Inhibition of SFTSV replication in humanized mice by a subcutaneously administered anti-PD1 nanobody

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a life-threatening disease caused by a novel bunyavirus (SFTSV), mainly transmitted by ticks. With no effective therapies or vaccines available, understanding the disease's mechanisms is crucial. Recent studies found increased expression of programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) on dysfunctional T cells in SFTS patients. However, the role of the PD-1/programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathway in SFTS progression remains unclear. We investigated PD-1 blockade as a potential therapeutic strategy against SFTSV replication. Our study analyzed clinical samples and performed in vitro experiments, revealing elevated PD-1/PD-L1 expression in various immune cells following SFTSV infection. An anti-PD-1 nanobody, NbP45, effectively inhibited SFTSV infection in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), potentially achieved through the mitigation of apoptosis and the augmentation of T lymphocyte proliferation. Intriguingly, subcutaneous administration of NbP45 showed superior efficacy compared to a licensed anti-PD-1 antibody in an SFTSV-infected humanized mouse model. These findings highlight the involvement of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway during acute SFTSV infection and suggest its potential as a host target for immunotherapy interventions against SFTSV infection.

A Male with Extreme Subcutaneous Insulin Resistance: A Case Report

INTRODUCTION

Though insulin has no upper limit in dosage, we do not encounter very high dose requirements too often. The reported case is the first in Bangladesh to require more than 1000 international units (IU) of subcutaneous insulin per day.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 44-year old male diabetic patient from Bangladesh presented with unusually uncontrolled diabetes mellitus due to extreme insulin resistance. Despite dramatic increase in insulin step by step up to 1110 IU of concomitant short and intermediate acting insulin per day by subcutaneous route, his blood glucose remained over 12 mmol/L persistently, in all the fasting, pre-prandial, postprandial and random samples. He was also treated with several oral hypoglycemic agents including metformin, vildagliptin, glimepiride, pioglitazone and miglitol along with insulin but blood glucose levels remained almost unchanged. However, intravenous infusion of insulin over 4 hours caused a plummet in the glucose level. His blood test for insulin autoantibody was negative.

CONCLUSION

This paper provides a scope to review literatures on extreme subcutaneous insulin resistance and its management. It also reveals the limitations of management due to lack of facilities in an underdeveloped country, which hinders proper exploration to many medical issues.

Local Injection of Methylcobalamin Combined with Lidocaine for Acute Herpetic Neuralgia

OBJECTIVE

To determine the efficacy of methylcobalamin combined with lidocaine for acute herpetic neuralgia.

DESIGN

Randomized controlled trial with longitudinal analysis.

SUBJECTS

The authors recruited 204 patients (>50 years) with T5-10 dermatomal acute herpetic neuralgia with rash onset within 7 days. Patients were divided into two groups based on the time of onset: immediate-early (IE, 1-3 days) and early stage (ES, 4-7 days) groups and then subdivided randomly into control (IE-Ctl, ES-Ctl) and treatment (IE-Tr, ES-Tr) groups.

METHODS

Control groups received intramuscular methylcobalamin in addition to local lidocaine injection, while treatment groups received local methylcobalamin combined with lidocaine injection for 14 days. Treatment efficacy was assessed based on rash healing time, alteration in pain intensity, and interference with quality of life. Multilevel mixed modeling and survival analysis were employed to examine treatment responses.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in the rash healing time between IE and ES. The mean pain scores in IE-Tr (2.4 ± 0.7) and ES-Tr (1.3 ± 0.7) decreased significantly compared with those in the control groups. The median satisfactory response time was 6 days in ES-Tr and 11 days in IE-Tr. The benefit ratio for ES-Tr versus IE-Tr was 14.94. The subjects in IE-Tr and ES-Tr had higher quality of life scores (81.2 ± 6.9 vs 88.3 ± 8.6, respectively) than those in the control groups. The incidence of postherpetic neuralgia was 1.1% at 3 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Local methylcobalamin combined with lidocaine, optimally administered within 4-7 days of onset, may be an effective therapeutic option for acute herpetic neuralgia.

Pharmacokinetic Profile of Subcutaneous Testosterone Enanthate Delivered via a Novel, Prefilled Single-Use Autoinjector: A Phase II Study

INTRODUCTION

Hypogonadism is one of the most common male endocrine problems. Although many treatments are currently available, unmet need exists for new testosterone (T) replacement therapies that are simple to administer and use, are safe, and mimic physiologic T levels.

AIM

The study aim was to determine the pharmacokinetics (PK), safety, and tolerability of T enanthate (TE) administered via a novel single-use autoinjector system, which was designed to eject high-viscosity solutions from a prefilled syringe fitted with a five-eighths-inch 27-gauge needle.

METHODS

Thirty-nine men with hypogonadism entered this dose-finding, open-label, parallel-group study. Patients were washed out of their topical T regimens and randomized to receive 50 or 100 mg of subcutaneous (SC) TE weekly. The reference group were patients with hypogonadism who were maintained on standard 200-mg intramuscular (IM) TE.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

The primary outcome measure was the PK profile of SC TE, analyzed in reference to T levels used by the Food and Drug Administration to approve T products. Secondary outcome measures were safety and tolerability assessments.

RESULTS

Both doses of SC TE achieved normal average concentrations of serum T within a 168-h dosing interval after injection. Concentration ranges were similar at all time points following 50-mg SC TE injections and following the third injection in the 100-mg arm. Mean steady-state T concentration at week 6 was 422.4 and 895.5 ng/dL for the 50- and 100-mg SC TE arms, respectively. SC TE demonstrated PK dose proportionality. SC TE restored normal serum T with low variation relative to 200-mg IM without clinically significant adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

Administration of TE via this novel injection system restored T levels to normal range in men with hypogonadism. SC TE dosed weekly demonstrated steady, dose-proportional measures of exposure and was well-tolerated. Kaminetsky J, Jaffe JS, Swerdloff RS. Pharmacokinetic profile of subcutaneous testosterone enanthate delivered via a novel, prefilled single-use autoinjector: A phase II study. Sex Med 2015;3:263-273.