Bøger i Progress in Drug Research serien

Volume 21 of "Progress in Drug Research" contains 5 contributions from various areas of drug research and therapy. As in previous volumes, in the present volume the authors have also tried not only to summarise the current status of particular fields of drug research, but also to provide leads for future research activity. The various contributions in this volume will be of especial value not only to those actively concerned in resolving the diverse problems in drug research, but also to those who wish to keep abreast ofthe latest developments in­ fluencing modem therapy. In addition, it is believed that volume 21 and the previous 20 volumes of "Progress in Drug Research" so far published represent a useful reference work of an encyclopaedic character. The editor would also like to take this opportunity of expressing his gratitude to Dr. A. Naffor carefully working over the manuscripts and correcting proofs. Thanks are also due to the publishers and the printers, Druckerei Birkhauser, especially to Dr. A. Birkhauser, Th. Birkhiiuser and C. Einsele, for their painstaking work on the printing and lay-out of the volume. August 1977 Dr. E. JUCKER Sandoz AG, Basel Vorwort Der 21. Band der «F ortschritte der Arzneimittelforschung» umfasst 5 Beitriige aus verschiedenen Gebieten der Arzneimittelforschung> und der Therapie.

Seit dem Erscheinen des ersten Bandes sind sieben Jahre vergangen. und del' Herausgeber freut sich. del' Fachwelt hiermit den 10. Band iibergeben zu konnen. In diesel' Zeitspanne haben auf versehiedenen Gebieten del' Arzneimittelfor­ schung wichtige. zum Teil umwalzende Entwicklungen stattgefunden; einzelne davon wurden in diesel' Reihe bereits behandelt. mit dem Resultat. daB die FORT­ SCHRITTE DER AI{ZNEI~ITTELFORSCH{;NG in ihrer Gesamtheit einen nicht unwesent­ lichen Teil unseres heutigen \Vissens in zusammenfassender Darstellung enthalten. Del' Herausgeber schatzt sich gliicklich und ist dankbar fiir die Moglichkeit. mit diesem \Verk das umfassende \Vissen del' Autoren. die ausnahmslos mitten in del' aktiven Forschung stehen. zahlreichen in del' Al'zneimittelforschung Tatigen vel'­ mitteln zu diiden. Unser Forschungsgebiet befindet sich zur Zeit in einer Phase des Umbruchs. del' Besinnung auf Vergangenes und del' lJmorientierung auf die Zukunft. Diese Situation ist zum Teil del' aussere Ausdruck und das Resultat del' stiirmischen Entwicklung del' letzten 20 Jahre. die in del' Geschichte del' Medizin ohne Pal'allele dasteht. und deren Folgeerscheinungen noch gar nicht iiberblickt werden konnen.

The main emphasis of the book lies in antifungal therapy: the most relevant information on the present state of the art of antifungal chemotherapy for dermatomycoses, subcutaneous and invasive mycoses is summarized, and open questions and unsolved problems are presented.

S. Ren and E.J. Lien: CaCo-2 cell permeability vs human gastrointestinal absorption: QSPR analysis.- J.C.G. Halford and J.E. Blundell: Pharmacology of appetite suppression.- B. Olivier, W. Soudijn and I. van Wijngaarden: Serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine transporters in the central nervous system and their inhibitors.- D. Poyner, H. Cox, M. Bushfield, J.M. Treherne and M.K. Demetrikopoulos: Neuropeptides in drug research.- M. Kumari and M.K. Ticku: Regulation of NMDA receptors by ethanol.- H. Horikoshi, T. Hashimoto and T. Fujiwara: Troglitazone and emerging glitazones: new avenues for potential therapeutic benefits beyond glycemic control.- Rosamund C. Smith and Simon J. Rhodes: Applications of developmental biology to medicine and animal agriculture

In a real tour de force of pharmacological literature, this edited volume's chapters highlight the biodiversity-driven approaches which are now of eminent importance in natural products research.

