http://www.Facebook.com/Pharmaalert1

Pharma Alert, Islamabad (2026)

17/08/2022

𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬

Drugs' conversion between different isomers could actually lead to unexpected effects.
The effects a drug or chemical compound has on the body depend on how its atoms are arranged in space. Some compounds have a dark twin with the same molecular formula but a different 3D structure – and this can have consequences for what they do or don’t do in the body.
Consider the tragic story of thalidomide, a morning sickness drug that caused thousands of birth defects and miscarriages. While one form, or isomer, of thalidomide has a sedative effect, the other is thought to cause abnormal physiological development. Because the two versions can convert back and forth in the body, it’s dangerous to take either form of thalidomide while pregnant.
My research has focused on one such compound found in red grapes and peanuts, resveratrol. It has been a scientific mystery why clinical trials on using resveratrol to treat Alzheimer’s disease have had inconsistent results. Turns out, it may be because two different forms were used – while one may help with cognition and memory, the other may be toxic to the nervous system.

𝐈𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐬

Many drugs have the same atoms and bonds but are arranged differently in space. These drugs are called chiral compounds – meaning they exist as two non-superimposable mirror images. For example, your hands are also non-superimposable mirror images of each other. Although they look the same, they don’t overlap when you put one on top of the other.
Usually, these mirror-image versions have very similar properties because they share the same elements and bonds. But the way they are arranged in space can drastically change the effects they have in the body. Just as you wouldn’t be able to fit a left-handed glove on your right hand, a left-handed version of a drug wouldn’t be able to fit into a target in the body shaped to fit a right-handed molecule.
Chiral molecules come in two versions, or isomers, defined by their optical activity. This means that if you shine polarized light on a chiral molecule, one will rotate the light to the left (indicated by the prefix L-, or levorotatory) while the other will rotate it to the right (indicated by the prefix D, or dextrorotatory).
Amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, are chiral molecules. Living organisms primarily make proteins from amino acids with L configurations. The D configuration, however, has many other functions in nature. Bacteria, for example, use D configuration amino acids to make their cell walls. Mammals use D configuration amino acids as messengers in their nervous and endocrine systems.

17/08/2022

𝐏𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠

The results may help scientists explain why COPD affects African Americans more.
It's a well-known fact that sleep has a considerable influence on life quality. A good night's sleep for seven or more hours not only allows you to have a more energetic day but also has long-term benefits.
As might be expected, it's vice versa for insufficient or interrupted sleep. A new study conducted by researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) shows that poor sleep quality may have significant negative effects on progressive lung disease, even more so than smoking.

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 "𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞-𝐮𝐩𝐬"

The research was conducted on 1,647 subjects, all of which had confirmed COPD. During this period, researchers tracked the "flare-ups," a short-term worsening of the symptoms, in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for three years and compared their incidence with self-reported data on sleep quality.
The results of the study suggest that inadequate sleep may increase the risk of a flare-up by up to 95 percent when compared to people with good sleep. The lead author of the study, Aaron Baugh, MD, a clinical resident at the UCSF Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Sleep Medicine, and the Cardiovascular Research Institute, suggests that the findings can also provide an explanation of why COPD affects African American patients worse than white patients.
“African Americans are over-represented in low-income neighborhoods, where people are less likely to have good quality sleep. They may live in crowded spaces with multiple roommates, and have less comfortable sleeping conditions, such as a couch, and they may work in a job with a varying schedule that lends itself to sleep disruption,” said Baugh. "Research shows sleep deprivation is associated with a drop in infection-fighting antibodies and protective cytokines," he further added.

𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬

At first, the medium age of the study's participants was 65, and the stage of their illness was moderate. 57 percent of the participants were male, 80 percent were white, and 14 percent were African American. Plus, all the participants were current or former smokers, and they had undergone at least one sleep evaluation before enrollment.

