scholarly journals Construction of a novel microfluidic experimental setup for testing recent glaucoma drainage devices

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 219-222
Author(s):  
Emre Kara ◽  
Ahmet İhsan Kutlar ◽  
Kıvanç Güngör
Keyword(s):  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
Control Unit ◽  
Pressure Control ◽  
World Health ◽  
Experimental Setup ◽  
Great Effort ◽  
Glaucoma Drainage Devices

AbstractGlaucoma is an eye disorder in which the optic nerve is damaged over time due to a sustained elevation of the intraocular pressure (IOP). Being the second leading cause of blindness according to the reports of the World Health Organization, glaucoma is not only a serious ocular disease that threatens individuals, but also a community health problem. In recent years, great improvement has been achieved in the technology of implants used in the treatment of the disease. Despite the great effort dedicated to the design and implementation of the glaucoma drainage devices (GDD), they still have unsolved problems and weaknesses. Most of the currently employed GDDs are very simple and have major problems such as reversed flow, choking and a coarse interval of pressure control. Experiments must be devised to investigate the flow behavior inside these devices. In this study, an accurate microfluidics experimental setup is constructed to analyze and characterize the in-vitro performance of actively employed GDDs on the glaucoma treatment. Proposed setup includes a pressurized fluid reservoir, ELVEFLOW microfluidics flow rate measurement/control unit, microfluidics flow/pressure sensors, and data analysis system. In the setup, more precise measurements than experimental setups in literature is planned to be provided. It is estimated that the results showing consistency with in-vivo measurements will be obtained, behavior of the fluid passing through the GDDs will be observed and issues with design flaws will be addressed.

Antimicrobial peptides for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis, allies or foes?

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (10) ◽  
pp. 1138-1147
Author(s):  
Bruno Rivas-Santiago ◽  
Flor Torres-Juarez
Keyword(s):  
Pulmonary Tuberculosis ◽  
Antimicrobial Peptides ◽  
Experimental Models ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
World Health ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Drug Resistant Strains

Tuberculosis is an ancient disease that has become a serious public health issue in recent years, although increasing incidence has been controlled, deaths caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis have been accentuated due to the emerging of multi-drug resistant strains and the comorbidity with diabetes mellitus and HIV. This situation is threatening the goals of World Health Organization (WHO) to eradicate tuberculosis in 2035. WHO has called for the creation of new drugs as an alternative for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis, among the plausible molecules that can be used are the Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs). These peptides have demonstrated remarkable efficacy to kill mycobacteria in vitro and in vivo in experimental models, nevertheless, these peptides not only have antimicrobial activity but also have a wide variety of functions such as angiogenesis, wound healing, immunomodulation and other well-described roles into the human physiology. Therapeutic strategies for tuberculosis using AMPs must be well thought prior to their clinical use; evaluating comorbidities, family history and risk factors to other diseases, since the wide function of AMPs, they could lead to collateral undesirable effects.

Novel Phytochemical Constituents and their Potential to Manage Diabetes

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaik Ibrahim Khalivulla ◽  
Arifullah Mohammed ◽  
Kokkanti Mallikarjuna
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Large Population ◽  
World Health ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Antidiabetic Activity ◽  
Therapeutic Drug ◽  
Pharmacological Activities ◽  
Chemical Structures

Background: Diabetes is a chronic disease affecting a large population worldwide and stands as one of the major global health challenges to be tackled. According to World Health Organization, about 400 million are having diabetes worldwide and it is the seventh leading cause of deaths in 2016. Plant based natural products had been in use from ancient time as ethnomedicine for the treatment of several diseases including diabetes. As a result of that, there are several reports on plant based natural products displaying antidiabetic activity. In the current review, such antidiabetic potential compounds reported from all plant sources along with their chemical structures are collected, presented and discussed. This kind of reports are essential to pool the available information to one source followed by statistical analysis and screening to check the efficacy of all known compounds in a comparative sense. This kind of analysis can give rise to few numbers of potential compounds from hundreds, whom can further be screened through in vitro and in vivo studies, and human trails leading to the drug development. Methods: Phytochemicals along with their potential antidiabetic property were classified according to their basic chemical skeleton. The chemical structures of all the compounds with antidiabetic activities were elucidated in the present review. In addition to this, the distribution and their other remarkable pharmacological activities of each species is also included. Results: The scrutiny of literature led to identification of 44 plants with antidiabetic compounds (70) and other pharmacological activities. For the sake of information, the distribution of each species in the world is given. Many plant derivatives may exert antidiabetic properties by improving or mimicking the insulin production or action. Different classes of compounds including sulfur compounds (1-4), alkaloids (5-11), phenolic compounds (12-17), tannins (18-23), phenylpropanoids (24-27), xanthanoids (28-31), amino acid (32), stilbenoid (33), benzofuran (34), coumarin (35), flavonoids (36-49) and terpenoids (50-70) were found to be active potential compounds for antidiabetic activity. Of the 70 listed compounds, majorly 17 compounds are from triterpenoids, 13 flavonoids and 7 are from alkaloids. Among all the 44 plant species, maximum number (7) of compounds are reported from Lagerstroemia speciosa followed by Momordica charantia (6) and S. oblonga with 5 compounds. Conclusion: This is the first paper to summarize the established chemical structures of phytochemicals that have been successfully screened for antidiabetic potential and their mechanisms of inhibition. The reported compounds could be considered as potential lead molecules for the treatment of type-2 diabetes. Further, molecular and clinical trials are required to select and establish the therapeutic drug candidates.

