Journal ArticleDOI
The General Immunopharmacology of Levamisole
TLDR
The clinical implications resulting from the immunopharmacological properties of levamisole are obvious; one should avoid its use in diseases without known association with an immune defect, and always attempt to correlate clinical data with modifications of immune parameters.Abstract:
The need for treatments to correct an immunological defect, or to restore an impaired immune response asociated with disease or ageing, has led to the development of nonspecific immunoactive agents. Levamisole, a synthetic low molecular weight compound, is the first member of a new class of drugs which can increase the functions of cellular immunity in normal, healthy laboratory animals. The properties of levamisole have contributed to improved understanding of the molecular events which mediate or trigger immune responses. Levamisole can act either as an immunostimulant agent or an immunosuppressive agent. These apparently paradoxical effects depend upon the dose administered, the timing of its administration, the experimental assay used to measure effects, and the host genetic background. Levamisole's potential for opposite effects explains certain apparent inconsistencies observed in experimental or clinical assays. The drug's actions are modulated by the interaction between the T-cell recruiting efficacy of the sulphur moiety and the cholinergic effects of the imidazole ring. The clinical implications resulting from the immunopharmacological properties of levamisole are obvious: one should avoid its use in diseases without known association with an immune defect, and always attempt to correlate clinical data with modifications of immune parameters, since the therapeutic usefulness of correctly administered levamisole parallels improvement in tests of cellular immunity. Immunomodulators act by modifying the functions of the host cells involved in defences against invaders, and the effectiveness of an immunotherapeutic drug is dependent upon characteristics of the individual host. Thus, therapy with such drugs must be individualised; the appropriate agent and dosage should be chosen according to the immune capabilities of individual patients.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Levamisole and Fluorouracil for Adjuvant Therapy of Resected Colon Carcinoma
Charles G. Moertel,Fleming Tr,Macdonald Js,Daniel G. Haller,John A. Laurie,Phyllis J. Goodman,James S. Ungerleider,W A Emerson,Douglass C. Tormey,John H. Glick +9 more
TL;DR: Adjuvant therapy with levamisole and fluorouracil should be standard treatment for Stage C colon carcinoma, and this approach should be readily adaptable to conventional medical practice.
Journal ArticleDOI
Potential Interventions for Novel Coronavirus in China: A Systematic Review
Lei Zhang,Yunhui Liu +1 more
TL;DR: It is suggested that all the potential interventions be implemented to control the emerging COVID‐19 if the infection is uncontrollable and the current children's RNA‐virus vaccines including influenza vaccine should be immunized for uninfected people and health care workers.
Journal ArticleDOI
Surgical adjuvant therapy of large-bowel carcinoma: an evaluation of levamisole and the combination of levamisole and fluorouracil. The North Central Cancer Treatment Group and the Mayo Clinic.
John A. Laurie,Charles G. Moertel,Thomas R. Fleming,Harry S. Wieand,J E Leigh,Joseph Rubin,Greg W. McCormack,James B. Gerstner,James E. Krook,J Malliard +9 more
TL;DR: Whereas both treatment regimens were associated with overall improvements in survival, these improvements reached borderline significance only for stage C patients treated with levamisole plus 5-FU (P = .03).
Journal ArticleDOI
A Review of the Evolution of Systemic Chemotherapy in the Management of Colorectal Cancer
Bengt Gustavsson,Göran Carlsson,David MacHover,Nicholas J. Petrelli,Arnaud Roth,Hans J. Schmoll,Kjell Magne Tveit,Fernando Gibson +7 more
TL;DR: Despite the ongoing development of novel antitumor agents and therapeutic principles as the authors enter the era of personalized cancer medicine, systemic chemotherapy involving infusional 5-FU/leucovorin continues to be the cornerstone of treatment for patients with CRC.
Journal ArticleDOI
Upregulation of alkaline phosphatase and pyrophosphate hydrolysis: Potential mechanism for uremic vascular calcification
TL;DR: The results suggest that a circulating factor causes pyrophosphate deficiency by regulating TNAP activity and that vascular calcification in renal failure may result from the action of this factor.
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