03/08/2022

𝐈𝐧 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭, 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐃𝐍𝐀 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 '𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬'

An international team of scientists from the U.K., U.S., and Singapore is working together to develop an injectable cure for genetic heart conditions by rewriting DNA. The team named CureHeart has been awarded a £30 million grant from the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

The researchers will employ precision genetic techniques in the heart for the first time with the aim of silencing defective genes and develop and test the first treatment for genetic heart diseases. Animal tests had already proven before that the techniques work.
"This is a defining moment for cardiovascular medicine," said Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, the BHF’s medical director. "Not only could CureHeart be the creators of the first cure for inherited heart muscle diseases by tackling killer genes that run through family trees, it could also usher in a new era of precision cardiology."
Once-in-a-generation opportunity
Genetic cardiomyopathy diseases affect about 260,000 people only in the U.K., and they can cause sudden death or progressive heart failure at any age. Considering the fact that the risk of these faulty genes to pass on to each of their children is 50/50, it can be said that multiple members of the same family will develop heart failure, need a heart transplant, or die at a young age.
"This is our once-in-generation opportunity to relieve families of the constant worry of sudden death, heart failure, and potential need for a heart transplant," said Professor Hugh Watkins from the Radcliffe Department of Medicine at the University of Oxford and lead investigator of CureHeart. "After 30 years of research, we have discovered many of the genes and specific genetic faults responsible for different cardiomyopathies, and how they work. We believe that we will have a gene therapy ready to start testing in clinical trials in the next five years".

𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬

The aim of the new research is to permanently correct or silence the faulty genes responsible for these cardiac issues.
"Acting on our mission will be a truly global effort," said Dr. Christine Seidman, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in the U.S. and co-lead of the CureHeart project. "We’ve brought in pioneers in new, ultra-precise gene editing, and experts with the techniques to ensure we get our genetic tools straight into the heart safely. It’s because of our world-leading team from three different continents that our initial dream should become reality."
By creating the world’s first genetic cure for heart disease, the study could make a giant leap in cardiovascular medicine. It definitely is a promising step towards stopping families from losing loved ones to these cruel diseases. However, the team also states that they need continuous support to achieve such a milestone for the millions of people around the world living with genetic heart disease.

03/08/2022

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐛𝐲 𝟔𝟎 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭

Turns out that green bananas are actually more beneficial than they were thought.

• A recent study shows that resistant starch has a preventive effect on a range of hereditary cancers.

• Resistant starch can be found in our daily foods, such as slightly underripe bananas and oats.

• A trial has shown that a daily dose of resistant starch given for an average of two years did not decrease cancers in the bowel, but it lowered cancers in other parts of the body by more than half.

A recent study conducted by researchers from the Universities of Newcastle and Leeds has shown that resistant starch has a preventive effect on various hereditary cancers. The double-blind longitudinal study tracked almost 1,000 patients with Lynch Syndrome, a hereditary condition that raises the risk of several cancer types, for nearly 20 years.
Resistant starch, also known as fermentable fiber, is a type of carbohydrate that doesn't get digested in the small intestine but ferments in the large intestine and feeds beneficial gut bacteria. It can be found in our daily foods such as slightly underripe bananas, oats, peas and beans, rice, pasta and etc. Researchers further state that resistant starch can be taken as a powder supplement.

"𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟔𝟎%"

An international trial has just shown that a daily dose of resistant starch given for an average of two years did not decrease cancers in the bowel, but it did lower cancers in other parts of the body by more than half. This was specifically valid for cancers of the upper gastrointestinal system, such as those of the esophagus, gastric, biliary tract, pancreas, and duodenum. Nearly 1,000 Lynch syndrome patients from around the world took part in the CAPP2 experiment. The effects of the supplement persisted for 10 years after the trial was stopped.

25/07/2022

𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐲𝐩𝐨𝐱 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐚 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲

New York City is the epicenter of the outbreak in the US.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared monkeypox a global emergency, as the virus has spread in just a few weeks to dozens of countries, and more than 16,000 cases outside of Africa have now been reported.
WHO director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said today that the virus constituted a “public health emergency of international concern,” a designation in use for only COVID-19 and polio.

