AAPS Perspective on the EURL Recommendation on the use of Non-Animal-Derived Antibodies.

In May 2020, the EU Reference Laboratory for alternatives to animal testing (EURL ECVAM) published a recommendation report entitled "Recommendation on nonanimal-derived antibodies". In this report, the EURL ECVAM specifically states: "Therefore, taking into consideration the ESAC Opinion on the scientific validity of replacements for animal-derived antibodies, EURL ECVAM recommends that animals should no longer be used for the development and production of antibodies for research, regulatory, diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The provisions of Directive 2010/63/EU should be respected, and EU countries should no longer authorise the development and production of antibodies through animal immunisation, where robust, legitimate scientific justification is lacking." (1). Here, we are providing the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) opinion on the EURL ECVAM recommendation report. In brief, there has been a clear and strong progress in reduction of animal use in the drug discovery and development process, including significant reduction of animal use in production of antibody reagents. Yet, it is proposed that more data need to be generated, shared and discussed within the scientific community before a decision to implement the change to non-animal derived antibodies is made.

Renal Artery Thrombosis with Renal Infarction: A Rare Cause of Acute Abdomen.

Renal artery thrombosis with renal infarction is a rare entity. Due to the nonspecific clinical presentation, the diagnosis is usually delayed. We describe such a case in a middle-aged man with membranous nephropathy who was in remission and presented with severe abdominal pain. He was managed with selective intra-arterial thrombolysis with a good outcome.

Ataxia in a chronic kidney disease patient on anti-tubercular therapy.

Isoniazid is the mainstay of anti-tubercular therapy. Used in isolation or in combination with other anti-tubercular drugs, it is generally well-tolerated. While hepatotoxicity and neurotoxicity are reported, significant neurotoxicity remains uncommon. In this report, we present a case of rare neurological complication secondary to anti-tubercular therapy in a patient with stage 5 chronic kidney disease.

Biodegradable and conducting hydrogels based on Guar gum polysaccharide for antibacterial and dye removal applications.

Conducting hydrogels possessing antibacterial activity were developed using a two-step free-radical aqueous polymerization method to incorporate polyaniline chains into an adsorbent Guar gum/acrylic acid hydrogel network. The material properties of the synthesized samples were characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, thermal analysis and scanning electron microscopy techniques. Conducting hydrogels were tested for antibacterial activities against gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative Escherichia coli bacteria and demonstrated antibacterial activity. Synthesized hydrogel samples can be potential adsorbent materials for dye removal applications.

Promotion of growth in mungbean (Phaseolus aureus Roxb.) by selenium is associated with stimulation of carbohydrate metabolism.

The mungbean plants were grown hydroponically in the absence (control) or presence of 0.1, 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 ppm selenium (as sodium selenate) for 10 days. The growth of shoots and roots increased with application of selenium with greater extent in shoots. With 0.5 and 0.75 ppm Se levels, the shoot growth was stimulated by 24% to 27% over control, respectively, while the roots showed a corresponding increase of 18-19%, respectively. The shoot-to-root ratio was enhanced significantly with Se application and maximum effects occurred at 0.75 ppm Se. A significant increase was observed in chlorophyll and cellular respiration ability with 0.5 and 0.75 ppm selenium. The increase in growth by selenium was accompanied by elevation of starch, sucrose and reducing sugars. The activity of starch hydrolysing enzymes--amylases and sucrose hydrolysing enzyme--invertase was stimulated significantly with selenium. This was associated with elevation of activities of sucrose synthesising enzymes--sucrose synthase and sucrose phosphate synthase. It was concluded that increase in growth of shoots and roots by application of Se was possibly the result of up-regulation of enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism thus providing energy substrates for enhanced growth.

Rapid, selective and direct spectrophotometeric determination of aliphatic amines with m-dinitrobenzene.

Color reaction has been studied for identification and spectrophotometric determination of aliphatic amines at room temperature by m-dinitrobenzene (m-DNB) as reagent. The lambda(max) value ranges from 458 to 570 nm. This is a simple and rapid method for determination of aliphatic amines in the acidic, water and acetone medium. Beer's law is verified for methylamine, dimethylamine, trimethylamine and n-butylamine in the range of 0.5-8 mg l(-1). The effect of pH on the molar absorptivity is investigated for a representative primary amine i.e. methylamine and it was observed that molar absorptivity increases from acidic to basic pH, with a sharp increase at pH 12. The kinetic of reaction was also studied and found that reaction time has marked effect on the molar absorptivity of electron donor-acceptor (EDA) complex. The detection of methyl amine has been reported in three real samples of water.