Drug-induced Adverse Events

Study on the prevention and nursing intervention of infection after flap transfer for hand trauma

Fri, 2023-09-01 06:00

Medicine (Baltimore). 2023 Aug 25;102(34):e34756. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000034756.

ABSTRACT

To analyze the factors associated with infection after flap transfer for hand trauma and use them to develop nursing strategies and observe the effects of their application. Eighty-two patients admitted to our hospital for flap transfer for hand trauma from January 2020 to May 2020 were selected for the retrospective analysis. Logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the factors associated with postoperative infections to develop care strategies. Another 88 patients admitted for flap transfer for hand trauma from September 2020 to June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed and divided into the observation (n = 44) and control groups (n = 44) according nursing strategies that they received. The operative time, intraoperative bleeding, incision healing time, first postoperative time to get out of bed on their own and hospital stay were compared between the 2 groups. The patients postoperative adverse effects and flap survival rates were also counted. visual analogue score, total active motion, manual muscle test, Barthel index, self-rating anxiety scale, self-rating depression scale scores were used to assess patients pain, hand function recovery and psychology before and after treatment. Logistic regression analysis manifested that postoperative bed rest time, affected limb immobilization, and pain were independent factors affecting postoperative infection after flap transfer (P < .05). After using targeted care strategies, the observation group had dramatically shorter operative time, intraoperative bleeding, incision healing time, time to first postoperative bed release on their own, and hospital stay, less postoperative pain and adverse effects, and higher flap survival rate than the control group (P < .05). Total active motion, manual muscle test, and Barthel index were higher in the observation group than in the control group after treatment, while self-rating anxiety scale and self-rating depression scale scores were lower than in the control group (P < .05). Finally, total satisfaction was higher in the observation group than in the control group (P < .05). Postoperative bedtime, fixation of the affected limb, and pain are independent factors affecting postoperative infection after flap transfer for hand trauma. Implementing infection prevention care strategies based on these factors can effectively improve the safety of flap transfer, reduce the possibility of infection, and shorten the recovery period of patients, which has high clinical application value.

PMID:37653820 | DOI:10.1097/MD.0000000000034756

Categories: Literature Watch

The efficacy and safety of duloxetine for the treatment of patients after TKA or THA: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Fri, 2023-09-01 06:00

Medicine (Baltimore). 2023 Aug 25;102(34):e34895. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000034895.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Duloxetine, a serotonin-norepinephrine dual reuptake inhibitor, may improve analgesia after total joint arthroplasty (TJA). However, there is still no consensus on its effectiveness and safety. We conducted the meta-analysis to investigate the analgesic effect and safety of duloxetine for the treatment of patients received total knee or hip arthroplasty.

METHODS: Pubmed, Cochrane Central Registry for Clinical Trials, Embase, OVID, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched using a predetermined search strategy from inception to September 21, 2022. Only randomized controlled trials of duloxetine in treatment of patients after total knee or hip arthroplasty were included. Data collection and extraction, quality assessment, and data analyses were performed according to the Cochrane standards.

RESULTS: A total of 8 randomized controlled trials with 739 patients were included in the literature review of postoperative pain and adverse effects. The result of meta-analysis showed statistically significant lower opioid requirement with duloxetine (P < .05) for the different postoperative period. Duloxetine group had significant reductions in visual analog score for the 24-hour (walking: WMD = -0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI] = -1.69 to -0.26, P = .007; resting: WMD = -1.06; 95%CI = -1.85 to -0.27, P = .008) and 1-week (walking: WMD = -0.96; 95%CI = -1.42 to -0.50, P < .001; resting: WMD = -0.69; 95%CI = -1.22 to -0.16, P = .01); knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score over 3-month (WMD = 2.94; 95%CI = -0.30 to 6.18, P = .008) and complication (odds ratio = 4.74; 95%CI = 0.23 to 96.56, P = .01) postoperative period compared with the control group. However, no difference on numeric rating scale (P > .05) for the different postoperative period; visual analog score (P > .05) for the 6-week or 3-month and knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (P > .05) for the 6-week postoperative period. Furthermore, it did not increase the incidence of adverse effects (odds ratio = 0.87; 95%CI = 0.72 to 1.05, P = .15).

