Polymorphisms of T- cell leukemia 1A gene loci are not related to the development of adjuvant letrozole-induced adverse events in breast cancer.

Letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor (AI), is the first-line adjuvant drug for treating hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer in postmenopausal women. However, harmful adverse events (AEs) and significant differences in drug response among individuals remain a significant problem in clinical application. Current evidence suggests that the observed individual variation in the treatment outcomes of AI is conferred by genetic variants.

Association of CYP19A1 gene variations with adjuvant letrozole-induced adverse events in South Indian postmenopausal breast cancer cohort expressing hormone-receptor positivity.

Purpose: Musculoskeletal adverse events (MS-AEs) and vasomotor symptoms (VMSs) are the major side-effects of newer generation non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor (AI), letrozole. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CYP19A1 gene coding for the enzyme aromatase are related to AI treatment-associated adverse drug reactions. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether SNPs in the CYP19A1 gene are associated with adjuvant letrozole-induced 'specific' AEs in postmenopausal hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer patients.

Drug information center as referral service in a South Indian tertiary care hospital.

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the various aspects of drug information services (DISs) provided in the DI center of a tertiary care hospital.

Materials And Methods: DI queries received from various departments from April 2013 to May 2017 were included in the study. Various aspects such as year- and department-wise distribution, reason for sending the queries, mode of receipt and reply, time taken for reply, number of visit for bedside examination of patients, and number of references given per query were analyzed.

Oxaliplatin-induced Peripheral Neuropathy in South Indian Cancer Patients: A Prospective Study in Digestive Tract Cancer Patients.

Purpose: The aim of the current study is to report our prospective experience on the prevalence of oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (OXAIPN) in patients with digestive tract cancers treated with oxaliplatin-based combination therapy.

Materials And Methods: A total of 219 patients scheduled to be treated with oxaliplatin-based combination therapy were prospectively examined at baseline and follow-up during the therapy between November 2014 and December 2016. The incidence of acute OXAIPN was measured using a descriptive questionnaire (yes/no question) based on sum of number of symptoms present and NCI-CTCAE version 4.

Association of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Genetic Polymorphisms with Oxaliplatin-Induced Chronic Peripheral Neuropathy in South Indian Cancer Patients.

Oxaliplatin is a platinum drug active against digestive tract cancers. Among its side effects, peripheral neuropathy is one of the dose-limiting toxicities. This affects around 50 to 70% of patients but the pathophysiology of development of oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (OXAIPN) remains unclear.

A Polymorphism Located Near PMAIP1/Noxa Gene Influences Susceptibility to Hodgkin Lymphoma Development in South India.

Background: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in DNA repair and Toll-like receptor (TLR) genes have been reported to be associated with Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) risk. Since such associations may be ethnicity dependent, polymorphisms in TLR4 rs1554973, Xeroderma pigmentosum C (XPC) rs2228000, rs2228001 and a variant near PMAIP1/Noxa gene rs8093763 were here investigated with regard to HL susceptibility in a south Indian population. Normative frequencies of SNPs were established and compared with data for 1000 genome populations.

Atorvastatin Induced Adverse Drug Reactions among South Indian Tamils.

Introduction: Atorvastatin is the most widely used statin world-over. Although atorvastatin is beneficial in reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, they are associated with Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) which are under-recognized as well as under-reported. There is no data on safety of atorvastatin in ethnic populations like South Indian Tamils and hence the need for this study.

Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on Vascular Functions and Oxidative Stress in Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Vitamin D Deficiency.

Background: Vitamin D levels are reported to have an inverse liaison with the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the effect of Vitamin D supplementation on changes in vascular functions and oxidative stress in type 2 diabetic patients with Vitamin D deficiency.

Subjects And Methods: One hundred and three patients with type 2 diabetes attending endocrinology outpatients department in a tertiary care hospital were screened for Vitamin D deficiency.

Effect of metformin on exercise capacity in metabolic syndrome.

Objective: Metabolic syndrome is a constellation of risk factors with increased predilection towards occurrence of cardiovascular diseases. Currently physical exercise and management with metformin are the prevailing treatment modalities for metabolic syndrome. Patients with metabolic syndrome have been found to have reduced exercise capacity over a period of time.

Pattern of Adverse Drug Reactions Reported with Cardiovascular Drugs in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are one of the leading causes of non-communicable disease related deaths globally. Patients with cardiovascular diseases are often prescribed multiple drugs and have higher risk for developing more adverse drug reactions due to polypharmacy.

Aim: To evaluate the pattern of adverse drug reactions reported with cardiovascular drugs in an adverse drug reaction monitoring centre (AMC) of a tertiary care hospital.

Comparison of ranolazine and trimetazidine on glycemic status in diabetic patients with coronary artery disease - a randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases have become the leading cause of death around the globe and diabetes mellitus (DM) is considered to be a coronary artery disease (CAD) risk equivalent. Ranolazine, an anti anginal drug has been found to reduce Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in diabetes patients with chronic angina. However the effect of another antianginal drug trimetazidine, on glycemic status is not clear.

Allele and genotype distributions of DNA repair gene polymorphisms in South Indian healthy population.

Various DNA repair pathways protect the structural and chemical integrity of the human genome from environmental and endogenous threats. Polymorphisms of genes encoding the proteins involved in DNA repair have been found to be associated with cancer risk and chemotherapeutic response. In this study, we aim to establish the normative frequencies of DNA repair genes in South Indian healthy population and compare with HapMap populations.

Polymorphic genetic variations of cytochrome P450 19A1 and T-cell leukemia 1A genes in the Tamil population.

Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are anti-neoplastic drugs widely used for the treatment of endocrine responsive breast carcinoma in postmenopausal women. Drug disposition, efficacy and tolerability of these agents are influenced by germ-line polymorphisms in the sequence of the genes encoding CYP19A1 and TCL1A proteins. In the current work, we aimed to determine the haplotype structures, linkage disequilibrium (LD) patterns, and allele and genotype frequency distribution of pharmacologically important variants from two genes (CYP19A1 and TCL1A) in Tamil population and assessed their ethnic differences.

Frequency distribution of DNA repair genes ERCC1 and ERCC2 polymorphisms in South Indian healthy population.

DNA repair genes are crucial in maintaining the integrity of the whole genome. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in DNA repair genes have been attributed to the development of various cancers. SNPs of DNA repair genes (ERCC1 and ERCC2) have been implicated in the causation of various cancers as well as inter-individual variability in the therapeutic outcomes of platinum based therapy.

Single nucleotide polymorphism of CYP3A5*3 contributes to clopidogrel resistance in coronary artery disease patients among Tamilian population.

Clopidogrel is an antiplatelet drug. It is used for the treatment as well as for the prophylaxis of coronary artery disease. Clopidogrel resistance is an emerging problem in clinical settings.

Genotype, allele and haplotype frequencies of four TCL1A gene polymorphisms associated with musculoskeletal toxicity in the South Indian descent.

Introduction: Decline in circulating estrogen levels causes lessening of bone mass accompanied with musculoskeletal pain, which is the primary cause of treatment discontinuation in patients taking aromatase inhibitors. Evidence from recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) suggests that the genetic variability underlying TCL1A gene increases the risk of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) - induced musculoskeletal toxicity. Currently, no data is available on the frequency distribution of TCL1A gene polymorphisms in Indians.

Clinical trials in India: Where do we stand globally?

Aims: To evaluate the trend of clinical trials in India over the last 4 years compared to the well-established countries using clinical trial registries since the advent of clinical trial registry of India (CTRI).

Materials And Methods: The data of clinical trials registered in India, United States (US), and European Union (EU) were obtained from websites of CTRI, clinicaltrial.gov and EU clinical trial registry, respectively from July 20, 2007 to August 29, 2011 for a period of 4 years.

Haplotype structures and functional polymorphic variants of the drug target enzyme aromatase (CYP19A1) in South Indian population.

CYP19A1 gene product aromatase (CYP19A1) is a 58-kDa protein and belongs to the member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily, which facilitates the bioconversion of estrogens from androgens. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of CYP19A1 affect the activity of the enzyme and have been implicated in the association of estrogen-dependent disease, prognosis, therapeutic efficacy, and toxicity of third-generation aromatase inhibitors (AIs). Based on ethnicity, the frequency distribution of CYP19A1 alleles will differ, and until now, no data are available for Indians.

The dawn of hedgehog inhibitors: Vismodegib.

Cancer, one of the leading causes of death worldwide is estimated to increase to approximately 13.1 million by 2030. This has amplified the research in oncology towards the exploration of novel targets.

Newer antipsychotics and upcoming molecules for schizophrenia.

Background: The management of schizophrenia has seen significant strides over the last few decades, due to the increasing availability of a number of antipsychotics. Yet, the diminished efficacy in relation to the negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia, and the disturbing adverse reactions associated with the current antipsychotics, reflect the need for better molecules targeting unexplored pathways.

Purpose: To review the salient features of the recently approved antipsychotics; namely, iloperidone, asenapine, lurasidone and blonanserin.

Inter and intra-ethnic differences in the distribution of the molecular variants of TPMT, UGT1A1 and MDR1 genes in the South Indian population.

Molecular variants of polymorphic drug metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters are attributed to differences in individual's therapeutic response and drug toxicity in different populations. We sought to determine the genotype and allele frequencies of polymorphisms for major phase II drug-metabolizing enzymes (TPMT, UGT1A1) and drug transporter (MDR1) in South Indians. Allelic variants of TPMT (*2,*3A,*3B,*3C & *8), UGT1A1 (TA)6>7 and MDR1 (2677G>T/A & 3435C>T) were evaluated in 450-608 healthy South Indian subjects.

Emerging trends of nanomedicine--an overview.

Nanotechnology is an emerging branch of science for designing tools and devices of size 1 to 100 nm with unique function at the cellular, atomic and molecular levels. The concept of using nanotechnology in medical research and clinical practice is known as nanomedicine. Nanoparticles possess some novel properties not seen with the macro molecules and they can be manipulated by attaching therapeutic components to help in diagnosis and treatment.

Potassium channels in health, disease & development of channel modulators.

Ion channels present in the plasma membrane and intracellular organelles of all cells, play an important role in maintaining cellular integrity, smooth muscle contraction, secretion of hormones and neurotransmitters. Among the ion channels, potassium channels (K(+)) are the most abundant having important role in cardiac repolarization, smooth muscle relaxation and insulin release. These are also involved in the regulation of physiological functions like gastrointestinal peristalsis.

Role of ion channel modifiers in reversal of morphine-induced gastrointestinal inertia by prokinetic agents in mice.

Prokinetic drugs like mosapride, domperidone etc, are used to treat gastrointestinal delay. Though the receptor-mediated actions of these agents have been studied, involvement of ion channels in reversing morphine-induced gastrointestinal inertia by prokinetic agents has not been explored. Charcoal meal test was used to measure small intestinal transit (SIT) in adult male Swiss albino mice.