scholarly journals Previous Humoral Immunity to the Endemic Seasonal Alphacoronaviruses NL63 and 229E Is Associated with Worse Clinical Outcome in COVID-19 and Suggests Original Antigenic Sin

Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 298
Author(s):  
Daniele Focosi ◽  
Angelo Genoni ◽  
Ersilia Lucenteforte ◽  
Silvia Tillati ◽  
Antonio Tamborini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Humoral Immunity ◽  
Cross Reactivity ◽  
Clinical Severity ◽  
World Health ◽  
Laboratory Findings ◽  
Cellular And Humoral Immunity ◽  
Rate Ratios ◽  
Original Antigenic Sin

Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS CoV-2) infection has been hypothesized. However, to date, there has been no in vitro or in vivo evidence supporting this. Cross-reactivity exists between SARS CoV-2 and other Coronaviridae for both cellular and humoral immunity. We show here that IgG against nucleocapsid protein of alphacoronavirus NL63 and 229E correlate with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) clinical severity score ≥ 5 (incidence rate ratios was 1.87 and 1.80, respectively, and 1.94 for the combination). These laboratory findings suggest possible ADE of SARS CoV-2 infection by previous alphacoronavirus immunity.

scholarly journals Virtual Screening and Statistical Analysis in the Design of New Caffeine Analogues Molecules with Potential Epithelial Anticancer Activity

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 576-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josivan da Silva Costa ◽  
Karina da Silva Lopes Costa ◽  
Josiane Viana Cruz ◽  
Ryan da Silva Ramos ◽  
Luciane Barros Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anticancer Activity ◽  
Binding Free Energy ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Parametric Models ◽  
World Health ◽  
Pharmacokinetic Properties ◽  
Clinically Significant ◽  
Health Organization

About 132 thousand cases of melanoma (more severe type of skin cancer) were registered in 2014 according to the World Health Organization. This type of cancer significantly affects the quality of life of individuals. Caffeine has shown potential inhibitory effect against epithelial cancer. In this study, it was proposed to obtain new caffeine-based molecules with potential epithelial anticancer activity. For this, a training set of 21 molecules was used for pharmacophore perception procedures. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to propose mono-, bi-, tri-, and tetra-parametric models applied in the prediction of the activity. The generated pharmacophore was used to select 350 molecules available at the ZINCpharmer server, followed by reduction to 24 molecules, after selection using the Tanimoto index, yielding 10 molecules after final selection by predicted activity values > 1.5229. These ten molecules had better pharmacokinetic properties than the other ones used as reference and within the clinically significant limits. Only two molecules show minor hits of toxicity and were submitted to molecular docking procedures, showing BFE (binding free energy) values lower than the reference values. Statistical analyses indicated strong negative correlations between BFE and pharmacophoric properties (high influence on BFE lowering) and practically null correlation between BFE and BBB. The two most promising molecules can be indicated as candidates for further in vitro and in vivo analyzes.

scholarly journals Therapeutic Effectiveness and Safety of Repurposing Drugs for the Treatment of COVID-19: Position Standing in 2021

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Safaet Alam ◽  
Taslima Binte Kamal ◽  
Md. Moklesur Rahman Sarker ◽  
Jin-Rong Zhou ◽  
S. M. Abdur Rahman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
World Health ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Drug Candidates ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Meta Analyses

