Month: June 2025

Key Concepts in Combination Chemotherapy Synergy vs. Additivity Drug combinations aim for synergy—where the combined effect exceeds the sum of individual drug effects. For example: Platinum agents (e.g., carboplatin) damage DNA. Taxanes (e.g., paclitaxel) disrupt cell division. Targeted therapies (e.g., Read more…

Boosting B Cell Responses CR2 partners with CD19 to form a co-receptor complex that amplifies B cell receptor (BCR) signals. Mice lacking CR2 show impaired antibody responses, highlighting its role in adaptive immunity . Viral Hijacking: The EBV Connection EBV Read more…

Medical Therapy Albendazole: Anti-parasitic drug that kills larvae. Corticosteroids: Reduce inflammation caused by dying parasites. Combined therapy showed a 20% cure rate and 60% partial improvement in one study . Surgery Reserved for cysts causing mechanical damage (e.g., retinal detachment). Read more…

Anthelmintic Use Drug Class Efficacy Against Cyathostomes Resistance Status Ivermectin >97% (adults), 86–97% (L4 larvae) No resistance reported yet Moxidectin 99.9% (encysted larvae) Emerging tolerance observed Oxbendazole 94–100% (adults) High resistance globally Key Practices: Targeted Treatment: Use fecal egg counts Read more…

Antivirals: Stopping Viral Replication Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir (Paxlovid): Mechanism: Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 protease, blocking viral replication. Ritonavir boosts drug levels by slowing metabolism . Efficacy: Reduces hospitalization risk by 80% in high-risk patients if taken within 5 days of symptoms . Challenges: Over Read more…

Antimicrobial Activity: Killing Free-Floating Bacteria Turmeric extract inhibits bacterial growth at low concentrations: Pathogen MIC (mg/ml) MBC (mg/ml) Source S. aureus (clinical) 4–16 16–32 P. aeruginosa 8–32 32–64 Table 1: Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of Read more…

The Anatomy of a C. diff Spore: A Survival Machine C. diff spores are armored with layers of protective proteins and a calcium-rich core, enabling resistance to heat, disinfectants, and antibiotics . Key features include: Outer Exosporium: Shields against immune Read more…

Sensitivity: Can DBS Match Venipuncture? A 2020 study compared DBS formats to serum testing using Cambodian samples: Marker HemaSpot Sensitivity Ratio Whatman903 Sensitivity Ratio HBsAg (HBV) 17.6:1 31.2:1 HBcAb (HBV) 23.5:1 38.9:1 Anti-HCV (HCV) 26.3:1 32.0:1 Table 1: Sensitivity ratios Read more…

Antimicrobial Powerhouse Bacteria: Essential oil inhibits Staphylococcus aureus (MIC: 0.41 mg/mL) and E. coli . Fungi: Dichloromethane extract combats Microsporum canis (MIC: 0.25 mg/mL), a common dermatophyte . Parasites: Oil inhibits Trypanosoma brucei (IC₅₀: 33.5 μg/mL), the parasite causing sleeping Read more…

What Is Livedo Racemosa? Livedo racemosa (LR) is a vascular skin condition characterized by irregular, branching, reddish-blue patterns caused by slowed blood flow in deeper skin vessels . Unlike livedo reticularis—a reversible, temperature-dependent marbling—LR is persistent and linked to systemic Read more…