The Adverse Reactions of Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dose are Mild and Similar to the Second Dose Responses: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Like other vaccines, Pfizer BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 virus infections begins to decline within a few months after the 2nd dose. On August 12, 2021, the FDA allowed additional Pfizer BioNTch's COVID-19 vaccine dose (3rd or booster dose) for individuals with weakened immunity. This study aimed to evaluate the short-term adverse reactions (ADRs) of the 2nd and the 3rd doses of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Methods: Information for this study was collected by Google Form questionnaire (online survey). The results included responses from 442 people, the majority from Saudi Arabia. Results: The most common local ADRs following the 3rd dose were injection site pain, injection site hypersensitivity, and axillary lymph node swelling. The most common systemic ADRs were fatigue, muscle pain, bone pain, headache, and fever less than 38ºC. Less common systemic ADRs were shivering, fever more than 38ºC, nasal congestion and rhinorrhea, arrhythmia, cough, abdominal pain, chest tightness, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and tachypnea. Rare systemic ADRs were constipation, dizziness and vertigo, lack of concentration, sore throat, excessive hair loss, dysmenorrhea and heavy menstruation, and Bell's palsy. Severe allergic reactions were reported by 2.6% of participants after the 2nd dose, compared with none after the 3rd dose. Nasal congestion and runny nose are more frequent after the 3rd dose. The ADRs of the 2nd and 3rd doses were significantly more prevalent in females. 12% of participants reported ADRs lasting more than one week after the 3rd dose compared to 5% after the 2nd dose. People ≤ 60 years were more affected by the vaccine ADRs. Conclusion: Most of the ADRs reported after the 3rd vaccine dose were consistent with the Pfizer vaccine information sheet and similar to the 2nd dose ADRs.

Minor to Moderate Side Effects of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Among Saudi Residents: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has recently received emergency approval from the US FDA. The mRNA technology was used to manufacture the Pfizer vaccine; however, as a pioneering technology that has never been used in the manufacture of vaccines, many people have concerns about the vaccine's side effects. Thus, the current study aimed to track the short-term side effects of the vaccine. METHODS: The information in this study was gathered by a Google Form-questionnaire (online survey). The results included the responses of 455 individuals, all of whom are Saudi Arabia inhabitants. Adverse effects of the vaccine were reported after the first and the second doses. RESULTS: The most common symptoms were injection site pain, headaches, flu-like symptoms, fever, and tiredness. Less common side effects were a fast heartbeat, whole body aches, difficulty breathing, joint pain, chills, and drowsiness. Rare side effects include Bell's palsy and lymph nodes swelling and tenderness. Flu-like symptoms were more common among those under 60 years of age, while injection site pain was more frequent among recipients who were 60 years and older. The study revealed a significant increase in the number of females who suffered from the vaccine side effects compared to males. Difficulty of breathing was more reported among recipients who had been previously infected with the coronavirus compared to those who had not been previously infected. CONCLUSION: Most of the side effects reported in this study were consistent with Pfizer's fact sheet for recipients and caregivers. Further studies are required to determine the long-term side effects.

The Impact of ABO Blood Grouping on COVID-19 Vulnerability and Seriousness: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Controlled Study among the Arab Community.

Background and Objectives: Studies have noted that some ABO blood types are more susceptible to COVID-19 virus infection. This study aimed to further confirm the relationship between different blood groups on the vulnerability, symptoms, cure period, and severity among COVID-19 recovered patients. Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional study approached the participants from the Arab community via social media (mainly Facebook and WhatsApp). The data were collected through two Google Form questionnaires, one for COVID-19 recovered patients (COVID-19 group, n = 726), and the other for the healthy people (Control group, n = 707). Results: The subjects with blood group O were the least likely to be infected with the COVID-19 virus, while those with blood group A were not likely to be the most susceptible. There were significant differences among different ABO blood groups regarding the distribution of oxygen saturation percentage, myalgia, and recovery time after COVID-19 infection (p < 0.01, 0.01, and 0.05, respectively). The blood group A showed the highest percentage of patients who experienced an oxygen saturation range of 90-100%, whereas the blood group O showed the highest percentage of patients who experienced an oxygen saturation range of 70-80%. The blood group A showed the lowest percentage of patients who required artificial respiration, whereas the blood group O showed the highest percentage of patients who required artificial respiration. The blood group B showed the lowest percentage of patients who experienced myalgia and exhibited the lowest percentage of patients who needed 3 weeks or more to recover. Conclusion: The people of blood group O may be the least likely to be infected with COVID-19, however, they may be the more in need of treatment in hospital and artificial respiration compared to the other blood groups.

