Pharmacogenomics, CYP2D6, and Tamoxifen: A Survey of the Reasons Sustaining European Clinical Practice Paradigms.

Tamoxifen is a drug that is often used in the clinical management of breast cancer. CYP2D6 is a key metabolizing enzyme that is involved in the conversion of tamoxifen to its active drug metabolites. CYP2D6 has several alleles that metabolize tamoxifen and other drugs at different rates that can alter therapeutic impact, a characteristic that renders it one of the most studied enzymes in the field of pharmacogenetics. Background and objectives: Portugal has no implemented measures based on pharmacogenomics analysis prior to therapy that might function as a cultural sample control when analyzing the individual and economic factors present in clinical practice paradigms. Therefore, we aim to investigate the impact of CYP2D6 genotyping of the tamoxifen metabolizing enzymes in the clinical management of breast cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Qualitative/quantitative studies regarding the impact of pharmacogenomics in breast cancer; personal interviews in different Portuguese laboratories within hospital setting using a survey. Analysis of data through interviews to management board and/or decision makers from major oncological centers. Results: Reasons for common adoption of pharmacogenomics practice are contradictory and based both in economic factors and cultural/clinical bias. Conclusions: This research study identifies specific cultural and/or clinical bias that act as obstacles to pharmacogenomic implementation and proposes viable courses of action that might bring about change in cultural/medical habits.

Dermic diffusion and stratum corneum: a state of the art review of mathematical models.

Transdermal biotechnologies are an ever increasing field of interest, due to the medical and pharmaceutical applications that they underlie. There are several mathematical models at use that permit a more inclusive vision of pure experimental data and even allow practical extrapolation for new dermal diffusion methodologies. However, they grasp a complex variety of theories and assumptions that allocate their use for specific situations. Models based on Fick's First Law found better use in contexts where scaled particle theory Models would be extensive in time-span but the reciprocal is also true, as context of transdermal diffusion of particular active compounds changes. This article reviews extensively the various theoretical methodologies for studying dermic diffusion in the rate limiting dermic barrier, the stratum corneum, and systematizes its characteristics, their proper context of application, advantages and limitations, as well as future perspectives.