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Tightening tobacco legislation
400
News & Comment
TRENDS in Pharmacological Sciences Vol.22 No.8 August 2001
In Brief
Crucial copper transporter
Good news for sick Kenyans
A copper transporter, previously characterized in yeast and which enables the movement of copper into the cell, has been shown to be essential for normal embryonic development in the mouse. Published in the June 5 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Lee and co-authors found for the first time that the mammalian Ctr1 protein also functions to transport copper – a micronutrient necessary for many biochemical reactions – inside the cell; notably, the researchers also discovered that knockout mice lacking both copies of the gene encoding the Ctr1 copper transporter died within 12 days after fertilization. Because the structure and function of Ctr1 is well conserved in flies, mice and humans, it is highly probable that this copper transporter also plays a crucial role in human embryonic development. [Lee, J. et al. (2001) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 98, 6842–6847] DC
Tightening tobacco legislation Following continued pressure by the World Health Organization, new legislation by the European Parliament will allow governments to tighten the regulations that control the manufacture and marketing of tobacco products. To be implemented over the next 2–3 years, the law will ban the use of misleading descriptive terms such as ‘mild’ or ‘light’, will require tobacco companies to disclose the exact content of their cigarettes (including potentially toxic additives) and will allow governments to force manufacturers to display pictures of diseased lungs and hearts on cigarette packages. Moreover, from January 2004 there will be new limits on the amount of harmful ingredients permitted in tobacco, including maximum levels of nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide. It is hoped that such measures will increase public awareness of the harmful effects of smoking and take steps to further regulate the companies that produce such an addictive substance. DC http://tips.trends.com
Following in the wake of South Africa, Kenya has just passed laws allowing it to use cheap generic drugs. A group of 39 pharmaceutical companies abandoned their court case to block a similar bill in South Africa, following international pressure. The Kenyan vote came as the big pharmaceutical companies announced further cuts in the cost of patented AIDS drugs for sale in poorer countries. GlaxoSmithKline offered reduced price HIV and malaria drugs to 63 developing countries, including all of subSaharan Africa. Pfizer is making a drug that is used to treat common infections arising in AIDS patients freely available to 50 countries. Tiered pricing policies are thought to be a way to retain patents on drugs while increasing availability, so perhaps the drug companies will win out in the end. KP
Microbots in the body
A group of micromachine experts has moved into the area of pharmacology by developing tiny spinning screws that swim along veins to diseased tissue, transporting drugs or burrowing in to cause physical damage. The Ishiyama group at Tohoku University, Japan started with tiny magnets, experimenting with chunks of beef steak. They propose that the tiny devices be injected into the body and steered through veins magnetically. They could even be heated up to cause maximum damage. KP
Feeling forgetful? Learning and memory might be a consequence of the activity of Ca2+- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and glutamate receptors. The simplest model requires activation of CaMKII by Ca2+ influx via NMDA receptors, which increases the conductance of AMPA receptors. The Schulman group, publishing
in the June 14 issue of Nature, report additional CaMKII and NMDA receptor interactions that potentially downregulate NMDA activity. Now, we just have to learn what all this means for our memory. [Bayer, K-U. (2001) Nature 411, 801–805] KP
Gene display
If you are in New York between now and 1 January 2002, a possible stop is the American Museum of Natural History. Their special exhibit ‘The Genomic Revolution’ provides a layperson’s guide to this exciting area – perhaps an opportunity for family and friends to learn what you really do and why it’s so special. Some exhibits are interactive, allowing you to isolate and sequence your DNA. You can also bring out your artistic side, with Camille Utterbacks real-time video interactive. For those of you outside New York, the website itself is fun, so click onto http://www.amnh.org/ exhibitions/genomics. KP
Acupuncture and opioids Although the concept of ‘alternative medicine’ still generally resides on the outskirts of modern therapeutic practices in the Western world, new research has taken some steps towards providing a scientific explanation for such enigmatic treatments as acupuncture. Reporting in the June issue of Autonomic Neuroscience, Li and colleagues have shown how a common electroacupuncture technique used to control high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms and ischaemic heart conditions might achieve its beneficial effects through actions at central delta and mu opioid peptide receptors. Using a cat model, the researchers found that acupuncture activated these receptors in the rostral ventrolateral medulla of the
