A short glimpse on promising pharmacological effects of Begenia ciliata

Bergenia ciliata is a potent indigenous folk medicine that has been proved fruitful in the treatment of various adverse conditions of the body. The major chemical constituents of plant include tannic acid, gallic acid, glucose, metarbin, albumen, bergenin, (+)-catechin, gallicin. Bergenia ciliata was subjected to bioactivity analysis. The plant has antitussive, antiulcer, antioxidant, antibacterial, hypoglycemic, toxicological activity. It was observed that root and leaves extract were promising as antifungal agent. The root and leaves extract were effective against Microsporum canis, Pleuroetus oustreatus and Candida albicans.   All the extracts except chloroform extract of root and leaves of Bergenia ciliata were found to possess hypoglycemic activity in Streptozotocin (STZ) treated rats. The methanolic extract exhibited significant anti-tussive activity in a dose-dependent manner. B. ciliata bear potent anti-neoplastic activities that may have prospective clinical use as precursor for preventive medicine. Methanolic and aqueous B. ciliata rhizome extracts were found to possess antioxidant activity, including reducing power, free radical scavenging activity and lipid peroxidation inhibition potential. Bergenia ciliata extracts exhibit a narrow spectrum antibacterial activity. The results obtained thus suggest that extracts of B. ciliata have promising therapeutic potential and could be considered as potential source for drug development by pharmaceutical industries

Pharmacological activities of pyrazolone derivatives

Pyrazoline is a five member heterocyclic ring which is a versatile lead compound for designing potent bioactive agents. The review of the literature shows that the pyrazoline derivatives are quite stable and has inspired the chemists to synthesize the new pyrazoline derivatives. The past studies of pyrazoline derivative revealed that they are useful in pharmaceutical and agrochemical research. Pyrazoline derivatives display various pharmacological activities such as antitumor, antitubercular, antimicrobial, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant etc. and the pharmacological activities of different synthesized compound are reviewed in the present article

PRODRUG AS A NOVEL APPROACH OF DRUG DELIVERY- A REVIEW

Prodrugs are bioreversible derivatives of drug molecules that undergo an enzymatic and/or chemical transformation in vivo to release the active parent drug, which can then exert the desired pharmacological effect. Prodrug design is a choice of approach in solving many of the problems like stability, toxicity, solubility, permeability and drug targeting that affect drug discovery and development. Prodrug design is fruitful approach for drug targeting by changing the physiochemical, biopharmaceutical or pharmacokinetic properties of drugs. About 10-14% of drugs approved worldwide can be classified as prodrugs. The present article takes a review of introduction, classification, applications of prodrug design in various areas of drug development and basic functional groups that are amenable to prodrug design.Keywords: Prodrugs, objectives, classification, application, functional groups, limitation

A REVIEW ON PHARMACEUTICAL PROCESS VALIDATION OF SOLID DOSAGE FORM [TABLETS]

The article gives an introduction and general overview on process validation of pharmaceutical tablet manufacturing process. Process Validation is one of the important steps in achieving and maintaining the quality of final product. Process validation emphasizes the role of statistical tools and analyses, knowledge, detection, and control of variability and thus gives assurance on consistency of quality product. The validation study provides the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility of the established and documented test methods employed by the manufacturer. Thus, validation is an essential part of the quality assurance. This review examines the need for pharmaceutical validation, the various approaches, process and steps to be monitored during tablet manufacturing process. Key words: Process Validation, Types, Validation Stages, Guidelines and Process.Â

A SHORT COMPILATION ON ZIKA VIRUS TRANSMISSION AND ITS COMPLICATION DURING PREGNANCY

Zika virus, a mosquito borne flavivirus transmitted primar­ily by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes is a pathogen affecting humans. These vectors also trans­mit dengue and chikungunya virus and are found throughout much of the world, including parts of the United States. An estimated 80% of persons infected with Zika virus are asymptomatic. Microcephaly is the greater risk for the infant born from the Zika Virus infected pregnant mother. This virus also causes neurological syndromes. Zika virus disease can often be diagnosed by performing reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on serum. Keywords: Zika Virus, Pregnancy, Microcephaly, Aedes aegypti mosquito, Brazil

Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index as a predictor for mechanical ventilation and 30-day mortality across COVID-19 variants

Abstract Background: The Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index, a simple index that includes age, liver enzymes, and platelet count has been studied as a tool to identify patients at a risk of requiring mechanical ventilation due to its high negative predictive value. It is unknown if FIB-4 remains useful to predict the severity of respiratory disease requiring mechanical ventilation amongst new Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) variants and whether a relationship also exists between FIB-4 and 30-day mortality. The main objective was to determine if FIB-4 can predict mechanical ventilation requirements and 30-day mortality from COVID-19 across variants including Alpha, Delta, and Omicron. Methods: This was a population-based, retrospective cohort analysis of 232,364 hospitalized patients in the National COVID-19 Cohort Collaborative between the age of 18–90 who tested positive for COVID-19 between April 27, 2020 and June 25, 2022. The primary outcome was association between FIB-4 and need for mechanical ventilation. Secondary measures included the association of FIB-4 with 30-day mortality. Results: A FIB-4 > 2.67 had 1.8 times higher odds of requiring mechanical ventilation across all variants of COVID-19 (OR 1.81; 95% CI: [1.76, 1.86]). The area under the ROC curve showed high diagnostic accuracy with values ranging between 0.79 (Omicron wave) and 0.97 (delta wave). Increased FIB-4 was associated with 30-day mortality across the variates. Conclusion: The FIB-4 was consistently associated with both increased utilization of mechanical ventilation and 30-day mortality among COVID-19 patients across all waves in both adjusted and unadjusted models. This provides a simple tool for risk-stratification for front-line health care professionals

Man vs. man-made marijuana: A case of drug-induced posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) due to K2, a synthetic cannabinoid (SCB)

Synthetic Cannabinoids (SCB) are engineered chemical compounds that share a similar chemical structure with the active ingredient of marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocanabinol. Although the FDA has not approved the use of SCB without a prescription from a licensed health-care provider, the cost effectiveness and availability of SCB has made it a popular choice among recreational drug users. Manufacture of SCB as a street drug is not regulated. These SCB are highly potent chemicals that cause various severe toxicities. In this case report, we describe an adult who suffered from PRES after consuming K2, a synthetic cannabinoid

Immunotherapies and Combination Strategies for Immuno-Oncology

The advent of novel immunotherapies in the treatment of cancers has dramatically changed the landscape of the oncology field. Recent developments in checkpoint inhibition therapies, tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapies, chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapies, and cancer vaccines have shown immense promise for significant advancements in cancer treatments. Immunotherapies act on distinct steps of immune response to augment the body’s natural ability to recognize, target, and destroy cancerous cells. Combination treatments with immunotherapies and other modalities intend to activate immune response, decrease immunosuppression, and target signaling and resistance pathways to offer a more durable, long-lasting treatment compared to traditional therapies and immunotherapies as monotherapies for cancers. This review aims to briefly describe the rationale, mechanisms of action, and clinical efficacy of common immunotherapies and highlight promising combination strategies currently approved or under clinical development. Additionally, we will discuss the benefits and limitations of these immunotherapy approaches as monotherapies as well as in combination with other treatments