Spurious drugs: do we neglect during our clinical practice? a systematic review

Spurious drugs are those manufactured by concealing the identity of the true ones. It forms one of the largest growing markets in India. The aim of this review is to create an awareness of the prescribing doctors that substandard or fraudulent drugs are widely prevalent and it is in our doorstep during the regular practice. The duty of the prescriber is to identify these drugs, share the information’s to the fellow colleagues and avoid them from prescribing. It is the role of the physicians to intimate this information to the patients also who consumes these drugs due to lack of awareness as like food products which are consumed as an adulterant one. We the health care professionals carry the duty of identifying these spurious drugs being manufactured and marketed by unlicensed or licensed pharmaceutical companies which are hazardous to our patient’s health. All the data’s about this misbranded drugs are gathered from Journals and related websites from 2000-2016, thereby complied to reveal the present situation of spurious drugs. The Government of India has taken steps to implement Cosmetics Act 1940 and special courts are set up for speedy disposal of these related cases. Also the Government in its part announced the “Whistle Blower Scheme” to encourage the public to be vigilant and report the widespread infiltration of spurious drugs in the market and to receive the cash reward for this information

A prospective comparative study to assess the efficacy and safety of sertraline and methylcobalin with pregabalin and methylcobalin in patients suffering with depression due to diabetic neuropathic pain

Background: Diabetic neuropathic pain produces mood swings thereby creating emotional disturbances ranging from mild anxiety to severe depression when the disease progresses for 10 years or more. The existing treatment includes Tricyclic antidepressants, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, anticonvulsants, Dual Reuptake Inhibitor antidepressant, topical agents like capsaicin, lignocaine, gabapentin. Yet the psychological component has to be treated with the antidepressants. Even though SSRI’s like sertraline has shown some promising results as analgesic but could works better as an antidepressant. Hence, this work emphasizes some promising role of sertraline as an adjuvant to methylcobalin and other medications in the management of depression due to diabetic neuropathic pain.Methods: A total of 100 consecutive patients of both sex between the age group of 18-65 years with painful diabetic neuropathic pain with signs and symptoms depression were recruited and randomized into two groups. Statistical methods: Data were tabulated, and results were analyzed. Chi-square test was used to analyze demographic data of the study population. Depressive score was analyzed at baseline and 12th week by using Student’s t-test and Analysis of Co variance. A p value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant.Results: Group I patients showed an improvement of symptomatology where the number of patients shifted from mild to minimal depression. This is critically less in Group II.Conclusions: The combination of sertraline with methylcobalin showed a promising outcome with improvement of symptoms of painful diabetic neuropathic pain in Indian patients

Structurally modified celecoxib analogues for selective COX-2 inhibition: a classical hansch QSAR approach

Classical Hansch type quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) has been performed on a set of structurally modified celecoxib analogues for their inhibitory potency and selectivity towards cyclooxygenase isozymes using classical physicochemical and structural parameters. Statistically significant regression models were developed for cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitory potency as well as selectivity index. The results of our QSAR study suggest the importance of the molecular size, shape and electronic character of the aromatic ring substituents. Further our investigation provides important structural and physicochemical features for designing potent and selective COX-2 inhibitors within the congener series of compounds.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Stepped-wedge randomised trial of laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy in adults with chronic constipation: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy (LVMR) is an established treatment for external full-thickness rectal prolapse. However, its clinical efficacy in patients with internal prolapse is uncertain due to the lack of high-quality evidence. METHODS: An individual level, stepped-wedge randomised trial has been designed to allow observer-blinded data comparisons between patients awaiting LVMR with those who have undergone surgery. Adults with symptomatic internal rectal prolapse, unresponsive to prior conservative management, will be eligible to participate. They will be randomised to three arms with different delays before surgery (0, 12 and 24 weeks). Efficacy outcome data will be collected at equally stepped time points (12, 24, 36 and 48 weeks). The primary objective is to determine clinical efficacy of LVMR compared to controls with reduction in the Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life (PAC-QOL) at 24 weeks serving as the primary outcome. Secondary objectives are to determine: (1) the clinical effectiveness of LVMR to 48 weeks to a maximum of 72 weeks; (2) pre-operative determinants of outcome; (3) relevant health economics for LVMR; (4) qualitative evaluation of patient and health professional experience of LVMR and (5) 30-day morbidity and mortality rates. DISCUSSION: An individual-level, stepped-wedge, randomised trial serves the purpose of providing an untreated comparison for the active treatment group, while at the same time allowing the waiting-listed participants an opportunity to obtain the intervention at a later date. In keeping with the basic ethical tenets of this design, the average waiting time for LVMR (12 weeks) will be shorter than that for routine services (24 weeks)