CONCLUSION: Duloxetine could decrease the opioids consumption and relieve early postoperative pain without increasing the risk of adverse medication effects in patients undergoing total knee or hip arthroplasty. Considering the ongoing opioid epidemic, duloxetine could act as a good supplement in multimodal pain management protocol for patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty.

PMID:37653762 | DOI:10.1097/MD.0000000000034895

Categories: Literature Watch

A Deep Learning Approach to the Prediction of Drug Side-Effects on Molecular Graphs

Fri, 2023-09-01 06:00

IEEE/ACM Trans Comput Biol Bioinform. 2023 Sep 1;PP. doi: 10.1109/TCBB.2023.3311015. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Predicting drug side effects before they occur is a critical task for keeping the number of drug-related hospitalizations low and for improving drug discovery processes. Automatic predictors of side-effects generally are not able to process the structure of the drug, resulting in a loss of information. Graph neural networks have seen great success in recent years, thanks to their ability of exploiting the information conveyed by the graph structure and labels. These models have been used in a wide variety of biological applications, among which the prediction of drug side-effects on a large knowledge graph. Exploiting the molecular graph encoding the structure of the drug represents a novel approach, in which the problem is formulated as a multi-class multi-label graph-focused classification. We developed a methodology to carry out this task, using recurrent Graph Neural Networks, and building a dataset from freely accessible and well established data sources. The results show that our method has an improved classification capability, under many parameters and metrics, with respect to previously available predictors. The method is not ready for clinical tests yet, as the specificity is still below the preliminary 25 % threshold. Future efforts will aim at improving this aspect.

PMID:37656647 | DOI:10.1109/TCBB.2023.3311015

Categories: Literature Watch

Moxifloxacin monotherapy for treatment of uncomplicated pelvic inflammatory disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis of randomized controlled trials

Fri, 2023-09-01 06:00

Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2023 Sep 1. doi: 10.1002/pds.5677. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of moxifloxacin monotherapy for the treatment of uncomplicated pelvic inflammatory disease (uPID).

METHODS: The literatures from PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, Cochrane library and the http://clinicaltrials.gov/ were retrieved until February 2023. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy and safety of moxifloxacin with other antibiotics for treating uPID were included. The primary outcomes were clinical cure rate (CCR), bacteriological success rates (BSR) and risk of drug-related adverse events (AEs). We used random-effects modelled meta-analysis, trial sequential analysis, and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation. This study was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (registration number: CRD42023428751).

RESULTS: A total of four RCTs that enrolled 3201 women patients with uPID were included. In the per-protocol populations, no significant difference was observed between patients given moxifloxacin and those given other antibiotics with regard to CCR at test-of-cure (TOC) (2485 patients, odds ratio [OR] = 0.84, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.68-1.04, p = 0.12). Similarly, there was no statistically significant difference between patients given moxifloxacin and those given other antibiotics in terms of BSR at TOC (471 patients, OR = 1.17, 95% CI 0.70-1.96, p = 0.56) in the microbiologically valid population. However, drug-related AEs occurred less frequently with moxifloxacin than with other antibiotics (2973 patients, OR = 0.74, 95% CI 0.64-0.86, p < 0.0001), especially gastrointestinal AEs (2973 patients, OR = 0.59, 95% CI 0.47-0.74, p < 0.00001).

CONCLUSIONS: In the treatment of uPID, moxifloxacin monotherapy can achieve similar efficacy as other combination therapy regimens. Moreover, moxifloxacin had a better safety profile than that of comparators. Based on its additional advantages (i.e., better safety profile, no dosage adjustment and better compliance), moxifloxacin may be a more fascinating option compared with the currently used regimens.

PMID:37655831 | DOI:10.1002/pds.5677

Categories: Literature Watch

Effectiveness and tolerability of methotrexate monotherapy in Crohn's disease patients: a multicenter observational study

Fri, 2023-09-01 06:00

Therap Adv Gastroenterol. 2023 Aug 23;16:17562848231191664. doi: 10.1177/17562848231191664. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Methotrexate monotherapy is recommended as a maintenance therapy for Crohn's disease (CD). However, long-term follow-up data are scarce.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to examine the effectiveness and tolerability of methotrexate monotherapy in 94 CD patients from three inflammatory bowel disease Clinics in Korea.

DESIGN: This was a multicenter retrospective observational study.

