What Is Thalidomide?

When cancer forms, your body has ways of trying to stop it from further developing. The four regulators are known as proto-oncogenes (which when mutated are known as oncogenes), tumor suppressor genes, apoptosis, and telomerase genes. When there is a mutation in each of the genes, cancer can develop. Once cancer develops it continues to grow and divide and turn into a tumor. For a tumor to develop it essentially needs something supplying it with blood and nutrients so that it can continue to grow. One player in the game of supplying the tumor with blood is a protein kinase known as Protein kinase C. A protein kinase is simply a molecule that regulates numerous cellular responses including gene expression, protein secretion, cell proliferation, and the inflammatory response. According to researchers at Harvard University, EBC-46 has the ability to target protein kinase C and inhibit it, which in turn causes the tumor to die because it is no longer has the ability to synthesize proteins it needs to survive. According to the Queensland Institute, the inhibition of  protein kinase C helps destroy the blood vessels that supply the tumor with the oxygen and the nutrients it would need for survival. Pretty exciting stuff

A little white pill, sold as an over-the-counter drug, lined the shelves of pharmacies across the globe. Originating from the German drug company, Chemie Grütinethal, this pill was advertised to a highly receptive international market and was a success in 1959. Several years later, physicians began to form a link between phocomelia, a birth deformity, and pregnant woman who ingested the German-created drug. That little white pill is known as Thalidomide. Staying in the market for almost six years, Thalidomide changed the lives of mothers and their newborns for the worse making it one of the largest pharmaceutical failures in the course of mankind. Although the horrific effects of distributing Thalidomide in the late 1950s is historically

In the early 1950s, scientists at Chemie Grunenthal GmbH, a German pharmaceutical company developed a drug called Thalidomide. The drug was developed to treat respiratory infections and influenza however after getting minimal results they then decided to market the drug as a sleep aid and to treat morning sickness. Due to improper testing Thalidomide was released on the market and caused countless still births, miscarriages and tens of thousands of babies to be born with birth defects. (Lenz, 1988) This became the start of one of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical disasters. This essay will explore the history of Thalidomide and the effects it had on the human race. Through this I will show how bad science can be detrimental to society and

Moving on from the children; adults, age 20 to 59 years of age, are mainly prescribed antidepressants (Carr, Rabkin, and Skinner 32). The drugs often prescribed with this diagnosis are: Prozac, Celexa and several others; each of these comes with severe side effects. The side effects include suicidal thoughts, sexual dysfunction and headaches; generally these medications are a lifetime prescription (Carr, Rabkin, and Skinner 32). Despite the fact regular exercise and talk therapy with various forms of meditation are known to be effective, prescribing a pill seems to be the common approach. Attempting to treat the problem is superseded by treating the symptom.

Thalidomide, heralded as a wonder drug when it was first released into the market, was meant to alleviate morning sickness, lessen the effects of tumours in cancer patients and ease treatment of Leprosy and HIV/AIDS. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

Humans share approximately 99 percent of DNA with apes and gorillas and the numbers drop to 90% when it comes to mice and dogs. (Garrett-Hatfield, n.d.) The unshared percentage is may look insignificant, yet accounts for the dissimilar between humans and animals. The small portion that’s not shared can be a life and death situation. According to Michael Leavitt currently, nine out of ten experimental drugs fail in clinical studies because we cannot accurately predict how they will behave in people based on laboratory and animal studies

Most ITP reports in literature show that it’s more common in women than in men (12 ) ; our results are in accordance with the available literature ; in fact , the absolute majority of our patients are women with a sex ratio of 0,38

negative staphylococci, Corynebacterium species, or Bacillus species were detected or in which culture yielded no growth (noted for 14 patients) were grouped together under the category “no clinically significant organism detected”; this category was noted for 47 patients (35%). Surprisingly, we identified 1 strain of methicillin-resistant S. aureus in this remote hospital. In addition, 18% of all gram-negative path- ogens produced extended-spectrum b-lactamase (ESBL). Three Enterococcus isolates were resistant to vancomycin.(Fehr et al., 2014)

Cetuximab is a recombinant human and mouse monoclonal antibody that has the ability to inhibit EGFR and its mutational expression by interfering with ligand binding and targeting the receptor for internalization and degradation. Administration of this antibody systemically showed a reduction in cellular proliferation in several different cancer models and proved to be well tolerated when administered intravenously to patients with GBM that is reoccurring.

Tramadol hydrochloride, an atypical synthetic opioid member of the aminocyclohexanol group, is a centrally acting analgesic compound that was initially synthesized in 1962 by Grünenthal Company and marketed in Germen since 1977 [1-3] and has been launched in Egypt since 1995 [4].

M.L. was prescribed Prelone (Prednisolone) to treat the cellulitis noted on the right side of his face. Prednisolone is a steroid that inhibits the release of substances in the body that result in inflammation. The mechanism of action acts by altering the body's immune reaction to several disorders and reducing inflammation. Prednisolone is used to treat various conditions such as allergic disorders, arthritis, breathing disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, lupus, psoriasis, and skin conditions. Prelone (Prednisolone) acts by the reducing inflammation by suppression of migration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and reversal of increased capillary permeability. It suppresses the immune system by decreasing activity and volume of the lymphatic

Thalidomide was first introduced by German pharmaceutical company Chemie Grünenthal in late 1950s, and was marketed as a sedative and a treatment for morning sickness in pregnancy. It soon became very popular among pregnant women, but only until they started noticing its disturbing side effect. In 1962, it was discovered that the thalidomide taken during the first trimester of pregnancy caused the reduction deformities of the limbs of fetus as well as visceral, facial, spinal, and other birth defects (Sherman, M., & Strauss, S., 1986). Germany and some other countries immediately withdrew the drug, but the damage was already done. More than 10,000 babies were born with or died from severe deformities (Emanuel, Rawlins, Duff, &

A diuretic is a drug which increases the urine by intrupting the carriage of salt and water across certain cells in the kidneys. Thiazide diuretics are a common treatment for high blood pressure.In heart failure condition,Thiazide Diuretics used to clear excessive fluid from the body. (Tortora & Derrickson 2009,p.1025).

Methotrexate is a phase-specific substance the main action of which is directed to the S-phase of cell mitosis. It acts generally most effectively on actively increasing tissues, such as malignant cells, bone marrow, foetal cells, oral and intestinal mucosa as well as urinary bladder cells. As the production of malignant cells is higher than that of most normal cells, methotrexate can slow down the production of malignant cells without causing, however, irreversible damage to normal tissue.

Memantine is well absorbed orally with approximately 100% bioavailability. [1] It can be administered as an oral tablet or an oral liquid taken once daily. [2] Its peak plasma concentrations are reached after around 3 to 7 hours. Food has no effect on the absorption of the drug. The volume of distribution of this drug is 9 to 11 L/kg with a protein binding value of 45%. [1] The side effects of Memantine include pain, leg pain, fever and an increased appetite. Less common side effects include: vomiting, anxiety, hypertonia and cystitis. Some adverse reactions may include the following: dizziness, confusion, headache and tiredness.