Vitamin B complex supplementation as a homocysteine-lowering therapy for early stage diabetic nephropathy in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Homocysteine levels are elevated in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and could induce renal injury. B vitamins have an important role in preventing microvascular complications of diabetes. AIM: We performed a randomized-controlled trial of oral supplementation with vitamin B complex as an adjuvant therapy for nephropathy in pediatric T1DM patients and assessed its relation to homocysteine and cystatin C as a marker of nephropathy. METHODS: This trial included 80 T1DM patients with microalbuminuria, despite oral angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, aged 12-18 years with at least 5 years disease duration and HbA1c ≤8.5%. Patients were randomly assigned into two groups; intervention group which received oral vitamin B complex (B1, B6 and B12) once daily and placebo group. Both groups were followed-up for 12 weeks with assessment of plasma homocysteine, HbA1c, urinary albumin excretion (UAE) and cystatin C. RESULTS: Both groups were well-matched in baseline clinical and laboratory parameters. Baseline homocysteine levels were elevated in both groups compared with reference control values. After 12 weeks, supplementation with vitamin B complex for the intervention group resulted in a significant decrease of homocysteine, fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, triglycerides, total cholesterol, UAE and cystatin C compared with baseline levels (p < 0.001) and with placebo group (p < 0.001). No adverse reactions were reported. Baseline cystatin C was negatively correlated to vitamin B12 (r = -0.77, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin B complex improved glycemic control and renal function through decreasing homocysteine and could be a safe and effective strategy for treatment of early stage nephropathy in pediatric T1DM. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03594240).

Esomeprazole vs pantoprazole effects on cyclosporine levels in kidney transplantation: A randomized clinical trial.

Renal allograft survival requires multiple immunosuppressive drugs. This strategy may lead to gastric complications that necessitate gastro-protective medications, notably, proton pump inhibitors (PPI). This study aimed to compare the influence of pantoprazole and esomeprazole on serum cyclosporine trough levels (C0 ) in renal transplant recipients (RTR). A prospective, parallel, open-label trial was conducted on 47 adult RTR receiving cyclosporine doses adjusted to attain trough concentrations of 100 to 150 µg/L, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) 750 mg q12 hour and prednisolone at 5 mg daily at Nasser Institute, Cairo, Egypt from January to September 2016. Patients were randomized into the esomeprazole group (25) or pantoprazole group (22) receiving the same dose (40 mg once daily). The study outcomes included clinical signs of rejection and renal function decline, assessed by elevations in serum creatinine, caused by cyclosporine level variations in either of the two study groups. Renal function, C0 and CBC measurements were measured at baseline and monthly for 6 months. The mean C0 values were higher in the pantoprazole group than in the esomeprazole group in the sixth month only (P = .007). Serum creatinine level was lower in the sixth month than at baseline in the esomeprazole group (P = .004). There were no signs of rejection biochemical or clinical in any of the study groups. In conclusion, PPIs should be used with caution and doses should be titrated to reach the C0 targets in RTR, which is of more importance in pantoprazole than esomeprazole to avoid C0 level elevation or decline affecting the allograft function.

Pentoxifylline and vitamin E reduce the severity of radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis and dysphagia in head and neck cancer patients: a randomized, controlled study.

