scholarly journals A Study on the Prescription Pattern of Antimicrobial Agents Used in the Treatment of Infectious Disease

Author(s):  
Mahadevamma Lingaiah ◽  
Dr. Mehraj Khan ◽  
Dr. Amjadkhan Asadkan Pathan ◽  
Dr. Sherin Shaji

Antibiotics are anti-infective agents produced from natural sources, whereas antimicrobial agents are generated through chemical synthesis. It was a prospective and observational study and was conducted in the medicine, OBG, and urology departments in Sagar Hospitals. The study was conducted over a period of 18 to 20 months. Among 542 participants, 325 (60%) were males, while 217 (40%) were females. The frequency of patients surviving different hospital departments was 416 (76.6%), and they survived the medicine department. Moreover, the urology department had 80 (14.8%) patient visits, while in the obstetrics and gynaecology departments, only 46 (8.5%) patients visited. It was found that the percentage and order of various micro-organisms isolated as Neisseria meningitides 20 (3.7%) and a lesser number of organisms were found in K. Pneumonia 01 (0.2%), respectively. The cephalosporin class of drugs is commonly prescribed in empirical and prophylactic therapy because they are more effective in infectious diseases Furthermore, 36 patients out of 542 had drug interactions; quinoline derivatives, such as Ciprofloxacin, typically have a higher number of drug interactions. Among 542 patients, 38 had severe drug reactions in that most of the reactions were dermatological reactions caused by cephalosporin drugs. Most of our physicians prescribed based on patient characteristics and behaviors, and the recovery rate was also good. In our study, we observed common outcomes of DIs, such as increased theophylline toxicity and digoxin toxicity, increased laboratory values, and also reduced some drugs' effectiveness. Correlations of drug and disease characteristics were found more in ciprofloxacin drugs.

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-180
Author(s):  
Daniel Dowd ◽  
David S. Krause

AbstractBackgroundThere is a plethora of drugs available to psychiatrists for treatment of mental illness, which can vary in efficacy, tolerability, metabolic pathways and drug-drug interactions. Psychotropics are the second most commonly listed therapeutic class mentioned in the FDA’s Table of Pharmacogenomic Biomarkers in Drug Labeling. Pharmacogenomic (PGx) assays are increasingly used in psychiatry to help select safe and appropriate medication for a variety of mental illnesses. Our commercial laboratory offers PGx expert consultations by PharmDs and PhDs to clinician-users. Our database contains valuable information regarding the treatment of a diverse and challenging population.MethodsGenomind offers a PGx assay currently measuring variants of 24 genes relevant for selection of drugs with a mental illness indication. Since 2012 we have analyzed > 250,000 DNA samples. Between 10/18 - 8/20 6,401 reports received a consult. The data contained herein are derived from those consults. Consultants record information on prior meds, reason for failure or intolerability, potential risk-associated or useful drugs based on the genetic variants. Consultants only recommend specific drugs and doses consistent with a published PGx guideline.ResultsThe 5 most commonly discussed genes were SLC6A4, MTHFR, CACNA1C, COMT and BDNF. The 3 most commonly discussed drugs were fluoxetine, lithium and duloxetine. The most common reasons for drug failure were inefficacy and drug induced “agitation, irritability and/or anxiety”. SSRIs were the most common class of discontinued drug; sertraline, escitalopram and fluoxetine were the three most commonly reported discontinuations and were also the 3 most likely to be associated with “no improvement”. Aripiprazole was the most commonly reported discontinued atypical antipsychotic. The providers rated 94% of consultations as extremely or very helpful at the time of consult. An independent validation survey of 128 providers confirmed these ratings, with 96% reporting a rating of “very helpful” or “extremely helpful”. In addition, 94% reported that these consults were superior to PGx consults provided through other laboratories. Patient characteristics captured during consults via a Clinical Global Impressions-Severity (CGI-S) scale revealed that the majority of patients were moderately (54%) or markedly ill (23%). The most frequent symptoms reported were depression, anxiety, insomnia and inattentiveness.DiscussionThe large variety of psychotropic drugs available to providers, and their highly variable response rates, tolerability, capacity for drug-drug interactions and metabolic pathways present a challenge for even expert psychopharmacologists. Consultation with experts in PGx provides additional useful information that may improve outcomes and decrease healthcare resource utilization. This database may provide future opportunities for machine learning algorithms to further inform implications of included gene variants.FundingGenomind, Inc.


Author(s):  
Navneet Kaur

One of the major issues food technologists deal with is food preservation and safety. Growth of micro-organisms in food poses risk to its quality and safety. Moreover, resistance of food spoilage micro-organisms against various chemical food preservatives has led to an emergence of novel antimicrobial agents with improved action and low rates of microbial resistance. Development in nanotechnology has led to the production of nanoparticles that are not only safe but also effective to resolve the problem of microbial resistance. Nanoantimicrobials have shown improved bioactive performances and controlled toxicity to human beings. They are steadily gaining popularity and the trend will continue in coming years. The chapter gives a comprehensive view of nanoantimicrobials of organic and inorganic origin, various mechanisms adopted by these nanoparticles for the destruction of micro-organisms, factors affecting anti-microbial activities of these particles along with their applications in various fields of food technology.


2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 917-921 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Knoefler ◽  
Lars I.O. Leichert ◽  
Maike Thamsen ◽  
Claudia M. Cremers ◽  
Dana Reichmann ◽  
...  

