Alterations in intracellular calcium homeostasis and cyclic adenosine 3',5'-phosphate likely underlie the increased cell proliferation and fluid secretion in polycystic kidney disease. Hormone receptors that affect cyclic adenosine 3',5'-phosphate and are preferentially expressed in affected tissues are logical treatment targets. There is a sound rationale for considering the arginine vasopress...

The pathogenesis of flushing attacks in patients with malignant carcinoid tumors is attributed to the direct pharmacologic effect of excessive amounts of circulating serotonin. It was hoped that potent serotonin antagonists might relieve symptoms of the carcinoid syndrome in the inoperable patient. The nature of flushing attacks was studied in carcinoid patients and the influence thereon of 3 s...

Opioid antagonists can be classified as inverse agonists and neutral antagonists. In the opioid-dependent state, neutral antagonists are significantly less potent in precipitating withdrawal than inverse agonists. Consequently, neutral opioid antagonists may offer advantages over inverse agonists in the management of opioid overdose. In this study, the relative potency of three opioid antagonis...

BACKGROUND Exposure to disturbed flow, including oscillatory shear stress, stimulates endothelial cells (ECs) to produce bone morphogenic protein (BMP) 4, which in turn activates inflammation, a critical atherogenic step. BMP activity is regulated by the level of BMP antagonists. Until now it was not known whether shear also regulates the expression of BMP antagonists and whether they play a ro...

Background/aims: Topical b antagonists are prescribed for glaucoma in approximately 500 000 people in the United Kingdom. The authors have previously shown that topical b antagonists are associated with an excess incidence of airways obstruction. They examined whether selective topical b antagonists are associated with excess airways obstruction. Methods: A historical cohort study was performed...