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of pentoxifylline and vitamin E on the incidence and severity of radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis and dysphagia in head and neck cancer patients. This is a prospective, randomized, controlled study. Head and neck cancer patients receiving 30-35 radiotherapy fractions with or without concurrent chemotherapy excluding those intolerant to xanthines, with any bleeding tendency were included. Sixty patients were enrolled; 30 patients received radiotherapy (control group) and 30 patients received radiotherapy with pentoxifylline and vitamin E (intervention group). The incidence, severity, onset and duration of oral mucositis and/or dysphagia were assessed. Locoregional control, quality of life, need for hospitalization, radiotherapy breaks, and adverse events were recorded and compared between groups. Pentoxifylline and vitamin E combination did not affect the incidence or the onset of oral mucositis or dysphagia. After adjusting for age, the combination reduced the incidence of severe oral mucositis (p = 0.01) and dysphagia (p = 0.012). The combination decreased the duration of oral mucositis and dysphagia by 5 weeks (p = 0.002) and 4 weeks (p = 0.003), respectively. The study drugs reduced the need for hospitalization (p = 0.002) and for radiotherapy breaks (p = 0.002) with improvement of FOIS (p = 0.014), EQ-5D index (p = 0.009) and VAS score (p = 0.012). Pentoxifylline and vitamin E decreased the occurrence of dysgeusia (p = 0.026) and fatigue (p = 0.026) without compromising locoregional control. Pentoxifylline/vitamin E combination reduced the severity and duration of acute radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis and dysphagia in head and neck cancer patients.Trial registry ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT02397486.

Effect of plasma MicroRNA on antihypertensive response to beta blockers in the Pharmacogenomic Evaluation of Antihypertensive Responses (PEAR) studies.

ß-blockers show variable efficacy as antihypertensives. Herein, we evaluated plasma miRNAs as biomarkers for defining antihypertensive response to ß-blockers. Expression of 22 ß-blocker pharmacodynamics-related miRNAs was assessed in baseline plasma samples from 30 responders and 30 non-responders to metoprolol from the PEAR-2 study (Discovery). Logistic regression was performed to identify miRNAs significantly associated with metoprolol response. Those miRNAs were profiled in baseline plasma samples from 25 responders and 25 non-responders to atenolol from the PEAR study (validation). In discovery, miR-101, miR-27a, miR-22, miR-19a, and let-7e were significantly associated with metoprolol response (P = 0.01, 0.017, 0.025, 0.025, and 0.04, respectively). In validation, miR-19a was significantly associated with atenolol response (P = 0.038). Meta-analysis between PEAR-2 and PEAR revealed significant association between miR-19a (P = 0.004), miR-101 (P = 0.006), and let-7e (P = 0.012) and ß-blocker response. Hence, miR-19a, miR-101, and let-7e, which regulate ß1-adrenergic receptor and other ß-blocker pharmacodynamics-related genes, may be biomarkers for antihypertensive response to ß-blockers.

Management of pharmacotherapy-related problems in acute coronary syndrome: Role of clinical pharmacist in cardiac rehabilitation unit.

