No abstract

No abstract

Pharmacist-initiated pharmaceutical care improved the satisfaction and biochemical findings of patients on hemodialysis.

No abstract

Abstract. Background: Endothelial dysfunction (ED) plays a key role in the development and progression of microvascular and macrovascular complications in pediatrics with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a nutraceutical with a known anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activity. This study was conducted to evaluate the potential effect of CoQ10 on ED and various metabolic parameters. Methods: This prospective randomized open-label pilot study was conducted on 49 T1DM pediatric patients. Seven healthy non-diabetic pediatric subjects who didn’t receive treatment were included as a control group. Eligible patients were randomly allocated into either group I (n = 25); received 100 mg of CoQ10 in addition to standard treatment or group II (n = 24); received standard treatment only. The levels of; soluble intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose (FBG), lipid profile, serum creatinine and liver function tests were assessed for both groups at baseline and after 3 months of treatment. Results: At baseline, compared to an age-matched healthy control group sICAM-1 levels were significantly elevated in group II diabetic patients (276.5 (231.6–320.66) vs 221.8 (177.9–267.1 ng/ml), p = 0.042. After 3 months of treatment no significant difference was observed in sICAM-1, HbA1c, FBG, lipid profile, serum creatinine and liver function tests between the two study groups. A positive correlation was found between sICAM-1 and HbA1c throughout the study (r = 0.308, p = 0.0054). Conclusion: Administration of CoQ10 for 3 months in T1DM pediatric patients was well tolerated but had no favorable effect on ED or metabolic parameters.

Alfuzosin is safe and effective in increasing stone expulsion rates and shortening stone passage times for uncomplicated distal ureteral stones.

Direct Healthcare Professional Communication (DHPC) is essentially distributed for fast communication of new serious drug safety information to healthcare professionals (HCPs). However, the use of this tool concerning the knowledge and preferences of HCPs has never been evaluated in Egypt. This study aimed to evaluate the HCPs' knowledge, preferences, and barriers to the use of DHPC in Egypt. A crosssectional study of a random sample of 254 HCPs surveyed via face-to-face interviews to assess the Egyptian HCPs' awareness of DHPC, the preferences, and barriers that affect its use. Among the 297 approached HCPs, only 254 accepted to participate with a response rate of 85.5%, including (50% internists, 22.83% cardiologists, 11.02% neurologists, 11.02% pediatricians, and 5.12% from other specialties). Most HCPs were not familiar with DHPC (N= 254, 61.8%). One-third of the visited HCPs who were aware of concerned drugs' risk(s) got their information from DHPC (N= 149, 36.9%). HCPs preference for communication channel was highest for meetings (N= 254, 65.7%) and least for newsletters (N= 254, 28%). HCPs reported barriers to reading DHPC included; busy schedule (N= 254, 47.6%), mistrusted source (N= 254, 24.4%), view as a marketing tool (N= 254, 21.7%), invaluable information (N= 254, 9.8%) and disbelief (N= 254, 7.5%). The DHPC did not reach the target HCPs most of the time, but when received, it was successful in conveying the required message to the target HCPs. Multiple barriers were identified that negatively impacted the success of DHPC. It is recommended to use other electronic communication methods to enhance the reachability of the current method (DHPC).

No abstract