Der vorliegende 48. Band der Reihe «Fortschritte der Arzneimittelfor­ schung» enthält acht Beiträge, die wiederum von anerkannten Forschern verfasst wurden. Ausserdem sind auch in diesem Band ein Stichwortver­ zeichnis des Bandes sowie ein Autoren-und Titelverzeichnis und ein Titel­ verzeichnis aller 48 Bände enthalten. Der Leser hat dadurch die Mög­ lichkeit, nicht nur den vorliegenden Band zu konsultieren, sondern auch alle bisher erschienenen Bände quasi als enzyklopädisches N achschla­ gewerk zu benutzen. Da alle Beiträge umfangreiche Literaturnachweise enthalten, ist die Möglichkeit des Zugriffes auf Original-Publikationen gegeben, was dem aktiven Forscher besonders wichtig ist und seinen eige­ nen Arbeiten Impulse geben kann. Die Artikel des 48. Bandes behandeln neue Entwicklungen der Genetik, der enzymatischen Herstellung von komplexen Peptiden und bringen die neuesten Erkenntnisse der Apoptose unserem Verständnis näher. Immun­ therapie bei Hirnerkrankungen und psychischen Störungen, der Einsatz vonNaturproduktenzur Vorbeugung von Krebserkrankungen, das beun­ ruhigende Anwachsen der Arzneimittelresistenz, die Mannigfaltigkeit der Dopamin-Rezeptor-Wirkung und die faszinierende Darstellung einer grösseren Gruppe von neuartigen Nukleosiden als Arzneimittel runden den vorliegenden Band der «Fortschritte der Arzneimittelforschung» ab und bieten dem Leser viel Neuartiges und Interessantes.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) was first identified in 1989 as the etiologic agent of non-A, non-B hepatitis [1] and is currently recognized as the leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide.

Included are descriptions of epigenetic controls over gene expression, the post-transcriptional silencing of genes by RNA interference (RNAi) and microRNAs, as well as new findings from stem cell research which are relevant to pharmacological applications.

This volume provides an up-to-date account of the achievements pertaining to the application of capsaicin and capsaicin-like molecules in the therapy of various human ailments such as pain, non-allergic rhinitis, obesity, tumors and gastrointestinal, dermatologic and urologic disorders.

Jay A. Glasel: Drugs, the human genome, and individual-based medicine.- Vera M. Kolb: Herbal medicine of Wisconsin Indians.- Paul L. Skatrud: The impact of multiple drug resistance (MDR) proteins on chemotherapy and drug discovery.- John W. Ford, Edward B. Stevens, J. Mark Treherne, Jeremy Packer and Mark Bushfield: Potassium channels: Gene family, therapeutic relevance, high-throughput screening technologies and drug discovery.- David T. Wong and Frank P. Bymaster: Dual serotonin and noradrenaline uptake inhibitor class of antidepressants - Potential for greater efficacy of just hype?.- Satya P. Gupta: Advances in QSAR studies of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors

The general characteristics of neuropeptides are discussed as a background for the understanding of their role in regulation of physiological systems. The extent of those systems that are crucially affected by neuropeptides is vast and the complexity of their interactions makes the clinical focus on a specific neu­ ropeptide unsatisfactory. The clinical potential of neuropeptides affecting eating disorders, eNS behavioral disorders and the neuroregenerative and neuroprotective action of neuropeptides is discussed. It is probable that suc­ cessful neuropeptide therapeutics will depend upon the application of trans­ lational and combinational research using various ingenious combinations and antagonists, neuropeptide receptor ago­ of neuropeptides, their agonists nists and antagonists, improved methods of delivery and the development of peptides targeted to the genetic profile of individual patients. References 1 DeWied D (1969) Effects of peptide hormones on behavior. In: WF Ganong, L Martini (eds): Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology. Oxford University Press, New York, 97-140 2 Sandman CA, Schally AV, Kastin AJ, Miller L H (1972) A neuroendocrine influence on attention and memory. J Comp Physiol Psychol80: 54-58 3 Kastin AJ, Olson RD, SchaUy A V, Coy DH (1979) CNS effects of peripherally adminis­ tered brain peptides. Life Sci 25: 401-414 4 Strand FL, Saint-Come C, Lee TS, Lee SJ, Kume JA, Zuccarelli LA (1993) An ACTH/MSH 4-10 analog BIM 22015 has neurotrophic and myotrophic attributes during peripheral nerve regeneration. Peptides 14: 287-296 5 Strand FL (1999) Neuropeptides: Regulators ofPhysiologjcal Processes.

Hypertension is one of the cardiovascular diseases which is most common throughout the world. Such hypertension is termed as essential hypertension. In a few cases (5- 15%), the hypertension is secondary to definable causes, such as renal artery stenosis, a pheochromocytoma, or an endocrine disorder.