𝐀𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝

“We have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little, and which meets the criteria” for a public health emergency, Tedros told reporters.
The declaration marked the first time that the director general of the organization had to overrule his advisers to declare a public health emergency after the committee’s inability to come to a consensus.
Previously in May, the organization had said that the disease could be contained, but immediate action is needed.
"We think that if we put in place the right measures now, we probably can contain this easily," Sylvie Briand, WHO director for Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness, had told the U.N. agency's annual assembly at the time. “We don’t know if we are just seeing the peak of the iceberg [or] if there are many more cases that are undetected in communities."
"For us, we think that the key priority currently is trying to contain this transmission in non-endemic countries," Briand added, saying that early detection and isolation of cases and contact tracing were necessary to contain the outbreak.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲?

Some experts disagree with Tedros' decision despite there being five times more cases now than when the outbreak was reviewed by the WHO back in June. These experts have called the process shortsighted and overly cautious.
Others, however, such as Dr. Boghuma Titanji, an infectious diseases physician at Emory University in Atlanta, say the new declaration is “better late than never."
"One can argue that the response globally has continued to suffer from a lack of coordination with individual countries working at very different paces to address the problem," Titanji told The New York Times.
“There is almost capitulation that we cannot stop the monkeypox virus from establishing itself in a more permanent way,” she added.
It's hard to pinpoint when a virus should be declared a public health emergency but when it comes to diseases erroring on the side of caution seems wise. After all, we would not want a virus to spread farther than it can be contained only to be told it should have been flagged as an emergency.

25/07/2022

𝐀 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚 𝐁

Eradicating the need for hemophilia patients to get injected regularly.
Hemophilia B is a rare genetic condition caused by a lack of blood clotting factor IX (FIX). Since it prevents blood from clotting effectively, the disease leads to uncontrollable bleeding that can be life-threatening. While most people who suffer from the disease inherit the genetic condition from their parents, approximately one-third of cases are brought on by spontaneous gene mutations.
But now, a new gene therapy could be the key to cutting the risk. In a small-scale trial has been conducted over six months, nine out of ten subjects with severe or moderately severe hemophilia responded to a single treatment — one round of FLT180a therapy. It led to the continuous hepatic synthesis of the protein, meaning the participants no longer needed regular injections.
Though the treatment is in its early stages and the trial involved very few people, "[w]e're very excited by the results," said Pratima Chowdary, M.D., one of the doctors who developed the treatment. She also believes that curing hemophilia "will be a reality for the majority of the adults in the next one to three years," according to BBC.

𝐀 "𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞" 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬

Elliott Mason, who was one of the subjects of the trial, says the treatment has made his life "completely normal," adding, "I've not had any treatment since I had my therapy, it's all a miracle really, well, it's science, but it feels quite miraculous to me."
The current treatment of hemophilia includes getting injections regularly, generally once a week, to make up for the lack of clotting factor IX. However, even that onerous treatment doesn't always prevent debilitating joint damage.
The new method, on the other hand, delivers several copies of the gene that codes for the clotting factor to liver cells. Rather than requiring the protein from an outside source, it provides the body with the blueprints needed to produce it on its own. So that a single injection of gene treatment could treat the condition for the long term.
Mason also told BBC that receiving the treatment took about an hour.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚

The results of the clinical trial have demonstrated that out of the 10 individuals, five patients had normal levels of blood-clotting factors while the other three had elevated levels that were still below normal. Only one of them had excessively high factor IX levels, which caused a blood clot to form.
"Removing the need for hemophilia patients to regularly inject themselves with the missing protein is an important step in improving their quality of life," Chowdary stated in a press release.
"This initial data is promising, but we continue to monitor gene therapy trials closely and cautiously, as with all new treatments," Clive Smith, chairman of the Haemophilia Society told BBC. "If they are shown to be safe and effective, NICE [National Institute for Health and Care Excellence] and the NHS [National Health Service] must work together to make these innovative treatments available."
Though the study offers hope for the treatment of hemophilia B, it's been tested on a very small group of subjects. Importantly, one of the patients suffered from a serious blood clot. Therefore, the next step is the Phase III trial which is testing the treatment on a wider group of people.

