(2012). Targeting RhoA/ROCK pathway in pulmonary arterial hypertension. Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets: Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 355-363. doi: 10.1517/14728222.2012.671811

Herd immunity is necessary to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, a low proportion of vaccinated people and low levels of vaccine acceptance have been noted in Eastern Europe. Our paper aimed to review the central attitudes associated with the hesitancy toward COVID-19 vaccination specific to Eastern European countries. The main Eastern European determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance identified from the included studies are: public confidence in the vaccines’ safety and efficacy, vaccine literacy, and public trust in the government and the medical system. Each of these determinants is discussed along with possible improvement measures. Variables specific to Eastern Europe that predict the willingness to vaccinate have also been highlighted. The specific attitudes and their context as identified by our review should be incorporated into local public health programs, with the ultimate goal of reducing viral spreading, mutation emergence, and COVID-19 morbidity and mortality both within the borders of Eastern Europe and beyond.

Introduction: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) encompasses a rare potentially lethal group of diseases characterized by vasoconstriction, in situ thrombosis and vascular remodeling. Most of the existing therapies including endothelin receptor antagonists, prostacyclin and derivatives, or phsophodiesterase-5 inhibitors tackle mainly the endothelial dysfunction, leaving the remodeling suboptimally inhibited. This explains the disease progression that occurs even with combined therapies and the need for other therapies able to adequately inhibit the vascular remodeling. Areas covered: Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signaling pathway was demonstrated to be involved in the vascular remodeling in PAH, and therefore, it might be a desirable therapeutic target in this setting. This review discusses the pathogenic role of this pathway in PAH and its potential inhibitory approaches, focusing on imatinib as well as on the existing preclinical data on this compound. Expert opinion: Preclinical studies demonstrated that PDGF inhibition with receptor antagonists such as imatinib reduces vascular remodeling. Therefore, PDGF might represent a plausible therapeutic target in this disease. However, compounds able to block this pathway via different mechanisms might also become potential PAH therapies.

(2012). Inhaled colistin for lower respiratory tract infections. Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery: Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 333-342. doi: 10.1517/17425247.2012.660480

Fatigue is a symptom commonly diagnosed in cancers and in many other chronic debilitating diseases and is one of the main therapeutic targets for various pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions. However, in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), this symptom, which can be considered as the main extrapulmonary clinical feature of the disease, can impact significantly on the health-related quality of life of the patients. The aims of this review are to discuss the issues related to fatigue assessment in COPD and to highlight the importance of this symptom in this setting based on the data retrieved from articles published between 1987 through August 2014 available on MEDLINE database. Fatigue can be measured by various scales or questionnaires that are designed for generic purposes or for COPD-related purposes but is still underdiagnosed and undertreated. This is due to the fact that its clinical and prognostic relevance are not appropriately acknowledged. The early identification of fatigue clinical descriptors from patients’ reports could help with better management of this symptom.

(2010). Targeting the TNF-α pathway in sarcoidosis. Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets: Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 21-29. doi: 10.1517/14728220903449244