soluble polymers have attracted much interest due to their potential applications in environmental protection engineering to remove harmful pollutants and in biomedicine in the areas of tissue engineering, within-body implants or other medical devices, artificial organ prostheses, ophthalmology, dentistry, bone repair, and so on. In this review, particular emphasis is given to the ability of water-soluble polymers with amine, amide, carboxylic acid, hydroxyl and sulfonic acid functional groups to remove metal ions by means of the liquid-phase polymer-based retention (LPR) technique that combines the use of water-soluble polymers and ultrafiltration membranes. The second part is dedicated to showing the potential application of functional water-soluble polymers and their polymer,metal complexes as biocides for various bacteria. These polymers and polymer,metal complexes show an efficient bactericide activity, especially to Gram-negative bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus reaching concentrations lower than 4 µg mL,1. This activity depends on polymer size, type of metal ion, contact time and concentration of polymer and metal ion. The discussion reveals that in the case of the LPR process the efficiency of metal ion removal depends strongly on the type of polymer functional group and the feed pH value. In general, two mechanisms of ion entrapment are suggested: complex formation and electrostatic interaction. In the case of the medical use of water-soluble polymers and their complexes with metal ions, the review documents the unique bactericide properties of the investigated species. The polymer-metal ion complexes show a reduced genotoxic activity compared with free metal ions. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Chemokine receptor CCR2 undergoes transportin1-dependent nuclear translocationPROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 21 2008Nicolas Favre Abstract Chemokines (CCs) are small chemoattractant cytokines involved in a wide variety of biological and pathological processes. Released by cells in the milieu, and extracellular matrix and activating signalling cascades upon binding to specific G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), they trigger many cellular events. In various pathologies, CCs are directly responsible for excessive recruitment of leukocytes to inflammatory sites and recent studies using chemokine receptor (CCR) antagonists permitted these molecules to reach the market for medical use. While interaction of CCs with their receptors has been extensively documented, downstream GPCR signalling cascades triggered by CC are less well understood. Given the pivotal role of chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) in monocyte recruitment, activation and differentiation and its implication in several autoimmune-inflammatory pathologies, we searched for potential new CCR2-interacting proteins by engineering a modified CCR2 that we used as bait. Herein, we show the direct interaction of CCR2 with transportin1 (TRN1), which we demonstrate is followed by CCR2 receptor internalization. Further characterization of this novel interaction revealed that TRN1-binding to CCR2 increased upon time in agonist treated cells and promotes its nuclear translocation in a TRN1-dependent manner. Finally, we provide evidence that following translocation, the receptor localizes at the outer edge of the nuclear envelope where it is finally released from TRN1. [source] Patenting Pharmaceutical Inventions on Second Medical Uses in BrazilTHE JOURNAL OF WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, Issue 4 2009Viviane Yumy Mitsuuchi Kunisawa The current Brazilian industrial property law (Law 9279 of 14 May 1996) allows patents for pharmaceuticals, along with the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights provisions. Since 1999, after an amendment in the legislation, two governmental authorities,the Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial (INPI) and the Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA),have been concomitantly acting in the patent-granting procedures for pharmaceuticals. The INPI is the office usually responsible for the examination and granting of patents, and the ANVISA is the agency primarily responsible for the granting of marketing approval of drugs. In a peculiar situation, the two institutions have been responsible for the granting or denial of applications and have very often been divergent in their positions. The patentability of pharmaceutical inventions claiming second medical use is an example. The purpose of this work is to analyze the current situation of the Brazilian patent-granting system in the pharmaceutical field, with a special focus on the patentability of inventions claiming second medical use. It debates the two governmental positions and questions whether the existing conflicts are harmful to the system. [source] Molecular epidemiology of clinically significant antibiotic resistance genesBRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY, Issue S1 2008P M Hawkey Antimicrobials were first introduced into medical practice a little over 60 years ago and since that time resistant strains of bacteria have arisen in response to the selective pressure of their use. This review uses the paradigm of the evolution and spread of beta-lactamases and in particular beta-lactamases active against antimicrobials used to treat Gram-negative infections. The emergence and evolution particularly of CTX-M extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) is described together with the molecular mechanisms responsible for both primary mutation and horizontal gene transfer. Reference is also made to other significant antibiotic resistance genes, resistance mechanisms in Gram-negative bacteria, such as carbepenamases, and plasmid-mediated fluoroquinolone resistance. The pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is reviewed in detail as an example of a highly successful Gram-positive bacterial pathogen that has acquired and developed resistance to a wide range of antimicrobials. The role of selective pressures in the environment as well as the medical use of antimicrobials together with the interplay of various genetic mechanisms for horizontal gene transfer are considered in the concluding part of this review. British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153, S406,S413; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707632 [source] Preparation and Use of Microarrays Containing Synthetic Heparin Oligosaccharides for the Rapid Analysis of Heparin,Protein InteractionsCHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 34 2006Christian Noti Abstract Heparin is a highly sulfated, linear polymer that participates in a plethora of biological processes by interaction with many proteins. The chemical complexity and heterogeneity of this polysaccharide can explain the fact that, despite its widespread medical use as an anticoagulant drug, the structure,function relationship of defined heparin sequences is still poorly understood. Here, we present the chemical synthesis of a library containing heparin oligosaccharides ranging from di- to hexamers of different sequences and sulfation patterns. An amine-terminated linker was placed at the reducing end of the synthetic structures to allow for immobilization onto N -hydroxysuccinimide activated glass slides and creation of heparin microarrays. Key features of this modular synthesis, such as the influence of the amine linker on the glycosidation efficiency, the use of 2-azidoglucose as glycosylating agents for oligosaccharide assembly, and the compatibility of the protecting group strategy with the sulfation-deprotection steps, are discussed. Heparin microarrays containing this oligosaccharide library were constructed using a robotic printer and employed to characterize the carbohydrate binding affinities of three heparin-binding growth factors. FGF-1, FGF-2 and FGF-4 that are implicated in angiogenesis, cell growth and differentiation were studied. These heparin chips aided in the discovery of novel, sulfated sequences that bind FGF, and in the determination of the structural requirements needed for recognition by using picomoles of protein on a single slide. The results presented here highlight the potential of combining oligosaccharide synthesis and carbohydrate microarray technology to establish a structure,activity relationship in biological processes. [source] Screening of Garlic Water Extract for Binding Activity with Cholera Toxin B Pentamer by NMR Spectroscopy , An Old Remedy Giving a New SurpriseEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 9 2006Matteo Politi Abstract Binding between a component of the crude hot water extract obtained from Allium sativum crushed bulbs (ASw) and cholera toxin B pentamer (CTB) was detected by STD NMR experiments. Bioassay-oriented fractionation allowed the partial identification of a high molecular weight polysaccharide mainly composed of galactose as the bioactive complex against CTB. This work represents the first example of screening of a medicinal plant by NMR against a specific disease, and corroborates traditional medical uses of the species. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006) [source] | ||||||||||||||||