Publications by authors named "Anwer F"

Purpose: Patient safety (PS) is a basic principle of healthcare worldwide. In Saudi Arabia, medical colleges have integrated PS modules into their regular curricula. This study investigated undergraduate medical students' and interns' attitudes regarding PS at King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah.

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Multiple myeloma (MM) is a complex hematological malignancy of clonal plasma cells driven by alterations to the chromosomal material leading to uncontrolled proliferation in the bone marrow. Ethnic and racial disparities persist in the prevalence, diagnosis, management, and outcomes of MM. These disparities are multifaceted and intersect with various factors, including demographics, geography, socioeconomic status, genetics, and access to healthcare.

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Article Synopsis
  • CAR T-cell therapy shows strong initial results for treating relapsed refractory multiple myeloma, but most patients eventually relapse, often within 5 months.
  • In a study of 139 patients who relapsed after CAR T-cell therapy, different salvage therapies were analyzed, revealing that bispecific antibodies, like talquetamab and teclistamab, had the best overall and complete response rates.
  • The presence of extramedullary disease at relapse was linked to poorer outcomes, but bispecific antibodies improved survival rates, suggesting they should be the standard treatment for patients relapsing after CAR T-cell therapy.
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Amyloidosis is a rare, multisystem disease that leads to deposition of misfolded proteins in various organs. This case report presents a patient with cancer with a rare diagnosis of diffuse alveolar-septal transthyretin (TTR) amyloidosis with subsequent protein electrophoresis identifying monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance. It highlights the association of amyloidosis with malignancy and the importance of including workup for plasma cell dyscrasias in patients found to have TTR amyloidosis.

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Aims: Limited head-to-head data exist for daratumumab plus pomalidomide and dexamethasone (DPd) and non-pomalidomide-containing triplet regimens to treat relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). This study conducted population-adjusted indirect comparisons of overall survival (OS) for DPd vs. daratumumab, carfilzomib, and dexamethasone (DKd) and daratumumab, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (DVd).

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Background: Advances in novel therapies have improved outcomes for multiple myeloma (MM) patients and the use of allo-SCT has decreased. Current guidelines no longer support allo-SCT as consolidation therapy for newly diagnosed MM, even in high-risk cases.

Summary: Allo-SCT is now typically considered only within clinical trials for young, high-risk patients with relapsed or refractory MM (RRMM).

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Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy and poses significant therapeutic challenges. This review synthesizes evidence from pivotal clinical trials to guide induction treatment for transplant-eligible (TE), newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) patients. Emphasizing the evolution from three-drug to four-drug induction therapies, we highlight the integration of monoclonal antibodies, particularly CD38 recombinant monoclonal antibody agents, into treatment regimens.

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Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as a prominent nosocomial pathogen, exhibiting a progressive rise in resistance to therapeutic interventions. This rise in resistance calls for alternative strategies. Here, we propose an alternative yet specialized resource on antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) against A.

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The use of 4-drug induction regimens for treatment naïve newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) is associated with improved depth of response and progression-free survival (PFS). However, head-to-head trials of 4-drug combinations are lacking, and instead, these regimens are typically compared to 3-drug backbones; limiting the ability to discern whether any additional benefit (or toxicity) is simply additive or represents a synergy (or interaction). We conducted a meta-analysis of phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials that randomized treatment naïve NDMM patients to either a 4-drug or 3-drug induction regimen.

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Article Synopsis
  • Clinical trials on CAR T-cell therapy for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma usually exclude patients with AL amyloidosis, leading to a lack of data on its effectiveness for this group.
  • A study reviewed eight patients with both RRMM and AL amyloidosis who underwent standard CAR T-cell therapy, revealing that 75% experienced cytokine release syndrome and low-grade cytopenias were common.
  • The therapy resulted in rapid and significant responses, with a median time to best response of 43 days and a 62.5% rate of achieving a very good partial response or better, indicating that CAR T-cell therapy is feasible and effective for these patients.
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This retrospective cohort study used Taussig Cancer Center's Myeloma Patient Registry to identify adults with multiple myeloma diagnosed between January 2017-December 2021. Electronic health records data captured time from diagnosis to initial prescription fill for oral antimyeloma medications and initiation of facility administered or oral antimyeloma treatment. We identified 720 patients with a mean age at diagnosis of 67 years ±11; 55% were male, 77% White, 22% Black, 1% other races, covered by private insurance (36%), traditional Medicare (29%), Medicare Advantage (25%), and Medicaid (8.