N-[2-(3,4-Dimeth­oxy­phen­yl)eth­yl]-N-methyl­benzene­sulfonamide

In the title compound, C17H21NO4S, the phenyl and dimeth­oxy­phenyl rings are almost perpendicular to each other, making a dihedral angle of 82.57 (5)°. The structure is stabilized by inter­molecular C—H⋯O inter­actions and the packing is further enhanced by C—H ⋯π inter­actions

Molecular characterization of Begomovirus and Beta satellite virus associated with leaf curl disease of Chilli (Capsicum annum L.) in southern parts of Tamil Nadu

Chilli is one of the widely cultivated commercial vegetable crops in India. Chilli leaf curl is the most devasting disease and causes a yield loss of 100 per cent in Chilli. Fourteen begomovirus species cause chilli leaf curl disease (ChiLCD). An extensive survey was carried out in 2023 to determine the prevalence of the leaf curl disease of Chilli caused by begomovirus in major chilli-growing areas of the Southern Districts of Tamil Nadu. During the survey, 21 isolates of begomovirus infecting Chilli were collected. Among the 21 isolates, the isolate collected from Kalakudi village (BV-KI) exhibited severe symptoms.DNA extracted from 21 isolates of begomovirus were subjected to PCR by using Rojas universal primers, Chilli leaf curl virus (ChiLCV) Coat protein primers and beta satellite virus primers and obtained 1380 bp, 1100 bp and 1400 bp amplicons of top and coat protein region of DNA-A of begomovirus, Chilli leaf curl virus coat protein region and beta satellite virus associated with ChiLCV respectively. The 1380 bp, 1100 bp and 1400 bp amplicons obtained from the BV-KI isolate were sequenced and submitted to the NCBI. The sequences were blast analyzed, and it showed that the nucleotide sequence of the top and coat protein region of DNA-A of begomovirus and CP gene of ChiLCV BV-KI isolate was found to have 90.61 and 99.78% similarity with Bhavanisagar (NC 055130.1) isolate respectively. The nucleotide sequence of the beta satellite virus of BV-KI isolate was found to have 99.93% similarity with the Chilli leaf curl beta satellite virus Meerut (MH355642.1) isolate

Cutting Edge: Induced Loss of Rasgrp1 in Peripheral CD4+ T Cells of Conditional Rasgrp1-Deficient Mice Reveals an Essential Role for Rasgrp1 in TCR/CD28-Induced Ras-MAPK Signaling.

Ras guanine nucleotide-releasing protein 1 (Rasgrp1) is a Ras guanine nucleotide exchange factor that participates in the activation of the Ras-ERK signaling pathway in developing T cells and is required for efficient thymic T cell positive selection. However, the role of Rasgrp1 in mature peripheral T cells has not been definitively addressed, in part because peripheral T cells from constitutive Rasgrp1-deficient mice show an abnormal activated phenotype. In this study, we generated an inducible Rasgrp1-deficient mouse model to allow acute disruption of Rasgrp1 in peripheral CD4+ T cells in the context of normal T cell development. TCR/CD28-mediated activation of Ras-ERK signaling was blocked in Rasgrp1-deficient peripheral CD4+ T cells. Furthermore, Rasgrp1-deficient CD4+ T cells were unable to synthesize IL-2 and the high-affinity IL-2R and were unable to proliferate in response to TCR/CD28 stimulation. These findings highlight an essential function for Rasgrp1 for TCR/CD28-induced Ras-ERK activation in peripheral CD4+ T cells

Oxygen Vacancies Adjacent to Cu(2+) Ions in TiO(2) (Rutile) Crystals

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) are used to characterize Cu2+ ions substituting for Ti4+ ions in nominally undoped TiO2 crystals having the rutile structure. Illumination at 25 K with 442 nm laser light reduces the concentration of Cu2+ ions by more than a factor of 2. The laser light also reduces the EPR signals from Fe3+ and Cr3+ ions and introduces signals from Ti3+ ions. Warming in the dark to room temperature restores the crystal to its preilluminated state. Monitoring the recovery of the photoinduced changes in the Cu2+ ions and the other paramagnetic electron and hole traps as the temperature is raised from 25 K to room temperature provides evidence that the Cu2+ ions have an adjacent doubly ionized oxygen vacancy. These oxygen vacancies serve as charge compensators for the substitutional Cu2+ ions and lead to the formation of electrically neutral Cu2+-VO complexes during growth of the crystals. The Cu2+-VO complexes act as electron traps and convert to nonparamagnetic Cu+-VO complexes when the crystals are illuminated at low temperature. Complete sets of spin-Hamiltonian parameters describing the electron Zeeman, hyperfine, and nuclear electric quadrupole interactions for both the 63Cu and 65Cu nuclei are obtained from the EPR and ENDOR data. This study suggests that other divalent cation impurities in TiO2 such as Co2+ and Ni2+ may also have an adjacent oxygen vacancy for charge compensation