Anti-cholesterol drugs may damage cellular power station

Certain cholesterol-reducing drugs appear to damage mitochondria, the tiny power stations inside living cells.

Aches and cramps

When the researchers tested various statins, which are widely prescribed for lowering cholesterol levels in the blood by inhibiting a key enzyme involved in cholesterol synthesis, they found that three of them - fluvastatin, lovastatin and simvastatin - were toxic towards mitochondria. 'Patients have reported muscle aches and cramps as a side effect of some statins and this could be one reason,' Mootha told Chemistry World. 'This clinical hypothesis could have huge implications worldwide.' 

Tags: mitochondria, fluvastatin, lovastatin, simvastatin

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Blue Gene: Omega-3 fatty acids and cholesterol

Blue Gene: Omega-3 fatty acids and cholesterol

Omega-3 Fatty acids and cholesterol
Omega-3 fatty acids and cholesterol are as important to diet and health as they are for understanding disease. They play essential roles in many of the most critical processes in biology. To better enable studies of how membrane proteins are affected by the membrane environment, the Blue Gene science team investigated a mixture of cholesterol and omega-3 fatty acids via atomic-level simulation with Blue Matter. These studies could provide new insights into understanding why cholesterol has a stiffening effect on cell membranes.

http://domino.watson.ibm.com/comm/pr.nsf/pages/rscd.bluegene-picac.html/$FILE/omega.jpg

The "Plavix Rebound" Phenomenon

 

In monitoring 3137 patients who received Plavix after being treated for ACS, the authors of this new study say that the patients' chance of having a heart attack or dying was nearly twice as high during the 90 days after Plavix was stopped, than it was after this 90-day interval. They speculate that perhaps tapering Plavix instead of stopping it abruptly, or perhaps increasing the dose of aspirin during the first 90 days after stopping Plavix, may help to reduce this rebound effect - but of course, more studies will need to be done to see whether either of these strategies are effective

The "Plavix Rebound" Phenomenon

Technorati Tags: Plavix,Heart Disease