COVID-19, transmitted by SARS-CoV-2, is one of the most serious pandemic situations in the history of mankind, and has already infected a huge population across the globe. This horrendously contagious viral outbreak was first identified in China and within a very short time it affected the world's health, transport, economic, and academic sectors. Despite the recent approval of a few anti-COVID-19 vaccines, their unavailability and insufficiency along with the lack of other potential therapeutic options are continuing to worsen the situation, with valuable lives continuing to be lost. In this situation, researchers across the globe are focusing on repurposing prospective drugs and prophylaxis such as favipiravir, remdesivir, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, lopinavir-ritonavir, azithromycin, doxycycline, ACEIs/ARBs, rivaroxaban, and protease inhibitors, which were preliminarily based on in vitro and in vivo pharmacological and toxicological study reports followed by clinical applications. Based on available preliminary data derived from limited clinical trials, the US National Institute of Health (NIH) and USFDA also recommended a few drugs to be repurposed i.e., hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir, and favipiravir. However, World Health Organization later recommended against the use of chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir, and lopinavir/ritonavir in the treatment of COVID-19 infections. Combining basic knowledge of viral pathogenesis and pharmacodynamics of drug molecules as well as in silico approaches, many drug candidates have been investigated in clinical trials, some of which have been proven to be partially effective against COVID-19, and many of the other drugs are currently under extensive screening. The repurposing of prospective drug candidates from different stages of evaluation can be a handy wellspring in COVID-19 management and treatment along with approved anti-COVID-19 vaccines. This review article combined the information from completed clinical trials, case series, cohort studies, meta-analyses, and retrospective studies to focus on the current status of repurposing drugs in 2021.

DOCKING STUDY OF NOVEL N-SUBSTITUTED 2,5-BIS[(7-CHLOROQUINOLIN-4-YL)AMINO]PENTANOIC DERIVATIVES AS SELECTIVE HIGH-BINDER WITH ANGIOTENSIN CONVERTING ENZYME 2

INDIAN DRUGS ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (08) ◽  
pp. 16-24
Author(s):  
Mohammed Oday Ezzat ◽  
Basma M. Abd Razik ◽  
Kutayba F. Dawood
Keyword(s):  
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Docking Study ◽  
World Health ◽  
Converting Enzyme ◽  
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 ◽  
Pharmaceutical Properties ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

The prevalence of a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the last few months represents a serious threat as a world health emergency concern. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the host cellular receptor for the respiratory syndrome of coronavirus epidemic in 2019 (2019-nCoV). In this work, the active site of ACE2 is successfully located by Sitmap prediction tool and validated by different marketed drugs. To design and discover new medical countermeasure drugs, we evaluate a total of 184 molecules of 7-chloro-N-methylquinolin-4-amine derivatives for binding affinity inside the crystal structure of ACE2 located active site. A novel series of N-substituted 2,5-bis[(7-chloroquinolin-4-yl)amino]pentanoic acid derivatives is generated and evaluated for a prospect as a lead compound for (2019-nCoV) medication with a docking score range of (-10.60 to -8.99) kcal/mol for the highest twenty derivatives. Moreover, the ADME pharmaceutical properties were evaluated for further proposed experimental evaluation in vitro or in vivo

scholarly journals An Implantable Sensorized Lead for Continuous Monitoring of Cardiac Apex Rotation

Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 4195
Author(s):  
Emanuela Marcelli ◽  
Laura Cercenelli
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Monitoring ◽  
Dimensional Space ◽  
Animal Experiments ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
Cardiac Monitoring ◽  
Cardiac Apex ◽  
Angular Velocities

Changes in the pattern or amplitude of cardiac rotation have been associated with important cardiovascular diseases, including Heart Failure (HF) which is one of the major health problems worldwide. Recent advances in echocardiographic techniques have allowed for non-invasive quantification of cardiac rotation; however, these examinations do not address the continuous monitoring of patient status. We have presented a newly developed implantable, transvenous lead with a tri-axis (3D) MEMS gyroscope incorporated near its tip to measure cardiac apex rotation in the three-dimensional space. We have named it CardioMon for its intended use for cardiac monitoring. If compared with currently proposed implantable systems for HF monitoring based on the use of pressure sensors that can have reliability issues, an implantable motion sensor like a gyroscope holds the premise for more reliable long term monitoring. The first prototypal assembly of the CardioMon lead has been tested to assess the reliability of the 3D gyroscope readings. In vitro results showed that the novel sensorized CardioMon lead was accurate and reliable in detecting angular velocities within the range of cardiac twisting velocities. Animal experiments will be planned to further evaluate the CardioMon lead in in vivo environments and to investigate possible endocardial implantation sites.