The results of the study have been published in the journal the New England Journal of Medicine.

24/07/2022

𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭 — 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐡𝐞𝐚

It's all about a mutation of genome.

Researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have discovered a set of human gene mutations that prevent cognitive decline and dementia in older adults, according to a new study published on July 9, 2022, in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution. The scientists focused on one of the mutated genes and traced its evolution through its appearance in the human genome.
Results of the study suggest that selective pressure from infectious pathogens such as gonorrhea might have been the reason behind the emergence of this gene variant in homo sapiens and paved the way for grandparents' existence in humans' social structures.

𝐀 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡

Interestingly, humans are the only species known to live after menopause. To explain the reason behind this, the "grandmother hypothesis" suggests that older women are crucial in helping to raise human newborns and children since they need more care than infants of other species.
And now, researchers are trying to understand the longer-term health of humankind by examining mutated genomes. The new study is significant for revealing that humans picked up an additional mutated form of CD33 that lacks the sugar-binding site somewhere along the evolutionary line. CD33 is a receptor expressed in immune cells and normally binds to sialic acid, a form of sugar that covers all human cells.
The sialic acids on damaged cells and plaques no longer cause the mutant receptor to respond, allowing the microglia to break them down. Eventually, several studies have shown that this CD33 variation is protective against late-onset Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers searched for clues to discover when this gene variation originally emerged and discovered signs of strong positive selection, indicating that something was pushing the gene to develop more quickly than anticipated. Additionally, they found that our closest evolutionary ancestors, the Neanderthals, and Denisovans, did not have this specific variant of CD33 in their genomes.
"For most genes that are different in humans and chimps, Neanderthals usually have the same version as the humans, so this was really surprising to us," said co-senior author Ajit Varki, MD, Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Cellular and Molecular Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine. "These findings suggest the wisdom and care of healthy grandparents may have been an important evolutionary advantage that we had over other ancient hominin species."

𝐆𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐡𝐞𝐚'𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Even though this new study provides proof supporting the grandmother theory, evolutionary theory says what drives genetic selection is reproductive success, not post-reproductive cognitive health. So, the scientists suggest that gonorrhea, a highly contagious sexually transmitted infection caused by bacteria, may have influenced human evolution.
The identical sugars that CD33 receptors bind to are also on the surface of gonorrhea bacteria, and the bacteria can deceive human immune cells into thinking they are not outside intruders. In light of this, researchers indicate that humans evolved the mutant form of CD33 that lacks a sugar-binding site as a defense mechanism against such "molecular mimicry" by gonorrhea and other infections. They also verified that one of the human-specific mutations was capable of eliminating the contact between the bacteria and CD33, allowing immune cells to attack the germs once more.
In the final analysis, the researchers claim that humans inherited the mutant version of CD33 first to guard against gonorrhea when in the reproductive age range. The brain later co-opted this gene variation for its advantages against dementia.

𝐀𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭:

The myelomonocytic receptor CD33 (Siglec-3) inhibits innate immune reactivity by extracellular V-set domain recognition of sialic acid (Sia)-containing "self-associated molecular patterns" (SAMPs). We earlier showed that V-set domain-deficient CD33-variant allele, protective against late-onset Alzheimer's Disease (LOAD), is derived and specific to the hominin-lineage. We now report multiple hominin-specific CD33 V-set domain mutations. Due to hominin-specific, fixed loss-of-function mutation in the CMAH gene, humans lack N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc), the preferred Sia-ligand of ancestral CD33. Mutational analysis and MD-simulations indicate that fixed change in amino acid 21 of hominin V-set domain and conformational changes related to His45 corrected for Neu5Gc-loss by switching to N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac)-recognition. We show that human-specific pathogens Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Group B Streptococcus selectively bind huCD33 as part of immune evasive molecular mimicry of host SAMPs and that this binding is significantly impacted by amino acid 21 modification. In addition to LOAD-protective CD33 alleles, humans harbor derived, population-universal, cognition-protective variants at several other loci. Interestingly, 11 of 13 SNPs in these human genes (including CD33) are not shared by genomes of archaic hominins: Neanderthals and Denisovans. We present a plausible evolutionary scenario to compile, correlate and comprehend existing knowledge about huCD33-evolution and suggest that grandmothering emerged in humans.

