Issues
Pharmacologists improve your quality of life
This issue of PharmAdvances features a variegated palette of pharmacological data and challenging issues. At the time of this writing, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is still ravaging the world and the lay public relies on pharmacologists to find a suitable treatment. Meanwhile, we must take advantage of vaccines. Drs. Pani and Corbellini provide food for thought and ask what can we learn from Darwin and what would have he thought of the vaccination campaign and our war against the virus (1). There is much we can learn from this often-neglected scientist, and we can apply his theories to our current armamentarium.
Chronic obstructive lung disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. We all know that inflammation is the root of most diseases, including cancer. Dr. Colarusso (who competes for the SIF award) elegantly elucidates the pathways shared by COPD and cancer, suggesting new avenues of research to tackle both pathologies by attacking their root(s) (2).
In addition to COPD, cardiovascular disease still plagues the western world. Our therapeutic approaches are getting better and better, and pharmacologists strictly collaborate with, e.g., hemodynamists to find the perfect match between a stent and the drug it elutes. The paper by Dr. Vizzi is a clear example of the way forward (3) and complements other papers on real-world pharmacology that have been featured in PharmAdvances, e.g. by Martini et al. (4). The success of cardiovascular therapy comes with inevitable side effects. As pharmacologists know very well, we need to find the optimal balance between efficacy and untoward effects. Dr. Guarnieri and colleagues use the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database to conclude that the number of valproic acid-associated adverse events, namely QT prolongation, is very low and unlikely to be directly attributable to this anticonvulsant (5).
To further highlight the heterogeneity of PharmAdvances, this issue features a paper by the group of Dr. Olivero, who is interested in studying pain, its causes, and its modulation by appropriate drugs (6). Unfortunately, we all know how pain (acute and/or chronic) affects quality of life, and pharmacologists are hard at work to find new solutions. Thanks to dedicated researchers worldwide, much progress has been made; yet, there is still much to be investigated and published. Along these lines, the recent “1st Joint Meeting on Natural Products Pharmacology SIF-SIPHAR-IMGNPP”, held in Naples (Italy) in February 2022 showcased much interesting research on the anti-nociceptive actions of some natural products and molecules, paving the way for future pharmacological applications. The IUPHAR Mediterranean Group of Natural Products Pharmacology (https://www.imgnpp.org/about-us) is a pertinent example of how pharmacologists should keep an open mind and thoroughly explore the many resources already available in the wild.
As readers can appreciate, pharmacology as a discipline is stronger than ever and PharmAdvances will continue to disseminate the exciting findings that come from high-quality laboratories around the world.
Executive Editor
Prof. Francesco Visioli