The era in which ROS (reactive oxygen species) were simply the ‘bad boys of biology’ is clearly over. High levels of ROS are still rightfully considered to be toxic to many cellular processes and, as such, contribute to disease conditions and cell death. However, the high toxicity of ROS is also extremely beneficial, particularly as it is used to kill invading micro-organisms during mammalian host defence. Moreover, a transient, often more localized, increase in ROS levels appears to play a major role in signal transduction processes and positively affects cell growth, development and differentiation. At the heart of all these processes are redox-regulated proteins, which use oxidation-sensitive cysteine residues to control their function and by extension the function of the pathways that they are part of. Our work has contributed to changing the view about ROS through: (i) our characterization of Hsp33 (heat-shock protein 33), one of the first redox-regulated proteins identified, whose function is specifically activated by ROS, (ii) the development of quantitative tools that reveal extensive redox-sensitive processes in bacteria and eukaryotes, and (iii) the discovery of a link between early exposure to oxidants and aging. Our future research programme aims to generate an integrated and system-wide view of the beneficial and deleterious effects of ROS with the central goal to develop more effective antioxidant strategies and more powerful antimicrobial agents.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 3303-3339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saee Gharpure ◽  
Aman Akash ◽  
Balaprasad Ankamwar

The field of nanotechnology elaborates the synthesis, characterization as well as application of nanomaterials. Applications of nanoparticles in various fields have interested scientists since decades due to its unique properties. Combination of pharmacology with nanotechnology has helped in development of newer antimicrobial agents in order to control the ever increasing multidrug resistant micro-organisms. Properties of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles like silver, gold, titanium dioxide as well as magnesium oxide as antimicrobial agents are very well known. This review elaborates synthesis methods and antimicrobial mechanisms of various metal as well as metal oxide nanoparticles for better understanding in order to utilize their potentials in various biomedical applications.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Schulte ◽  
Maximilian Wübbolding ◽  
Fiona Marra ◽  
Kerstin Port ◽  
Michael P Manns ◽  
...  

Abstract Background With the introduction of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, drug–drug interactions (DDIs) emerged as significant challenge. Since then, HCV therapy and the infected population have rapidly changed. So far, very limited data are available regarding the clinical relevance of DDIs when using most modern DAA regimens. We aimed to assess how the importance of DDIs has evolved over time. Methods From January 2014 to July 2018, 668 consecutive HCV patients were evaluated for their outpatient medication and assessed for DDIs with DAAs. Different time periods were defined based on market approval of key DAAs: A (01/2014–11/2014), B (11/2014–08/2016), and C (08/2016–07/2018). Results The frequency of patients with real-world DDIs was highest in period B (A: 37.1%, B: 49.6%, C: 38.8%). The recently approved DAAs (period C) theoretically showed a lower DDI risk profile. However, real-world DDIs were still comparable to period A, as HCV patients’ characteristics changed (eg, age ≥75 years: A: 3.1%, B: 9.8%, C: 5.6%; polypharmacy/patients with ≥8 drugs: A: 11.1%, B: 15.2%, C: 17.2%). Furthermore, although DDIs via CYP 3A4 became less important for some modern regimens, other mechanisms like an altered pH value in the stomach, causing reduced bioavailability, evolved. Relevant DDIs most frequently occurred with proton pump inhibitors, metamizole, statins, and carvedilol. Conclusions DDIs during antiviral treatment still affect about 40% of HCV patients. The lower DDI potential of modern DAA regimens is partly counteracted by changing patient characteristics. Therefore, DDIs should not be underestimated.


1987 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 475-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Tenovuo ◽  
E. Grahn ◽  
O.-P. Lehtonen ◽  
T. Hyyppa ◽  
L. Karhuvaara ◽  
...  

Antimicrobial agents (antibody and non-antibody) present in human saliva protect oral tissues by a variety of mechanisms, such as prevention of bacterial adhesion, agglutination of micro-organisms, and inhibition of multiplication and metabolism. However, studies in which the concentrations of various salivary antimicrobial agents have been correlated to the presence and severity of oral diseases-of dental caries, in particular-have produced controversial data, and it seems evident, also on the basis of the present study, that no single salivary antimicrobial factor (except flow rate) affects oral health to a significant degree. In the present study, we report the levels of some selected salivary antimicrobial agents in predentate and dentate human infants, with a comparison to the levels found in young adults' saliva. Salivary lysozyme, peroxidase, and hypothiocyanite concentrations were already at the adult level at the time when the primary teeth erupt, whereas immunoglobulin (IgA, IgG, and IgM), lactoferrin, myeloperoxidase, and thiocyanate concentrations were significantly lower in children than in adults. Dentate children had more IgG, thiocyanate, and protein in whole saliva than did predentate children.


Author(s):  
M. R. Droop ◽  
J. F. Pennock

INTRODUCTIONOxyrrhis marina Dujardin is among the few phagotrophic micro-organisms, and the only dinoflagellate with this mode of nutrition, to have been cultivated under axenic conditions. In common with most other phagotrophs studied, Oxyrrhis had to be supplied with a natural source of lipid growth factors for axenic cultivation, lemon rind or grass extracts in this instance (Droop, 1959). The eventual replacement of these natural sources by ubiquinone (Droop & Doyle, 1966) cleared the way for the development of a completely denned culture medium for Oxyrrhis and the completion of the nutritional study, the water-soluble nutrients having been fully worked out previously (Droop, 1959). However, identification of this requirement immediately raises two questions. The answer to the first, whether ubiquinone is the only lipid required, appears to be in the negative, and the details of an additional, fairly specific, steroid requirement are presented in the second part of this paper. The other question concerns the specificity of the quinone requirement. Is the quinone merely a convenient source of the benzene ring – mammals require at least one aromatic compound in the diet – or does it act as a true growth factor, in which case the requirement would be unique and would have more than protozoological interest?


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