GNIPST BULLETIN 2013

1118-1177-4796-9849-7562-5062

TO GROW AS A CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE IN THE FIELD OF PHARMACEUTICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE

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26th April 2013

Volume No.: 24

Issue No.: 04

Vision

Contents

Message from GNIPST Letter to the Editor News Update Disease Outbreak News Health Awareness Forth Coming Events Drugs Update GNIPST Photo Gallery
For your comments/contribution OR For Back-Issues, mailto:[email protected]

Campus News Students Section Editors Note Archive

1 EDITOR: Debabrata Ghosh Dastidar

GURU NANAK INSTITUTE OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

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MESSAGE FROM GNIPST

All the members of GNIPST are proud to publish the 23rd Volume of GNIPST BULLETIN. This bulletin has successfully completed its twenty months journey. We hope it has kept the readers updated of recent activities in pharmaceutical & biological sciences and also introduced them with the different activities of our esteemed institution. We are thankful to all of you for your great cooperation & support and are looking forward to the same in future.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR.

NEWS UPDATE

WORLD MALARIA DAY: 25 April, 2013

The global campaign theme for World Malaria Day, 2013 and the coming years is Invest in the future. Defeat malaria. World Malaria Day was instituted by WHO Member States during the 2007 World Health Assembly. It is an occasion to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control. It is also an opportunity for new donors to join the global malaria partnership, and for research and academic institutions to showcase their scientific work. Read more

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Nanosponges

Soak

Up

Toxins

Released (14

by

Bacterial Infections and Venom

APRIL 2013)

Engineers have invented a "nanosponge" capable of safely removing a broad class of dangerous toxins from the bloodstream -- including toxins produced by MRSA, E. coli, poisonous snakes and bees. Read
more

Gene Signature Can Predict Who Will Survive Chemotherapy (16

APRIL 2013)

An eight gene signature can predict length of relapse-free survival after chemotherapy, finds new research. Read more Drinking Cup of Beetroot Juice Daily May Help

Lower Blood Pressure (18

APRIL 2013)

A cup of beetroot juice a day may help reduce your blood pressure, according to a small study. Read more Key Bone Marrow Protein Identified as Potential

New Leukemia Treatment Target (18

APRIL 2013)

A new study on how the progression of acute lymphocytic leukemia is influenced by the bone marrow environment has demonstrated for the first time that targeting a specialized protein known as

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26-04-2013

osteopontin may be an effective strategy to increase the efficacy of chemotherapy in patients with this type of blood cancer. Read more High-Salt

Diet

and

Ulcer

Bug

Combine

to

Increase Risk of Cancer (18

APRIL 2013)

Numerous epidemiologic studies have shown that a diet high in salt is associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer. Now researchers have shown that high dietary salt combined with infection by the ulcer-causing bacterium Helicobacter pylori greatly increases the risk of cancer. Read more Nanoparticles

Found in Everyday Items Can Storage: Gold (18 Nanoparticles

Inhibit

Fat

Accelerate Aging.

APRIL 2013)

An increase in gold nanoparticles can accelerate aging and wrinkling, slow wound healing and cause the onset of diabetes.
Read more

Big Boost in Drug Discovery: New Use for Stem

Cells Identifies a Promising Way to Target ALS (18

APRIL 2013)

Using a new stem-cell based drug screening technology with the potential to reinvent and greatly reduce the cost of the way new pharmaceuticals are developed, researchers have found a compound
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more effective in protecting the neurons killed in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- Lou Gehrig's disease -- than two drugs that failed in human clinical trials after hundreds of millions of dollars had been invested in them. Read more Low-Dose Aspirin Stymies Proliferation of Two

Breast Cancer Lines

(21

APRIL 2013)

Regular use of low-dose aspirin may prevent the progression of breast cancer, according to a new study. Read more Microwave Imaging Can See How Well Treatment

Is Progressing (24

APRIL 2013)

Microwave imaging can be used to monitor how well treatment for breast cancer is working, finds new research. Microwave tomography was able to distinguish between breast cancer, benign growths, and normal tissue.Read more Virus Kills Melanoma in Animal Model, Spares

Normal Cells.