0165-6147/01/$ – see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
News & Comment
TRENDS in Pharmacological Sciences Vol.22 No.8 August 2001
In Brief
Crucial copper transporter
Good news for sick Kenyans
A copper transporter, previously characterized in yeast and which enables the movement of copper into the cell, has been shown to be essential for normal embryonic development in the mouse. Published in the June 5 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Lee and co-authors found for the first time that the mammalian Ctr1 protein also functions to transport copper – a micronutrient necessary for many biochemical reactions – inside the cell; notably, the researchers also discovered that knockout mice lacking both copies of the gene encoding the Ctr1 copper transporter died within 12 days after fertilization. Because the structure and function of Ctr1 is well conserved in flies, mice and humans, it is highly probable that this copper transporter also plays a crucial role in human embryonic development. [Lee, J. et al. (2001) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 98, 6842–6847] DC
Tightening tobacco legislation Following continued pressure by the World Health Organization, new legislation by the European Parliament will allow governments to tighten the regulations that control the manufacture and marketing of tobacco products. To be implemented over the next 2–3 years, the law will ban the use of misleading descriptive terms such as ‘mild’ or ‘light’, will require tobacco companies to disclose the exact content of their cigarettes (including potentially toxic additives) and will allow governments to force manufacturers to display pictures of diseased lungs and hearts on cigarette packages. Moreover, from January 2004 there will be new limits on the amount of harmful ingredients permitted in tobacco, including maximum levels of nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide. It is hoped that such measures will increase public awareness of the harmful effects of smoking and take steps to further regulate the companies that produce such an addictive substance. DC http://tips.trends.com
Following in the wake of South Africa, Kenya has just passed laws allowing it to use cheap generic drugs. A group of 39 pharmaceutical companies abandoned their court case to block a similar bill in South Africa, following international pressure. The Kenyan vote came as the big pharmaceutical companies announced further cuts in the cost of patented AIDS drugs for sale in poorer countries. GlaxoSmithKline offered reduced price HIV and malaria drugs to 63 developing countries, including all of subSaharan Africa. Pfizer is making a drug that is used to treat common infections arising in AIDS patients freely available to 50 countries. Tiered pricing policies are thought to be a way to retain patents on drugs while increasing availability, so perhaps the drug companies will win out in the end. KP
Microbots in the body
A group of micromachine experts has moved into the area of pharmacology by developing tiny spinning screws that swim along veins to diseased tissue, transporting drugs or burrowing in to cause physical damage. The Ishiyama group at Tohoku University, Japan started with tiny magnets, experimenting with chunks of beef steak. They propose that the tiny devices be injected into the body and steered through veins magnetically. They could even be heated up to cause maximum damage. KP
Feeling forgetful? Learning and memory might be a consequence of the activity of Ca2+- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and glutamate receptors. The simplest model requires activation of CaMKII by Ca2+ influx via NMDA receptors, which increases the conductance of AMPA receptors. The Schulman group, publishing
in the June 14 issue of Nature, report additional CaMKII and NMDA receptor interactions that potentially downregulate NMDA activity. Now, we just have to learn what all this means for our memory. [Bayer, K-U. (2001) Nature 411, 801–805] KP
Gene display
If you are in New York between now and 1 January 2002, a possible stop is the American Museum of Natural History. Their special exhibit ‘The Genomic Revolution’ provides a layperson’s guide to this exciting area – perhaps an opportunity for family and friends to learn what you really do and why it’s so special. Some exhibits are interactive, allowing you to isolate and sequence your DNA. You can also bring out your artistic side, with Camille Utterbacks real-time video interactive. For those of you outside New York, the website itself is fun, so click onto http://www.amnh.org/ exhibitions/genomics. KP
Acupuncture and opioids Although the concept of ‘alternative medicine’ still generally resides on the outskirts of modern therapeutic practices in the Western world, new research has taken some steps towards providing a scientific explanation for such enigmatic treatments as acupuncture. Reporting in the June issue of Autonomic Neuroscience, Li and colleagues have shown how a common electroacupuncture technique used to control high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms and ischaemic heart conditions might achieve its beneficial effects through actions at central delta and mu opioid peptide receptors. Using a cat model, the researchers found that acupuncture activated these receptors in the rostral ventrolateral medulla of the
0165-6147/01/$ – see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.