METHODS: Patients with active CD treated with methotrexate monotherapy were included. Clinical characteristics, laboratory indicators, endoscopy indices were evaluated at baseline, 6, 12, and 24 months. Independent factors associated with long-term clinical and endoscopic outcomes were determined.

RESULTS: Methotrexate was administered orally (70.2%) or parenterally (29.8%). The mean methotrexate induction dose was 15.3 ± 0.4 mg/week, and the mean duration of therapy was 26.2 months. Of 76 patients who were treated for >6 months, the clinical remission rates were 76.3%, 74.6%, and 80.0% at 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively, by per-protocol analysis. The mean CRP levels were 7.5 ± 1.3, 5.3 ± 1.2, 3.8 ± 0.7, and 2.6 ± 0.5 mg/L at 0, 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively. Of 31 patients who underwent follow-up endoscopy after 27.5 months, the endoscopic remission rate was 38.7%. Baseline hemoglobin level <10 g/dL was a significant independent factor negatively associated with clinical remission at 6 [odds ratio (OR): 0.023, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.003-0.206, p = 0.001] and 12 (OR: 0.079, 95% CI: 0.009-0.699, p = 0.023) months. Parenteral administration was a significant independent factor positively associated with clinical remission (OR: 11.231, 95% CI: 1.027-122.811, p = 0.047) and endoscopic remission (hazard ratio: 4.711, 95% CI: 1.398-15.874, p = 0.012) at 12 months.

CONCLUSIONS: Methotrexate monotherapy was effective and tolerable as a maintenance therapy in CD patients.

PMID:37655055 | PMC:PMC10467270 | DOI:10.1177/17562848231191664

Categories: Literature Watch

A Rare Case of Levofloxacin-Induced Acute Pancreatitis: Case Report and Literature Review

Fri, 2023-09-01 06:00

Cureus. 2023 Jul 31;15(7):e42743. doi: 10.7759/cureus.42743. eCollection 2023 Jul.

ABSTRACT

Diagnosing acute pancreatitis induced by any drug is often overlooked and warrants careful evaluation. Drug-induced acute pancreatitis is relatively rare, and diagnosis of exclusion after ruling out alcohol, gallstones, hypertriglyceridemia, and intervention. Levofloxacin, a class of fluoroquinolones, is generally recommended against various bacterial infections. While levofloxacin is mainly known for its potential side effects, such as photosensitivity and liver toxicity, it can also rarely induce acute pancreatitis. We report a case of acute pancreatitis in a female patient precipitated by levofloxacin. The patient exhibited typical manifestations of acute pancreatitis and had been taking levofloxacin for a urinary tract infection over the past three days. After ruling out other possible causes, her clinical presentation, laboratory results, and imaging findings confirmed levofloxacin-induced acute pancreatitis.

PMID:37654929 | PMC:PMC10467605 | DOI:10.7759/cureus.42743

Categories: Literature Watch

Metabolic Disorders Are Associated With Drug-Induced Liver Injury During Antituberculosis Treatment: A Multicenter Prospective Observational Cohort Study in Korea

Fri, 2023-09-01 06:00

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2023 Aug 7;10(8):ofad422. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofad422. eCollection 2023 Aug.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) may lead to the discontinuation of antituberculosis (anti-TB) treatment (ATT). Some studies have suggested that metabolic disorders increase the risk of DILI during ATT. This study aimed to identify risk factors for DILI, particularly metabolic disorders, during ATT.

METHODS: A multicenter prospective observational cohort study to evaluate adverse events during ATT was conducted in Korea from 2019 to 2021. Drug-susceptible patients with TB who had been treated with standard ATT for 6 months were included. The patients were divided into 2 groups depending on the presence of 1 or more metabolic conditions, such as insulin resistance, hypertension, obesity, and dyslipidemia. We monitored ATT-related adverse events, including DILI, and treatment outcomes. The incidence of DILI was compared between individuals with and without metabolic disorders, and related factors were evaluated.

RESULTS: Of 684 patients, 52 (7.6%) experienced DILI, and 92.9% of them had metabolic disorders. In the multivariable analyses, underlying metabolic disorders (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.85; 95% CI, 1.01-8.07) and serum albumin <3.5 g/dL (aHR, 2.26; 95% CI, 1.29-3.96) were risk factors for DILI during ATT. In the 1-month landmark analyses, metabolic disorders were linked to an elevated risk of DILI, especially significant alanine aminotransferase elevation. The treatment outcome was not affected by the presence of metabolic disorders.

