Efficacy and safety of fezolinetant for vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Vasomotor symptoms (VMS), such as hot flashes and night sweats, are highly prevalent and burdensome for women experiencing menopausal transition. Fezolinetant, a selective neurokinin 3 receptor (NK3R) antagonist, is a potential therapeutic option for mitigating VMS. OBJECTIVES: Our aim is to assess the efficacy and evaluate the safety profile of fezolinetant compared with placebo in post-menopausal women suffering from VMS, by pooling all the relevant data and reflecting the most current evidence. SEARCH STRATEGY/SELECTION CRITERIA: An extensive literature search was performed in the PubMed, Medline and Cochrane Library databases from inception until June 2023 to identify relevant trials. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Mean differences (MDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for continuous outcomes. Risk ratios (RRs) were calculated for dichotomous outcomes. All statistical analyses were performed using R Statistical Software. MAIN RESULTS: A total of six randomized controlled trials were added. For the frequency of daily VMS, the combined pooled result favored the fezolinetant group over placebo (MD -2.38, 95% CI -2.64 to -2.12; P < 0.001, I2 = 0%). For the severity of daily VMS, fezolinetant was again found to be superior to the placebo group (MD -0.40, 95% CI -0.51 to -0.29; P < 0.001, I2 = 70%). Fezolinetant (120 mg) consistently demonstrated a significant reduction in the severity of daily moderate/severe VMS compared with other doses at both 4 and 12 weeks. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of Greene Climacteric Scale (GCS), PROMIS the Sleep Disturbance Short Form 8b and Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQoL) scores indicated significant improvement with fezolinetant. No significant difference in efficacy of fezolinetant at 4 and 12 weeks were observed in any outcome. As for safety, no significant differences in the treatment emergent adverse events at 12 weeks were found between fezolinetant and placebo. CONCLUSIONS: Our study significantly favors fezolinetant over placebo regarding the primary efficacy outcomes of daily moderate to severe VMS frequency and severity, including PROs, while both the groups are comparable in terms of treatment emergent adverse events. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Efficacy and safety of finerenone in chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background and objectives: The incidence of morbidity and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus is substantially correlated with cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease. The current guidelines recommend the use of renin-angiotensin system blockers, but recent studies probed into the effects of finerenone to mitigate the risk of cardiorenal events. This meta-analysis was performed to demonstrate the effects of finerenone on cardiorenal events, comprising cardiovascular mortality, heart failure, change in estimated glomerular filtration rate, and serum potassium levels. Methods: After screening with our eligibility criteria, 350 articles were identified with an initial literature search on multiple databases, including PubMed, Science Direct, and Cochrane Central. Seven randomized controlled trials with a total of 15 462 patients (n=8487 in the finerenone group; n=6975 in the control group) were included. Results: Patients receiving finerenone were at a reduced risk for cardiovascular mortality [HR: 0.84 (0.74, 0.95)], heart failure [OR: 0.79 (0.68, 0.92)], decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate by 40% [OR: 0.82 (0.74, 0.91)] and by 57% [OR: 0.70 (0.59, 0.82)]; and a higher incidence of moderate hyperkalemia [OR: 2.25 (1.78, 2.84)]. Conclusion: Finerenone, owing to its better mineralocorticoid affinity, and a much lower risk of adverse effects, promises to be a much better alternative than other renin-angiotensin system blockers available for the treatment of chronic kidney disease patients with type 2 diabetes. Further trials should be conducted to provide more definitive evidence to assess the safety and efficacy of finerenone compared to spironolactone and eplerenone.

Association of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio with clinical, pathological, radiological, laboratory features and disease outcomes of invasive breast cancer patients: A retrospective observational cohort study.

