Important medications I need to know about.

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Teixobactin is a recently described antibiotic of a new class produced by a hitherto undescribed soil microorganism (provisionally named Eleftheria terrae). It was isolated with a new tool, the iChip, that allowed the environmental bacterium to grow and for the antibiotic it produced to be isolated and subsequently identified. Teixobactin has activity against Gram-positive (but not Gram-negative) organisms and mycobacteria and a novel mode of action inhibiting peptidoglycan biosynthesis. In vitro no teixobactin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or Mycobacterium tuberculosis were selected...

BACKGROUND: Excessive anticoagulation with warfarin can result in acute kidney injury (AKI) by causing glomerular hemorrhage and renal tubular obstruction by red blood cell (RBC) casts in some patients, especially in those with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This condition was described as warfarin-related nephropathy (WRN). Recent evidence suggests that WRN-like syndromes are not confined to anticoagulation with warfarin, but may be seen with other anticoagulants, such as dabigatran. The aim of this study was to investigate dabigatran effects on kidney function in an animal model of CKD and possible pathogenic mechanisms of AKI...

The new oral anticoagulants dabigatran etexilate (Pradaxa), rivaroxaban (Xarelto), and apixaban (Eliquis) have predictable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles and are alternatives to warfarin. However, many physicians are wary of these drugs, since there is limited evidence on how to manage bleeding in patients taking them, and since no specific antidote is known to reverse their anticoagulant effect. Management requires careful adherence to first principles of bleeding care. Unapproved and untested reversal strategies may be required in patients with life-threatening bleeding...