Tesaglitazar: a promising approach in type 2 diabetes.

While glycemic control remains the cornerstone of clinical management for patients with type 2 diabetes, the importance of a more comprehensive approach that addresses the multiple metabolic abnormalities seen in this population is now widely recognized. Abnormal lipid metabolism resulting in dyslipidemia contributes greatly to the markedly increased risks of cardiovascular disease observed in diabetic patients and in prediabetic patients with signs of insulin resistance. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) play a key role in the regulation of energy homeostasis and the coordination of inflammatory responses.

Muraglitazar: an agent for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and associated dyslipidemia.

Many studies indicate that postprandial metabolic abnormalities, such as hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia, which are exaggerated and prolonged in type 2 diabetes, are important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Different pharmacotherapies have been developed to specifically target these risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonists, which are potent insulin sensitizers, have been the focus of much research during the past decade.

Rimonabant hydrochloride: an investigational agent for the management of cardiovascular risk factors.

Rimonabant hydrochloride, the first drug in a new class of selective cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor antagonists, is showing promise in clinical trials for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic risk factors, in addition to tobacco dependence. Results of phase III clinical trials comparing rimonabant with placebo found that overweight or obese patients, with or without untreated dyslipidemia or type 2 diabetes, lost significant body weight when treated with rimonabant 20 mg for a year. The weight loss was accompanied by a decrease in waist circumference, demonstrating a significant reduction in abdominal obesity, which is an independent marker for cardiovascular disease.

Insulin glulisine.

In patients with diabetes, the benefit of conventional insulin therapy can be limited due to difficulty in achieving tight glycemic control, which is critical to reducing the risk of long-term diabetes-related complications. The recent development of recombinant analogs of regular human insulin is changing the clinical management of diabetes. One of the newest members of this class of hypoglycemic agents is insulin glulisine, a rapid-acting insulin analog with a pharmacokinetic profile that more closely mimics the natural pattern of insulin secretion than regular human insulin.

Emtricitabine: a novel nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor.

Emtricitabine is a once-daily nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) that selectively and potently inhibits human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication. Emtricitabine is used in combination with other antiviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 and is currently under investigation for the treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Like other NRTIs, emtricitabine is activated to a triphosphate derivative, which mediates the antiviral effect.

Analysis of MinD mutations reveals residues required for MinE stimulation of the MinD ATPase and residues required for MinC interaction.

The MinD ATPase is critical to the oscillation of the Min proteins, which limits formation of the Z ring to midcell. In the presence of ATP, MinD binds to the membrane and recruits MinC, forming a complex that can destabilize the cytokinetic Z ring. MinE, which is also recruited to the membrane by MinD, displaces MinC and stimulates the MinD ATPase, resulting in the oscillation of the Min proteins.

Blood samples drawn from IV catheters have less hemolysis when 5-mL (vs 10-mL) collection tubes are used.

Introduction: It is common practice for emergency nurses to draw blood for laboratory analyses into vacuum tubes from newly inserted intravenous (IV) catheters, even though this technique has been associated with an increase in sample hemolysis. No clinical nursing studies have documented the effect of collection tube size on hemolysis of samples obtained via IV catheters.

Objective: To determine whether there is a difference in the hemolysis rate of blood samples drawn from IV catheters comparing 5-mL vacuum collection tubes to 10 mL vacuum collection tubes.

Rosiglitazone maleate/metformin hydrochloride: a new formulation therapy for type 2 diabetes.

Many patients with type 2 diabetes require treatment with more than one antihyperglycemic drug to achieve optimal glycemic control. The thiazolidinediones are a novel class of oral antihyperglycemic drugs that improve glycemic control primarily by increasing peripheral insulin resistance and sensitizing the skeletal muscle, liver and adipose tissue to the actions of insulin, in addition to improving beta-cell function. One of the many features of the thiazolidinedione class of drugs is their synergism with other antihyperglycemic drugs that have a different mechanism of action.

HB-EGF directs stromal cell polyploidy and decidualization via cyclin D3 during implantation.

Stromal cell polyploidy is a unique phenomenon that occurs during uterine decidualization following embryo implantation, although the developmental mechanism still remains elusive. The general consensus is that the aberrant expression and altered functional activity of cell cycle regulatory molecules at two particular checkpoints G1 to S and G2 to M in the cell cycle play an important role in the development of cellular polyploidy. Despite the compelling evidence of intrinsic cell cycle alteration, it has been implicated that the development of cellular polyploidy may be controlled by specific actions of extracellular growth regulators.