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide and negatively impacts healthcare costs, productivity and quality of life. Polymorbidity and polypharmacy predispose ACS patients to medication discrepancies between cardiologist-prescribed medication and drug use by the patient, drug-related problems (DRPs) and inadequate drug adherence. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of clinical pharmacist-provided services on the outcome of ACS patients. This was a prospective, randomized, controlled study on ACS patients participating in a cardiac rehabilitation programme. Forty ACS patients were randomly assigned to either control group, who received standard medical care, or intervention group, who received standard medical care plus clinical pharmacist-provided services. Services included DRP management, clinical assessment and enforcing the patient education and adherence. For both groups, the following were assessed at baseline and after 3 months: DRPs, adherence (assessed by 8-item Morisky Adherence Questionnaire), patient's knowledge (assessed by Coronary Artery Disease Questionnaire), 36-Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol (TC) and fasting blood glucose (FBG). After 3 months, there was a significant difference between the intervention and control groups in the per cent change of DRPs (median: -100 vs 5.882, P = 0.0001), patient's adherence score (median: 39.13 vs -14.58, P = 0.0001), knowledge score (median: 30.28 vs -5.196, P = 0.0001), SF-36 scores, heart rate (mean: -10.04 vs 6.791, P = 0.0001), diastolic blood pressure (mean: -17.87 vs 10.45, P = 0.0001), systolic blood pressure (mean: -16.22 vs 4.751, P = 0.0001), LDL (median: -25.73 vs -0.2538, P = 0.0071), TC (median: -14.62 vs 4.123, P = 0.0005) and FBG (median: -11.42 vs 5.422, P = 0.0098). Clinical pharmacists can play an important role as part of a cardiac rehabilitation team through patient education and interventions to minimize DRPs.

Effect of cyclosporine A versus tacrolimus on the response to antiviral therapy after hepatitis C genotype-4 recurrence post-liver transplantation: A prospective cohort trial.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: The influence of immunosuppression on the response to antiviral therapy (AVT) for recurrent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in liver transplant (LT) recipients remains controversial, especially for the rarely investigated genotype 4. This study aims to compare the effects of the two widely used calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) (cyclosporine A (CsA) and tacrolimus (Tac)) on the therapeutic response to different AVT regimens. METHODS: A prospective, dual-centre, cohort study of 126 Egyptian living donor liver transplant (LDLT) recipients with recurrent HCV genotype 4 infection, who were categorized into three groups according to the AVT used. Group I received pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN-α 2a) plus ribavirin (RBV) (n = 44), group II received the direct antiviral agent (DAA) sofosbuvir plus RBV (n = 52) and group III received daclatasvir and sofosbuvir (also DAAs) plus RBV (n = 30). Each group was further subdivided according to the primary immunosuppression (CsA or Tac). The sustained virological response (SVR) and relapse rates were considered the primary therapeutic outcomes of AVT. RESULTS: No significant intergroup differences were observed in the achievement of primary and secondary outcomes. SVR rates in the IFN-based regimen were 75% and 66.7% in CsA and Tac users and 81.2% and 83% in DAAs, respectively. Relapse rates in the IFN-based regimen were 10% and 16.7% in CsA and Tac users and 12.5% and 14.9% in DAAs, respectively. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of a relatively small study, CsA did not offer an advantage over Tac regarding the response to AVT after HCV genotype 4 recurrence in LDLT recipients.

Evaluation of the effect of acetazolamide versus mannitol on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity, a pilot study.

Background Cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity still occurs despite the intensive hydration approach adapted to prevent its occurrence. Objective Evaluation of the effect of acetazolamide (ACTZ) on minimizing cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity compared to mannitol when added to hydration regimen. Setting Nasser Institute Cancer Center (NICC), Cairo, Egypt. Method A total of 35 patients planned to receive cisplatin were divided into two groups: 20 patients received mannitol and 15 patients received ACTZ. Both groups received standard hydration measures as well for prevention of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. Main outcome measure Patients' kidney function was assessed using serum creatinine, creatinine clearance and blood urea nitrogen. Kidney injury was assessed using RIFLE criteria. Patients' liver function tests and hematological parameters were also monitored. Results Patients in the mannitol group showed higher risk of developing kidney injury (30%) whereas those in the ACTZ group showed lower risk (8.9%), relative risk (RR) 0.269, 95% CI 0.108-0.815. No statistically significant difference occurred between the two groups concerning liver function tests or hematological parameters. Conclusion Use of ACTZ in addition to intensive hydration may have more beneficial effect on minimizing cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity compared to mannitol plus intensive hydration approach. A large multicenter randomized clinical trials is recommended to confirm study results and to assess effect of ACTZ on tumor response.

