Assessment of Medication Adherence Using Mobile Applications in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Scoping Review.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a condition that significantly impacts both patients and healthcare systems. The management of COPD involves various pharmacological intervention strategies, and addressing the issue of low adherence to these strategies has become a subject of significant interest. In response to this concern, there has been a shift toward utilizing telemedicine and mobile applications.

The endocannabinoid system as a therapeutic target in neuropathic pain: a review.

Introduction: This review highlights the critical role of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in regulating neuropathic pain and explores the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids. Understanding the mechanisms of the ECS, including its receptors, endogenous ligands, and enzymatic routes, can lead to innovative treatments for chronic pain, offering more effective therapies for neuropathic conditions. This review bridges the gap between preclinical studies and clinical applications by emphasizing ECS modulation for better pain management outcomes.

Development and ELISA Characterization of Antibodies against the Colistin, Vancomycin, Daptomycin, and Meropenem: A Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Approach.

More than 70% of bacteria are resistant to all or nearly all known antimicrobials, creating the need for the development of new types of antimicrobials or the use of "last-line" antimicrobial therapies for the treatment of multi-resistant bacteria. These antibiotics include Glycopeptide (Vancomycin), Polymyxin (Colistin), Lipopeptide (Daptomycin), and Carbapenem (Meropenem). However, due to the toxicity of these types of molecules, it is necessary to develop new rapid methodologies to be used in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM).

Existing and Emerging Technologies for Therapeutic Monitoring of Lithium: A Scoping Review.

Background/purpose: Lithium is an effective psychoactive drug. It has a narrow therapeutic margin, with subtherapeutic levels or intoxication commonly occurring. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of lithium has several barriers.

STOPP-START Criteria Used to Identify the Elderly Population Prone to Potentially Inadequate Prescribing in a Colombian Cohort.

Background: Elderly people have multiple comorbidities that often require treatment with multiple medications. Having strategies to lessen the risks associated with pharmacological interactions and potentially inadequate prescribing (PIP) is of major importance. The STOPP- START criteria are useful in identifying PIP along with other tools, such as LASA (look alike/sound alike) drugs and high-risk medications (HRM).

The Role of Education in Nanomedicine as a Current Need for Academic Programs Related to the Healthcare Field: A Scoping Review.

Introduction: Clinical research has recently focused on developing diagnostic and therapeutic alternatives through nanomedicine, and it has become essential for both current and coming healthcare professionals, especially medical residents, to know about it to face actual challenges in the setup of their professional practice.

Approach: This scoping review was conducted to show the relevance of nanomedicine in the formation of medical residents and to determine the educational strategies proposed worldwide for their teaching.

Results: 12 records met the inclusion and exclusion criteria, including information related to the importance of teaching nanotechnology, possible educational approaches, or the best action strategies for incorporating said teaching.

The short-term cost-effectiveness of once-weekly semaglutide versus once-weekly dulaglutide for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Colombian adults.

Background: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a highly prevalent disease worldwide and in Colombia, representing one of the main causes of death and placing a considerable burden on healthcare systems. 13 classes of drugs are approved for the treatment of T2DM, with Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists being a first-line treatment option for patients with or at high risk of certain cardiovascular diseases and chronic kidney disease. The objective of this study is to conduct a short-term cost-effectiveness analysis of once-weekly semaglutide versus once-weekly dulaglutide in Colombian adults with T2DM, from a third-party payer perspective.

Mesenchymal Stromal Cells from Perinatal Tissues as an Alternative for Ex Vivo Expansion of Hematopoietic Progenitor and Stem Cells from Umbilical Cord Blood.

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) serves as a source of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) utilized in the regeneration of hematopoietic and immune systems, forming a crucial part of the treatment for various benign and malignant hematological diseases. UCB has been utilized as an alternative HSPC source to bone marrow (BM). Although the use of UCB has extended transplantation access to many individuals, it still encounters significant challenges in selecting a histocompatible UCB unit with an adequate cell dose for a substantial proportion of adults with malignant hematological diseases.

Implementing Vancomycin Population Pharmacokinetic Models: An App for Individualized Antibiotic Therapy in Critically Ill Patients.

In individualized therapy, the Bayesian approach integrated with population pharmacokinetic models (PopPK) for predictions together with therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) to maintain adequate objectives is useful to maximize the efficacy and minimize the probability of toxicity of vancomycin in critically ill patients. Although there are limitations to implementation, model-informed precision dosing (MIPD) is an approach to integrate these elements, which has the potential to optimize the TDM process and maximize the success of antibacterial therapy. The objective of this work was to present an app for individualized therapy and perform a validation of the implemented vancomycin PopPK models.

Biologics in COVID-19 So Far: Systematic Review.

This systematic review aimed to reevaluate the available evidence of the use of biologics as treatment candidates for the treatment of severe and advanced COVID-19 disease; what are the rationale for their use, which are the most studied, and what kind of efficacy measures are described? A search through Cochrane, Embase, Pubmed, Medline, medrxiv.org, and Google scholar was performed on the use of biologic interventions in COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 infection, viral pneumonia, and sepsis, until 11 January 2022. Throughout the research, we identified 4821 records, of which 90 were selected for qualitative analysis.

A Systematic Review on Cannabinoids for Neuropathic Pain Administered by Routes Other than Oral or Inhalation.

The use of and cannabinoid products for the treatment of neuropathic pain is a growing area of research. This type of pain has a high prevalence, limited response to available therapies and high social and economic costs. Systemic cannabinoid-based therapies have shown some unwanted side effects.

Estimation of the Difference in Colistin Plasma Levels in Critically Ill Patients with Favorable or Unfavorable Clinical Outcomes.