(24

MARCH 2013)

Researchers have demonstrated that vesicular stomatitis virus is highly competent at finding, infecting, and killing human melanoma cells, both in vitro and in animal models, while having little propensity to infect non-cancerous cells.Read more.

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HEALTH AWARENESS

MALARIA
According to the latest estimates, there were about 219 million cases of malaria in 2010 (with an uncertainty range of 154 million to 289 million) and an estimated 660 000 deaths (with an uncertainty range of 490 000 to 836 000). Malaria mortality rates have fallen by more than 25% globally since 2000, and by 33% in the WHO African Region. Most deaths occur among children living in Africa where a child dies every minute from malaria. Country-level burden estimates available for 2010 show that an estimated 80% of malaria deaths occur in just 14 countries and about 80% of cases occur in 17 countries. Together, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria account for over 40% of the estimated total of malaria deaths globally. Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites. The parasites are spread to people through the bites of infected Anopheles mosquitoes, called "malaria vectors", which bite mainly between dusk and dawn. There are four parasite species that cause malaria in humans: Plasmodium falciparum Plasmodium vivax Plasmodium malariae Plasmodium ovale.
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Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax are the most common. Plasmodium falciparum is the most deadly. In recent years, some human cases of malaria have also occurred with Plasmodium knowlesi a species that causes malaria among monkeys and occurs in certain forested areas of South-East Asia. Transmission Malaria is transmitted exclusively through the bites of Anopheles mosquitoes. The intensity of transmission depends on factors related to the parasite, the vector, the human host, and the environment. About 20 different Anopheles species are locally important around the world. All of the important vector species bite at night. Anopheles mosquitoes breed in water and each species has its own breeding preference; for example some prefer shallow collections of fresh water, such as puddles, rice fields, and hoof prints. Transmission is more intense in places where the mosquito lifespan is longer (so that the parasite has time to complete its development inside the mosquito) and where it prefers to bite humans rather than other animals. For example, the long lifespan and strong human-biting habit of the African vector species is the main reason why more than 90% of the world's malaria deaths are in Africa. Transmission also depends on climatic conditions that may affect the number and survival of mosquitoes, such as rainfall patterns, temperature and humidity. In many places, transmission is seasonal, with the peak
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26-04-2013 during and just after the rainy season. Malaria epidemics can occur when climate and other conditions suddenly favour transmission in areas where people have little or no immunity to malaria. They can also occur when people with low immunity move into areas with intense malaria transmission, for instance to find work, or as refugees. Human immunity is another important factor, especially among adults in areas of moderate or intense transmission conditions. Partial immunity is developed over years of exposure, and while it never provides complete protection, it does reduce the risk that malaria infection will cause severe disease. For this reason, most malaria deaths in Africa occur in young children, whereas in areas with less transmission and low immunity, all age groups are at risk. Symptoms Malaria is an acute febrile illness. In a non-immune individual, symptoms appear seven days or more (usually 1015 days) after the infective mosquito bite. The first symptoms fever, headache, chills and vomiting may be mild and difficult to recognize as malaria. If not treated within 24 hours, P. falciparum malaria can progress to severe illness often leading to death. Children with severe malaria frequently develop one or more of the following symptoms: severe anaemia, respiratory distress in relation to metabolic acidosis, or cerebral malaria. In adults, multi-organ involvement is also frequent. In malaria endemic areas, persons may develop partial immunity, allowing asymptomatic infections to occur.