CONCLUSIONS: Patients with metabolic disorders have an increased risk of ATT-induced liver injury compared with controls. The presence of metabolic disorders and hypoalbuminemia adversely affects the liver in patients with ATT.

PMID:37654787 | PMC:PMC10468151 | DOI:10.1093/ofid/ofad422

Categories: Literature Watch

Protective Effect of Quercetin and p-Coumaric acid (p-CA) against Cardiotoxicity: an Insilico Study

Fri, 2023-09-01 06:00

Recent Adv Food Nutr Agric. 2023 Aug 31. doi: 10.2174/2772574X14666230831100901. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is a common antimalarial drug that has been used effectively in the treatment of various rheumatic and auto-immunity diseases. The major side effects and drawbacks associated with HCQ are cardiotoxicity, retinopathy, gastrointestinal upset, and neuromyopathy however, cardiotoxicity is an increasing concern and it is critical to avoid heart dysfunction induced by HCQ. The present work is focused on receptor and signaling molecules associated with pathways attributing to drug-induced cardiotoxicity. We analyzed the therapeutic efficacy of selected natural products in HCQ-induced cardiotoxicity through insilico. We selected Syzygium cumini polyphenols, quercetin, and p-coumaric acid. The motivation behind selecting quercetin, and p-coumaric acid is their wide applicability as an antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, and cardioprotective.

METHOD: For predicting quercetin, p-coumaric acid, and HCQ toxicity and physicochemical properties, in silico studies were performed using ProTox II and Swiss ADME. We further performed molecular docking using Autodock Vina and Discovery Studio visualizer to find the affinity of selected polyphenols against signaling molecules and receptors. Then we performed network pharmacological studies of selected signaling molecules.

RESULTS: We analyzed that the computational method indicated quercetin (Δ G -9.3 kcal/mol) has greater binding affinity than p-Coumaric acid for prevention and restoration of the disease while hydroxychloroquine was taken as a control.

CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that Syzygium cumini, polyphenols may aid in the future therapeutic potential against HCQ-induced cardiotoxicity.

PMID:37653628 | DOI:10.2174/2772574X14666230831100901

Categories: Literature Watch

Learning and memory deficits produced by aspartame are heritable via the paternal lineage

Thu, 2023-08-31 06:00

Sci Rep. 2023 Aug 31;13(1):14326. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-41213-2.

ABSTRACT

Environmental exposures produce heritable traits that can linger in the population for one or two generations. Millions of individuals consume substances such as artificial sweeteners daily that are declared safe by regulatory agencies without evaluation of their potential heritable effects. We show that consumption of aspartame, an FDA-approved artificial sweetener, daily for up to 16-weeks at doses equivalent to only 7-15% of the FDA recommended maximum daily intake value (equivalent to 2-4 small, 8 oz diet soda drinks per day) produces significant spatial learning and memory deficits in mice. Moreover, the cognitive deficits are transmitted to male and female descendants along the paternal lineage suggesting that aspartame's adverse cognitive effects are heritable, and that they are more pervasive than current estimates, which consider effects in the directly exposed individuals only. Traditionally, deleterious environmental exposures of pregnant and nursing women are viewed as risk factors for the health of future generations. Environmental exposures of men are not considered to pose similar risks. Our findings suggest that environmental exposures of men can produce adverse impact on cognitive function in future generations and demonstrate the need for considering heritable effects via the paternal lineage as part of the regulatory evaluations of artificial sweeteners.

