Treatment for tumor patients with synthetic drugs – chemotherapeutics – that may be of completely different chemical structure.

The main goal of tumor chemotherapy is to achieve a selective toxicity for the tumor without causing damage to the host, for instance by combining several cytostatic drugs at doses lower than required for monotherapy.

The chemoreceptor trigger zone (CTZ) is a group of neurons in the area postrema of the medulla. Once stimulated, it activates the vomiting center, which is also located in the medulla, thereby causing emesis.

• The CTZ is sensitive to a variety of chemical stimuli.
• Syrup of ipecac (synonym ipecacuanha) and apomorphine are direct stimulators of the CTZ.
• Clinically they are used to provoke emesis after oral ingestion of a poison.
• The CTZ is also stimulated by other drugs, e.g. cardiac glycosides, morphine (opioid system) and antineoplastic agents.

Hypertensive reaction resulting fromrelease of noradrenaline by tyramine and other sympathomimetic amine as a consequence of irreversible inhibition of MAO-A.

Caveolae are invaginations of the plasma membrane. They contain the protein caveolin and are rich in certain phospholipids. Similar to coated pits, they bud off internally forming endocytic vesicles. Caveolae play an important role in the internalization of certain cell surface receptors.

Causalgia is burning pain evoked by the activation of sympathetic efferent fibres. The likely mechanism underlying this syndrome involves ectopic expression of α-adrenoceptors on nociceptive afferents following peripheral injury or disease.

Cathepsins are intracellular proteinases that reside within lysosomes or specific intracellular granules. Cathepsins are used to degrade proteins or peptides that are internalised from the extracellular space. Some cathepsins such as cathepsin-Gor cathepsin-Kmay be released from the cell to degrade specific extracellular matrix proteins. All cathepsins except cathepsin-G (serine) and cathepsin-D (aspartyl) are cysteine proteinases.

An episodic sudden loss of postural muscle tone and function, ranging from slight weakness to complete body collapse, due to imbalanced descending monoaminergic and cholinergic modulation of motorneurons.

In human narcolepsy it is, typically triggered by emotionally arousing, appetitive or pleasurable stimuli, such as joy and laughter, or food presentation in animals.

A capsid is a proteinaceous shell encasing the viral genome. Viral capsids are polymeric, ordered structures composed of one or more virus encoded subunits.

Capsaicin, also known as N-Vanillyl-8-methyl-6-(E)- noneamide, is the most pungent of the group of compounds called capsaicinoids: It is a common ingredient in varieties of pepper such as habanero, Thai, tabasco, cayenne etc.

One target with which capsaicin interacts is the capsaicin receptor, an ion channel belonging to the superfamily of TRP channels. Because of the structural relation to other TRP channels and because the vanilloid moiety is an essential component of capsaicin, the capsaicin receptor is also called TRPV1 or vanilloid receptor (VR1). It is involved in heat and pain perception.

Small ubiquitous calcium-binding protein. Calmodulin binds and regulates the activity of many protein targets involved in cellular signal transduction pathways mediated by calcium. Calmodulin is ranked among the most conserved proteins and plays a key role in many cellular processes.