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26-04-2013 For both P. vivax and P. ovale, clinical relapses may occur weeks to months after the first infection, even if the patient has left the malarious area. These new episodes arise from dormant liver forms known as hypnozoites (absent in P. falciparum and P. malariae); special treatment targeted at these liver stages is required for a complete cure. Who is at risk? Approximately half of the world's population is at risk of malaria. Most malaria cases and deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa. However, Asia, Latin America, and to a lesser extent the Middle East and parts of Europe are also affected. In 2011, 99 countries and territories had ongoing malaria transmission. Specific population risk groups include: young children in stable transmission areas who have not yet developed protective immunity against the most severe forms of the disease; non-immune pregnant women as malaria causes high rates of miscarriage and can lead to maternal death; semi-immune pregnant women in areas of high transmission. Malaria can result in miscarriage and low birth weight, especially during first and second pregnancies; semi-immune HIV-infected pregnant women in stable transmission areas, during all pregnancies. Women with malaria infection of the placenta also have a higher risk of passing HIV infection to their newborns;
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26-04-2013 people with HIV/AIDS; international travellers from non-endemic areas because they lack immunity; immigrants from endemic areas and their children living in nonendemic areas and returning to their home countries to visit friends and relatives are similarly at risk because of waning or absent immunity.

Diagnosis and treatment

Early diagnosis and treatment of malaria reduces disease and prevents deaths. It also contributes to reducing malaria transmission. The best available treatment, particularly for P. falciparum malaria, is artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT). WHO recommends that all cases of suspected malaria be confirmed using parasite-based diagnostic testing (either microscopy or rapid diagnostic test) before administering treatment. Results of parasitological confirmation can be available in 15 minutes or less. Treatment solely on the basis of symptoms should only be considered when a parasitological diagnosis is not possible. More detailed recommendations are available in the Guidelines for the treatment of malaria (second edition).

Antimalarial drug resistance

Resistance to antimalarial medicines is a recurring problem. Resistance of P. falciparum to previous generations of medicines, such as chloroquine and
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26-04-2013 sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), became widespread in the 1970s and 1980s, undermining malaria control efforts and reversing gains in child survival. In recent years, parasite resistance to artemisinins has been detected in four countries of the Greater Mekong subregion: Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam. While there are likely many factors that contribute to the emergence and spread of resistance, the use of oral artemisinins alone, as monotherapy, is thought to be an important driver. When treated with an oral artemisinin-based monotherapy, patients may discontinue treatment prematurely following the rapid disappearance of malaria symptoms. This results in incomplete treatment, and such patients still have persistent parasites in their blood. Without a second drug given as part of a combination (as is provided with an ACT), these resistant parasites survive and can be passed on to a mosquito and then another person. If resistance to artemisinins develops and spreads to other large geographical areas, the public health consequences could be dire, as no alternative antimalarial medicines will be available for at least five years. WHO recommends the routine monitoring of antimalarial drug resistance, and supports countries to strengthen their efforts in this important area of work. More comprehensive recommendations are available in the WHO Global Plan for Artemisinin Resistance Containment (GPARC), which was released in 2011.
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Prevention
Vector control is the main way to reduce malaria transmission at the community level. It is the only intervention that can reduce malaria transmission from very high levels to close to zero. For individuals, personal protection against mosquito bites represents the first line of defence for malaria prevention. Two forms of vector control are effective in a wide range of circumstances. Insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) Long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) are the preferred form of ITNs for public health distribution programmes. WHO recommends coverage for all at-risk persons; and in most settings. The most cost effective way to achieve this is through provision of free LLINs, so that everyone sleeps under a LLIN every night. Indoor spraying with residual insecticides Indoor residual spraying (IRS) with insecticides is a powerful way to rapidly reduce malaria transmission. Its full potential is realized when at least 80% of houses in targeted areas are sprayed. Indoor spraying is effective for 36 months, depending on the insecticide used and the type of surface on which it is sprayed. DDT can be effective for 912 months in some cases. Longer-lasting forms of existing IRS insecticides, as well as new classes of insecticides for use in IRS programmes, are under development.