PMID:37652922 | PMC:PMC10471780 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-41213-2

Categories: Literature Watch

A system to enable the early detection of new side effects of recently marketed drugs

Thu, 2023-08-31 06:00

Br J Gen Pract. 2023 Aug 31;73(734):396. doi: 10.3399/bjgp23X734769. Print 2023 Sep.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:37652734 | DOI:10.3399/bjgp23X734769

Categories: Literature Watch

Management of cluster headache: Treatments and their mechanisms

Thu, 2023-08-31 06:00

Cephalalgia. 2023 Aug;43(8):3331024231196808. doi: 10.1177/03331024231196808.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The management of cluster headache is similar to that of other primary headache disorders and can be broadly divided into acute and preventive treatments. Acute treatments for cluster headache are primarily delivered via rapid, non-oral routes (such as inhalation, nasal, or subcutaneous) while preventives include a variety of unrelated treatments such as corticosteroids, verapamil, and galcanezumab. Neuromodulation is becoming an increasingly popular option, both non-invasively such as vagus nerve stimulation when medical treatment is contraindicated or side effects are intolerable, and invasively such as occipital nerve stimulation when medical treatment is ineffective. Clinically, this collection of treatment types provides a range of options for the informed clinician. Scientifically, this collection provides important insights into disease mechanisms.

METHODS: Two authors performed independent narrative reviews of the literature on guideline recommendations, clinical trials, real-world data, and mechanistic studies.

RESULTS: Cluster headache is treated with acute treatments, bridge treatments, and preventive treatments. Common first-line treatments include subcutaneous sumatriptan and high-flow oxygen as acute treatments, corticosteroids (oral or suboccipital injections) as bridge treatments, and verapamil as a preventive treatment. Some newer acute (non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation) and preventive (galcanezumab) treatments have excellent clinical trial data for episodic cluster headache, while other newer treatments (occipital nerve stimulation) have been specifically tested in treatment-refractory chronic cluster headache. Most treatments are suspected to act on the trigeminovascular system, the autonomic system, or the hypothalamus.

CONCLUSIONS: The first-line treatments have not changed in recent years, but new treatments have provided additional options for patients.

PMID:37652457 | DOI:10.1177/03331024231196808

Categories: Literature Watch

Targeting materials and strategies for RNA delivery

Thu, 2023-08-31 06:00

Theranostics. 2023 Aug 21;13(13):4667-4693. doi: 10.7150/thno.87316. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

RNA-based therapeutics have shown great promise in various medical applications, including cancers, infectious diseases, and metabolic diseases. The recent success of mRNA vaccines for combating the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the medical value of RNA drugs. However, one of the major challenges in realizing the full potential of RNA drugs is to deliver RNA into specific organs and tissues in a targeted manner, which is crucial for achieving therapeutic efficacy, reducing side effects, and enhancing overall treatment efficacy. Numerous attempts have been made to pursue targeting, nonetheless, the lack of clear guideline and commonality elucidation has hindered the clinical translation of RNA drugs. In this review, we outline the mechanisms of action for targeted RNA delivery systems and summarize four key factors that influence the targeting delivery of RNA drugs. These factors include the category of vector materials, chemical structures of vectors, administration routes, and physicochemical properties of RNA vectors, and they all notably contribute to specific organ/tissue tropism. Furthermore, we provide an overview of the main RNA-based drugs that are currently in clinical trials, highlighting their design strategies and tissue tropism applications. This review will aid to understand the principles and mechanisms of targeted delivery systems, accelerating the development of future RNA drugs for different diseases.

PMID:37649616 | PMC:PMC10465230 | DOI:10.7150/thno.87316

Categories: Literature Watch

Intervention of pharmacist included in multidisciplinary team to reduce adverse drug event: a qualitative systematic review

Wed, 2023-08-30 06:00

BMC Health Serv Res. 2023 Aug 30;23(1):927. doi: 10.1186/s12913-023-09512-6.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Preventable harm in healthcare is a growing public health challenge. In addition to the economic costs of safety failures, adverse drug events (ADE) may lead to complication or even death. Multidisciplinary care team involving a pharmacist appears to be an adequate response to prevention of adverse drug event. This qualitative systematic review aims to identify and describe multidisciplinary planned team-based care involving at least one pharmacist to limit or prevent adverse drug events in the adult patients.

METHODS: To determine the type of interprofessional collaboration to prevent adverse drug event in which a pharmacist was involved, we conducted a qualitative systematic review of the literature of randomized controlled trials. Two independent reviewers screened trials in three databases: Medline, Web of Science, ScienceDirect. Prospective studies of at least three different health professionals' interventions, one of whom was a pharmacist in the last five years were included. Two reviewers performed data extraction and quality appraisal independently. We used TIDieR checklist to appraise articles quality.