Inflammatory conditions play part in the progression of malignancies, and markers signifying growth of these factors can indicate prognosis. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR) is used as a marker of subclinical inflammation that may become an integral part of workup to indicate prognosis and associated pathology. This study aims to explore the association of NLR ratio with clinical characteristics, radiological assessment and staging, histopathology, and disease outcomes of breast cancer. A retrospective cohort study was conducted in a tertiary care center to include breast cancer patients that were diagnosed between January 2001 and December 2020. Data including tumor size, lymph nodes, metastasis, histological grading, ER/PR/HER2-neu status, molecular subtypes, clinical staging); nodal findings (sentinel and axillary); pathology from frozen section; and disease outcomes were assessed. Multivariable regression and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were employed to indicate the association of NLR with breast cancer features and disease-free survival. A total of 2050 patients had a median age of 50 years, median NLR levels of 2.14, most common pathology ductal followed by lobular, and most common site of metastasis being lungs followed by bones. Disease-free rate was 7.6%, and a recurrence rate of 1.8%, while 1.6% deaths were reported. NLR was found associated with age, treatment outcomes, tumor size, lymph nodes, metastasis and clinical staging. Other positive correlations were with Ki67 proliferation index, molecular subtypes, and tumor size on frozen section (at transverse and craniocaudal dimensions). Negative correlations were seen with estrogen and progesterone receptors. However, NLR was not found predictable of disease-free survival (P = .160). Significant predictors of disease-free survival were histological grading, ER, PR status, molecular subtype, and Ki67 proliferation index. NLR being a readily available marker has shown novel findings in its association with tumor staging, disease outcomes and characteristics of breast malignancy.

Acute Kidney Injury Due to Obstetric Complications.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the factors, causes, and outcomes of acute kidney injury (AKI) among pregnant females admitted to a tertiary care hospital. STUDY DESIGN: An observational study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Nephrology, Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad, from April to October 2022. METHODOLOGY: Patients with AKI due to obstetric complications were enrolled and followed for three months. AKI was defined as a rise in serum creatinine of 0.3 mg/dl within 48 hours, an increase in serum creatinine of 1.5 times baseline value within the previous 7 days, or a decrease in urine output of 0.5 ml/kg/hr for 6 hours. Good antenatal care was defined as at least one visit to a healthcare provider during pregnancy. Patients with the history of diabetes or hypertension, chronic kidney disease or history of renal stones were excluded from the study. Favourable outcomes such as complete recovery were assessed at the time of discharge in terms of renal function testing. Patients who had normal renal function, adequate urine output, and became dialysis independent were labelled as completely recovered. Unfavourable outcomes were assessed in terms of progress towards either chronic kidney disease or death. RESULTS: Of the initially enrolled 66 patients, 6 were lost to follow-up and 60 patients were included in the final analysis. The mean age was 28.67±5.41 years. Only 2 patients had received good antenatal care (3.3%). Puerperal sepsis was the primary aaetiology of AKI in 20 patients (33.3%), antepartum haemorrhage in 14 patients (23.3%), and postpartum haemorrhage in 16 (26.7%) patients. In eight cases, there was combined haemorrhage and sepsis. Other causes of AKI were pre-eclampsia and placentae abruption. Nine of 60 patients were treated conservatively, while 51(85%) were treated with dialysis. Five patients died (8.3%), fifteen recovered (25%), and 40(66.7%) patients who needed dialysis at the time of discharge acquired chronic renal disease throughout the three-month follow-up period. CONCLUSION: An overwhelming majority of obstetric-related AKI patients had a suboptimal antenatal care history. The most frequent aetiology was puerperal sepsis, followed by haemorrhage. Majority of the patients with required hemodialysis and most of them did not recover in three months resulting in dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease. KEY WORDS: Acute kidney injury, Obstetric acute kidney injury, Pregnancy, Obstetric complications, Antenatal care, Haemorrhage, Puerperal sepsis.

Meta-Analysis on the Efficacy of High-Dose Statin Loading Before Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Reducing No-Reflow Phenomenon in Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Currently, guidelines recommend the uptake of high-dose statins before and after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute coronary syndrome. However, the association of high-dose statins with the incidence of the no-reflow phenomenon remains unclear. This study aimed to review the evidence of preprocedural high-dose statin therapy to reduce no-reflow incidence after PCI. PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar were searched from inception until May 2022 for studies comparing high-dose statins with low-dose or no statin therapy before PCI. Studies reporting the no-reflow phenomenon were shortlisted. The National Institutes of Health tool for randomized and cohort studies was used to assess the quality of included studies. A random-effects model was used to derive odds ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A total of 11 studies were included, with a population of 4,294 patients. The use of high-dose statins before PCI significantly reduced postprocedural no-reflow (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.74, p = 0.0005, I2 = 32%). A total of 7 studies included patients who underwent PCI without previous use of statins. A significant decrease in overall no-reflow events was observed with high-intensity statin treatment versus low-intensity statin/placebo (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.88, p = 0.01, I2 = 25%) among patients who were statin naive. Acute high-dose statin therapy before PCI significantly reduces the hazard of post-PCI no-reflow events in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Our results encourage the routine use of statins before PCI.

