Navigating nephrology: unveiling pharmacist perspectives on renal dose adjustment in Saudi Arabia - a comprehensive cross-sectional analysis.

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health concern in Saudi Arabia. it is pertinent to mention that in the Southwestern region of Saudi Arabia. Hypertension and diabetes mellites are considered the major drivers of CKD. Research has documented worldwide the inappropriate dose adjustments in patients, ranging from 25% to 77%, of drugs requiring dose modifications. Pharmacists are pivotal members of the healthcare team, tasked with addressing issues pertaining to medications. This study aims to unveil pharmacist perspectives on renal dose adjustment in Saudi Arabia an important step in gauging their involvement in promoting healthy behaviours. Method: A cross-sectional study design was conducted from December 2023 to January 2024 among pharmacists working in diverse healthcare settings, including clinical and hospital pharmacies, retail, and community pharmacies who had direct encounters with patients diagnosed with CKD. A validated questionnaire, the Renal Dose Adjustment-13 (RDQ-13) was used for this study. For comparing the knowledge, attitude, and perception scores of pharmacists statistical tests like One-Way ANOVA, and independent t-test; while for factors influencing the knowledge, attitude, and perception scores a multivariate linear regression was performed. The statistical significance level was set at 0.05. Results: A total of 379 pharmacists completed the questionnaire, the knowledge score of pharmacists was 22.06 ± 2.81, while the attitude score was 8.56 ± 2.62 and the practice score was 5.75 ± 2.25. The findings of multivariate linear regression analysis indicated a statistically significant positive association between knowledge score and pharmacist's age while for practice score the findings revealed a statistically negative association between working setting and designation of pharmacists. Conclusion: The pharmacist in Saudi Arabia exhibited a proficient knowledge score of drug dosage adjustment pertinent to renal function while the attitude and practice score was less as compared to the knowledge score.

Discovery, Development, Inventions, and Patent Trends on Mobocertinib Succinate: The First-in-Class Oral Treatment for NSCLC with EGFR Exon 20 Insertions.

The majority of lung cancers are non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) having a low survival rate. Recent studies have indicated the involvement of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) oncogene mutations like EGFR exon 20 insertions (EGFRex20ins) mutation among NSCLC patients. The response of patients of NSCLC with the EGFRex20ins mutation to the currently available EGFR inhibitor is negligible. Mobocertinib is the first oral treatment that has been approved by the USFDA, on 15 September 2021, to treat NSCLC with the EGFRex20ins mutation. This patent review discusses the inventions and patent literature of mobocertinib that will help the scientific community to develop additional and improved inventions related to mobocertinib. The structure of mobocertinib was first reported in 2015. Therefore, this article covered the patents/patent applications related to mobocertinib from 2015 to 25 October 2021. The patent search revealed 27 patents/patent applications related to compound, method of treatment, salt, polymorph, process, composition, and drug combinations of mobocertinib. The authors foresee an exciting prospect for developing a treatment for NSCLC with EGFRex20ins mutation, and other cancers employing a combination of mobocertinib with other approved anticancer agents. The inventions related to novel dosage forms, processes, and intermediates used in the synthesis of mobocertinib are also anticipated.

Coiling Versus Microsurgical Clipping in the Treatment of Unruptured Middle Cerebral Artery Aneurysms: A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Open microsurgical clipping of unruptured intracranial aneurysms has long been the gold standard, yet advancements in endovascular coiling techniques have begun to challenge the status quo. OBJECTIVE: To compare endovascular coiling with microsurgical clipping among adults with unruptured middle cerebral artery aneurysms (MCAA) by conducting a meta-analysis. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted from January 2011 to October 2015 to update a previous meta-analysis. All studies that reported unruptured MCAA in adults treated by microsurgical clipping or endovascular coiling were included and cumulatively analyzed. RESULTS: Thirty-seven studies including 3352 patients were included. Using the random-effects model, pooled analysis of 11 studies of microsurgical clipping (626 aneurysms) revealed complete aneurysmal obliteration in 94.2% of cases (95% confidence interval [CI] 87.6%-97.4%). The analysis of 18 studies of endovascular coiling (759 aneurysms) revealed complete obliteration in 53.2% of cases (95% CI: 45.0%-61.1%). Among clipping studies, 22 assessed neurological outcomes (2404 aneurysms), with favorable outcomes in 97.9% (95% CI: 96.8%-98.6%). Among coiling studies, 22 examined neurological outcomes (826 aneurysms), with favorable outcomes in 95.1% (95% CI: 93.1%-96.5%). Results using the fixed-effect models were not materially different. CONCLUSION: This updated meta-analysis demonstrates that surgical clipping for unruptured MCAA remains highly safe and efficacious. Endovascular treatment for unruptured MCAAs continues to improve in efficacy and safety; yet, it results in lower rates of occlusion.