RESULTS: In total 803 citations were retrieved, 34 were analysed and 16 full-text articles were reviewed. Only 3 studies published an implementation evaluation. More than half of the interventions (62%) targeted elderly patients including 6 whom lived in nursing homes. Studies outcomes were heterogeneous, and we did not perform a statistical analysis of the impact of these interventions. Most teams are composed of a physician/pharmacist/nurse trio (94%; 100%; 88%). Half of the teams were composed of the primary care physician. Other professionals were included such as physical therapists (25%), social worker (19%), occupational therapists (12%), and community health educator (6%). Multidisciplinary medication review was the most common intervention and was generally structured in four steps: data collection and baseline assessment, appraisal report by health professionals, a multidisciplinary medication review meeting and a patient follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS: The most common multidisciplinary intervention to prevent ADE in the adult population is the multidisciplinary drug review meeting at least the physician/pharmacist/nurse trio. Interventions target mostly elderly people in nursing homes, although complex chronic patients could benefit from this type of assessment.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration: CRD42022334685.

PMID:37649018 | PMC:PMC10470127 | DOI:10.1186/s12913-023-09512-6

Categories: Literature Watch

Impact of weak radiofrequency and static magnetic fields on key signaling molecules, intracellular pH, membrane potential, and cell growth in HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells

Wed, 2023-08-30 06:00

Sci Rep. 2023 Aug 30;13(1):14223. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-41167-5.

ABSTRACT

There are substantial concerns that extended exposures to weak radiofrequency (RF) fields can lead to adverse health effects. In this study, HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells were simultaneously exposed to a static magnetic flux density between 10 [Formula: see text] and 300 [Formula: see text] and RF magnetic fields with amplitudes ranging from 1 nT to 1.5 μT in the frequency range from 1.8 to 7.2 MHz for four days. Cell growth rates, intracellular pH, hydrogen peroxide, peroxynitrite, membrane potential and mitochondrial calcium were measured. Results were dependent on carrier frequency and the magnitude of the RF magnetic field, modulation frequencies and the background static magnetic field (SMF). Iron sulphur (Fe-S) clusters are essential for the generation of reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species (ROS and RNS). We believe the observed changes are associated with hyperfine couplings between the chemically active electrons and nuclear spins. Controlling external magnetic fields may have important clinical implications on aging, cancer, arthritis, and Alzheimer's.

PMID:37648766 | PMC:PMC10469173 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-41167-5

Categories: Literature Watch

High vs. low-dose leucovorin in regimens with fluorouracil in colorectal cancer therapy

Wed, 2023-08-30 06:00

Ceska Slov Farm. 2023 Summer;72(3):107-112.

ABSTRACT

The problem of unavailability of drugs and shortages have been a common problem in recent years. Shortages may threaten some treatment regimens for oncological patients. This article presents a systematic review of studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of chemotherapy regimens combining fluorouracil and standard or low-dose leucovorin in treating colorectal cancer. A total of 13 prospective and retrospective studies were included in the review. Meta-analyses and review papers were excluded. It is apparent from the systematic review that a lower dose of leucovorin does not fundamentally affect the efficacy of regimens combining 5-fluorouracil with leucovorin in treating patients with colorectal cancer. Similarly, even in the case of safety, reducing the dose of leucovorin did not influence the frequency and severity of observed adverse effects. Surprisingly, in three studies, some of the adverse effects occurred more often with the higher dose of leucovorin. Furthermore, the article presents the results of a questionnaire survey of the management of leucovorin shortages at the departments of preparation of cytostatics (N = 46) within the Czech Republic. In total, 35 workplaces provided feedback. In 17 cases, the departments for the preparation of cytostatics in the Czech Republic had to accept restrictions on administering the full dose of leucovorin. These restrictions consisted of reducing the dose of the injectable form of leucovorin, changing the chemotherapy regimen, administering the oral form of calcium folinate, forcing a therapeutic break, or a combination of these approaches.

