[Toxicology of synthetic cannabinoids]. / Toxicologie des cannabinoïdes de synthèse.

Synthetic cannabinoids (CS), or synthetic endocannabinoid receptor agonists, were initially synthesized for basic research into exocannabinoid signaling pathways, as well as in clinical research for their analgesic properties. The use of CS for recreational purposes is a recent phenomenon, but one that has grown very quickly in recent years, since these molecules now represent the main category of new synthetic products (NPS). This literature review aims to bring together current data regarding the use and effects caused by CS in humans. The relationship between the structure and activity of these CSs, the pharmacology and adverse effects of these CSs and finally the different methods of analyzing CSs. A better understanding of this phenomenon is essential to raise awareness among stakeholders in the health field.

Availability of antidotes in Moroccan hospitals: a national survey.

AIM: The lack of availability of antidotes is a challenge for hospitals all over the world. The objective of our study was to investigate the availability of antidotes in Moroccan hospitals. METHODS: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted from November 2018 to April 2019. The questionnaire was sent to 25 hospitals in order to investigate the availability of 42 selected antidotes based on the International Programme on Chemical Safety list. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 68%. Of the 42 selected antidotes, 38 (90.5%) were available depending on the hospitals included in the study. We found a strong correlation between the availability of antidotes and hospital bed capacity, and logistic regression analysis revealed that bed capacity is the only factor strongly associated with higher antidote stock levels. Some essential antidotes such as digoxin-specific antibody, protamine sulfate, flumazenil and glucagon were unavailable in many of the small- and medium-sized hospitals, and methylene blue, sodium nitroprussiate, Prussian blue and anti-snake venom were absent in all of the hospitals. CONCLUSION: Despite the great efforts that have been made to improve the availability of antidotes in Morocco, some of these vital products are still lacking in Moroccan hospitals.

Impact of anti-cancer drugs shortages in oncology and hematology departments in a Moroccan hospital.

INTRODUCTION: Drug shortages have been a growing global problem in recent years. Some of them are of vital necessity and importance for the patient, such as those used to treat pathologies in clinical hematology and oncology departments. The objectives of this study are to determine the impact of anti-cancer drugs shortages on both: treatment and patient in the hematology and oncology departments, to describe the actions that have been put in place to manage the shortages and to survey patients about their perspectives and experiences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a prospective, observational study, it took place in the oncology and hematology departments. It was carried out with the help of an operating sheet, which contained two parts: patient and treatment data. This sheet was filled out after the interview with the patient and on the basis of the medical file. RESULTS: Of the 101 patients interviewed, 67.3% were impacted by the shortage of drugs. The treated pathology that was most impacted by the rupture was Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (55.8%), vincristine was the drug most responsible for the shortages (34%). Most patients (51.4%) went to a non-local pharmacy to buy the medicine that was in short supply in the hospital. Delayed care was the main impact of the drug shortage (42.6%). As a result of these shortages, the majority of patients (45.6%) were frustrated and anxious about the situation. CONCLUSION: Drug shortages have a profound impact on patient safety, clinical outcomes, quality of treatment, hospital management and other important factors. In-depth collaboration between different health actors and timely communication strategies are essential elements of an effective drug shortage management plan.

Diagnostic Utility of Human Leukocyte Antigen B*15:02 Screening in Severe Carbamazepine Hypersensitivity Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Despite many studies suggesting an association between human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B*15:02 and carbamazepine (CBZ)-induced severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions essentially toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) and Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), the evidence of association in different populations and the degree of association remain uncertain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The primary analysis was based on population control studies. Data were pooled by means of a random-effects model, and sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR+ and LR-), diagnostic odds ratios (DOR), and areas under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were calculated. RESULTS: In 23 population control studies, HLA-B*15:02 was measured in 373 patients with CBZ-induced TEN/SJS and 3452 patients without CBZ-induced TEN/SJS. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, LR+, LR-, DOR, and AUC were 0.67 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.63-0.72), 0.98 (95% CI = 0.98-0.99), 19.73 (95% CI = 10.54-36.92), 0.34 (95% CI = 0.23-0.49), 71.38 (95% CI = 34.89-146.05), and 0.96 (95% CI = 0.92-0.98), respectively. Subgroup analyses for Han Chinese, Thai, and Malaysian populations yielded similar findings. Specifically, racial/ethnic subgroup analyses revealed similar findings with respect to DOR for Han Chinese (99.28; 95% CI = 22.20-443.88), Thai (61.01; 95% CI = 23.05-161.44), and Malaysian (30; 95% CI = 7.08-126.68) populations, which are similar to the pooled DOR for the relationship between the HLA-B*15:02 allele and CBZ-induced TEN/SJS across all populations (71.38; 95% CI = 34.89-146.05). CONCLUSIONS: The present study reveals that CBZ is the leading cause of TEN/SJS in many countries. Screening of HLA-B*15:02 may help patients to prevent the occurrence of CBZ-induced TEN/SJS, especially in populations with a higher (≥5%) risk allele frequency.

Detection and analysis of drug-drug interactions among hospitalized cardiac patients in the Mohammed V Military Teaching Hospital in Morocco.

