Vascular effects of L. in human arteries.

L. (wild strawberry) is traditionally used for its anti-inflammatory activity and for gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and urinary disorders. A previous study with the rat aorta showed that its leaves extract elicits endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation.

Agrimonia eupatoria L.: An integrative perspective on ethnomedicinal use, phenolic composition and pharmacological activity.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Agrimonia eupatoria L., a plant which belongs to the Rosaceae family, is widespread in temperate regions, particularly throughout the northern hemisphere. In folk medicine, this plant species has been used for its astringent, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and hypotensive properties as well as in gastrointestinal disorders.

Vascular Effects of Polyphenols from L. and Role of Isoquercitrin in Its Vasorelaxant Potential in Human Arteries.

L. has been traditionally used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases but also as a hypotensive. To our knowledge, only one study has previously suggested an improvement in vascular endothelial function in diabetic conditions, as the underlying mechanisms and responsible compounds are unknown.

Ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine): Cardiovascular effects and mechanisms.

3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA (known as "ecstasy") is a recreational drug of abuse, popular worldwide for its distinctive psychotropic effects. Currently, the therapeutic potential of MDMA in psychotherapy has attracted a lot of interest from the scientific community, despite the multitude of effects that this drug of abuse elicits on the human body. While neuronal effects have been the most studied, cardiovascular effects have also been described, as increased blood pressure and heart rate are the most recognizable.

Vascular activity of infusion and fractions of Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf. in human arteries.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf has been traditionally used mainly for inflammatory diseases and hypertension. However, the mechanisms underlying its vascular activity remain to be fully characterized and the fractions responsible for its cardiovascular activity are still unknown.

Adaptive Design: A Review of the Technical, Statistical, and Regulatory Aspects of Implementation in a Clinical Trial.

Background: In an adaptive trial, the researcher may have the option of responding to interim safety and efficacy data in a number of ways, including narrowing the study focus or increasing the number of subjects, balancing treatment allocation or different forms of randomization based on responses of subjects prior to treatment. This research aims at compiling the technical, statistical, and regulatory implications of the employment of adaptive design in a clinical trial.

Methods: Review of adaptive design clinical trials in Medline, PubMed, EU Clinical Trials Register, and ClinicalTrials.

Chemistry and Pharmacology of the Kazakh Pojark: An Asian Herbal Medicine.

, an endemic ornamental plant in Kazakhstan is used in popular medicine due to its cardiotonic properties. The most studied species of the same genus are commonly found in Europe, which shows the importance of having the Kazakh species validated via its chemical and pharmacological studies. High-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC) operated under optimized conditions enabled an isolation of the three main compounds from the aqueous phase of the leaves ethanol extract, further identified by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), as quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside (quercitrin) (4.

Vascular effects of a polyphenolic fraction from L.: role of α-adrenergic receptors Sub-types.

L. is a plant of the family, from which several compounds have been previously identified. Recently, we showed that an L.

Histomorphometric analysis of the human internal thoracic artery and relationship with cardiovascular risk factors.

In this study, we aimed at performing a histomorphometric analysis of human left internal thoracic artery (ITA) samples as well as at correlating the histomorphometric findings with the clinical profile, including risk factors and medication. Distal segments of ITA were obtained from 54 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. Histological observation was performed in paraffin-embedded transverse sections of ITA through four staining protocols: hematoxylin-eosin, van Gieson, Masson's trichrome and von Kossa.

Orphan drugs: major development challenges at the clinical stage.

Biotechnology has provided powerful tools to assist in research and development (R&D) for rare diseases. However, orphan drug development presents several major challenges and obstacles, such as low disease prevalence, disease severity, small and heterogeneous patient populations, difficulties in patient recruitment, and limited knowledge of the natural history of disease, among others. Several strategies can be used to plan for and overcome these clinical and regulatory challenges, namely improved clinical trial design, improved patient recruitment, and closer collaboration with the regulatory authorities and with patient associations.

MDMA modulates 5-HT-mediated contractile response of the human internal thoracic artery in vitro.

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or "ecstasy") is a popular recreational drug of abuse. In addition to its characteristic psychotropic effects, important cardiovascular effects have been described such as increased blood pressure and heart rate. MDMA was previously shown to behave as a partial agonist on 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptors in the human internal thoracic artery in vitro, involving the 5-HT subtype.

Vasomotion as an oscillatory sign of functional impairment in the human internal thoracic artery: A study based on risk factors and vessel reactivity.

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? Vasomotion has been viewed as a rhythmic oscillation of the vascular tone that is physiologically important for optimal tissue perfusion. Also, it has been studied primarily in the microcirculation. However, the precise underlying mechanisms and the physiological significance remain unknown.

Contractile effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine on the human internal mammary artery.

Since the late 1980s numerous reports have detailed adverse reactions to the use of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) associated with cardiovascular collapse and sudden death, following ventricular tachycardia and hypertension. For a better understanding of the effects of MDMA on the cardiovascular system, it is critical to determine their effects at the vasculature level, including the transporter or neurotransmitter systems that are most affected at the whole range of drug doses. With this purpose in mind, the aim of our study was to evaluate the contractile effect of MDMA in the human internal mammary artery, the contribution of SERT for this effect and the responsiveness of this artery to 5-HT in the presence of MDMA.

Assessment of luteolin (3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone) neuropharmacological activity.

Since the discovery that certain flavonoids (namely flavones) specifically recognise the central BDZ receptors, several efforts have been made to identify naturally occurring GABA(A) receptor benzodiazepine binding site ligands. Flavonoid derivatives with a flavone-like structure such as apigenin, chrysin and wogonin have been reported for their anxiolytic-like activity in different animal models of anxiety. Luteolin (3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone) is a widespread flavonoid aglycon that was reported as devoid of specific affinity for benzodiazepine receptor (BDZ-R) binding site, but its psychopharmacological activity is presently unknown.

Neuropharmacological evaluation of the putative anxiolytic effects of Passiflora edulis Sims, its sub-fractions and flavonoid constituents.

Passiflora edulis Sims together with several other plants of the genus Passiflora have been reported to possess anxiolytic properties. It has been suggested recently that flavonoids may be partly responsible for the neuropharmacological activity of these plants but there are still few data reporting the relation between the constituents of these plants and their activity. This work evaluated the anxiolytic/sedative activity of an aqueous extract of Passiflora edulis Sims and bioguided its fractionation using the elevated plus-maze model of anxiety and other complementary pharmacological tests.

Angiotensin II mediates catecholamine and neuropeptide Y secretion in human adrenal chromaffin cells through the AT1 receptor.

The aim of the present work was to study the effect of angiotensin II (Ang II) on catecholamines and neuropeptide Y (NPY) release in primary cultures of human adrenal chromaffin cells. Ang II stimulates norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (EP) and NPY release from perifused chromaffin cells by 3-, 2- and 12-fold, respectively. The NPY release is more sustained than that of catecholamines.