Background: Clinical development of antiepileptic drugs is demanding due to complex character of the disorder and to diversity of its forms and etiologies. Objective: The aim of this review was to suggest improvements in regulatory procedures for clinical development of antiepileptic drugs. Methods: The following databases of scientific articles were searched: MEDLINE, SCOPUS and SCINDEKS. In total 558 publications were retrieved. The types of articles selected were reviews, reports on clinical trials and letters to the Editor. Results: There are several changes of regulatory documents necessary for improving process of clinical development of antiepileptic drugs: preference of parallel groups design for add-on trials should be explicit; the non-inferiority design for monotherapy clinical trials should be acceptable; restrictive formulations when trials of antiepileptic drugs in children are in question should be avoided; requirements in regard to the efficacy measures should be harmonized among the regulatory bodies; proactive attitude towards discovery of adverse events; and precise requirements for clinical trials specifically designed to prove anti-epileptogenic effects should be made clear. Conclusion: Current regulatory documents are incomplete in many aspects; an international effort to improve and harmonize guidelines for clinical development of antiepileptic drugs is necessary for improvement of this process.

Aim : To gather and review data describing the epidemiology of schizophrenia and clinical guidelines for schizophrenia therapy in seven Central and Eastern European countries, with a focus on negative symptoms. Methods : A literature search was conducted which included publications from 1995 to 2012 that were indexed in key databases. Results : Reports of mean annual incidence of schizophrenia varied greatly, from 0.04 to 0.58 per 1,000 population. Lifetime prevalence varied from 0.4% to 1.4%. One study reported that at least one negative symptom was present in 57.6% of patients with schizophrenia and in 50–90% of individuals experiencing their first episode of schizophrenia. Primary negative symptoms were observed in 10–30% of patients. Mortality in patients with schizophrenia was greater than in the general population, with a standardized mortality ratio of 2.58–4.30. Reasons for higher risk of mortality in the schizophrenia population included increased suicide risk, effect of schizophrenia on lifestyle and environment, and presence of comorbidities. Clinical guidelines overall supported the use of second-generation antipsychotics in managing negative symptoms of schizophrenia, although improved therapeutic approaches are needed. Conclusion : Schizophrenia is one of the most common mental illnesses and poses a considerable burden on patients and healthcare resources alike. Negative symptoms are present in many patients and there is an unmet need to improve treatment offerings for negative symptoms beyond the use of second-generation antipsychotics and overall patient outcomes.

AIM The aim of this study was to evaluate the implant stability of Bredent Sky Blue implants of different diameters following one stage sinus lift procedure. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study included 9 male patients with an existing indication for unilateral or bilateral sinus lift procedure. As grafting materials, combination of allograft material MinerOss® cortical & cancellous and Ossceram nano were used. RESULTS All implants were considered successful and ISQ levels were measured by Osstell ISQ device. The ISQ values were from 68 to 84. The mean values of stability of Bredent Sky Blue implants of different diameters following one stage sinus lift procedure were 77.73 ± 2.93 (MD) and 77.98 ± 2.72 (VO).

The expression of the tumor suppressor p53 can influence the bioactivation of, and DNA damage induced by, the environmental carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene, indicating a role for p53 in its cytochrome P450 (CYP)‐mediated biotransformation. The carcinogen 2‐amino‐1‐methyl‐6‐phenylimidazo[4,5‐b]pyridine (PhIP), which is formed during the cooking of food, is also metabolically activated by CYP enzymes, particularly CYP1A2. We investigated the potential role of p53 in PhIP metabolism in vivo by treating Trp53(+/+), Trp53(+/−) and Trp53(−/−) mice with a single oral dose of 50 mg/kg body weight PhIP. N‐(Deoxyguanosin‐8‐yl)‐2‐amino‐1‐methyl‐6‐phenylimidazo[4,5‐b]pyridine (PhIP‐C8‐dG) levels in DNA, measured by liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry, were significantly lower in liver, colon, forestomach and glandular stomach of Trp53(−/−) mice compared to Trp53(+/+) mice. Lower PhIP‐DNA adduct levels in the livers of Trp53(−/−) mice correlated with lower Cyp1a2 enzyme activity (measured by methoxyresorufin‐O‐demethylase activity) in these animals. Interestingly, PhIP‐DNA adduct levels were significantly higher in kidney and bladder of Trp53(−/−) mice compared to Trp53(+/+) mice, which was accompanied by higher sulfotransferase (Sult) 1a1 protein levels and increased Sult1a1 enzyme activity (measured by 2‐naphthylsulfate formation from 2‐naphthol) in kidneys of these animals. Our study demonstrates a role for p53 in the metabolism of PhIP in vivo, extending previous results on a novel role for p53 in xenobiotic metabolism. Our results also indicate that the impact of p53 on PhIP biotransformation is tissue‐dependent and that in addition to Cyp1a enzymes, Sult1a1 can contribute to PhIP‐DNA adduct formation.

