The intestinal microbiome encodes vast metabolic potential, and multidisciplinary approaches are enabling a mechanistic understanding of how bacterial enzymes impact the metabolism of diverse pharmaceutical compounds, including chemotherapeutics. Microbiota alter the activity of many drugs and chemotherapeutics via direct and indirect mechanisms; some of these alterations result in changes to the drug's bioactivity and bioavailability, causing toxic gastrointestinal side effects. Gastrointestinal toxicity is one of the leading complications of systemic chemotherapy, with symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. Patients undergo dose reductions or drug holidays to manage these adverse events, which can significantly harm prognosis, and can result in mortality. Selective and precise targeting of the gut microbiota may alleviate these toxicities. Understanding the composition and function of the microbiota may serve as a biomarker for prognosis, and predict treatment efficacy and potential adverse effects, thereby facilitating personalized medicine strategies for cancer patients.

Purpose Arteriovenous fistula(AVF) is preferred vascular access for hemodialysis but has primary failure in 20–60%. Studying predictors of AVF failure would help plan appropriate management.We studied AVF outcomes, clinical and vascular factors predicting their failure in patients requiring hemodialysis. Methods Retrospective study of patients with AVF creation from January 2017 to December 2018. Outcomes studied were immediate (< 72 h), primary (3 months) AVF failure, six-month/one-year patency, analyzed for predictive clinical, vascular factors as assessed using Pre-operative Doppler Ultrasound(DUS). Results Of 530 AVFs in 460 patients, DUS was done in 426/530 (80.4%), 349/460 (75.8%) were males, mean age was 53.10 ± 14.54 (18–91), 215/460(46.7%) had Diabetes mellitus(DM), 423/460(92%) hypertension. AVFs were radiocephalic in 79/530 (14.9%), brachiocephalic 418/530 (78.9%), brachiobasilic 33/530 (6.2%). AVF Immediate/Primary failure was seen in 64/530 (12.1%), 90/352 (25.6%); Patency at six months/one year in 253/352(71.8%),191/305 (62.6%), respectively. Older age had less immediate failures (AOR 0.97, CI 0.95–0.99, p 0.03). Feeding arterial diameter predicted immediate and primary failure on univariate analysis [OR 0.64 (95% CI 0.49–0.83), 0.62 (95% CI 0.47–0.89), respectively], but not multivariate. Artery diameter of > 4.0 mm had less failures [immediate (p 0.01), primary (p 0.02)], < 2.0 mm had specificity 95.9% and 95.4% for immediate, primary failure respectively. Conclusion AVF failure is 12.1%, immediately; 25.6% three months after construction, Patency at 6 months is 71.8%, one year 62.6%. Immediate failures decrease with age. Artery diameters > 4.0 mm had less, < 2.0 mm had more failures.

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