Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) Treatment for Hospitalized Patients with COVID- 19.

Objective: Studies have indicated that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) exerts antiviral effects against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. However, trials regarding its effects on patients are very controversial. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of (HCQ) in the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Network meta-analysis of efficacy and safety of chlorthalidone and hydrochlorothiazide in hypertensive patients.

Hypertension is a chronic condition leading to increased stress on the heart and blood vessels, a critical risk factor for clinically significant events such as myocardial infarction heart failure, stroke and death. Chlorthalidone and hydrochlorothiazide are first-line antihypertensive agents for most patients with hypertension. The aim of our meta-analysis was to compare the efficacy and safety of both therapies in patients with hypertension.

Insights into antiviral mechanisms of remdesivir, lopinavir/ritonavir and chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine affecting the new SARS-CoV-2.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a kind of viral pneumonia with an unusual outbreak in Wuhan, China, which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). There is currently no licensed antiviral treatment available to prevent human CoV infection. The widespread clinical use and existing knowledge on antiviral mechanisms of remdesivir, lopinavir/ritonavir and chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of previous epidemic diseases, namely, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), may be helpful in the combat with novel SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Combining angiotensin receptor blockers with chlorthalidone or hydrochlorothiazide - which is the better alternative? A meta-analysis.

Background: Hypertension is a disease with significant clinical and socio-economic consequences. The reduction in cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in patients treated for hypertension is directly related to the magnitude of blood pressure reduction. Diuretics have proven useful for the prevention of cardiovascular complications in addition to a long history of safety and efficacy.

EQ-5D-5L Bulgarian population norms.

Objectives: The present study aimed to provide normative data for the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire in Bulgaria, based on a nationally representative sample.

Methods: Random sampling was used. In September 2018, a total of 1005 respondents (aged 18-89 years) completed the self-administered paper-based EQ-5D-5L questionnaire, including a visual analogue scale (EQ VAS).

Comparative efficacy and safety of chlorthalidone and hydrochlorothiazide-meta-analysis.

Hypertension is a complex syndrome of multiple hemodynamic, neuroendocrine, and metabolic abnormalities. The goals of treatment in hypertension are to optimally control high blood pressure and to reduce associated cardiovascular morbidity and mortality using the most suitable therapy available. Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) and chlorthalidone (CTLD) are with proven hypertensive effects.

Comparative effectiveness of pan-genotypic therapies for the treatment of patients with hepatitis C virus infection in Bulgaria.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a positive-stranded RNA virus which belongs to the family of , predominantly infecting liver hepatocytes. HCV infection is a major cause for morbidity worldwide. The primary objective was to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of pan-genotypic therapies for the treatment of patients with HCV infection in Bulgaria.

ALK Mutation Status in EGFR-negative Non-small-cell Lung Cancer Patients in Bulgaria.

Background: Patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement mutation are found to be 3-13%.

Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of ALK mutations in EGFR-negative NSCLC patients in Bulgaria.

Materials And Methods: One hundred and thirty-two patients with EGFR-negative NSCLC were examined for ALK mutation analysis between January and June 2016.

Bosutinib: Valuable therapeutic option for the Bulgarian market.

Aim Of Study: This review aims to highlight that bosutinib represents a valuable alternative for patients already treated unsuccessfully with one or more other tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm associated with a specific genetic abnormality resulting in a fusion protein with an active tyrosine kinase region. Therefore, TKIs were developed as a suitable treatment option.

Pioglitazone Therapy and Fractures: Systematic Review and Meta- Analysis.

Introduction: Thiazolidinediones are a group of synthetic medications used in type 2 diabetes treatment. Among available thiazolidinediones, pioglitazone is gaining increased attention due to its lower cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetes mellitus sufferers and seems a promising future therapy. Accumulating evidence suggests that diabetic patients may exert bone fractures due to such treatments.

Effects of pioglitazone therapy on blood parameters, weight and BMI: a meta-analysis.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most common diseases worldwide and insulin insufficiency and insulin resistance are two main metabolic issues connected with it. The dyslipidemia associated with insulin resistance and T2DM is characterized by higher triglycerides (TGs), higher very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and lower apo A1. Pioglitazone, a member of the thiazolidinedione class, with a proven antihyperglycemic effect, is known to positively influence insulin sensitivity and β-cell function and to have the potential to alter the lipid profile.

Pioglitazone and the Risk of Bladder Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

Unlabelled: People with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk of bladder cancer. Pioglitazone is said to increase it further, although published evidence is mixed. We conducted a meta-analysis to determine if any link between the use of pioglitazone and an increased risk of bladder cancer can be found.

Pharmacotherapeutic recommendations for application of target oncological drug therapies for treatment of breast cancer in Bulgaria - therapeutic efficacy and cost effectiveness.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the direct costs of targeted cancer therapies for the treatment of breast cancer, calculating the effectiveness of the additional costs (ICER) and the cost of life years gained (LYG), using data from randomized clinical trials cited in the summary of product characteristics (SPC) of medicinal products approved for use under the centralized procedure.

Methods: Data from the SPC and clinical trials was analyzed. ICER and LYG of the medicinal therapies were compared using data from Phase III clinical trials cited in the Summary of product characteristics.

Comparative analysis of therapeutic efficiency and costs (experience in Bulgaria) of oral antidiabetic therapies based on glitazones and gliptins.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a serious, chronic, progressive and widespread disease. Metformin is the most commonly prescribed initial therapy, but combination with other antidiabetic agents usually becomes necessary due to the progression of the disease. Pioglitazone is recommended as a second-line therapy because of its strong antihyperglycemic effect and its ability to reduce insulin resistance.

The misuse of clinical paths as an instrument for funding inpatient care in Bulgaria.

Clinical paths in Bulgaria are used not as a method for quality assessment, but as an instrument to fund hospitals. Their use and incompleteness cause limited access of all Bulgarian citizens to the international treatment guidelines. That way quality of treatment worsens and mortality increases.

Decrease in acute coronary syndrome mortality in Pleven district: implementation of scientific evidence into everyday practice.

Cardiovascular mortality in Bulgaria has increased for the last 25 years, contrary to the rest of the EU countries. One of the reasons is high in-hospital mortality due to acute myocardial infarction. The Bulgarian Cardiac Institute has established a modern cardiac hospital with a catheterization laboratory (cathlab) in the Medical University in Pleven, which helps it decrease acute coronary syndrome (ACS) mortality, taking all the necessary steps according to the guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Medical doctors' opinion of healthcare reforms in Bulgaria.

At the time of the ongoing organizational changes in healthcare, the medical professionals' opinions regarding the reforms are the most critical since, as medical professionals, they are the main participants in the healthcare reforms. In this article the opinion of 1015 medical doctors is given regarding their awareness of the aims and essence of the reform, their level of preparedness and willingness to support and implement the process, their perception of patient-doctor relationships and public health system change, the financial resources, payment of medical work and the overall satisfaction with the reform.