Inpatient management of gout: we are still failing.

Objective: Despite effective treatment, gout is poorly managed. The aim of this study was to determine rates of serum urate (SU) testing and allopurinol dose adjustment in patients on allopurinol admitted to Christchurch based hospitals.

Methods: The hospital electronic prescribing and administration (ePA) system was used to identify patients on allopurinol during hospital admissions from March 2016-March 2023.

The role of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in predicting outcomes among patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

Objectives: The value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in predicting outcomes in patients hospitalised with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains debated. This study evaluated whether NLR independently predicts clinical outcomes and enhances the predictive performance of the CURB-65 score in patients with CAP.

Methods: Data from CAP admissions at two Australian hospitals from 2018 to 2023 were analysed.

Management of Hypertension in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Indian Guideline 2024 by Association of Physicians of India and Indian College of Physicians.

In India and the Southeast Asian population, hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are the leading lifestyle-related diseases, responsible for a majority burden of morbidity and mortality. Multiple population-spanning studies have revealed the staggering prevalence of both diseases in India, and the prevalence of both will only increase further due to factors such as an aging population, rapid urbanization, increased obesity, and sedentary lifestyles. More than 50 percent of hypertensive patients in India are also diagnosed with T2DM, and a detailed management protocol for the same is required, especially when a major portion of the disease is managed at the primary care level.

Effect of α-blockers on Handgrip Test Response of Diastolic Blood Pressure in Hypertensive, Benign Hypertrophy of Prostate Patients in a Therapeutics Clinic, Kolkata: A Cross-sectional Study.

Background: The isometric handgrip (IHG) test is commonly used to detect sympathetic autonomic dysfunction. Tamsulosin, approved for the management of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), acts as an antagonist for α1-adrenergic receptors (α1-AR), whereas prazosin, an α receptor blocker, being less selective than tamsulosin, is used as an antihypertensive agent clinically. Our objective was to investigate if there is a distinction in blood pressure (BP) increase during IHG exercise between individuals with essential hypertension taking tamsulosin compared to those taking prazosin.

The importance of antibiotic treatment duration in antimicrobial resistance.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant threat to global health, leading to increased deaths from drug-resistant infections and escalates healthcare costs. Often termed a "silent pandemic," AMR occurs when pathogens become resistant to antimicrobial drugs, enabling their proliferation and spread. Inappropriate antibiotic usage is a major contributor to this phenomenon, which also extends to fungal infections.

The Promise of Cilnidipine in Hypertension with Comorbidities: National Consensus Statement: National Consensus Group Comprises Cardiologists, Nephrologists, and Diabetologists from India in a National Meet at New Delhi held on 22 May 2022.

The rapidly increasing burden of hypertension is responsible for premature deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD), renal disease, and stroke, with a tremendous public health and financial burden. Hypertension detection, treatment, and control vary worldwide; it is still low, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). High blood pressure (BP) and CVD risk have a strong, linear, and independent association.

A Phase 1, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Single Ascending Dose Study to Evaluate the Pharmacokinetics, Immunogenicity, Safety, and Tolerability After Subcutaneous Administration of Tozorakimab in Healthy Chinese Participants.

Tozorakimab is a high-affinity human immunoglobulin G1 monoclonal antibody that neutralizes interleukin (IL)-33, an IL-1 family cytokine. This phase 1, single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single ascending dose study (NCT05070312) evaluated tozorakimab in a healthy Chinese population. Outcomes included the characterization of the pharmacokinetic (PK) profile and immunogenicity of tozorakimab.

Cardiotoxicity After Synthetic Cathinone Use; Two Cases, A Case Series and Scoping Review.

The cardiotoxic effects of synthetic cathinones remain largely unknown. In this study, we present two cases, a case series and a scoping review, to explore synthetic cathinone associated cardiotoxicity. Case 1 involved a 28-year-old male with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction after ingesting a substance containing 4-methylmethcathinone (4-MMC), 3-methylmethcathinon (3-MMC), and methcathinone.

Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives on Improving Dietary Supplement Documentation in the Electronic Medical Record: Current Challenges and Opportunities to Enhance Quality of Care and Patient Safety.

Background: Around half the US population uses dietary supplements (DS), and concomitant use with medications is common. Many DS include bioactive substances that can interact with medications; therefore, accurate tracking is critical for patient safety. Unfortunately, documentation of patients' DS use is often missing or incomplete in the electronic medical record (EMR), leaving patients susceptible to potential adverse events.

Association of antidepressants plus antithrombotics and bleeding risk: a pharmacovigilance study.