INTRODUCTION: Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) are defined as two or more drugs interacting in such a manner that the effectiveness or toxicity of one or more drugs is altered. Patients with cardiovascular disorders are at higher risk for DDIs because of the types and number of drugs they receive. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of DDIs in patients admitted to the cardiology department of a hospital in Morocco. METHODS: A prospective observational study from June 2016 to September 2016 was carried out in the cardiology department of a hospital in Morocco. Those patients who were taking at least two drugs and had a hospital stay of at least 48 hours were included in the study. The medications of the patients were analysed for possible interactions. All the prescriptions of the study population were screened for drug-drug interactions using a computerized DDI database system (Theriaque®). RESULTS: During the study period, 138 patients were included; 360 interactions were detected among 94 patients, with an average number of drugs taken of 5.2. The prevalence of DDIs was estimated at 68.11%, the most common of which concerned Kardegic/Plavix (12.22%), Kardegic/Heparin (8.33%), and Lasilix/Spironolactone (5.83%). Among the 726 prescribed drugs, (372 [51.24%]) were drugs of the cardiovascular system, followed by blood and hematopoietic organ drugs (288 [39.67%]) according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification codes. These interactions were categorized on the basis of level of severity: interactions with major severity accounted for 11.11% (40) of the total DDIs while those with moderate and minor severity accounted for 37.22% (134) and 51.66% (186), respectively. CONCLUSION: This study reports the prevalence of DDIs in patients admitted to the cardiology department of a hospital in Morocco. This study shows that DDIs are frequent among hospitalized cardiac patients and highlights the need to screen prescriptions of cardiovascular patients for possible DDIs, as this helps in their detection and prevention.Pan African Medical Journal - ISSN: 1937- 8688 (www.panafrican-med-journal.com)Published in partnership with the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET). (www.afenet.net)Pan African Medical Journal - ISSN: 1937- 8688 (www.panafrican-med-journal.com)Published in partnership with the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET). (www.afenet.net).

Diabetic Foot Infection in Morocco: Microbiological Profile.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this work is to describe the microbiology of diabetic foot infections (DFIs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors included all samples of infected diabetic foot ulcers between January 2009 and June 2014 at the Mohammed Vth Military Teaching Hospital of Rabat, Morocco. RESULTS: The researchers collected 199 samples corresponding to 157 patients. The mean age of the patients was 59 years ± 12 years. Of the collected samples, deep samples represented 41% and swab samples 59%. Direct examination indicated anaerobic infection in 32% of the cases. There were 307 bacteria isolates from both deep and swab samples. There was no statistically significant association between the sampling method and isolate species (P = 0.237). Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus sp, nonfermenting gram-negative bacilli (NFGNB), and Enterococcus sp represented 31.8%, 12.6 %, 12.3%, 11.7%, and 8.7% of the isolates, respectively. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus represented 4.7% of S. aureus isolates. Enterobacteriaceae and NFGNB-producing extended spectrum ß-lactamases represented 14.1% and 5.1%, respectively, with isolates producing carabapenemase representing 3.8% and 38.5%. Piperacillin-tazobactam, imipenem, and ciprofloxacin resistance concerned 7.5%, 4.7%, and 25.5%, respectively, of isolated Enterobacteriaceae, and 35.9%, 30.7%, and 35.9% of NFGNB. Low susceptibility to ß-lactams was found in 4.9% of Streptococcus sp isolates and 4.9% of Streptococcus sp isolates were resistant to moxifloxacin. CONCLUSION: Gram-negative bacilli are responsible for 43% of DFIs, and multidrug-resistant GNB is a challenging issue in DFI management. The sampling method doesn't seem to impact the bacteriological profile; however, this finding must be confirmed with further study.

[Long-term malaria prophylaxis with mefloquine: a study of adverse drug reactions]. / Chimioprophylaxie de longue durée à la méfloquine : étude des effets indésirables.

PURPOSE: To estimate the relative frequency of reported adverse drug reactions during the malaria chemoprophylactic period of the Moroccan contingent in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). METHODS: The transversal survey involved all military personnel of the Moroccan contingent and was carried out using a questionnaire to be filled out by a multidisciplinary medical team. It was performed in all the military sites and the advanced posts accessible during the period of the study. RESULTS: The study involved 362 male military subjects. Ninety-four adverse drug reactions were described: neuropsychiatric (anxiety, irritability, dizziness...) [n=76], digestive (anorexia, diarrhea, nausea...) [n=42], cardiovascular (tachycardia, palpitation, precordialgia...) [n=5], musculoskeletal (arthralgia, cramps) [n=4], cutaneous (redness, purpura) [n=2], and other (n=13). No "unexpected" or "serious" adverse drug reaction was reported. The causality assessment score was determined in 94 cases. Two of these reports were rated "likely", 12 "possible" and 80 doubtful. More adverse drug reactions were reported by subjects having medical and paramedical functions. CONCLUSION: During our study, mefloquine induced adverse drug reactions in a quarter of the treated subjects. Most of the adverse drug reactions were neuropsychiatric. No "serious" adverse drug reactions were reported underlying the interest of its use, even for long-term chemoprophylaxis.

[The availability of the antidotes in the moroccan hospitals: a report revealing an urgency!]. / La disponibilité des antidotes dans les hôpitaux marocains : un constat révélant une urgence !

UNLABELLED: The objective of our survey is to value the availability of the antidotes in the main Moroccan hospitals. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A questionnaire constituted of 15 items and permitting to appreciate the availability of 43 antidotes selected in the literature, has been addressed to 9 hospitals of which 3 soldiers. RESULTS: Five per cent of the antidotes were available in all hospitals having answered to our questionnaire. Forty two per cent of the antidotes missed to all structures, the rest (47%) had a variable availability according to the structures. The list of the missing antidotes is long and contains classified vital products of group A of the recommendations of the IPCS (International Program on Chemical Safety) like the specific antibodies of the digoxine and the methylene blue. CONCLUSION: The found results are troubling and often unveil sometimes a big problem of management of these products vital and constituent the unique treatment.