Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the competitive inhibitors of cyclooxygenase (COX), the enzyme which mediates the bioconversion of arachidonic acid to inflammatory prostaglandins (PGs). Their use is associated with the side effects such as gastrointestinal and renal toxicity. The therapeutic anti-inflammatory action of NSAIDs is produced by the inhibition of COX-2, while the ...

OBJECTIVE To assess available management strategies in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) using a systematic approach, as a part of the development of evidence based recommendations for the management of AS. METHODS A systematic search of Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PEDro, and the Cochrane Library was performed to identify relevant interventions for the management of AS. Evidence for each intervention ...

The ultraviolet B (UVB) component of sunlight, which causes DNA damage and inflammation, is the major cause of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC), the most prevalent of all cancers. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and coxibs have been shown to be effective chemoprevention agents in multiple preclinical trials, including NMSC, colon, and urinary bladder cancer. NSAIDs, however, cause ga...

The nucleotide uridine trisphosphate (UTP) released to the extracellular milieu acts as a signaling molecule via activation of specific pyrimidine receptors (P2Y). P2Y receptors are G protein-coupled receptors expressed in many cell types. These receptors mediate several cell responses and they are involved in intracellular calcium mobilization. We investigated the role of the prostanoid PGE2 i...

In this issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, Schillaci et al1 raise an interesting possibility—that a drug class (protease inhibitors) can have subtle arterial ill effects, which are not apparent from conventional blood pressure recordings. The authors provide evidence of aortic stiffening (measured as carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity [PWV]), increase in wave reflecti...

PURPOSE To study the prescription of oral analgesics for musculoskeletal pain by primary care physicians over a 5-year period in Sweden. DESIGN A retrospective automatic database review of patient records at four primary health care centers. All prescriptions of NSAIDs, weak opioids, and coprescriptions of gastroprotecting medications to patients with musculoskeletal were retrieved for the pe...

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most commonly used therapeutic agents. With the introduction of the selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, the use of this category of medications has expanded; however, the appropriate place for these agents in the therapeutic armamentarium is yet to be defined. Selective COX-2 inhibitors are effective in treating both acute a...

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used medications for the treatment of both acute and chronic pain. Selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, such as celecoxib (Celebrex(®)), rofecoxib (Vioxx(®)), and diclofenac, have been among the most widely prescribed NSAIDs because they prevent the generation of prostaglandins involved in inflammation and pain, but avoid som...

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used in medical practice for treating pain, inflammation and degenerative joint diseases (for instance, arthritis). The use of traditional NSAIDs (tNSAIDs), however, is associated with an increased risk of minor and serious gastrointestinal (GI) events. It is estimated that in the European Union thousands of gastrointestinal complication...