In recent decades, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has led to an increased use of therapeutic alternatives. Among these options, colistin continues to be an option for the treatment of multi-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacterial infections. However, due to its high toxicity (nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity) and narrow therapeutic window, colistin treatment must be utilized carefully.

Administration and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of and Vancomycin in Critical Care Units in Colombia: The ANTIBIOCOL Study.

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and continuous infusion strategies are effective interventions in clinical practice, but these practices are still largely unknown in Colombia, especially in the critical care setting. This study aims to describe the practices involved in the administration and TDM of and vancomycin reported by specialists in critical care in Colombia and to explore the factors that are related to the use of extended infusion. An online nationwide survey was applied to 153 specialists, who were selected randomly.

Validation of the National Early Warning Score (NEWS)-2 for adults in the emergency department in a tertiary-level clinic in Colombia: Cohort study.

The National Early Warning Score (NEWS)-2 is an early warning scale that is used in emergency departments to identify patients at risk of clinical deterioration and to help establish rapid and timely management. The objective of this study was to determine the validity and prediction of mortality using the NEWS2 scale for adults in the emergency department of a tertiary clinic in Colombia.A prospective observational study was conducted between August 2018 and June 2019 at the Universidad de La Sabana Clinic.

Impact on Antibiotic Resistance, Therapeutic Success, and Control of Side Effects in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) of Daptomycin: A Scoping Review.

Antimicrobial resistance (AR) is a problem that threatens the search for adequate safe and effective antibiotic therapy against multi-resistant bacteria like methicillin-resistant (MRSA), and vancomycin-resistant (VRE) and , among others. Daptomycin is the treatment of choice for some infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria, indicated most of the time in patients with special clinical conditions where its high pharmacokinetic variability (PK) does not allow adequate plasma concentrations to be reached. The objective of this review is to describe the data available about the type of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) method used and described so far in hospitalized patients with daptomycin and to describe its impact on therapeutic success, suppression of bacterial resistance, and control of side effects.

Carbapenem Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Critically Ill Adult Patients and Clinical Outcomes: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

Drug monitoring is one strategy of antibiotic stewardship to face antimicrobial resistance. This strategy could have a determinant role in critically ill patients treated with carbapenems to overcome pharmacokinetic variability, reduce the risk of subtherapeutic dosage or toxicity, and reduce the risks inherent to treatment. However, the effectiveness of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is unknown.

Clinical Evidence of Magistral Preparations Based on Medicinal Cannabis.

Cannabis has been widely used as a medicinal plant for millennia; however, studies related to its main components were first conducted in 1960. Subsequently, laboratories have produced new components and structures related to its active biological properties. Countries that have approved the medicinal use of cannabis impose regulations that govern its clinical and scientific use.

Personalized Medicine for Antibiotics: The Role of Nanobiosensors in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring.

Due to the high bacterial resistance to antibiotics (AB), it has become necessary to adjust the dose aimed at personalized medicine by means of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). TDM is a fundamental tool for measuring the concentration of drugs that have a limited or highly toxic dose in different body fluids, such as blood, plasma, serum, and urine, among others. Using different techniques that allow for the pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) analysis of the drug, TDM can reduce the risks inherent in treatment.

Pharmacovigilance of Biopharmaceuticals in Rheumatic Diseases, Adverse Events, Evolution, and Perspective: An Overview.

Since we have gained an understanding of the immunological pathophysiology of rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, treatment based on biological drugs has become a fundamental axis. These therapies are oriented towards the regulation of cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1, and the modulation of cell-mediated immunity (B cells and T cells) by anti CD20 or anti CTAL-4 agents, and can increase the risk of associated infections or adverse events (AE). In this context, the entry of biotherapeutics represented a challenge for pharmacovigilance, risk management and approval by the main global regulatory agencies regarding biosimilars, where efficacy and safety are based on comparability exercises without being an exact copy in terms of molecular structure.

Is There a Role for the Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Colistin? An Overview.

Colistin is used as a last-line antibiotic for the treatment of Gram-negative multiresistant bacteria. Due to its high nephrotoxicity, Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) is recommended for dose adjustment. We aimed to evaluate the available evidence of TDM in patients given colistin to treat Gram-negative infections.

Optical Biosensors for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring.

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is a fundamental tool when administering drugs that have a limited dosage or high toxicity, which could endanger the lives of patients. To carry out this monitoring, one can use different biological fluids, including blood, plasma, serum, and urine, among others. The help of specialized methodologies for TDM will allow for the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic analysis of drugs and help adjust the dose before or during their administration.

An Approach to Measuring Colistin Plasma Levels Regarding the Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Infection.

Antimicrobial resistance to antibiotic treatment has significantly increased during recent years, causing this to become a worldwide public health problem. More than 70% of pathogenic bacteria are resistant to at least one of the currently used antibiotics. Polymyxin E (colistin) has recently been used as a "last line" therapy when treating Gram-negative multi-resistant bacteria.

Emerging pollutants in the urban water cycle in Latin America: A review of the current literature.

Emerging pollutants (EP) are increasingly studied and characterized worldwide to improve the understanding of their environmental and toxicological impacts and their occurrence and behaviors in different environmental systems. Latin America has been subject to both environmental and toxicological impacts due to EP. To better understand these impacts, studies concerning pollutants have increased for the last ten years.

The Genetic Diagnosis of Neurodegenerative Diseases and Therapeutic Perspectives.

Genetics has led to a new focus regarding approaches to the most prevalent diseases today. Ascertaining the molecular secrets of neurodegenerative diseases will lead to developing drugs that will change natural history, thereby affecting the quality of life and mortality of patients. The sequencing of candidate genes in patients suffering neurodegenerative pathologies is faster, more accurate, and has a lower cost, thereby enabling algorithms to be proposed regarding the risk of neurodegeneration onset in healthy persons including the year of onset and neurodegeneration severity.