PMID:37648426

Categories: Literature Watch

The nature and severity of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine side effects in athletes are highly dependent on study design

Wed, 2023-08-30 06:00

Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2023 Aug 1;19(2):2252266. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2252266.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:37647334 | DOI:10.1080/21645515.2023.2252266

Categories: Literature Watch

Tracking Research on Hemoglobin-Based Oxygen Carriers: A Scientometric Analysis and In-Depth Review

Wed, 2023-08-30 06:00

Drug Des Devel Ther. 2023 Aug 24;17:2549-2571. doi: 10.2147/DDDT.S422770. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

Numerous studies on the formulation and clinical applications of novel hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) are reported in the scientific literature. However, there are fewer scientometric analysis related to HBOCs. Here, we illustrate recent studies on HBOCs using both a scientometric analysis approach and a scope review method. We used the former to investigate research on HBOCs from 1991 to 2022, exploring the current hotspots and research trends, and then we comprehensively analyzed the relationship between concepts based on the keyword analysis. The evolution of research fields, knowledge structures, and research topics in which HBOCs located are revealed by scientometric analysis. The elucidation of type, acting mechanism, potential clinical practice, and adverse effects of HBOCs helps to clarify the prospects of this biological agent. Scientometrics analyzed 1034 publications in this research field, and these findings provide a promising roadmap for further study.

PMID:37645624 | PMC:PMC10461757 | DOI:10.2147/DDDT.S422770

Categories: Literature Watch

Self-reported side effects following COVID-19 vaccination in athletes: Correspondence

Wed, 2023-08-30 06:00

Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2023 Aug 1;19(2):2253595. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2253595.

NO ABSTRACT

PMID:37644884 | DOI:10.1080/21645515.2023.2253595

Categories: Literature Watch

Managing drugs with anticholinergic activity

Wed, 2023-08-30 06:00

Drug Ther Bull. 2023 Sep;61(9):135-139. doi: 10.1136/dtb.2022.000066.

ABSTRACT

Over the past two decades, considerable data have emerged on an association between drugs with anticholinergic activity and serious adverse effects in older people. Well-recognised anticholinergic adverse effects include dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation and urinary retention. Of particular concern is the potential impact on cognitive function with several studies showing that long-term use of medicines with anticholinergic activity is associated with worsening of cognitive function, increased incidence of dementia and increased mortality. This article gives an overview of the evidence, discusses some of the tools used to identify high-risk drugs and highlights issues to consider when prescribing drugs with anticholinergic activity with a view to reducing potential risks in older people and those at highest risk of cognitive impairment.

PMID:37648260 | DOI:10.1136/dtb.2022.000066

Categories: Literature Watch

Clinical efficacy, safety, and subjective experience based on ePRO in HIV-infected individuals administered Bictegravir/Emtricitabine/Tenofovir Alafenamide in southwest China

Wed, 2023-08-30 06:00

Immun Inflamm Dis. 2023 Aug;11(8):e974. doi: 10.1002/iid3.974.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Prospective studies examining long-term therapeutic outcomes of the Bictegravir/Emtricitabine/Tenofovir Alafenamide (BIC/FTC/TAF) regimen in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection remain limited. This study assessed the actual efficacy and safety of BIC/FTC/TAF in HIV-infected individuals in southwest China.

METHODS: This was a single-center, prospective study enrolling ART-naïve (n = 32) and ART-experienced (n = 177) HIV-infected patients administered BIC/FTC/TAF treatment between March 2022 and August 2022. The data were collected until February 28, 2023. Virological reactions and adverse events to the treatment were recorded, and patient subjective feelings in the form of Electronic Patient Reporting Outcome (ePRO) were collected. The primary endpoint was the rate of patients with HIV viral load <50 copies/mL at Week 24.

RESULTS: At Week 24, 87.5% and 95.5% of ART-naïve and ART-experienced HIV patients had a viral load <50 copies/mL, respectively. CD4 cell counts in ART-naïve and ART-experienced patients increased significantly by 163.5 cells/μL (p = .002) and 55.0 cells/μL (p = .022), respectively. By Week 24, no patients had discontinued the BIC/FTC/TAF treatment due to adverse events. Based on ePRO data, ART-naïve and ART-experienced patients at Week 24 had stable disease symptom burden, quality of life, and depression level after treatment with BIC/FTC/TAF.

CONCLUSION: BIC/FTC/TAF reduces the viral load in ART-naïve patients with high viral load as well as ART-experienced patients with residual viremia. The patient's subjective experience was maintained stable after treatment with BIC/FTC/TAF. This study also revealed a very low incidence for BIC/FTC/TAF drug-related side effects.

PMID:37647435 | DOI:10.1002/iid3.974

Categories: Literature Watch

Pages