A Study of Nigella sativa Linn. seeds for antimicrobial activity against multidrug resistant clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

A Study of Nigella sativa Linn. seeds for antimicrobial activity against multidrug resistant clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Hippocratic Journal of Unani Medicine. 4(4). 2009. 95-104.
Authors: Mohd T Salman(1),*, Rahat A Khan(1), Indu Shukla(2)
Address: (1)Department of Pharmacology, (2)Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India. 202002.
*Corresponding Author: Present address- Department of Pharmacology, Era’s Lucknow Medical College, Sarfarazganj, Hardoi Road, Lucknow. India. 202003.
Abstract
Nigella sativa (black cumin) seed oil and extracts were tested in varying dilutions against strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa resistant to a number of clinically used antibiotics isolated from patients attending JN Medical College Hospital, Aligarh, using disc agar diffusion technique on inoculated Muellar Hinton agar plates under standard laboratory conditions. Both the oil and Methanolic extract showed remarkable dose dependant antibacterial activity against the tested strains upto a dilution of 1:50 as evident from the zones of inhibition. No cross resistance was noticed with any of the tested antibiotics.

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Circumcision

Published Online First: 15 December 2008. doi:10.1136/sti.2008.032334
Sexually Transmitted Infections 2009;85:116-120

Copyright © 2009 by the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

EPIDEMIOLOGY

Male circumcision and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis and Trichomonas vaginalis: observations after a randomised controlled trial for HIV prevention

J Sobngwi–Tambekou¹, D Taljaard², M Nieuwoudt³, P Lissouba¹, A Puren³ and B Auvert⁴

¹ INSERM U687, Hôpital Paul Brousse, Villejuif, France
² Progressus, Johannesburg, South Africa
³ National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
⁴ INSERM U687, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, University of Versailles, France

Correspondence to:
Dr Bertran Auvert, INSERM U687, 12 avenue Paul Vaillant-Couturier, 94804 Villejuif Cedex, France; bertran.auvert@uvsq.fr

Objective: To assess the association between male circumcision and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis and Trichomonas vaginalis using data from a male circumcision randomised controlled trial.

Methods: We used data collected during the male circumcision trial conducted in Orange Farm (South Africa) among men aged 18–24 years. Altogether, 1767 urine samples collected during the final follow-up visit were analysed using PCR. Prevalence of N gonorrhoeae, C trachomatis and T vaginalis was assessed as a function of male circumcision using odds ratios (OR) given by univariate and multivariate logistic regression.

Results: In an intention-to-treat analysis, prevalence of N gonorrhoeae, C trachomatis and T vaginalis among intervention and control groups were 10.0% versus 10.3% (OR 0.97; p = 0.84), 2.1% versus 3.6% (OR 0.58; p = 0.065) and 1.7% versus 3.1% (OR 0.54; p = 0.062), respectively. The association between T vaginalis and male circumcision remained borderline when controlling for age, ethnic group, number of lifetime partners, marital status, condom use and HIV status (AOR 0.48; p = 0.069). In the as-treated analysis, this association became significant (OR 0.49, p = 0.030; AOR 0.41, p = 0.030).

Conclusions: This study demonstrates for the first time that male circumcision reduces T vaginalis infection among men. This finding explains why women with circumcised partners are less at risk for T vaginalis infection than other women. The protective effect on T vaginalis is an additional argument to recommend male circumcision in Africa where it is acceptable.

Trial registration number: NCT00122525.

Some new drug approvals in June 2009

Simponi
Pharmacological class: TNF blocker.
Active Ingredient: Golimumab 50mg/0.5mL; soln for SC inj; preservative-free.
Indication: Moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA), in combination with methotrexate (MTX). Active psoriatic arthritis (PsA), alone or with MTX. Active ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
Company: Centocor Ortho Biotech, Inc.

Axert approved for migraine treatment in adolescents

The FDA has approved Axert (almotriptan malate tablets, from Ortho-McNeil Janssen), a selective 5-HT1B/1D receptor agonist, for the acute treatment of migraine headache in adolescents 12-17 years of age with a history of migraine attacks lasting ≥4 hours.

Reclast approved for biennial dosing regimen to prevent female osteoporosis

The FDA has approved Reclast (zoledronic acid, from Novartis) injection for the prevention of osteoporosis in women for two years with a single dose.

Lamictal XR approved for treatment of epilepsy

GlaxoSmithKline announced that the FDA has approved Lamictal XR (lamotrigine extended-release tablets) as a once-a-day add-on therapy for epilepsy patients ≥13 years of age with partial onset seizures.

Nuvigil launched for excessive sleepiness

Nuvigil (armodafinil tablets) is now available from Cephalon in 50mg, 150mg, and 250mg dosage strengths.

Vyvanse approved for pediatric ADHD control 13 hours post-dose

Shire Pharmaceuticals has received FDA approval for a labeling change for its once-daily Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) treatment Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate capsules).

Cycloset -a new antidiabetic

The U.S. FDA approved Cycloset, a new quick-release oral formulation of bromocriptine mesylateis, which is the first therapy directly targeting the body’s dopamine activity to improve glycemic control. It is also the only drug to be approved subsequent to the FDA's guidelines that require studies demonstrating that diabetes drugs do not increase cardiovascular risk.