The effect of 12 weeks carnosine supplementation on renal functional integrity and oxidative stress in pediatric patients with diabetic nephropathy: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Oxidative stress is a significant contributor to the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. Carnosine is a natural radical oxygen species scavenger. We investigated the effect of carnosine as an adjuvant therapy on urinary albumin excretion (UAE), the tubular damage marker alpha 1-microglobulin (A1M), and oxidative stress in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes and nephropathy. METHODS: This randomized placebo-controlled trial included 90 patients with diabetic nephropathy, despite oral angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-Is), who were randomly assigned to receive either 12 weeks of carnosine 1 g/day (n = 45), or matching placebo (n = 45). Both groups were followed-up with assessment of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), UAE, A1M, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and malondialdhyde (MDA). RESULTS: Baseline clinical and laboratory parameters were consistent between carnosine and placebo groups (P > .05). After 12 weeks, carnosine treatment resulted in significant decrease of HbA1c (8.2 ± 2.1% vs 7.4 ± 1.3%), UAE (91.7 vs 38.5 mg/g creatinine), A1M (16.5 ± 6.8 mg/L vs 9.3 ± 6.6 mg/L), MDA levels (25.5 ± 8.1 vs 18.2 ± 7.7 nmol/mL) while TAC levels were increased compared with baseline levels (P < .001) and compared with placebo (P < .001). No adverse reactions due to carnosine supplementation were reported. Baseline TAC was inversely correlated to HbA1c (r = -0.58, P = .04) and A1M (r = -0.682, P = .015) among carnosine group. CONCLUSIONS: Oral supplementation with L-Carnosine for 12 weeks resulted in a significant improvement of oxidative stress, glycemic control and renal function. Thus, carnosine could be a safe and effective strategy for treatment of pediatric patients with diabetic nephropathy.

Clinical Pharmacist-Provided Services In Iron-Overloaded Beta-Thalassaemia Major Children: A New Insight Into Patient Care.

Iron-overloaded ß-thalassaemia major (BTM) children have high risk of delayed sexual/physical maturation, liver/heart diseases and reduced life expectancy. The lifelong need to use iron chelators, their unpleasant administration, side effects and lack of awareness regarding iron overload risks all hamper BTM patient compliance to iron chelators. This study evaluated the impact of clinical pharmacist-provided services on the outcome of iron-overloaded BTM children. Forty-eight BTM children were randomly assigned to either control group, who received standard medical care, or intervention group, who received standard medical care plus clinical pharmacist-provided services. Services included detection of drug-related problems (DRPs) and their management, patient education regarding disease nature and iron chelators, as well as providing patient-tailored medication charts. After six months of study implementation, there was a highly significant difference between the control and intervention groups in serum ferritin (SF) (mean: 3871 versus 2362, µg/l, p = 0.0042), patient healthcare satisfaction (median: 24.47 versus 90.29, p < 0.0001) and quality of life (QoL) (median: 49.84 versus 63.51, p = 0.0049). The intervention group showed a decline from baseline to the end of study in DRPs (64-4), the number of non-compliant patients (24-3) and mean SF levels (3949-2362 µg/l, p < 0.0001). Clinical pharmacist-provided services can positively impact the outcome of BTM children.

FAS and FASL genetic polymorphisms impact on clinical outcome of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