Aim: The present study investigated the risk of bleeding when antidepressants are added to antithrombotics.

Methods: Using data registered in VigiBase, the WHO pharmacovigilance database, between 01/01/2000 and 31/12/2022, we compared the risk of reporting "serious" bleeding (Reporting Odds Ratio, ROR) with antidepressants + antithrombotics versus antithrombotics alone.

Results: Increased values of ROR were found for the association Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SRIs) + Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOACs) versus DOACs alone (ROR=1.

Do we really know if they are in pain? A cross-sectional study in hospitalised adult patients in Spain.

Aims: To describe the prevalence and characteristics of pain in adult hospitalised patients, as well as to analyse the concordance between patient-reported and recorded pain and its impact on analgesic management.

Design: A cross sectional study.

Methods: The study was performed on a sample of 611 patients, from October to December 2017.

Comparing Cardiovascular Outcomes and Costs of Perindopril-, Enalapril- or Losartan-Based Antihypertensive Regimens in South Africa: Real-World Medical Claims Database Analysis.

Introduction: Differences in class or molecule-specific effects between renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors have not been conclusively demonstrated. This study used South African data to assess clinical and cost outcomes of antihypertensive therapy with the three most common RAAS inhibitors: perindopril, losartan and enalapril.

Methods: Using a large, South African private health insurance claims database, we identified patients with a hypertension diagnosis in January 2015 receiving standard doses of perindopril, enalapril or losartan, alone or in combination with other agents.

Antigen loss following CAR-T cell therapy: Mechanisms, implications, and potential solutions.

Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T cell) therapy has emerged as a groundbreaking immunotherapeutic approach for treating various hematological malignancies. CAR-T cells are engineered to express synthetic receptors that target specific antigens on cancer cells, leading to their eradication. While the therapy has shown remarkable efficacy, a significant challenge that has been observed in 30%-70% of patients showing recurrent disease is antigen loss or downregulation.

Patients' and clinicians' views on shared decision making in cancer care: a qualitative study of Aotearoa New Zealand patients' and clinicians' perspectives.

Aims: Oncology stakeholders' view on shared decision making (SDM) in Aotearoa New Zealand is not well described in the literature. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of patients, clinicians and other cancer care stakeholders on shared decision making, and how and why shared decision making in cancer care can be viable and appropriate for patients and healthcare providers.

Methods: Non-random, purposive sampling, combined with advertisement and snowball recruitment identified patient, whānau and healthcare provider participants for qualitative interviews.

The Power and Promise of Angiotensin Receptor Neprilysin Inhibitor (ARNI) in Heart Failure Management: National Consensus Statement.

;Heart failure (HF) is a huge global public health task due to morbidity, mortality, disturbed quality of life, and major economic burden. It is an area of active research and newer treatment strategies are evolving. Recently angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI), a class of drugs (the first agent in this class, Sacubitril-Valsartan), reduces cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in chronic HF patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

Great Sustainability Results From Appropriate Antihypertensive Therapy.

Cardiovascular diseases are emerging as a major cause of death and hospitalization in the Western world. For many years, a number of medicines have been placed on the market, in well-established and safe use for antihypertensive therapy. The various classes of antihypertensives in established use include, ACE inhibitors, as monotherapy or in combination with diuretics or calcium antagonists, sartans, calcium antagonists, beta blockers, and diuretics.

Effectiveness of budesonide formoterol fixed-dose combination MDI in reducing cough symptoms in COVID-19 patients: A real-world evidence study.

Background: Cough is a wearisome and exasperating symptom affecting the daily life of the infected patient. Cough due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) causes excessive morbidity in human populations globally. Apart from the morbidity associated with cough, it also enhances the transmission of this viral infection through droplets.

Exosome Mediated Cancer Therapeutic Approach:Present Status and Future Prospectives.

The unique extracellular vesicles (EVs) or exosomes formed by the sequential invagination of the plasma membrane are diverse and encompass important constituents with biological functions. Speculations on its cell independent biological functions are significant and pose them as vital biomarkers and as drug delivery vehicles especially in cancer. EVs possess theragnostic values and are known to elicit specific immune response.

Association between microbiota and immune response to Sars-CoV-2 infection.

In recent times, the key role of the human microbiota in the body's response to infectious diseases has been increasingly demonstrated. The human microbiota is the set of symbiotic microorganisms which coexist with the human organism without harming it. However, diseases related to the microbiota occur and are being studied, and numerous publications suggest that altered microbiota composition is implicated in psychiatric diseases, chronic inflammatory diseases, and some viral infections.