Pharmacology and Anti-infective Role of Raxibacumab: A Novel Monoclonal Antibody for the Treatment of Anthrax.

Anthrax, caused by Bacillus anthracis (B anthracis), poses a potential threat as a bioterror agent because after inhalation, the spores rapidly cause bacteraemia and toxaemia. It produces a toxin consisting of three proteins ie protective antigen (PA), oedema factor (EF) and lethal factor (LF). Protective antigen plays a central role in the pathophysiology of anthrax and offers an excellent therapeutic target for treatment of anthrax. Raxibacumab is a recombinant, fully human, IgG1λ monoclonal antibody directed against PA of B anthracis. It inhibits PA binding to the anthrax toxin receptor and inhibits toxin-mediated cell death. It has been approved under animal rule or animal efficacy rule by the United States Food and Drug Administration which comes into play when it is not feasible or ethical to perform controlled clinical trials in humans. It has shown promising results in various animal studies which includes significantly improved survival rates in the raxibacumab group than non-raxibacumab group.

Vibrational spectra, NLO analysis, and HOMO-LUMO studies of 2-chloro-6-fluorobenzoic acid and 3,4-dichlorobenzoic acid by density functional method.

The FTIR and FT-Raman spectra of 2-chloro-6-fluorobenzoic acid and 3,4-dichlorobenzoic acid have been recorded in the region 4000-400 cm(-1) and 3500-50 cm(-1), respectively. Utilizing the observed FTIR and FT-Raman data, a complete vibrational assignment and analysis of fundamental modes of the compounds were carried out. The optimized molecular geometries, vibrational frequencies, thermodynamic properties and atomic charge of the compounds were calculated by using density functional theory (B3LYP) method with 6-311+G and 6-311++G basis sets. The difference between the observed and scaled wave number values of most of fundamentals is very small. Unambiguous vibration assignment of all the fundamentals is made up the total energy distribution (TED). The calculated HOMO and LUMO energies show that charge transfer occurs within the molecules. Besides, molecular electro static potential (MESP), Mulliken's charge analysis, first order hyper polarizability and several thermodynamic properties were performed by the DFT method.

Ileofemoral Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) in Steroid Treated Lepra Type 2 Reaction Patient.

In 1998 a 57-year-old man having skin leisons of 6 months duration reported to Central Leprosy Teaching and Research Institute (CLTRI), Chengalpattu. It was diagnosed as a case of borderline lepromatous leprosy with a type 2 lepra reaction, was treated with multi bacillary-multi drug therapy (MBMDT) for a period of 12 months and the patient was released from treatment (RFT) in September 1999. For reactions the patient was treated with prednisolone for more than 10 months. After 14 years in April 2013 the same patient presented to CLTRI with complaints of weakness of both hands with loss of sensation for 4 months, so making a diagnosis suggestive of MB relapse with neuritis the patient was started with MB-MDT for period of 12 months with initial prednisolone 25 mg OD dose then increased to 40 mg for painful swollen leg and to follow the neuritis associated pain and swelling. Increased dose is not beneficial and the patient was investigated for other pathology. Doppler ultra-sound revealed a left ileofemoral deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in that patient with levels. Prednisolone was withdrawn and the patient was started with anticoagulant heparin followed by warfarin. During this period rifampicin was also withdrawn. After patient was in good condition he was put on MB-MDT regimen. Till the 6th pulse the patient continues to show improvement in functions without steroids and any tenderness, he is taking multivitamins; regular physiotherapy. This DVT appears to be due to prednisolone and such causative relationship though rare should be kept in mind when patient on long term treatment with steroids/and or immobilized or on prolonged bed rest report with such symptomatology.

Regorafenib: A novel tyrosine kinase inhibitor: A brief review of its therapeutic potential in the treatment of metastatic colorectal carcinoma and advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

Regorafenib is a novel oral multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor having both antitumor and anti-angiogenic activities. Regorafenib was recently approved by US Food and Drug Administration in February 25, 2013 in the treatment for patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor and for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma after disease progression or intolerance to imatinib mesylate and sunitinib therapy. Oral regorafenib demonstrates a high level of efficacy with acceptable tolerability with the 160 mg daily for 3 weeks followed by 1 week off schedule; a continuous schedule could be of interest. Hypertension, mucositis, hand foot skin reaction, diarrhea and asthenia are the most common side-effects. Regardless of these encouraging results, studies investigating, adjuvant and neoadjuvant settings are awaited, as well as trials using regorafenib in combination with chemotherapy or other targeted therapies. Clinical trials investigating regorafenib in other tumor types are ongoing.

Prevalence of leptospiral agglutinins among conservancy workers in Madras City, India.

In a study of 584 Corporation conservancy (sanitation) workers who lived mostly in slums, and who worked in four Corporation Circles of Madras City, India, 192 (32.9%) were found to be positive for agglutinins to Leptospira interrogans. Seropositivity prevalence increased with age, but was similar in males and females except in the youngest age group, where males predominated. Prevalence in the four study areas ranged between 17.8 and 40.5% (P < 0.01). Among 152 sera in which one serogroup predominated, Autumnalis was the most commonly recorded (33.6%), followed by Icterohaemorrhagiae (15.1%), Panama (15.1%), Sejroe (14.5%) and others (21.7%). Forty sera reacted to two or more serogroups at the same (highest) titre, most frequently to the first three serogroups above. The titre range was 1:50-1:3200 (geometric mean titre 149). Among a group of 46 male automobile industry workers who lived in middle-class housing, seropositivity prevalence (17.4%) was approximately half that of the sanitation workers (P < 0.05), and the titre range was lower (1:50-1:200, GMT 84). The predominating serogroups were those found in the sanitation workers. Bearing in mind that sanitation workers are the urban group probably at highest risk of leptospiral infection, the prevalence rate (< 33%) found in our study is not considered to be particularly high.