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26-04-2013 Antimalarial medicines can also be used to prevent malaria. For travellers, malaria can be prevented through chemoprophylaxis, which suppresses the blood stage of malaria infections, thereby preventing malaria disease. In addition, WHO recommends intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine for pregnant women living in high transmission areas, at each scheduled antenatal visit after the first trimester. Similarly, for infants living in high-transmission areas of Africa, 3 doses of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxinepyrimethamine is recommended delivered alongside routine vaccinations. In 2012, WHO recommended Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention as an additional malaria prevention strategy for areas of the Sahel sub-Region of Africa. The strategy involves the administration of monthly courses of amodiaquine plus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine to all children under 5 years of age during the high transmission season. Insecticide resistance Much of the success to date in controlling malaria is due to vector control. Vector control is highly dependent on the use of pyrethroids, which are the only class of insecticides currently recommended for ITNs or LLINs. In recent years, mosquito resistance to pyrethroids has emerged in many countries. In some areas, resistance to all four classes of insecticides used for public health has been detected. Fortunately, this resistance has only rarely been associated with decreased efficacy, and LLINs and IRS remain highly effective tools in almost all settings. However, countries in sub-Saharan Africa and India are of significant concern. These countries are characterized by high levels of malaria
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26-04-2013 transmission and widespread reports of insecticide resistance. The development of new, alternative insecticides is a high priority and several promising products are in the pipeline.. Development of new insecticides for use on bed nets is a particular priority. Detection of insecticide resistance should be an essential component of all national malaria control efforts to ensure that the most effective vector control methods are being used. The choice of insecticide for IRS should always be informed by recent, local data on the susceptibility target vectors. In order to ensure a timely and coordinated global response to the threat of insecticide resistance, WHO has worked with a wide range of stakeholders to develop the Global Plan for Insecticide Resistance Management in malaria vectors (GPIRM), which was released in May 2012. The GPIRM puts forward a five-pillar strategy calling on the global malaria community to: plan and implement insecticide resistance management strategies in malaria-endemic countries; ensure proper and timely entomological and resistance monitoring, and effective data management; develop new and innovative vector control tools; fill gaps in knowledge on mechanisms of insecticide resistance and the impact of current insecticide resistance management approaches; and ensure that enabling mechanisms (advocacy as well as human and financial resources) are in place.

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Surveillance
Tracking progress is a major challenge in malaria control. Malaria surveillance systems detect only around 10% of the estimated global number of cases. Stronger malaria surveillance systems are urgently needed to enable a timely and effective malaria response in endemic regions, to prevent outbreaks and resurgences, to track progress, and to hold governments and the global malaria community accountable. In April 2012, the WHO Director-General launched new global surveillance manuals for malaria control and elimination, and urged endemic countries to strengthen their surveillance systems for malaria. This was embeddedpart of in a larger call to scale up diagnostic testing, treatment and surveillance for malaria, known as WHOs T3: Test. Treat. Track initiative. Elimination Malaria elimination is defined as interrupting local mosquito-borne malaria transmission in a defined geographical area, i.e. zero incidence of locally contracted cases. Malaria eradication is defined as the permanent reduction to zero of the worldwide incidence of malaria infection caused by a specific agent; i.e. applies to a particular malaria parasite species. Many countries especially in temperate and sub-tropical zones have been successful in eliminating malaria. The global malaria eradication campaign, launched by WHO in 1955, was successful in eliminating the disease in some countries, but ultimately failed to achieve its overall goal, thus being abandoned less than two decades later in favour of the less

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26-04-2013 ambitious goal of malaria control. In recent years, however, interest in malaria eradication as a long-term goal has re-emerged. Large-scale use of WHO-recommended strategies, currently available tools, strong national commitments, and coordinated efforts with partners, will enable more countries particularly those where malaria transmission is low and unstable to progress towards malaria elimination. In recent years, 4 countries have been certified by the WHO Director-General as having eliminated malaria: United Arab Emirates (2007), Morocco (2010), Turkmenistan (2010), and Armenia (2011). Vaccines against malaria There are currently no licensed vaccines against malaria or any other human parasite. One research vaccine against P. falciparum, known as RTS,S/AS01, is most advanced. This vaccine is currently being evaluated in a large clinical trial in 7 countries in Africa. A WHO recommendation for use will depend on the final results from the large clinical trial. These final results are expected in late 2014, and a recommendation as to whether or not this vaccine should be added to existing malaria control tools is expected in 2015