20/07/2022

𝐆𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐮𝐬. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧

More than 90 contacts were identified and are being monitored.
The West African nation of Ghana has reported its first-ever outbreak of the deadly and highly infectious Marburg virus disease after two patient samples were confirmed positive by a laboratory in Senegal, the World Health Organization has reported.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐮𝐬?

The Marburg virus is the causative agent of hemorrhagic fever and belongs to the same family of viruses, Filoviridae, as the Ebola virus. The disease is named after the first reported outbreak in Marburg, Germany, in 1967 and was associated with a laboratory that was working with African green monkeys that were imported from Uganda, the WHO said on its webpage.
Subsequently, disease outbreaks have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda.
Symptoms of Marburg virus disease are sudden onset of high fever accompanied by a severe headache and malaise. Starting on the third day, patients get severe watery diarrhea which can persist for a week, along with abdominal pain, cramping, nausea, and vomiting.
Between days 5-7, the hemorrhagic manifestations set in with patients reporting fresh blood in their vomitus and f***s, with reports of bleeding from the nose, gums, and va**na. If blood loss occurs in excess, it can send the patient into a shock resulting in death between days eight-nine of symptoms onset.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝?

Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are usually considered hosts of the virus, who then pass it on to humans who come in close contact with them. Human-to-human transmission of the virus also occurs through direct contact with blood, organs, and bodily secretions of infected people, as well as contact with other materials such as bedding, clothes, etc., that may have been contaminated by them.
Healthcare workers who care for the infected individuals are at the highest risk of getting infected themselves, and a person remains infectious for as long as the virus remains inside the bloodstream of the infected individuals.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐚

On June 26, 2022, a 26-year-old male from the Ashanti region in southern Ghana was admitted to a hospital with symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, nausea, and vomiting and died a day later. On June 28, an unrelated 51-year-old male was then admitted to the same hospital and succumbed to the disease on the same day.
A laboratory in Ghana had reported that the illness was due to the Marburg virus infection, however, the outbreak could only be confirmed after another independent laboratory corroborated the results.
Health authorities in Ghana have traced over 90 contacts of the two individuals and are now monitoring them for symptoms of the disease. The incubation period for the disease is between 2-21 days.
“Health authorities have responded swiftly, getting a head start preparing for a possible outbreak," said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, in the press release. "This is good because without immediate and decisive action, Marburg can easily get out of hand. WHO is on the ground supporting health authorities and now that the outbreak is declared, we are marshalling more resources for the response."
This is the second time the disease has been reported in West Africa. Last year, a single case of infection was reported in Guinea, but the outbreak was declared over five weeks after the first case was detected, and no subsequent cases emerged.
Monitoring outbreaks is critical for a disease like MVD, where fatality rates vary from 24-88 percent. No treatment or vaccine has been approved for the disease with rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids the only supportive care available.

20/07/2022

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬

Turning bacteria into a microrobot is good for humanity.

Preventing the growth of cancer cells in the human body is among the biggest challenges of modern medical science. However, now a team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems claims to have developed an advanced bacteria-mediated therapy to fight cancer-spreading tumors. The proposed treatment involves the use of magnetically guided bacteria-based microrobots as drug carriers.