scholarly journals Tridecaptin M, a New Variant Discovered in Mud Bacterium, Shows Activity against Colistin- and Extremely Drug-ResistantEnterobacteriaceae

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manoj Jangra ◽  
Manpreet Kaur ◽  
Rushikesh Tambat ◽  
Rohit Rana ◽  
Sushil K. Maurya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hemolytic Activity ◽  
World Health ◽  
Fourth Generation ◽  
Infection Model ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Extensively Drug Resistant ◽  
New Variant

ABSTRACTThe World Health Organization has categorized the Gram-negative superbugs, which are inherently impervious to many antibiotics, as critical priority pathogens due to the lack of effective treatments. The breach in our last-resort antibiotic (i.e., colistin) by extensively drug-resistant and pan-drug-resistantEnterobacteriaceaestrains demands the immediate development of new therapies. In the present study, we report the discovery of tridecaptin M, a new addition to the family, and its potential against colistin-resistantEnterobacteriaceae in vitroandin vivo. Also, we performed mode-of-action studies using various fluorescent probes and studied the hemolytic activity and mammalian cytotoxicity in two cell lines. Tridecaptin M displayed strong antibacterial activity (MICs of 2 to 8 μg ml−1) against clinical strains ofKlebsiella pneumoniae(which were resistant to colistin, carbapenems, third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, fosfomycin, and other antibiotics) andmcr-1-positiveEscherichia colistrains. Unlike polymyxins, tridecaptin M did not permeabilize the outer membrane or cytoplasmic membrane. It blocked ATP synthesis in bacteria by dissipating the proton motive force. The compound exhibited negligible acquired resistance, lowin vitrocytotoxicity and hemolytic activity, and no significant acute toxicity in mice. It also showed promising efficacy in a thigh infection model of colistin-resistantK. pneumoniae. Altogether, these results demonstrate the future prospects of this class of antibiotics to address the unmet medical need to circumvent colistin resistance in extensively drug-resistantEnterobacteriaceaeinfections. The work also emphasizes the importance of natural products in our shrunken drug discovery pipeline.

scholarly journals Are there attacking points in the eicosanoid cascade for chemotherapeutic options in benign meningiomas?

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. E8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Pfister ◽  
Rainer Ritz ◽  
Heike Pfrommer ◽  
Antje Bornemann ◽  
Marcos S. Tatagiba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
World Health ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Prostaglandin E ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Human Cortex ◽  
Normal Human ◽  
Cox 2 ◽  
Cox 1

Object The current treatment for recurrent or malignant meningiomas with adjuvant therapies has not been satisfactory, and there is an intense interest in evaluating new molecular markers to act as therapeutic targets. Enzymes of the arachidonic acid (AA) cascade such as cyclooxygenase (COX)–2 or 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) are upregulated in a number of epithelial tumors, but to date there are hardly any data about the expression of these markers in meningiomas. To find possible targets for chemotherapeutic intervention, the authors evaluated the expression of AA derivatives at different molecular levels in meningiomas. Methods One hundred and twenty-four meningioma surgical specimens and normal human cortical tissue samples were immunohistochemically and cytochemically stained for COX-2, COX-1, 5-LO, and prostaglandin E receptor 4 (PTGER4). In addition, Western blot and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses were performed to detect the presence of eicosanoids in vivo and in vitro. Results Sixty (63%) of 95 benign meningiomas, 21 (88%) of 24 atypical meningiomas, all five malignant meningiomas, and all normal human cortex samples displayed high COX-2 immunoreactivity. All cultured specimens and IOMM-Lee cells stained positive for COX-2, COX-1, 5-LO, and PTGER4. The PCR analysis demonstrated no changes in eicosanoid expression among meningiomas of different World Health Organization grades and in normal human cortical and dura mater tissue. Conclusions Eicosanoid derivatives COX-1, COX-2, 5-LO, and PTGER4 enzymes show a high universal expression in meningiomas but are not upregulated in normal human cortex and dura tissue. This finding of the ubiquitous presence of these enzymes in meningiomas offers an excellent baseline for testing upcoming chemotherapeutic treatments.