DISEASE OUTBREAK NEWS

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

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DRUGS UPDATES
FDA

launches partnership to protect against

counterfeit anti-malarial medicines with FDAdeveloped handheld detection tool (24

APRIL 2013)

The U.S. FDA announced a public-private partnership to help identify counterfeit or substandard anti-malarial medicines, including falsified products, with the deployment of the FDAdeveloped Counterfeit Detection Device, called CD-3. Read more FDA

approves

abuse-deterrent (16

labeling

for

reformulated OxyContin.

APRIL 2013)

approved updated labeling for Purdue Pharma L.P.s reformulated OxyContin (oxycodone hydrochloride controlled-release) tablets. The new labeling indicates that the product has physical and chemical properties that are expected to make abuse via injection difficult and to reduce abuse via the intranasal route (snorting). Read more.

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CAMPUS NEWS
The farewell ceremony for the final year students will be organized in the first week of May, 2013.

STUDENTS SECTION
WHO CAN ANS WER FIRS T???

() Name of which fruit in English was derived from Arabic Naranj ? () According to Chinese legend, what did empress Shiling Ti discovered in her tea cup while sitting under a tree?
Answer of Previous Issue Question:

A) Strychnine

B) Lupin Ltd.

Send your thoughts/ Quiz/Puzzles/games/writeups or any other contributions for Students Section & answers of this Section at
[email protected]

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EDITORS NOTE I am very happy to publish the 4th issue of 24th Volume of GNIPST BULLETIN. It is my great pleasure to introduce you to the newly launched facebook account GNIPST bulletin. You are cordially invited to add this account to your friend list. The current issues will also be directly available on facebook. I would like to convey my thanks to all the GNIPST members and the readers for their valuable comments, encouragement& supports. Special thanks to Dr. Prerona Saha for her advice; Mr. Soumya Bhattacharya, for his contribution in students section. It would be my great pleasure to receive the contributions, suggestions & feedback from your desk for further upliftment of this deliberation GNIPST BULLETIN.

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ARCHIVE The general body meeting of APTI, Bengal Branch has been conducted at GNIPST on 15th June, 2012. The programme started with a nice presentation by Dr. Pulok Kr. Mukherjee, School of Natural Products, JU on the skill to write a good manuscript for publication in impact journals. It was followed by nearly two hour long discussion among more than thirty participants on different aspects of pharmacy education. Five nonmember participants applied for membership on that very day. GNIPST is now approved by AICTE and affiliated to WBUT for conducting the two years post graduate course (M.Pharm) in

PHARMACOLOGY. The approved number of seat is 18.

The number of seats in B.Pharm. has been increased from 60 to 120. 2nd World Congress on Ga-68 (Generators and Novel Radiopharmaceuticals), Molecular Imaging (PET/CT), Targeted Radionuclide Therapy, and Dosimetry (SWC-2013) : On the Way to Personalized Medicine Dates 28 Feb 2013 02 Mar 2013

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Location:

Chandigarh, India.Details.

AICTE has sanctioned a release of grant under Research Promotion Scheme (RPS) during the financial year 201213to GNIPST as per the details below: a. Beneficiary Institution: Guru Nanak Institution of Pharmaceutical Science & Technology. b. Principal Investigator: Dr. LopamudraDutta. c. Grant-in-aid sanctioned:Rs. 16,25000/- only d. Approved duration: 3 years e. Title of the project: Screening and identification of potential medicinal plant of Purulia&Bankuradistricts of West Bengal with respect to diseases such as diabetes, rheumatism, Jaundice, hypertension and developing biotechnological tools for enhancing bioactive molecules in these plant.

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