Amyloid-β Peptide: Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?

Tamoxifen: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?

Without regard to patient selection, other than the eligibility requirements for entry into the studies, worldwide overviews of prospective clinical trials demonstrate that adjuvant tamoxifen reduces the annual odds of death for women with invasive breast cancer by approximately 15% over 10–15 years (1). These data raise the provocative question: Should all patients with invasive breast cancer ...

Activity cliffs in drug discovery: Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde?

The impact activity cliffs have on drug discovery is double-edged. For instance, whereas medicinal chemists can take advantage of regions in chemical space rich in activity cliffs, QSAR practitioners need to escape from such regions. The influence of activity cliffs in medicinal chemistry applications is extensively documented. However, the 'dark side' of activity cliffs (i.e. their detrimental...

Iron in erythropoietic protoporphyrias: Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?

Erythropoietic protoporphyria consists of two different genetic diseases, erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) and X-linked erythropoietic protoporphyria (XLEPP). Both of them are often accompanied by iron deficiency. Iron supplementation appears to be beneficial in XLEPP, although the clinical experience until to date is limited. In EPP, iron supplementation is discussed ambiguously and may cau...

Scientists and animal research: Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?

Factor V: a combination of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

The desirable process of hemostasis and the undesirable phenomena of thromboses are unequivocally consequences of the generation of thrombin by the prothrombinase complex. This stoichiometric complex of factor Xa and factor Va assembled on a platelet membrane converts membrane-bound prothrombin into its active products by 2 sequential peptide-bond cleavages. The functionality and durability of ...