Selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors were developed to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal side effects associated with the older non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) which inhibit both COX-1 and COX-2. The withdrawal of rofecoxib (Vioxx™) in 2004 and valdecoxib (Bextra™) in 2005…
Blog Archives
PDE1a Linked to Heart Failure
Although sildenafil (Viagra®) is best known for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, it also reduces pulmonary hypertension and its use in the treatment of heart failure and cardiac hypertrophy is being investigated. Sildenafil is a selective inhibitor of phosphodiesterase type…
MMP8 is Major Player in Atherosclerosis
Both high blood pressure and atherosclerosis, a condition in which the arteries become narrowed by atheroma, are major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack and stroke. The atheromatous plaques are made up of cells (mostly macrophages) or cell…
The Renin-Angiotensin System and MS
The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) was first studied for its role in regulation of the cardiovascular system and drugs that modulate the RAS are now widely used to treat high blood pressure, myocardial infarction and stroke. More recently, it has become…
New Hope for Damaged Hearts
A number of organs, including the heart, have limited regenerative powers, but US scientists have now shown that fully differentiated cardiac muscle cells can be induced to proliferate and regenerate. Writing in the journal Cell, they show that the growth…
Renin Links CMV Infection to High Blood Pressure
Human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) is a widespread member of the herpes family of viruses, with well over half of the world’s adult population thought to be infected. Most individuals are infected in early childhood and remain infected with latent virus for…
New Target for Treating Cardiovascular Disease
Researchers from University of Rochester Medical Center have shown that eliminating the gene for cyclophilin A completely protects mice from developing abdominal aortic aneurysms, a late stage complication of atherosclerosis. An aortic aneurysm is a thin, weakened section of the…
New Blood Pressure Target
Although normally clinically silent, persistent hypertension and atherosclerosis are leading risk factors for strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, aneurysms and chronic renal failure. How blood pressure is regulated is still not fully understood, but a team lead by scientists at…
Mending a Broken Heart
Heart disease is a leading cause of death and illness in the developed world and, once damaged, the heart has very limited capacity for regeneration. Following a heart attack, if blood flow is not restored to the heart muscle within…
Making Light Work of Blood Clotting
The ability to selectively switch enzymes on and off in a particular tissue could offer many improved treatment options, and scientists at the University of Florida have now devised a way of achieving this goal. Writing in the journal PNAS,…
