EADB: an estrogenic activity database for assessing potential endocrine activity.

Endocrine-active chemicals can potentially have adverse effects on both humans and wildlife. They can interfere with the body's endocrine system through direct or indirect interactions with many protein targets. Estrogen receptors (ERs) are one of the major targets, and many endocrine disruptors are estrogenic and affect the normal estrogen signaling pathways.

'Impedance matching' of data sets in biomarker research.

The goal of biomarker research in drug development is to identify better ways of monitoring the effects of drugs on biological systems. Biomarker data are used to support decision making at various stages in the drug development process, and are also used to provide information on how drug use might be optimized in different patient populations. The evaluation and qualification of new safety biomarkers includes a rigorous analysis of the ability of a given biomarker to report specific pathological events at the cellular, tissue or systemic level.

Reassessing the validity of surrogate markers of drug efficacy in the treatment of coronary artery disease.

Surrogate markers of disease progression and drug efficacy have become an essential part of cardiovascular drug development. Some surrogate markers, such as LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), have been studied extensively and are widely accepted as valid indicators of cardiovascular risk and as a basis for regulatory approval. Other markers, such as carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), can provide insights into coronary atherosclerosis, but their utility as surrogate endpoints remains uncertain.

What happens when cardiac Na channels lose their function? 1--numerical studies of the vulnerable period in tissue expressing mutant channels.

Objective: The vulnerable period (VP) defines an interval during which premature impulses can trigger reentrant arrhythmias leading to ventricular fibrillation and sudden death. The mechanistic basis of the success or failure of impulse propagation during the VP remains unclear. Recent clinical reports of gene mutations, drugs and cardiac disease link a variety of often lethal conditions with loss of cardiac Na channel function (NaLOF) and reentrant proarrhythmia.