Outcomes of COVID-19 patients with acute kidney injury and longitudinal analysis of laboratory markers during the hospital stay: A multi-center retrospective cohort experience from Pakistan.

The frequency of acute kidney injury (AKI) in COVID-19 patients can be varied and related to worse outcomes in the disease population. AKI is common among hospitalized patients with COVID-19, particularly the ones needing critical care. This study was conducted in order to determine the outcomes of hospitalized patients with prolonged hospital stays who suffered from COVID-19 associated AKI. It was conducted as a multi-centered, retrospective, cohort study, and including all patients who were diagnosed on COVID-19 PCR. End-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis were excluded. The cohort included 1069 patients, with 68% males, mean age of 56.21 years, and majority within 50 to 75 years age group (60%). Mean disease onset was 14.43 ± 7.44 days and hospital stay was 7.01 ± 5.78 days. About 62% of patients stayed in intensive care and 18% of them were on invasive ventilation. The mortality rate was 27%. Frequency of AKI was 42%, around 14% of them were resolving during hospital stay and other 28% worsened. The mortality rate was significantly higher with AKI (OR: 4.7, P < .001). Alongside AKI, concomitant liver dysfunction was also significantly contributing to mortality (OR: 2.5), apart from ICU stay (OR: 2.9), invasive ventilation (OR: 9.2), and renal replacement therapy (OR: 2.4). Certain laboratory markers were associated with AKI throughout in-hospital stay.

Frequency of skeletal dysplasia in children with short stature presenting to endocrine clinic: An observational study.

Objective: To determine the frequency of skeletal dysplasia in children with short stature presenting to the endocrine clinic of a tertiary care hospital. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed in the Outpatient Department of Endocrinology of National Institute of Child Health, Karachi, for 6 months of duration. A total of 200 children coming to endocrine OPD of NICH of either gender, having the age less than 14 years and height more than -2.5 SD below the mean (<3rd percentile), and growth failure (<4 cm/yr) were enrolled. A complete general physical examination including height, weight, fronto-occipital circumference (FOC), arm span, and U/L (upper/lower) segment ratio (using SI units and SDS) was performed. Results: Out of 200 children with short stature, skeletal dysplasia was diagnosed in 23 (11.5%) children with the mean age of 4.7 (±3.7) years. Proportion of skeletal dysplasia among short stature was high in females. Out of 75 girls, skeletal dysplasia was diagnosed in 10 (13.3%) girls, while out of 125 boys, skeletal dysplasia was diagnosed in 13 (10.4%) boys, whereas when we see proportion among skeletal dysplasia out of 23 children of skeletal dysplasia, 13 (56.5%) were boys, while 10 (43.5%) were girls. Conclusion: In this study, skeletal dysplasia was diagnosed in 11.5% children with short stature with the mean age of 4.7 years. It is concluded that the frequency of skeletal dysplasia in this institute is fairly high.

Assessment of quality of life determinants in hemodialysis patients of a developing country: A cross-sectional study during ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Patients of end-stage renal disease are prone to have a very low quality of life (QoL). Variety of factors influence the QoL among sufferers of chronic kidney disease comprising of type of dialysis, sufficiency/adequacy of dialysis, and associated burden of disease. We conducted this study amidst the pandemic to determine the associated factors for poor QoL in hemodialysis patients during the ongoing pandemic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a hemodialysis unit of a tertiary care hospital. A total of 118 participants responded to the validated questionnaire of Quality of Life Index-dialysis version-III (QLI). Higher scores signify good QoL, total scores are further categorized into subgroups desirable, relatively desirable and undesirable. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 57.36 ± 10.03 years and mean body mass index of 26.73 ± 5.54 kg/m2. The mean total QoL of the study population was found quite low (12.99 ± 5.89). Majority of respondents fell in undesirable category of QoL (49.2%). Total QoL (P = 0.004) and subscale health/functioning (P = 0.003) were significantly lower in females. All the subscales along with total QoL scores were found lower in twice-weekly dialyzed patients (P < 0.001). Marital status (P = 0.049) and twice-weekly dialysis (P < 0.001) were found significant with undesirable QoL. On multivariate analysis, significant determinants of undesirable QoL were twice-weekly dialysis (P = 0.001), catheter access (P = 0.034), phosphate (P = 0.005) and uric acid (P = 0.006). CONCLUSION: Inadequate dialysis due to lesser frequency per week leading to poorly cleared toxic substances were most significant contributors of poor QoL in our study.

