Comparing tele-pharmacy and standard clinic follow-up for newly initiated warfarin anticoagulation therapy: A retrospective study.

Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of providing telepharmacy anticoagulation to on-site clinics in achieving optimal outcomes for patients newly starting warfarin.

Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study included adult patients who started warfarin for the first time and were monitored by clinical pharmacists either on-site or via telepharmacy anticoagulation clinics between January 2017 and March 2024. The primary outcome is to compare the time in therapeutic range (TTR) between the 2 groups.

Fenofibrate as an Adjunct Therapy for Ulcerative Colitis: Targeting Inflammation via SIRT1, NLRP3, and AMPK Pathways: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an idiopathic chronic inflammation of colonic and rectal mucosa. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) has been identified as having protective effects in UC.

Aim: The study aimed to investigate the efficacy of fenofibrate, a PPARα agonist, in UC.

The effectiveness of 0.5 mg and 1mg of semaglutide in patients with type two diabetes and predictors of response: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1-RAs) approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) at doses up to 1 mg. The results from randomized control trials and real-world studies revealed that weekly semaglutide was associated with significant improvements in HbA1c and body weight. To our knowledge, no study assessed the effectiveness of using semaglutide for patients with T2DM in the Saudi population.

Even one dose of tocilizumab could hinder bad prognosis of cytokines storm in COVID-19 patients.

Severe COVID-19 pneumonia is a principal cause of death due to cascade of hyper inflammatory condition that leading to lung damage. Therefore, an effective therapy to countercurrent the surge of uncontrolled inflammation is mandatory to propose. Anti-interlukin-6 receptor antagonist monoclonal therapy, tocilizumab (TCZ) showed potential results in COVID-19 patients.

Survival implications vs. complications: unraveling the impact of vitamin D adjunctive use in critically ill patients with COVID-19-A multicenter cohort study.

Background: Despite insufficient evidence, vitamin D has been used as adjunctive therapy in critically ill patients with COVID-19. This study evaluates the effectiveness and safety of vitamin D as an adjunctive therapy in critically ill COVID-19 patients.

Methods: A multicenter retrospective cohort study that included all adult COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs) between March 2020 and July 2021.

Mucosal Genes Expression in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients: New Insights.

Individual differences in IBD illness severity, behavior, progression, and therapy response are evident. Since a break in the intestinal epithelial barrier causes IBD to begin, mucosal gene expression in IBD is crucial. Due to its high sensitivity and dynamic nature, molecular analysis of biomarkers in intestinal biopsies is feasible and provides a reliable means of evaluating localized inflammation.

Long COVID and risk of erectile dysfunction in recovered patients from mild to moderate COVID-19.

Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were shown to have reduced serum testosterone levels compared to healthy individuals. Low testosterone levels are linked with the development of erectile dysfunction (ED). In this case-controlled study, 20 healthy controls and 39 patients with ED 3 months after recovering from mild-to-moderate COVID-19 pneumonia were studied.

The effectiveness and safety of direct-acting antivirals for hepatitis C virus treatment: A single-center experience in Saudi Arabia.

Background: The introduction of direct-acting antivirals (DAA) to treat the hepatitis C virus (HCV) overcame many drawbacks of interferon-based therapy. DAA achieved sustained viral response (SVR) rates above 90% and overcame many drawbacks of pegylated interferon regimens.The HCV genotype (GT) distribution varies by geographical area, with GT-4 being most prevalent in the Middle East region, including Saudi Arabia.

Infection in Cirrhotic Patients With Portal Hypertensive Gastropathy: A New Enigma?

The relationship between () infection and Portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG) is still a debatable matter. The aim of this study is to find out how common infection is in cirrhotic patients with PHG and to see if there's a link between infection and PHG severity. Out of 340 cirrhotic patients who had upper Gastrointestinal Tract (GIT) endoscopy for early varices screening, 160 cirrhotic patients were selected and divided into 2 groups; 80 cirrhotic patients with PHG (cases) and 80 cirrhotic patients without PHG (controls).

The AMPK modulator metformin as adjunct to methotrexate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A proof-of-concept, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Metformin (MET) may exert anti-rheumatic effects and reduce cartilage degradation through its immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory actions.

Methods: This was a double-blind placebo-controlled study, 120 adult patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were randomized to receive MET (1000 mg) or placebo daily with methotrexate (MTX, 7.5 mg/week) for 12 weeks.

Therapeutic effect of rocket seeds (Eruca sativa L.) against hydroxyapatite nanoparticles injection induced cardiac toxicity in rats.

Hydroxyapatite is bio-ceramic materials with a calcium to phosphorus proportion like to that of normal bone and teeth. The current study meant to examine the cardiac toxicity by hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HAP NPs) and the protective effect of the rocket seeds in treatments. An aggregate of 40 male Wistar rodents were partitioned into 4 equal groups [Gp1, control; Gp2, rocket seeds extract (RS); Gp3, HAP NPs; Gp4, HAP NPs+RS].

Pain perception assessment using the short-form McGill pain questionnaire after cardiac surgery.

Background: Pain management remains an integral part of patient care after cardiac surgery, and it required proper pain assessment. The aim of the study was to assess pain perception using validated Arabic version of the short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) and to identify analgesics prescribing patterns post cardiac surgery.

Methods: This is a prospective study conducted in an adult cardiac critical care unit of a tertiary cardiac center from September 2018 to March 2019.

Statin Use and the Point Prevalence of Antibiotics in Ambulatory Patients with Diabetes in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2012.

In patients with diabetes, the risk of infections is increased, hypothesized to be due to alterations in the immune system, among other changes. The pleotropic effects of statins have been investigated to assess their role in reducing the risk of infection and infection-related outcomes with varying results. The aim of this study is to determine if the use of statins is associated with a decrease in the point prevalence of oral antibiotic use in ambulatory patients with diabetes.

Churg-Strauss vasculitis presenting with steroid-responsive left ventricular cardiac mass.

A 35-year-old black Saudi man, with a known case of bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis since childhood, presented with joint pain and swelling, orthopnoea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea and lower extremity oedema. On examination, we found jugular venous distension, bilateral basal crepitation, wheezing and diffuse synovitis. Investigations were notable for peripheral blood eosinophilia, pericardial effusion and elongated structure in the left ventricular outflow tract on echocardiography, mediastinal and hilar lymphadenopathy and right upper lobe infiltrate on high-resolution CT scan.

Comparison of drug administration logistics between prothrombin complex concentrates and plasma in the emergency department.

Background: Prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) is used as an alternative to fresh frozen plasma (FFP) for emergency bleeding. The primary objective of this study was to compare the time from order to start of administration between 3-factor PCC (PCC3), 4-factor (PCC4), and FFP in the emergency department (ED). The secondary objective was to evaluate the effect of an ED pharmacist on time to administration of PCCs.