Rituximab Safety Profile: A Seven-Year Retrospective Analysis From Southern India.

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the pattern, severity, and outcomes of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with rituximab use reported to a regional pharmacovigilance center in Kerala, India.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed rituximab-associated ADRs reported from 2017 to 2023. ADRs were assessed using the WHO-UMC criteria for causality and the Modified Hartwig Siegel Scale for severity.

Ethical and moral principles for oncology healthcare workers: A brief report from a Bioethics consortium emphasizing on need for education.

The medical sub-specialty of Oncology presents diverse ethical dilemmas, often challenging cancer healthcare workers with difficult-to-handle clinical scenarios that are tough from a personal and professional perspective. Making decisions on patient care in various circumstances is a defining obligation of an oncologist and those duty-based judgments entail more than just selecting the best treatment or solution. Ethics is an essential and inseparable aspect of clinical medicine and the oncologists as well as the allied health care workers are ethically committed to helping the patient, avoiding or minimizing harm, and respecting the patient's values and choices.

Dietary agents in the prevention of radiation-induced nausea and vomiting (RINV): review addressing the scientific observations, benefits, lacunae and future direction.

Purpose: Radiation-induced Nausea and Vomiting (RINV) is an important side effect and conservative estimates are that 50-80% of the patients undergoing curative radiotherapy (RT) will experience some sought of retching, nausea, and/or vomiting during the course of their treatment. Conventionally, antiemetic drugs like the 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor antagonists and steroids are the mainstay of treatment. However, the use of these agents, especially steroids, can cause side effects and thereby negate the proposed benefits.

Pharmacoeconomic Appraisal of Treating Head and Neck Cancer with Various Chemotherapy and Chemoirradiation Regimens Using Branded and Jan-aushadhi Drugs in India.

According to recent studies, head and neck cancers (HNC) make up a substantial proportion of all cancers in India and are proportionately high in the lower socioeconomic people practising tobacco and alcohol. Chemotherapy is a crucial component of treating HNC, and this study was carried out to determine the Cost Minimization Analysis (CMA) by comparing the price of the high and least expensive branded drugs marketed in India. This study was performed to understand the cost difference (CD), Cost ratio (CR) and percentage of cost variation (PCV) of both individual drugs and the standard anticancer regimens.

Evaluation of the anti-hyperlipidemic effects of in high fat diet fed rats: Studies with two combinations.

Background: Hyperlipidemia is one of the major risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke. , a polyherbal Ayurvedic formulation made from dried fruits of ( Retz.), ( Roxb.

Adverse reaction profile of sulfasalazine and its persistence in chronic therapy of rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis: A multicentric observational study.

Objectives: Sulfasalazine has been widely used in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis. This study aims to assess persistence with sulfasalazine and also frequency and severity of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) encountered with this very well-established disease-modifying anti-rheumatoid drug.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study was done in 1,114 patients from medicine and rheumatology outpatient departments of six centers across India.

Audit of drug-drug interactions and adverse drug reactions due to polypharmacy in older cancer patients: First report from India.

Background: In elderly people, the body's metabolic processes are not optimal and pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic profile of drugs are compromised or reduced. Under these conditions, the concomitant use of diverse classes of drugs can potentially increase the risk of adverse reactions and drug interactions. This will consequentially affect the already debilitated organ system.

Financial audit of wastage of anticancer drugs: Pilot study from a tertiary care center in India.

Purpose: Drug wastage is a major concern in oncology where costs of antineoplastic drugs are exorbitant, and the disposal of toxic drugs increases the chances of occupational hazards to healthcare and sanitary workers and environmental pollution at the site of disposal. The principal objective of this study was to ascertain the extent of drug wastage and calculate its financial costs.

Materials And Methods: This was a prospective pilot study conducted to ascertain the quantity of drug wastage in a tertiary care hospital.

Novel horizontal and vertical integrated bioethics curriculum for medical courses.

Studies conducted by the University of Haifa, Israel in 2001, evaluating the effectiveness of bioethics being taught in medical colleges, suggested that there was a significant lack of translation in clinical care. Analysis also revealed, ineffectiveness with the teaching methodology used, lack of longitudinal integration of bioethics into the undergraduate medical curriculum, and the limited exposure to the technology in decision making when confronting ethical dilemmas. A modern novel bioethics curriculum and innovative methodology for teaching bioethics for the medical course was developed by the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics, Haifa.

Sandalwood Oil and Turmeric-Based Cream Prevents Ionizing Radiation-Induced Dermatitis in Breast Cancer Patients: Clinical Study.

