The last few decades have witnessed remarkable achievements in the development of immunosuppressive drugs, made possible by significant advances in molecular immunology and improved understanding of the mechanisms by which cells communicate. The identification of the relevant cells involved in a pathological process is the key to understanding effective immunosuppressive strategies. For example...

we report 11 year old male child, a case of acquired aplastic anemia as a complication of disseminated tuberculosis with acute onset, rapid downhill course and refractory to both antitubercular drugs as well as immunosuppressive drugs.

Background: The pathogenesis of many diseases is correlated to irregularity in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression. Results from several association studies show that variation in the level of VEGF expression is related to polymorphic sequences within the VEGF gene. Additionally, there are many studies showing that some gene polymorphisms significantly influence the pharmacokin...

Background: As the rate of renal transplantation increases, more immunosuppressive drugs such as cyclosporine A (CsA) are consumed, particularly during the early months following transplantation, leading to post-transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) which can cause death. Objective: The present study examined the role of CsA in causing PTDM and other effect...

Pharmacodynamic (PD) monitoring measures the biological response to a drug, which alone--or coupled with pharmacokinetics--provides a novel method for optimization of drug dosing. PD monitoring has been investigated by us and other investigators primarily for four immunosuppressive drugs: cyclosporine (CsA), azathioprine (AZA), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), and rapamycin (RAPA). PD monitoring of...