Self-Medication Practices in Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.

Background and Objectives: During the pandemic, the growing influence of social media, accessibility of over-the-counter medications, and fear of contracting the virus may have led to self-medication practices among the general public. Medical students are prone to such practices due to relevant background knowledge, and access to drugs. This study was carried out to determine and analyze the prevalence of self-medication practices among medical students in Pakistan. Materials and Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted online in which the participants were asked about the general demographics, their self-medication practices and the reasons to use. All participants were currently enrolled in a medical college pursuing medical or pharmacy degree. Non-probability sampling technique was used to recruit participants. Results: A total of 489 respondents were included in the final analysis. The response rate was 61%. Majority of the respondents were females and 18-20 years of age. Self-medication was quite prevalent in our study population with 406 out of 489 individuals (83.0%) were using any of the drugs since the start of pandemic. The most commonly utilized medications were Paracetamol (65.2%) and multivitamins (56.0%). The reasons reported for usage of these medications included cold/flu, or preventive measures for COVID-19. The common symptoms reported for self-medication included fever (67.9%), muscle pain (54.0%), fatigue (51.7%), sore throat (46.6%), and cough (44.4%). Paracetamol was the most commonly used drug for all symptoms. Female gender, being in 3rd year of medical studies, and individuals with good self-reported health were found more frequent users of self-medication practices. Conclusion: Our study revealed common self-medication practices among medical and pharmacy students. It is a significant health issue especially during the pandemic times, with high consumption reported as a prevention or treating symptoms of COVID-19.

Role of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in irritable bowel syndrome patients.

We conducted this study on patients diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome without identifiable stressors and replaced them with vitamin D supplements for 3 months. Almost 97 cases have repeated the vitamin D status that appeared to be sufficient, while 14 patients were missing data for follow-up. The advised option was intramuscular injection replacement but 34 out of 97 were taken oral route for replacement of Vitamin D and incidental finding is noted that serum vitamin D levels rise less in the oral group than in the intramuscular group. Mean age of our subjects was 35.97 ± 9.89 years, comprising 54% males (n = 60) and 46% females (n = 51). In the outcomes of our study, 56.7% of individuals showed complete relief from IBS symptoms after vitamin D replacement, while 36.1% reported considerable improvement. Another 6.2% had exhibited moderate relief with about 14 individuals lost to follow-up.

Comparative effectiveness of erythropoietin alpha and beta in hemodialysis patients: a single-center prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Anemia is a prevalent complication endured by patients with chronic renal disease. Renal anemia also leads to the development of cardio-vascular complications. Epoetin alpha and beta are recombinant human erythropoietin prioritized for managing anemia in hemodialysis patients. The current study aimed to compare the therapeutic efficacy of both erythropoietin alpha and erythropoietin beta in treating renal anemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective observational study was conducted in a Renal Dialysis Centre at a tertiary care Hospital of Karachi, Pakistan for a period of 3 months. The two erythropoietin products used were human recombinant erythropoietin alpha (Tropin®) and erythropoietin beta (Recormon®). Both groups were age-matched, BMI, eGFR, gender, and comorbidities like diabetes and hypertension were indifferent. The comparative analysis was performed after the completion of 3 months. RESULTS: A total of 94 participants were included in the analysis, 54 in group A and 40 in group B. Mean albumin, urea, creatinine, ferritin, iron, and transferrin saturation at inclusion were statistically insignificant, TIBC was higher in group A (p = 0.005) and CRP levels were slightly higher in group B (p = 0.050). There was significant improvement in Hb level (p = 0.025), PCV (p = 0.001), and RBC count (p = 0.007) in group B. While in group A, there was significantly increased MCV (p = 0.005) and MCHC (p = 0.002). In intention to treat analysis, 22.2% of subjects in group A and 40.0% in group B reached desired Hb levels of ≥11 g/l after 3 months. CONCLUSION: In our assessment of hemodialysis patients, erythropoietin beta was found more effective than erythropoietin alpha.