Successful Treatment of HU-Refractory Polycythemia Vera with Atorvastatin and Low Dose Hydroxyurea. Results from a Pilot Study in Bolivia

Blood ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 126 (23) ◽  
pp. 5621-5621
Author(s):  
Ricardo Amaru ◽  
Ariel Amaru ◽  
Hortensia Miguez ◽  
Gina Torres ◽  
Josue Mamani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Polycythemia Vera ◽  
Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Jak2v617f Mutation ◽  
World Health ◽  
La Paz ◽  
Healthy Donors

Abstract Background Polycythemia Vera (PV) is a clonal myeloproliferative neoplasm, characterized by the JAK2V617F mutation. The main goal of current therapies for PV is to prevent thrombotic events and delay transformation to Myelofibrosis (MF) or Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).Treatment for PV to keep an hematocrit (Hct) level <45 %, has been associated with a reduction in cardiovascular deaths and thrombotic events (Marchioli, R et al. NEJM 2013). Currently, low-risk PV patients (<60 years and no previous thrombotic events) are treated with aspirin and phlebotomy while high-risk patients require additional cytoreductive therapy, usually with Hydroxyurea (HU). Resistance to HU is associated with an increased risk of transformation and reduced survival. This is why for HU-refractory patients, second line treatments with interferon alpha, anagrelide or even ruxolitinib are recommended. In Latin America, because of high cost and drugs availability, this last group reflects difficulties to be treated. Because statins have been reported to modulate the erythroid clonogenic activity of normal BM erythroid colonies we performed a pilot study to investigate in vitro and in vivo the biologic and clinical activity of atorvastatin in PV patients Patients and Methods Ten high risk PV patients with a median age of 64.3 years (range 58-73) entered into this study. The diagnosis of PV was done according to the 2008 World Health Organization diagnostic criteria and patients were stratified according to an algorithm proposal provided by Griesshammer et al. (Ann Hematol, 2015). The definition of HU resistance (Barosi, G et al.: BJH 2009) was applicable to five patients (median age 63.9 years) failing to achieve a satisfactory hematologic response upon treatment with more than 2 g of HU, 100 mg of Aspirin and phlebotomies. The assessment of the JAK2V617F mutation was performed as previously described (Guerini et al.: Leukemia 2009). Colony assay, proliferation and apoptosis tests were performed with or without Simvastatin (3.5 uM), as previously described (Amaru, A, Experimental Hematology 2012), on cell lines (UKE1 and K562) and bone marrow mononuclear cells obtained from PV patients and healthy donors. Patients with HU refractory PV (n=5) and high risk PV with hypercholesterolemia (n=5) were eligible to receive Atorvastatin (20 mg/day) added on the top of the ongoing treatment with phlebotomies, Aspirin (100 mg/day) and cytoreductive HU therapy (500 mg/day). All treated patients were high altitude residents (> 3.600 m.a.s.l.) of La Paz (Bolivia) where the normal Hct level of healthy subjects is 48-57% for men and 44-54% for women. This pilot study was approved by the Review Board of the Hospital and the University of San Andres, La Paz. Results In a preliminary set of in vitro proliferation cell assays, simvastatin (3.5 uM), added for 5 days, induced a 33% inhibition of cell proliferation of UKE-1 (JAK2V617F mutated) as compared to 5 % of K562 (BCR/ABL positive). A comparable result was obtained in a 7-day clonogenic cell assay where the colony inhibition was 50 % for UKE-1 and 10 % for K562. On the basis of these results similar experiments were also performed using BM mononuclear cells derived from PV patients and healthy donors. In these experiments performed with the addition of simvastatin, it induced a 41% of inhibition in BFU-E colonies of PV patients and a 25% of inhibition in healthy donors. Furthermore, BFU-E colonies inhibited by simvastatin presented a decrease in hemoglobinization and the size of colonies. HU refractory PV patients and High-risk PV patients with hypercholesterolemia treated with the addition of Atorvastatin, Aspirin, cytoreductive HU and phlebotomies; after a follow-up of 2.6 years (1-7 years), induced a decrease of WBC from 16.500 to 9.270/ul, Hct 61.1 to 52.3% and PLT 457.900,000 to 324.7000/ul. The number of required phlebotomies is reduced in comparison to the required at starting treatment. None of the patients presented thrombotic or cardiopulmonary event. One patient died within two years of starting treatment, due to complications of diabetes mellitus. Conclusions In vitro and in vivo, statins showed some evidence of inhibitory activity of the hematopoiesis of PV patients. These preliminary results might indicate the opportunity to further investigate the potential clinical value of these molecules in the treatment of PV. Disclosures Off Label Use: Atorvastatin was used for its antiproliferative activity on myeloid progenitor cells shown by in vitro experiments.

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