Aim
Improvement and harmonization of European clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (CPT) education is urgently required. Because digital educational resources can be easily shared, adapted to local situations and re‐used widely across a variety of educational systems, they may be ideally suited for this purpose.
Methods
With a cross‐sectional survey among principal CPT teachers in 279 out of 304 European medical schools, an overview and classification of digital resources was compiled.
Results
Teachers from 95 (34%) medical schools in 26 of 28 EU countries responded, 66 (70%) of whom used digital educational resources in their CPT curriculum. A total of 89 of such resources were described in detail, including e‐learning (24%), simulators to teach pharmacokinetics and/or pharmacodynamics (10%), virtual patients (8%), and serious games (5%). Together, these resources covered 235 knowledge‐based learning objectives, 88 skills, and 13 attitudes. Only one third (27) of the resources were in‐part or totally free and only two were licensed open educational resources (free to use, distribute and adapt). A narrative overview of the largest, free and most novel resources is given.
Conclusion
Digital educational resources, ranging from e‐learning to virtual patients and games, are widely used for CPT education in EU medical schools. Learning objectives are based largely on knowledge rather than skills or attitudes. This may be improved by including more real‐life clinical case scenarios. Moreover, the majority of resources are neither free nor open. Therefore, with a view to harmonizing international CPT education, more needs to be learned about why CPT teachers are not currently sharing their educational materials.
In this review are described the preclinical and clinical pharmacological data as well as new therapeutic indications for the use of 4-aminopyridine. 4-aminopyridine is a potassium (K+) channel blocker that has a long history and various application areas. It is a chemical agent developed in 1963 as a bird poison. The first approval for clinical application of 4-aminopyridine was in 70’s in Bulgaria, since anesthetists in that country have confirmed its effect as reversal agent for nondepolarizing myorelaxants. The Bulgarian pharmaceutical company Sopharma commersialized 4-aminopyridine under the trade name Pymadin. Since then 4-aminopyridine was extensively studied and in 2010 is approved in the USA for the treatment of walking disabilities in patients with multiple sclerosis. In recent years, data from clinical trials indicated that K-channel blockade may prove to be an appropriate strategy to overcome disturbances in nerve impulses conduction associated with demyelination of the central nervous system.
Background:
Although no effective treatment for the Alzheimer’s disease currently exist,
some drugs acting as Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, like galanthamine have positively affected such
patients. β- and/or γ-secretase inhibitors are another type of potential drugs. Here we report synthesis of
new peptide-galanthamine derivatives, with expected inhibitory activity against both Acetylcholinesterase
and β-secretase.
The aim of this work is obtaining new peptide derivatives of galanthamine with decreased
Objectives: toxicity compared to galanthamine.
Methods:
Syntheses were conducted in solution using fragment condensation approach. The new derivatives
were characterized by melting points, angle of optical rotation, NMR and Mass spectra. Acute toxicity
was determined on mice, according to a Standard protocol. All new compounds were tested in vitro
for cytotoxic activity in a panel of human (HEP-G2, BV-173) and murine (Neuro-2a) tumor cell lines
via a standard MTT-based colorimetric method.
Results:
New derivatives of galanthamine containing shortened analogues of β-secretase inhibitor (Boc-
Asn-Leu-Ala-Val-OH) and either nicotinic or isonicotinic residue, both connected with a linker (L-Asp)
to position 11 of galanthamine were obtained. In vivo toxicity of some new compounds was found up to
1000 mg/kg. Cell toxicity screening against the tumor cell lines showed negligible growth-inhibiting
properties of the galanthamine derivatives.
Conclusion:
Synthesis of new galanthamine derivatives comprising peptide moiety and nicotinic acid or
isonicotinic acid is reported. Acute toxicity studies reveal they are about 100 times less toxic than galanthamine.
This effect is due to the peptide fragment. Cytotoxicity studies show good correlation with
low toxicity results. These results are encouraging for the application of this class compounds as medicines.</P>
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