Frequency of deranged renal profile in patients with COVID-19: Tertiary Care Experience from a developing country.

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic, also affecting Pakistan with its first case reported on February 26, 2020. Since then, it has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Our study aimed to evaluate the renal derangements associated with COVID-19 infection in our population. A retrospective, observational study was conducted to include all the admitted patients having COVID-19 positive, and evaluated those for derangements of renal function (n = 362). Out of the 362 patients, 229were admitted in the ward, 133 were in intensive care unit (ICU), 258 of them recovered, while 104 deaths reported. At admission, the renal profile was deranged in almost one-half of ICU admissions and mortalities which increased to two-third during the hospital stay, with around 80% of deaths reported with increased urea and creatinine levels. Among the deceased patients, around one-third of the mortalities developed renal profile derangements during the hospital stay although they were admitted with a normal renal profile. An estimated glomerular filtration rate showed a mean increase of 13.37 mL/min/1.73 m2 during the hospital stay of surviving patients, while a decline of 19.92 in nonsurviving patients. A hazard ratio of 3.293 (P <0.001) for admitting serum urea and 3.795 (P = 0.009) at discharge and for serum creatinine at 5.392 (P <0.001) on discharge was associated significantly with mortality. Kaplan-Meier plot showed a significant decline in days of survival with deranged urea and creatinine (P <0.001). The deranged renal function in COVID-19 patients is associated with an increased number of ICU admissions as well as mortalities.

Characteristics of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Tertiary Care Hospital Experience from a Developing Country.

Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is the isolation of bacteria in a urine sample from individuals who do not have any symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI). The outcomes of ASB in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients are poorly understood in Pakistan. This study aimed to determine the characteristics of ASB and antibiotic susceptibility pattern among patients with CKD. A cross-sectional retrospective survey was administered to perform this study in a tertiary care hospital, to include all CKD patients. The study included all those patients with a diagnosis of CKD with no signs and symptoms of UTI present, and showing the growth of an organism in urine culture. A total of 175 urine cultures were observed retrospectively meeting the inclusion criteria through nonprobability consecutive sampling. Out of 175 urine cultures observed, mean age of 58.56 ± 16.81, 71% of them were females, 55% were diabetic, and 22% had a family history of CKD. Escherichia coli, Enterococcus, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Enterobacter, and streptococcal species were the most often isolated microbes. A total of 17 subjects got dual bacterial growth in their cultures which were having Enterococcus species as the most common organism. Twenty-three cultures were identified as pandrug resistant (13.14%), only sensitive to colomycin/polymyxin B. The susceptibilities of these organisms were contrasting to traditional antibiotics known to treat UTIs empirically, hence demanding further screening and treatment protocols to be defined for minimizing the irrational choice of antibiotics.

Severity of Non-B and Non-C Hepatitis Versus Hepatitis B and C Associated Chronic Liver Disease: A Retrospective, Observational, Comparative Study.

Background and objectives Chronic liver disease (CLD) encompasses a variety of etiologies, and the infectious causes are mainly hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus. Chronic alcohol abuse and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease also have a major contribution to CLD. The Child-Pugh scoring system indicates the probable prognosis and mortality risk of a patient with cirrhosis. The primary objective of this research is to observe the mortality risks of CLD caused by a variety of etiologies mentioned above. The secondary objective is to determine the biochemical markers that are correlating with the severity of the study groups. Another aim was to determine the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scoring of each study group predicting the severity of disease among the Child-Pugh classification. Materials and methods We broadly classified the etiologies into two study groups: (1) hepatitis B, C associated CLD (hepatitis B, C--CLD) and (2) non-hepatitis B, C associated CLD (non-hepatitis B, C-CLD). This study was conducted as a descriptive, retrospective study involving patients admitted to the Gastroenterology Department at Dow University Hospital between July 2019 and December 2019. All patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study in order to document their levels of severity markers of CLD. A total of 167 individuals met the inclusion criteria, and the sampling was done through non-probability consecutive methods. All continuous variables were described as mean and standard deviations, which were then compared using an independent sample t-test. The comparison of categorical data was done either using the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test accordingly. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant (two-tailed). Results The mean age of the study population was 51.83 ± 13.67, with no difference in gender and type of CLD. The frequent co-morbidities (other than CLD) found in the study population were diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and chronic kidney disease, with most of them having significant association with non-hepatitis B, C-CLD. Both types of CLD had equal gender proportion (p=0.708). Among the study groups, 56.28% (n=94) had hepatitis B, C-CLD, out of which 18 (19%) belonged to Child-Pugh class A, 36 (38%) to Child-Pugh class B, and 40 (43%) to Child-Pugh class C, whereas 43.72% (n=71) had non-hepatitis B, C-CLD, comprising of 13% (n=10) of Child-Pugh class A patients, 42% (n=31) of Child-Pugh class B patients, and 44% (n=32) of Child-Pugh class C patients (p=0.631). Bilirubin levels (p=0.055), serum creatinine (p=0.201), and International normalized ratio (INR) are found higher in non-hepatitis B, C-CLD (p=0.312), whereas thrombocytopenia was more likely to be associated with hepatitis B, C-CLD (p=0.205). Hyponatremia was slightly associated with non-hepatitis B, C-CLD (p=0.281). The mean MELD score was comparable among the two study groups in both Child-Pugh classes A and B, but in Child-Pugh class C it was significantly higher in non-hepatitis B, C-CLD patients as compared to hepatitis B, C--CLD (p=0.006). Conclusion Non-hepatitis B, C-CLD was proved to be milder in Child-Pugh class A as compared to hepatitis B, C-CLD, but its mortality risk increases with severity, as mean MELD score was found significantly higher in Child-Pugh class C. Our research was able to identify severe biochemical markers in both types of CLD.