Unlabelled: : The primary objective of this study was to ascertain the benefit of Vicco turmeric Ayurvedic cream (VTC; Vicco Laboratories, Mumbai, India) sandalwood oil and turmeric-based cream in preventing radiodermatitis in women undergoing curative radiotherapy for their breast cancer. : The study was an investigator-blinded randomized study with Johnsons Baby Oil (JBO; Johnson & Johnson Ltd., Baddi, India) as a comparator, administered daily from the start of radiation therapy for 5 weeks in women receiving breast radiation therapy, 50 Gy in 2 Gy fractions daily for 5 weeks.

An Aloe Vera-Based Cosmeceutical Cream Delays and Mitigates Ionizing Radiation-Induced Dermatitis in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Curative Radiotherapy: A Clinical Study.

This study was planned to evaluate the efficacy of topical application of an -based cream (AVC) for the prevention of ionizing radiation (X ray)-induced dermatitis in head and neck cancer patients requiring therapeutic radiation treatment (>62 Gy). From July 2012 to December 2012, a total of 60 head and neck cancer patients requiring curative radiotherapy (RT) of more than 66 Gy were prospectively enrolled and treated with AVC or a comparator Johnson's Baby Oil (JBO). Acute skin reaction was monitored and classified according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) four-point rating scale on a weekly basis.

Honey Mitigates Radiation-Induced Oral Mucositis in Head and Neck Cancer Patients without Affecting the Tumor Response.

Radiation-induced mucositis is a dose-limiting factor in the effective treatment of head and neck (H & N) cancers. The objective of this study was to understand the efficacy of honey in mitigating radiation-induced mucositis and whether it would interfere with tumor control. This was a single-blinded, randomized, controlled study and was carried out in patients with H & N cancer requiring curative radiotherapy (>62 Gy (Gray)).

The phytochemistry, traditional uses and pharmacology of Piper Betel. linn (Betel Leaf): A pan-asiatic medicinal plant.

Since antiquity, Piper betel. Linn, commonly known as betel vine, has been used as a religious, recreational and medicinal plant in Southeast Asia. The leaves, which are the most commonly used plant part, are pungent with aromatic flavor and are widely consumed as a mouth freshener.

Topical application of a sandal wood oil and turmeric based cream prevents radiodermatitis in head and neck cancer patients undergoing external beam radiotherapy: a pilot study.

Objective: The study objective was to assess the effectiveness of a turmeric- and sandal wood oil-containing cream [Vicco(®) turmeric cream (VTC); Vicco Laboratories, Parel, India] on radiodermatitis in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiotherapy.

Methods: A total of 50 patients with head and neck cancer requiring >60 Gy of curative radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy were enrolled in the study. The volunteers were randomly divided into two groups of 25 patients.

Clinical evaluation of Viscum album mother tincture as an antihypertensive: a pilot study.

Viscum album, an infrequently used antihypertensive in homeopathy, is evaluated by 1-group pretest-posttest model in primary hypertension. The drug was administered for 12 weeks at a dosage of 10 drops 3 times a day. Using paired t test, a significant drop in blood pressure (P < .

Are medical students inclined to do research?".

Background: Medical research at undergraduate level has been given poor importance in developing countries including India. Less incentives, poor resources, lack of benefits has all been the reason for curbing the research interests of the students.

Objective: This research was done to understand if medical students perceived research to be important at an undergraduate level, to understand the reasons for doing research and the benefits obtained from research.

The medicinal use of venoms and toxins.

Venoms have long since been known to have therapeutic value. Venoms have been characterised into their individual components and each of their functions extensively studied. These components of venoms and toxins show potential as antihypertensive, anticoagulant, fibrinolytic, anticancerous, immunomodulators, muscle relaxant, etc.

Rasayana drugs from the Ayurvedic system of medicine as possible radioprotective agents in cancer treatment.

The use of ionizing radiation, which is the cornerstone of cancer treatment, is compromised by the radiosensitivity of normal tissues. A chemical that can give selective benefit to the normal cells against the deleterious effects of ionizing radiation has been a long-sought goal. However, most of the compounds studied have shown inadequate clinical application owing to their inherent toxicity, undesirable side effects, and high cost.

Ocimum sanctum L (Holy Basil or Tulsi) and its phytochemicals in the prevention and treatment of cancer.

Ocimum sanctum L. or Ocimum tenuiflorum L, commonly known as the Holy Basil in English or Tulsi in the various Indian languages, is a important medicinal plant in the various traditional and folk systems of medicine in Southeast Asia. Scientific studies have shown it to possess antiinflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, hypolipidemic, antistress, and immunomodulatory activities.

Ginger in the prevention of nausea and vomiting: a review.

Nausea and vomiting are physiological processes experienced by every human being at some stage of their life. They are complex protective mechanisms and the symptoms are influenced by the emetogenic response and stimuli. However, when these symptoms recur frequently, they can significantly reduce the quality of life and can also be detrimental to health.