Although thermoplastic materials are mostly derived from petro-chemicals, it would be highly desirable, from a sustainability perspective, to produce them instead from renewable biopolymers. Unfortunately, biopolymers exhibiting thermoplastic behaviour and which preserve their mechanical properties post processing are essentially non-existent. The robust sucker ring teeth (SRT) from squid and cuttlefish are one notable exception of thermoplastic biopolymers. Here we describe thermoplastic processing of squid SRT via hot extrusion of fibres, demonstrating the potential suitability of these materials for large-scale thermal forming. Using high-resolution in situ X-ray diffraction and vibrational spectroscopy, we elucidate the molecular and nanoscale features responsible for this behaviour and show that SRT consist of semi-crystalline polymers, whereby heat-resistant, nanocrystalline β-sheets embedded within an amorphous matrix are organized into a hexagonally packed nanofibrillar lattice. This study provides key insights for the molecular design of biomimetic protein- and peptide-based thermoplastic structural biopolymers with potential biomedical and 3D printing applications. Sucker ring teeth from squid and cuttlefish represent rare examples of thermoplastic biopolymers. Here, the authors demonstrate how these materials may be processed for implementation in biomedical and 3D printing applications.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most commonly used drugs worldwide. NSAIDs are used for a variety of conditions including pain, rheumatoid arthritis, and musculoskeletal disorders. The beneficial effects of NSAIDs in reducing or relieving pain are well established, and other benefits such as reducing inflammation and anticancer effects are also documented. The undesirable side effects of NSAIDs include ulcers, internal bleeding, kidney failure, and increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Some of these side effects may be due to the oxidative stress induced by NSAIDs in different tissues. NSAIDs have been shown to induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) in different cell types including cardiac and cardiovascular related cells. Increases in ROS result in increased levels of oxidized proteins which alters key intracellular signaling pathways. One of these key pathways is apoptosis which causes cell death when significantly activated. This review discusses the relationship between NSAIDs and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and the role of NSAID-induced ROS in CVD.

The global spreading of multidrug resistance has motivated the search for new antibiotic classes including different types of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Computational methods for predicting activity in terms of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of AMPs can facilitate "in silico" design and reduce the cost of synthesis and testing. We have used an original method for separating training and test data sets, both of which contain the sequences and measured MIC values of non-homologous anuran peptides having the Rana-box disulfide motif at their C-terminus. Using a more flexible profiling methodology (sideways asymmetry moment, SAM) than the standard hydrophobic moment, we have developed a two-descriptor model to predict the bacteriostatic activity of Rana-box peptides against Gram-negative bacteria--the first multilinear quantitative structure-activity relationship model capable of predicting MIC values for AMPs of widely different lengths and low identity using such a small number of descriptors. Maximal values for SAMs, as defined and calculated in our method, furthermore offer new structural insight into how different segments of a peptide contribute to its bacteriostatic activity, and this work lays the foundations for the design of active artificial AMPs with this type of disulfide bridge.

Work Group 1 (WG1) of COST Action TU1404 entitled “Testing of cement based materials” deals with determination of different properties of early age and hardened cement based materials with the following main objectives: (1) to recommend new advanced standard techniques which have been developed during the last years to become standard in the (near) future, (2) to test the ability of using different waste, recycled, and by-products as raw materials to design sustainable concrete mixture, and (3) to prepare a database of concrete mixtures which could serve designers and engineers to better predict lifespan, durability, and serviceability of concrete mixtures and structures. The paper describes organization and strategic view of WG1, presents its main objectives and gives important details about Round Robin Test, as a main tool that will be employed within WG1.