A Comparative Study on the Use of Alprazolam and Melatonin for Sleep Disturbances in Hemodialysis Patients.

Background and objectives Sleep disorders are prevalent in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) involving the majority of patients undergoing hemodialysis. The main objective of treating sleep disorders in patients of ESRD is to correct subjective and objective sleep quality, decrease fatigue and daytime sleepiness, and enhance daytime functioning. Irrespective of the adverse effects reported, benzodiazepines are widely utilized among patients with sleep disorders in end-stage renal disease. Melatonin is a newer agent being studied for use in hemodialysis patients for improvement of sleep quality. The aim of our observational study is to witness the effectiveness of both benzodiazepine and exogenous melatonin as a treatment of sleep disorders in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Materials and methods We conducted a comparative, observational study in ESRD patients who are on hemodialysis. These patients were selected from attendees of the hemodialysis unit, nephrology department of a tertiary care hospital, including those who were on regular hemodialysis, thrice-weekly in frequency for at least once per year, and taking regular sleep medications for at least three months with frequently reported drug dosages of alprazolam 0.5 mg once daily or melatonin 3 mg once daily (before bedtime). The subjective sleep assessment was done by utilizing four scales, including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS). Results A total of 117 hemodialysis-dependent patients met the inclusion criteria, among whom 79 patients were using alprazolam while 38 were using melatonin for their disturbed sleep. The mean age of the study participants was 49.12 ± 12.75, comprising 72 males (61.53%) and 45 females (38.46%). The duration of the diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD), duration of onset of hemodialysis, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was comparable in both groups. Both groups had similar laboratory markers except for higher hemoglobin in the melatonin group (p=0.028) and high parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in the alprazolam group (p=0.001). PSQI scores were 8.76 ± 3.09 in the alprazolam group and 7.32 ± 2.65 in the melatonin group (p=0.015). In the sub-scores, there were no differences in sleep latency (p=0.481) and daytime dysfunction (p=0.662) while sleep efficiency (p=0.167) and subjective sleep quality (p=0.132) were not statistically significant. The significant differences were lower scores of sleep duration (p=0.040) and sleep disturbance (p=0.003) in the melatonin group. The ESS scores revealed no significant difference in either group (p=0.074). With respect to the ISI and SSS, higher scores were obtained in the alprazolam group. Overall, 89 study participants had reported poor sleep quality, out of which 81% were using alprazolam, and 65% were using melatonin (p=0.071). A total of 50 study participants exhibited excessive daytime sleepiness with 45% of them were using alprazolam and 36% were using melatonin. About 54% of the alprazolam using hemodialysis patients had moderate insomnia while 50% of the melatonin using patients had sub-threshold insomnia (p=0.062). Conclusion As melatonin use has shown better sleep quality and less insomnia severity as compared to alprazolam use in our study, it is postulated that the sleep-wake cycle should be commonly targeted by pharmacological therapy in ESRD.