Preclinical studies indicate that while an increase in dopamine activity leads to improvements in diabetes, the time of day of the increased dopamine activity is also important. Studies in diabetic animals have shown that increased dopaminergic activity at a particular time of day is most effective in “resetting” the biological clock neurochemistry to a physiology that improves diabetic dysmetabolism. Taken orally, once-a-day, in the morning, Cycloset provides a single brief pulse of dopamine agonist activity shortly after its administration. Morning Cycloset improves post-prandial (after-meal) glucose without increasing plasma insulin concentrations, and the beneficial effects of Cycloset on post-meal glycemic control in patients with Type 2 diabetes are demonstrable many hours after the drug has been substantially cleared from the circulation, for example at lunch and dinner.

Mechanism: Bromocriptine mesylate, an ergot derivative, is a sympatholytic dopamine D2 agonist that exerts inhibitory effects on serotonin turnover in the central nervous system. It has been proposed that bromocriptine can reverse many of the metabolic alterations associated with obesity by resetting central (hypothalamic) circadian organization of monoamine neuronal activitties. Indeed, bromocriptine, if administered systemically or into the cerebral ventricle during the early hours of the light cycle, prevents or reverses seasonal fattening, insulin resistance, and decreased endogenous (hepatic) glucose production in mammals. Moreover, timed bromocriptine treatment decreased body weight and improved glucose tolerance in obese individuals who were instructed to follow a hypocaloric diet . Bromocriptine has also been shown to reduce mean daylong plasma glucose, triglyceride, and free fatty acid (FFA) levels in the absence of a change in body weight in obese nondiabetic women.

Drugs Modifying The Epigenetic Status

Several chemical entities that affect the DNA methylation landscape of the genome are now being used.

• The earliest of these, 5-azacytidine and azacytidine, are chemical analogs of the nucleoside cytidine and its deoxy derivative, decitabine. Through incorporation into DNA (during replication) and RNA (during transcription), they inhibit methyltransferases and thereby cause demethylation of the sequence. Their lack of specificity, has also been deemed to potentiate the carcinogenic process, given the impending effect on genomic stability.
• Zebularine is a cytidine analog that inhibits DNA methylation;
• MG98, an antisense oligonucleotide targets the 3′-untranslated region of the maintenance methyltransferase DNMT1, thereby inhibiting it.
• RG108 effectively blocks DNMTs, particularly DNMT1, and inhibits their activity.
• Psammaplins, a natural product derived from the sea sponge Pseudoceratina purpurea inhibits DNMTs as well as histone deacetylases.

Increasing work is being carried out in developing drugs that affect histone modifications.

• Histone deacetylase inhibitors have been objects of attention in anticancer drug development as they are seen as presenting a potential strategy to reverse aberrant epigenetic changes associated with cancer

s-metoprolol for hypertension and heart failure

Although theoretically 3rd generation beta blockers such as nebivolol are supposed to be more advantagious over cardioselective ones due to their additional vasodilating property because of action on alpha receptors, Randomized Controlled trials have failed to show their additional benefits. Since s-metoprolol has more benefits compared to r isomer, it can be predicted that it would be advantagious over both cardioselective as well as 3rd generation beta blockers. As per my knowledge, this hypothesis is still to be tested in clinical trials and is a potential area of research.
Reference: http://heart.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/79/1/86
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VRS-4W4CMKG-1&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=df55a75133229d114817e3a9d61ec2c2

New drug target for epilepsy

Scientists have identified a specific molecular target whose increased activity is linked with seizure disorders- a potassium channel known as the BK channel.

A new anticonvulsant compound that eliminates seizures in a model of epilepsy. The drug works by inhibiting ion channels whose role in epilepsy was only recently discovered. Understanding how these channels work in seizure disorders, and being able to target them with a simple treatment, represents a significant advance in our ability to understand and treat epilepsy. Researchers have found that after a first seizure, BK channel function was markedly enhanced.

Thus, the neurons became overly excitable and were firing with more speed, intensity and spontaneity, which led the researchers to believe that the abnormal increase in the activity of the channels might play a role in causing subsequent seizures and the emergence of epilepsy. In a recent study the researchers tested this theory by blocking the ion channels using a BK-channel antagonist called paxilline.
Using an experimental model for epilepsy, Barth tested whether paxilline could reduce or prevent experimentally induced seizures, as it could normalize aberrant brain activity induced by previous seizures.

And to their surprise, the researchers discovered that the compound was effective at completely blocking subsequent seizures. The drug is orally available, and works in the low nanomolar range.
As the drug is effective in low concentrations and can be taken as a pill, it could turn out to be an especially promising compound for treatment in epilepsy patients.

The findings have been published in the current issue of the journal Epilepsia.

New Target for treatment of epilepsy

scientists have identified a specific molecular target whose increased activity is linked with seizure disorders- a potassium channel known as the BK channel. works by inhibiting ion channels whose role in epilepsy was only recently discovered. Understanding how these channels work in seizure disorders, and being able to target them with a simple treatment, represents a significant advance in our ability to understand and treat epilepsy." he researchers found that after a first seizure, BK channel function was markedly enhanced.

Thus, the neurons became overly excitable and were firing with more speed, intensity and spontaneity, which led the researchers to believe that the abnormal increase in the activity of the channels might play a role in causing subsequent seizures and the emergence of epilepsy. n the current study, the researchers tested this theory by blocking the ion channels using a BK-channel antagonist called paxilline.

Using an experimental model for epilepsy, Barth tested whether paxilline could reduce or prevent experimentally induced seizures, as it could normalize aberrant brain activity induced by previous seizures.

And to their surprise, the researchers discovered that the compound was effective at completely blocking subsequent seizures. The drug is orally available, and works in the low nanomolar range," said Barth.

As the drug is effective in low concentrations and can be taken as a pill, it could turn out to be an especially promising compound for treatment in epilepsy patients.