How Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors cause increase in bradykinin

• Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) degrades bradykinin, not only converting angiotensin I to angiotensin II
• So, when ACE inhibitors present, bradykinin is not broken down
• There will be high level of bradykinin
• Causing side effect such as chronic dry cough

Diabetes type I (insulin dependent), beta-blockers and hypoglycemia

• Diabetes type I patients could not produce enough insulin due to destruction of beta-cells in Pancrease that produce insulin.
• These patients will get hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) if they do not take insulin.

• So, they will take insulin, to control the level of glucose.
• The level of glucose in the blood will decrease by doing that.

• Beta-blockers stimulate release of insulin from the remaining beta-cells.

• When these patients take beta-blockers and insulin at the same time, there will be over dose of insulin (own insulin + artificial insulin)
• Patient will get hypoglycemia (low blood glucose)

• Worse, beta-blockers ‘mask’ the hypoglycemic signs such as tremor and palpitation.
• The unlucky patient and the doctors wouldn’t notice that there is hypoglycemia going on.

• If left untreated, patient will die due to hypoglycemia.

Drugs to cure rheumatoid arthritis

These are some of the drug concepts scientists are using to find the cure for rheumatoid arthritis. I wish them all the best to find the cure!

TNF-alpha inhibitors
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha causes inflammation. By blocking the the protein, it will reduce and control the inflammation.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) inhibitor
This protein causes inflammation with TNF-alpha, though it isn't clear how.

Interleukin-15 (IL-15) inhibitor
This protein activates inflammatory processes in the lining that surrounds your joints (synovium). People with rheumatoid arthritis have high levels of IL-15

Drugs that stop B cells from causing inflammation
B cells cause joint inflammation in people with rheumatoid arthritis