Identification of Patient Needs and Preferences in Pigmented Villonodular Synovitis (PVNS) Using a Qualitative Online Bulletin Board Study.

Introduction: Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS), also known as giant-cell tumour of the tendon sheath (GCTT), is a rare, benign proliferative tumour affecting the inner lining of synovial joints and tendon sheets. Information on treatment needs of PVNS patients to inform drug development is currently scarce. We conducted an exploratory qualitative study with PVNS patients to generate insights into the objective and emotional aspects related to their medical journey and experiences of living with this disease.

Comparison of Macitentan and Bosentan on Right Ventricular Remodeling in a Rat Model of Non-vasoreactive Pulmonary Hypertension.

Aims: We compared the efficacy of macitentan, a novel dual endothelin A/endothelin B receptor antagonist, with that of another dual endothelin receptor antagonist, bosentan, in a rat model of non-vasoreactive pulmonary hypertension (PH) with particular emphasis on right ventricular (RV) remodeling.

Methods And Results: Unlike monocrotaline or hypoxic/sugen rats, bleomycin-treated rats presented a non-vasoreactive PH characterized by the absence of pulmonary dilatation to adenosine. We therefore chose the bleomycin rat model to compare the effects of the maximally effective doses of macitentan and bosentan on pulmonary vascular and RV remodeling.

Surgical and pharmacological animal models used in drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics.

Mechanistic approaches in drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics during drug discovery depend upon animal models to increase the understanding of the absorption and disposition of new compounds. These animal models are also important to understand the complex interplay of biochemical and physiological events, and for the ability to answer questions in a reasonable time frame while interrogating numerous chemical structures. Many animal models have been described for understanding absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion and this review attempts to summarise some of these models.

Thromboelastography measurements of whole blood from factor VIII-deficient mice supplemented with rFVIII.

The rotational thromboelastography (ROTEG) assay system allows the real-time analysis of clot formation (fibrin formation) in a whole-blood assay format. The ROTEG system provides significant advantages over the current plasma-based assay systems as it includes the important interactions between cellular and plasmatic coagulation factors. We have employed the ROTEG system to characterize clot formation dynamics in factor VIII- deficient mouse whole blood and examined the ability of recombinant FVIII (rFVIII) supplementation to restore the normal phenotype.