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The ESKAPE family, comprising Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter spp., poses a significant global threat due to their heightened virulence and extensive antibiotic resistance. These pathogens contribute largely to the prevalence of nosocomial or hospital-acquired infections, resulting in high morbidity and mortality rates.

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Introduction: This study explored the efficacy of repeat blood cultures in bacteremic acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

Methods: This was a retrospective study of AML patients who experienced febrile neutropenia (FN) and bacteremia following HSCT at the Taussig Cancer Center from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2022. The primary endpoint was the rate of positive repeat blood cultures following initial positive blood culture.

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Article Synopsis
  • Daratumumab treatment for light chain (AL) amyloidosis can lead to early refractoriness, leaving patients with fewer options if they relapse or respond poorly.
  • This study assessed the effectiveness of venetoclax therapy in AL patients with t(11;14) who had previously failed daratumumab, involving 31 subjects.
  • Results showed a 97% overall hematologic response to venetoclax, with strong organ responses in patients with cardiac (74%) and renal (46%) involvement, indicating promising potential for venetoclax as a salvage therapy after daratumumab failure.
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Histoplasma capsulatum is a dimorphic fungus that grows in nature as a mold or in culture but converts to a small yeast during cellular invasion. While most histoplasmosis infections are primarily asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, disseminated histoplasmosis is a relentlessly progressive granulomatous disease that can mimic other granulomatous diseases, such as tuberculosis, sarcoidosis or coccidioidomycosis, more so in the proper context of immunosuppression. The current global migrant crisis, particularly the United States migrant crisis conversation is mostly socio-political; however, it also has a public health implication as exemplified by the case of a 35-year-old male who migrated from Haiti via Chile and Mexico to the United States.

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Article Synopsis
  • Multiple myeloma (MM) is a cancer of the plasma cells in the bone marrow that leads to symptoms like anemia, renal issues, and fatigue, but currently available treatments often have limited long-term success and frequent relapses occur.* -
  • The development of drug resistance in myeloma cells complicates treatment, making ongoing research into new therapeutic targets and strategies essential for improving patient outcomes.* -
  • This article reviews new and emerging treatment options for MM, organized by specific molecular targets like BCMA and CD38, as well as treatments such as immunomodulatory drugs and NK cell therapy.*
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Current treatment guidelines of myeloma cast nephropathy (MCN) recommend the institution of plasma cell-directed therapy and consideration of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE), with the goal of rapid reduction of the serum free light chain (sFLC). However, the role of TPE continues to remain a subject of debate. The goal of this retrospective bi-institutional study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of TPE in combination with systemic therapy.

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BCMA-directed chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) therapies, including idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel) and ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel), have transformed the treatment landscape for relapsed-refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), offering remarkable efficacy with hallmark toxicity risks of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS). The FDA mandates a 4-week monitoring period at the treatment center as part of a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) to monitor and manage these toxicities, which, while prudent, may add unnecessary challenges related to access and socioeconomic disparities. We sought to assess CRS and ICANS onset and duration, as well as causes of non-relapse mortality (NRM) in real-world BCMA CAR T recipients in order to better inform future changes to the monitoring guidelines for CAR T recipients.

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Hypertension is a highly prevalent chronic disease that leads to a significant number of deaths and disabilities as a consequence of cardiovascular complications. However, there is insufficient information regarding research trends and performance assessments from South Asian countries, including Pakistan. In this review, we analyzed research data related to hypertension from Pakistan over the last 20 years (2003-2022).

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Idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel) has shown impressive efficacy in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). This study aimed to investigate the impact of absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) on the survival outcomes of RRMM patients treated with standard of care (SOC) ide-cel. Data were collected retrospectively from 11 institutions in the U.

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The presence of extramedullary disease (EMD) has been associated with poor outcomes in patients with relapsed-refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). Herein, we report the outcomes of RRMM patients who were treated with standard-of-care (SOC) chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy and had active extraosseous EMD before the infusion. Data were retrospectively collected from patients at three US institutions with the intent to receive SOC CAR T.

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Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) is a rare lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma which may predispose individuals to development of secondary malignancies (SMs). The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database is a comprehensive registry of cancer patients in the United States reporting on a wide set of demographic variables. Using the SEER-18 dataset, analyzing patients from 2000 to 2018, we aimed to assess the incidence of SMs in WM patients.

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