Bøger i Milestones in Drug Therapy serien

During the past decade research into the pharmacology of cognition, particularly regarding learning and memory, has supported the concept that many potential neural targets exist for the development of cognitive-enhancing drugs.

Since the introduction of ciprofloxacin in 1987, fluoroquinolones have expanded far beyond their early role in the treatment of urinary tract infections. Clinical applications beyond genitourinary tract infections include upper and lower respiratory infections, gastrointestinal infections, gynecologic infec­ tions, sexually transmitted diseases, and some skin and soft tissue infections. Their ease of administration, favorable pharmacokinetic properties, excellent tolerability, and efficacy give them enormous potential for use and misuse alike. Quinolones have few common adverse effects, most notably nausea, headache and dizziness. Less frequent but more serious adverse events include prolongation of the corrected QT interval, phototoxicity, liver enzyme abnor­ malities, arthropathy, and cartilage and tendon abnormalities. While possess­ ing many of the favorable properties of intravenous agents, most fluoro­ quinolones offer the convenience of oral administration, thus contributing to decreased health-care costs through increased outpatient therapy and short­ ened hospital stays. With the recent introduction of agents such as gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin, the traditional Gram-negative coverage of fluoroquinolones has been expanded to include Gram-positive organisms, most importantly Streptococcus pneumoniae.

The following group of chapters cover the complex chemistry of the macro lactone structures, giving historic background, basic structure-activity relation ships of various derivatization strategies, and perspectives for future discovery of new semisynthetic macrolide antibiotics.

In this volume on valproate emphasis is placed on the scientific back ground leading to the discovery of val pro ate, its subsequent pharmacologi cal and toxicological characterization, and its clinical development into one of the most widely and successfully used anti epileptic drugs, a real mile stone in drug therapy.

This drug is a landmark discovery, which consequently has become the definitive therapy for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). Following the major breakthrough in the field of nitric oxide (NO)-physiology and pharmacology leading to sildenafil being marketed, the most current information is presented in this reference book, including ongoing research from several disparate groups about NO as endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) and also as a neurotransmitter for nerves innervating erectile tissue in mammals.The development of sildenafil as an oral phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitor drug for the treatment of ED resulted in one of the first products, which made its way successfully from basic NO research to routine clinical therapy.This volume addresses all fields of sildenafil application in both men and women. In a highly competitive research environment with a critical medical need for drug improvements the reader will learn more about clinical resistance to sildenafil treatment and the modalities to overcome the failure rates. The individual chapters cover clinical use, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, biochemistry, and cultural aspects. They are written by leading experts in their respective fields. Therefore, readers ¿ whether professionals in the pharmaceutical industry, physicians treating ED, biochemists, chemists or pharmacologists ¿ will find a detailed and up-to-date knowledge base about current research activities and an excellent overview for further research on this compound class and its cultural impact.

In addition anxiety is no longer considered to be a unique entity but rather an umbrella term for a series of specific anxiety disorders such as panic disorder without or with agoraphobia, generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), specific phobias, social phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

First, the antipsychotics had very little effect on the so-called negative or defect symptoms, like social isolation, apathy and anhedonia, and secondly virtually all antipsychotics produced a number of side-effects, of which the neurological (often called extra pyramidal) side-effects were the most troublesome.

Important clinical issues as the outcome of long term treatment with antidepressants, the time of onset of the antidepressant response and the limitations of the antidepressants currently available are covered in this monograph.

This book deals with statins which have substantially altered the approach to therapy of atherosclerosis and its sequelae. This book not only provides the reader with valuable information but also stimulates further research into the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and the mechanisms behind the action of effective statins.