Editor's Preface: Antidepressants of the Future

1989 ◽  
Vol 155 (S6) ◽  
pp. 7-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.G. Priest

Existing antidepressants are unsatisfactory: they have limited efficacy, side-effects are a problem, and there is an appreciable degree of toxicity. However, nonpharmacological, psychological approaches to the treatment of depression also have their own drawbacks, so that the search for better antidepressant compounds continues.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Blakney

The global COVID-19 pandemic has brought tremendous momentum to the field of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. The advantages of this vaccine platform, such as rapid development and high efficacy, resulted in mRNA vaccines being the first approved vaccines against COVID-19. Looking forward to the development of future vaccines, how can we make RNA vaccines even better? While improvements in the stability of the formulation and cost of the vaccine are inevitable, one of the main challenges is lowering the dose of RNA in order to avoid side effects associated with high doses of RNA. One way to do this is by using self-amplifying RNA (saRNA), a type of mRNA that encodes a replicase that copies the original strand of RNA once it’s in the cell. Here, we discuss the origins of saRNA, how it works in comparison to mRNA, current challenges in the field and the future of saRNA vaccines.


Author(s):  
Daniel W. O’Connor ◽  
Christos Plakiotis ◽  
Peter Farnbach

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and deep brain stimulation (DBS) all entail the delivery of electrical impulses to the brain with the aim of relieving mental disorders. ECT is an effective treatment of depression, mania and catatonia and, to a lesser extent, of schizophrenia. Its side effects, principally cognitive impairment, are mitigated through the use of individually tailored, unilateral delivery. TMS is more convenient but of lesser effectiveness. DBS, while reversible and thus safer than lesional surgery, is a major undertaking that is reserved at present for profoundly disabling depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and Tourette’s syndrome.


1992 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 267-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melvin L. Elson

This article reviews all of the materials currently available for soft tissue augmentation as well as those that have recently been available and those undergoing current evaluation for possible use in the future. Techniques, side effects, and tips on the use of each of the substances are described, and the future of soft tissue augmentation is discussed.


Author(s):  
APOORVA HA ◽  
SEEMA MEHDI ◽  
KRISHNA KL ◽  
NABEEL K

Depression is a condition of no mood and loss of interest in any activity that can diminish a person’s thinking, conduct, tendencies, emotional state, and a sense of well-being. Although there is a conventional class of medication which have been beneficial in the treatment of depression, current studies have reported having side effects which can be minimized by the intervention of herbs and phytochemicals. Most of the studies have proven the various mechanisms and have started to research a very ground-breaking method by glancing the ancient treatmen. Where this new approach of using the herbs and phytochemicals has shown better results alone and in combination with conventional drugs which has shown lesser adverse effects. The practice of phytomedicine is an additional option for the treatment of depression. In the various segments of treating the depression, the mainstream can be a breakthrough including phytoconstituents. In this aspect, there are many contributions for the treatment of the depression acting to the neuronal level signaling and the phytoconstituents also have shown some basic mechanisms in the treatment of depression as that of the conventional medications following some primary hypothesis and signaling pathways and life interactions that effects the brain in either way to treat the depression in all sort of way. Clinical evidence is required to provide backing to the safety and effectiveness of herbs and phytochemicals alone or in combination with currently available drugs to overcome the reported side effects during the treatment of depression.


1975 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 251-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
J E Murphy

A double-blind controlled comparative clinical trial of Org GB 94 and imipramine was conducted in general practice. Fifty-five patients were treated with Org GB 94 (60 mg daily) and fifty-four with imipramine (150 mg daily). In the doses employed both agents were equally effective in relieving depression over a four week treatment period. Tolerance of the two agents was similar. Although no statistically significant differences emerged, with regard to both therapeutic effect and some side-effects a trend in favour of Org GB 94 was apparent.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dik-Lung Ma ◽  
Chun Wu ◽  
Sha-Sha Cheng ◽  
Fu-Wa Lee ◽  
Quan-Bin Han ◽  
...  

Platinum-based drugs have revolutionized cancer care, but are unfortunately associated with various adverse effects. Meanwhile, natural product scaffolds exhibit multifarious bioactivities and serve as an attractive resource for cancer therapy development. Thus, the conjugation of natural product scaffolds to metal complexes becomes an attractive strategy to reduce the severe side effects arising from the use of metal bearing drugs. This review aims to highlight the recent examples of natural product-conjugated metal complexes as cancer therapies with enhanced selectivity and efficacy. We discuss the mechanisms and features of different conjugate complexes and present an outlook and perspective for the future of this field.


