Efficacy of Dapagliflozin + Sitagliptin + Metformin Versus Sitagliptin + Metformin in T2DM Inadequately Controlled on Metformin Monotherapy: A Multicentric Randomized Trial.

Introduction: A slower adoption rate of fixed dose combinations (FDC) in diabetes management is partly due to insufficient data. This study evaluates the safety and efficacy of an FDC of dapagliflozin + sitagliptin + metformin hydrochloride extended release (XR), compared to a dual FDC of sitagliptin + metformin hydrochloride XR among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with poor glycemic control when treated with metformin monotherapy.

Methods: A total of 274 patients with T2DM were randomized (1:1) to either arm X, receiving FDC of dapagliflozin (10 mg) + sitagliptin (100 mg) + metformin hydrochloride XR (1000 mg) (Dapa + Sita + Met) tablets, or arm Y, receiving sitagliptin phosphate (100 mg) + metformin hydrochloride XR (1000 mg) (Sita + Met) tablets, and treated for 16 weeks.

A Novel Combinatorial Regimen Using Sorafenib and Uttroside B, A US FDA-designated 'Orphan Drug', for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Introduction: Sorafenib (Sor) is the first-line treatment option in clinics for treating advanced unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, acquired chemoresistance and adverse side effects associated with Sor monotherapy limit its clinical benefits. We have previously reported the exceptional anti-HCC potential of uttroside B (Utt-B), a furostanol saponin isolated in our lab from Linn.

Structure-activity relationships of thiadiazole agonists of the human secretin receptor.

Agonists of the secretin receptor have potential applications for diseases of the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and metabolic systems, yet no clinically-active non-peptidyl agonists of this receptor have yet been developed. In the current work, we have identified a new small molecule lead compound with this pharmacological profile. We have prepared and characterized a systematic structure-activity series around this thiadiazole scaffold to better understand the molecular determinants of its activity.

Cholesterol-dependent dynamic changes in the conformation of the type 1 cholecystokinin receptor affect ligand binding and G protein coupling.

Development of optimal therapeutics for disease states that can be associated with increased membrane cholesterol requires better molecular understanding of lipid modulation of the drug target. Type 1 cholecystokinin receptor (CCK1R) agonist actions are affected by increased membrane cholesterol, enhancing ligand binding and reducing calcium signaling, while agonist actions of the closely related CCK2R are not. In this work, we identified a set of chimeric human CCK1R/CCK2R mutations that exchange the cholesterol sensitivity of these 2 receptors, providing powerful tools when expressed in CHO and HEK-293 model cell lines to explore mechanisms.

Mechanistic insights from the atomic-level quaternary structure of short-lived GPCR oligomers in live cells.

The functional significance of the interactions between proteins in living cells to form short-lived quaternary structures cannot be overemphasized. Yet, quaternary structure information is not captured by current methods, neither can those methods determine structure within living cells. The dynamic versatility, abundance, and functional diversity of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) pose myriad challenges to existing technologies but also present these proteins as the ideal testbed for new technologies to investigate the complex inter-regulation of receptor-ligand, receptor-receptor, and receptor-downstream effector interfaces in living cells.