Volume 63 of "Progress in Drug Research" is devoted to recent developments in targeted cancer therapy. Significant advances in the fields of molecular and tumor biology over the past decade have led to this exciting new era in c- cer therapeutics with an intensive effort in rationally-designed cancer the- peutic strategies directed against selective molecular targets. These selective approaches may ultimately lead to tailoring treatments to individual patients where molecular biomarkers of sensitivity to therapy are identified, prod- ing better tolerated therapies with less side effects than past experiences with cytotoxic cancer chemotherapy, and reducing cancer to a controlled, chronic state. This volume contains eleven chapters, including updated reviews on a range of targets, such as tumor angiogenesis, apoptosis/cell survival pa- ways, and various inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and histone deacetylases (HDAC). Additional topics, including target validation, polypharmacology and potential synergy of involving multiple targets, antisense approaches, animal models for preclinical development of targeted agents, and obstacles, including development of resistance are also presented. In addition, the p- ticular challenges involved in translating preclinical data to clinical appli- tion are discussed. It gives me great pleasure to present this new volume. I would like to express my gratitude to the chapter authors, to Birkhauser Verlag and, in particular, to Dr. Beatrice Menz and Ms. Gabriele Poppen for their assistance in compiling and editing this volume. April 2005 Richard M. Schultz vii Progress in Drug Research, Vol. 63 (R. M. Schultz, Ed.

Volume 46 of "Progress in Drug Research" contains seven reviews and the various indexes which facilitate its use and establish the connection with the previous volumes. The articles in this volume deal with endo­ genous sodium pump inhibition, with neurotransmitters involved in the central regulation of the cardiovascular system, with leukotrienes and development of novel anti-inflammatory agents, with antithrombotic stra­ tegies and drugs affecting the plasma fibrinogen levels, with natural ami­ noglycosides and polyamines and their effects in the mammalian orga­ nism, with the latest developments in antidepressant agents and with immunopharmacological and biochemical bases of Chinese herbal medi­ cine. These reviews provide valuable information on several new deve­ lopments in the complex domain of drug research. In the 37 years that PDR has existed, the Editor has enjoyed the valua­ ble help and advice of many colleagues. Readers, the authors of the reviews and, last but not least, the reviewers have all contributed greatly to the success of this series of monographs. Although the comments received so far have generally been favorable, it is nevertheless necessary to analyze and to reassess the current position and the future direction of such publi­ cations.

Volume 45 of "Progress in Drug Research" contains eight reviews and the various indexes which facilitate its use and establish the connection with the previous volumes.

Contents: V. Zingel, C. Leschke and W. Schunack: Developments in research on histamine (H1) receptor agonists / P.D. Hoeprich: Antifungal chemotherapy / G. de Stevens: The diversity of heterocyclic compounds and their biological activities / R.M. Schultz: Newer antifolate compounds in cancer therapy / P.K. Mehrotra, S. Batra and A.P. Bhadun: Non-steroidal agents for regulation of the menstrual cycle / A.K. Saxena and M. Saxena: Developments in anti-convulsant drugs

Founded in 1959, this series encompasses all fields concerned with the development of new therapeutic drugs and the elucidation of their mechanisms of action, reflecting the increasingly complex nature of modern drug research.

Included are descriptions of epigenetic controls over gene expression, the post-transcriptional silencing of genes by RNA interference (RNAi) and microRNAs, as well as new findings from stem cell research which are relevant to pharmacological applications.

This monograph examines the contribution of imaging modalities to the stages of drug discovery and development, from early target validation to their use in clinical development programs.

Progress in Drug Research is a prestigious book series which provides extensive expert-written reviews on a wide spectrum of highly topical areas in current pharmaceutical and pharmacological research.

The use of substances derived from plants, fungi, bacteria and marine organisms has a long tradition in medicine. It addresses the question why natural products display such a complex chemical information, what makes them often unique and what their characteristics are.

The unfortunate appearance of AIDS, the manifold problems with herpesviruses and other viruses attacking humans have led to an enormous dynamism of worldwide research and to an immense increase in the corresponding literature. This title provides reviews on the development of antiviral agents in some important and widespread viral diseases.

This series provides extensive reviews on a wide spectrum of topical areas in pharmaceutical and pharmacological research. It encompasses all fields concerned with the development of new therapeutic drugs and the elucidation of their mechanisms of action.