1971 ◽  
Vol 118 (546) ◽  
pp. 523-524 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Y. Ekdawi

Dibenzepin hydrochloride is a new tricyclic antidepressant drug with pharmacological properties midway between those of imipramine and amitriptyline. In a double-blind comparative trial, J. M. Fielding (Med. J. Australia, 1969, 1, 614) found no significant difference in the speed of the effect of the two drugs in depressed patients. He reported that side-effects rated subjectively by patients were maximal before starting on the drugs and tended to decrease with time. The following trial was accordingly staged.


Vaccines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ezra Linley ◽  
Abigail Bell ◽  
Jenna F. Gritzfeld ◽  
Ray Borrow

Since the introduction of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, a number of studies have demonstrated the limited efficacy of the pneumococcal serotype 3 component of this vaccine. Evidence from seven countries (Denmark, France, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, UK, US) shows limited or no effectiveness of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine against serotype 3 invasive pneumococcal disease and carriage. The serotype 3 capsule has some unique characteristics that may serve to explain this lack of efficacy—capsular polysaccharide is abundantly expressed, leading to a greater thickness of capsule, and free capsular polysaccharide may be released during growth. The serotype 3 component of the Luminex multiplex assay demonstrates inferior inter-laboratory reproducibility than other components and results may not be reliable. This communication outlines this evidence and discusses whether it is necessary to include serotype 3 in the assay in the future.


Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (7) ◽  
pp. 1299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanira Matutino Bastos ◽  
Helena Mannochio Russo ◽  
Nilmar Silvio Moretti ◽  
Sergio Schenkman ◽  
Laurence Marcourt ◽  
...  

Benznidazole and nifurtimox, the only drugs available for the treatment of Chagas disease, have limited efficacy and have been associated with severe adverse side effects. Thus, there is an urgent need to find new biotargets for the identification of novel bioactive compounds against the parasite and with low toxicity. Silent information regulator 2 (Sir2) enzymes, or sirtuins, have emerged as attractive targets for the development of novel antitrypanosomatid agents. In the present work, we evaluated the inhibitory effect of natural compounds isolated from cashew nut (Anacardium occidentale, L. Anacardiaceae) against the target enzymes TcSir2rp1 and TcSir2rp3 as well as the parasite. Two derivates of cardol (1, 2), cardanol (3, 4), and anacardic acid (5, 6) were investigated. The two anacardic acids (5, 6) inhibited both TcSir2rp1 and TcSir2rp3, while the cardol compound (2) inhibited only TcSir2rp1. The most potent sirtuin inhibitor active against the parasite was the cardol compound (2), with an EC50 value of 12.25 µM, similar to that of benznidazole. Additionally, compounds (1, 4), which were inactive against the sirtuin targets, presented anti-T. cruzi effects. In conclusion, our results showed the potential of Anacardium occidentale compounds for the development of potential sirtuin inhibitors and anti-Trypanosoma cruzi agents.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 2178-2178
Author(s):  
G. Hajak

Agomelatine is a completely new approach to the treatment of depression thanks to its innovative mode of action. Acting as melatonergic agonist and 5-HT2C antagonist, it provides depressed patients with a distinctive antidepressant efficacy that perfectly suits patients’ needs and addresses all symptoms at each step of depression. Two years after the first launch in Europe, now is the time for an update from doctors and patients alike.The patient/doctor relation is key when initiating depression treatment, because patients are reluctant to start, fearing withdrawal symptoms, serious unwanted side effects, and “addiction”. It is important therefore that they understand that agomelatine has none of these effects.The benefits perceived by patients right from the first days of treatment are influential, because patients are reluctant to continue with classic antidepressants (delayed onset of perceived benefit, early side effects). The early improvement reported by patients on agomelatine supplements data on clinical benefits seen in clinical trials from the first week versus venlafaxine (CGI-I, rate of response, daytime alertness, feeling good) and after two weeks versus sertraline (twice as many HAM-D responders to agomelatine as to sertraline).Finally, patients are reluctant to maintain antidepressant treatment because of later side effects (weight gain, sexual dysfunction, emotional blunting). Patients on agomelatine confirm the absence of the classic side effects of antidepressants and are more likely to continue treatment than they are with other drugs. Both the antidepressant efficacy and the tolerability were confirmed in a large non-interventional study in a real-life setting in daily practice.


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