The microrobots release drugs directly into the tumors and destroy cancer cells in a painless and effective manner. “This on-the-spot delivery would be minimally invasive for the patient, painless, bear minimal toxicity, and the drugs would develop their effect where needed and not inside the entire body,” said Yunus Alapan, co-author of the study.
During their study, the researchers successfully attached nanoliposomes (spherical vesicles made of lipid that are used for storing drugs inside them) and magnetic nanoparticles to about 86 E. coli bacteria. These special attachments turned the common bacteria into a small army of bacterial biohybrid microrobots.
The numerous nanoliposomes linked to each modified E. coli bacteria are actually vesicles filled with chemotherapeutic drug molecules. Their outer covering can be easily removed by coming in contact with infrared rays. On the other side, the magnetic particles (iron oxide) attached to the bacteria are used to control their movement inside the human body.
Since E. coli is a highly mobile microbe, the researchers exposed them to a magnetic field. The direction of the magnetic field guided the movement of the iron oxide particles and also the bacteria to which they were attached. Moreover, to link the bacteria with the magnetic particles and nanoliposomes, the researchers used streptavidin-biotin complexes, the most powerful biomolecule binding agents that are often employed to identify new drug targets.
Streptavidin-biotin complexes are highly stable, and they serve as unbreakable ropes that bind the attachments to the bacteria. While explaining the process further, Birgül Akolpoglu, the lead author of the study said, “Imagine we would inject such bacteria-based microrobots into a cancer patient’s body. With a magnet, we could precisely steer the particles towards the tumor. Once enough microrobots surround the tumor, we point a laser at the tissue, and that triggers the drug release. Now, not only is the immune system triggered to wake up, but the additional drugs also help destroy the tumor.”
The researchers claim that the “on-the-spot delivery” of chemotherapeutic drugs using biohybrid microrobots can be accomplished without causing any pain or infection inside the patient’s body. Moreover, with more research and development, it could emerge as one of the most effective treatment strategies against cancer in the future.

𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫

The biohybrid microrobots promise cancer treatment based on an approach called bacteria-mediated therapy (using bacteria to deliver drugs or release enzymes in the human body at desired locations). Surprisingly, this is not a new treatment method, but it has been a tricky one. Many scientists have attempted to equip microorganisms with anti-cancer drugs.
However, most of them failed because successful treatment using this strategy requires a perfect combination of different techniques. This is where Birgül Akolpoglu and her team managed to get ahead of everyone else. They employed materials that enhanced the capacity of common bacteria and turned the same into highly efficient nanomachines for drug delivery.
For instance, the nanoliposomes attached to the bacteria consisted of special capsules called the green particles to store the cancer drugs effectively. These particles released the drug only when they came in contact with infrared radiation (a laser beam). Plus, these particles left no scope of interaction between therapeutic molecules and any natural bacterial secretions.
To overcome movement control-related issues with E. coli, the researchers used the magnetic properties of ferrous oxide particles. Therefore, by integrating robotics and physics with biology, the researchers at Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems managed to come up with the perfect components required to overcome the different challenges associated with bacteria-mediated cancer treatment.
The study is published in the journal Science Advances.

𝐀𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭:

Bacterial biohybrids, composed of self-propelling bacteria carrying micro/nanoscale materials, can deliver their payload to specific regions under magnetic control, enabling additional frontiers in minimally invasive medicine. However, current bacterial biohybrid designs lack high-throughput and facile construction with favorable cargoes, thus underperforming in terms of propulsion, payload efficiency, tissue pe*******on, and spatiotemporal operation. Here, we report magnetically controlled bacterial biohybrids for targeted localization and multistimuli-responsive drug release in three-dimensional (3D) biological matrices. Magnetic nanoparticles and nanoliposomes loaded with photothermal agents and chemotherapeutic molecules were integrated onto Escherichia coli with ~90% efficiency. Bacterial biohybrids, outperforming previously reported E. coli–based microrobots, retained their original motility and were able to navigate through biological matrices and colonize tumor spheroids under magnetic fields for on-demand release of the drug molecules by near-infrared stimulus. Our work thus provides a multifunctional microrobotic platform for guided locomotion in 3D biological networks and stimuli-responsive delivery of therapeutics for diverse medical applications.

Pharma Alert

17/08/2022

17/08/2022

03/08/2022

03/08/2022

25/07/2022

25/07/2022

24/07/2022

20/07/2022

20/07/2022

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Practice

Shortcuts

Share