BACKGROUND: FAS-670 A>G (rs1800682) and FASL-844 C>T (rs763110) polymorphisms have been previously correlated with clinical outcome of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and breast and bladder cancers. We investigated the influence of these polymorphisms on clinical outcome of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this cohort study (NCT02269878), 68 epithelioid MPM Egyptian patients treated with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy were recruited in the period between April 2014 and May 2015. The genotype analysis was performed using TaqMan® single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping assay. The association between the selected polymorphisms and response rate, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) at 18 months was evaluated. RESULTS: The median age of patients was 55 years and 45.6% of them received platinum in combination with pemetrexed, while 54.4% received platinum in combination with gemcitabine. FASL-844 CC genotype was more common than expected in early-stage tumor (P=0.042). It was found that there was no association between the investigated polymorphisms and response rate or 18-month OS. However, the PFS rate at 18 months for FASL-844 CC genotype carriers was 45% versus 10.6% for FASL-844 CT/TT genotypes carriers (log-rank: 6.2; P=0.013). Also, the number of platinum-based cycles and tumor stage were found to be significant variables for PFS by univariate analysis (P≤0.001 and P=0.006, respectively). Stratified Cox regression showed that the carriers of FASL-844 CT/TT genotypes were still more susceptible to disease progression than carriers of FASL-844 CC genotype (adjusted HR =3.77, 95% CI: 1.34-10.62, P=0.012). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that FASL-844 C/T polymorphism could predict PFS in MPM patients receiving platinum-based chemotherapy; therefore, this should be further evaluated as a potential marker for the prediction of clinical outcome in patients with MPM.

Economic Evaluation of the Combined Use of Warfarin and Low-dose Aspirin Versus Warfarin Alone in Mechanical Valve Prostheses.

BACKGROUND: The use of combined therapy of antiplatelet and anticoagulant versus anticoagulant alone to reduce instances of thromboembolic events in patients with heart valve prostheses is an established standard of care in many countries but not in Egypt. A previous Markov model cost-effectiveness study on Egyptian patients aged 50-60 years demonstrated that the combined therapy reduces the overall treatment cost. However, due to the lack of actual real-world data on cost-effectiveness and the limitation of the Markov model study to 50- to 60-year-old patients, the Egyptian medical community is still questioning whether the added benefit is worth the cost. OBJECTIVE: To assess, from the perspective of the Egyptian health sector, the cost-effectiveness of the combined use of warfarin and low-dose aspirin (75 mg) versus that of warfarin alone in patients with mechanical heart valve prostheses who began therapy between the age of 15 and 50 years. METHODS: An economic evaluation was conducted alongside a randomized, controlled trial to assess the cost-effectiveness of the combined therapy in patients with mechanical valve prostheses. A total of 316 patients aged between 15 and 50 years were included in the study and randomly assigned to a group treated with both warfarin and aspirin or a group treated with warfarin alone. RESULTS: The patients in the combined therapy group exhibited a significantly longer duration of protection against the first event. Fewer primary events were observed in the patients treated with warfarin plus aspirin than in those treated with warfarin alone (1.4 %/year, vs. 4.8 %/year), and a higher mean quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) value over 4 years was obtained for the group treated with warfarin plus aspirin (difference 0.058; 95 % CI 0.013-0.118), although this difference did not reach a conventional level of statistical significance. The total costs over a 4-year period were lower with the combined therapy (difference -US$244; 95 % CI -US$483.1 to -US$3.8), which yielded an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of -US$4206 per QALY gained. Thus, the combined therapy was dominant. All costs were reported in US dollars (USD) for the financial year 2014. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this analysis indicate that from the perspective of the Egyptian health sector, the addition of aspirin to the typical warfarin therapy is more effective and less costly for patients with mechanical valve prostheses than treatment with warfarin alone. This combined strategy could be adopted to prevent the complications of mechanical valve prostheses. Our study adds to the body of evidence supporting the option of warfarin-plus-aspirin therapy for patients with mechanical valve prostheses.

Identification of Suitable Endogenous Normalizers for qRT-PCR Analysis of Plasma microRNA Expression in Essential Hypertension.

Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are promising biomarkers for many diseases. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is a gold standard for miRNA expression profiling that requires proper data normalization. Since there is no universal normalizer, it is recommended to evaluate normalizers under every experimental condition. This study describes the identification of suitable endogenous normalizer(s) (ENs) for plasma miRNA expression in essential hypertension. Expression levels of 5 candidate ENs and 2 plasma quality markers were determined by qRT-PCR in plasma samples from 18 hypertensive patients and 10 healthy controls. NormFinder, GeNorm, and DataAssist software programs were used to select the best EN(s). Expression levels of the 5 candidate ENs were also analyzed in urine samples from hypertensive patients and compared to the plasma samples of the hypertensive patients. Among the analyzed candidates, hsa-miR-92a-3p was identified as the best EN, and hsa-miR-21-5p and hsa-miR-16-5p as the next best. Moreover, hsa-miR-92a-3p showed the most consistent expression between plasma and urine. In conclusion, this study showed that hsa-miR-92a-3p, hsa-miR-21-5p, and hsa-miR-16-5p may be used as normalizers for plasma miRNA expression data in essential hypertension studies.

ω-3 fatty acids as an adjuvant therapy ameliorates methotrexate-induced hepatotoxicity in children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A randomized placebo-controlled study.

OBJECTIVES: Methotrexate (MTX)-induced hepatotoxicity is a significant clinical problem that may affect overall prognosis and disease outcome. Oxidative stress is a key player in its pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of ω-3 fatty acids as an adjuvant therapy in children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) during the maintenance phase of chemotherapy and the effect of ω-3 on MTX-induced hepatotoxicity. METHODS: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial included 70 patients with ALL who were in the maintenance phase. The participants were divided into two groups: group A received oral MTX and ω-3 fatty acids (1000 mg/d) and group B (received MTX and placebo). Both groups were followed-up for 6 mo with assessment of liver enzymes, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), uric acid, malondialdhyde, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase. The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02373579). RESULTS: Baseline clinical and laboratory parameters were consistent between the two groups (P > 0.05). After 6 mo, liver enzymes and malondialdhyde increased, whereas TAC, uric acid, SOD, and glutathione peroxidase decreased in group B (MTX and placebo) compared with baseline levels or with group A ALL patients receiving ω-3 fatty acids (P < 0.001). The addition of ω-3 to MTX maintained normal liver function and oxidant-antioxidant levels among group A patients at the end of treatment compared with pretherapy levels (P > 0.05). No adverse reactions due to ω-3 supplementation were reported. ALT was inversely correlated to TAC and SOD in the MTX group. CONCLUSIONS: The study determined that ω-3 fatty acids ameliorated MTX-induced hepatotoxicity and could be safely used during the maintenance phase of ALL.

A Randomized Controlled Open-Label Pilot Study of Simvastatin Addition to Whole-Brain Radiation Therapy in Patients With Brain Metastases.

Statins have been reported to have a potential radiosensitizing effect that has not been evaluated in clinical trials. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of simvastatin in addition to whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) in patients with brain metastases (BM). A prospective randomized, controlled, open-label pilot study was conducted on 50 Egyptian patients with BM who were randomly assigned to receive 30-Gy WBRT (control group: 25 patients) or 30 Gy WBRT + simvastatin 80 mg/day for the WBRT period (simvastatin group: 25 patients). The primary outcome was radiological response at 4 weeks after WBRT. Secondary outcomes were 1-year progression-free survival (PFS), 1-year overall survival (OS), and health-related quality of life (HRQL) that was assessed using the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and its brain module (BN-20), at baseline, after WBRT, and 4 weeks after WBRT. The addition of simvastatin was tolerated. Twenty-one patients were not evaluated for radiological response because of death (n = 16), noncompliance to follow-up (n = 4), and clinical deterioration (n = 1). Response rates were 60% and 78.6% (p = 0.427), 1-year PFS rates were 5.2% and 17.7% (p = 0.392), and 1-year OS rates were 12% and 8% (p = 0.880) for the control group and simvastatin group, respectively. Nonsignificant differences were found between the two arms regarding HRQL scales. The addition of simvastatin 80 mg/day did not improve the clinical outcomes of patients with BM receiving WBRT.

A pilot trial using topical regular crystalline insulin vs. aqueous zinc solution for uncomplicated cutaneous wound healing: Impact on quality of life.

When wounds are treated with regular insulin, they are also being treated with zinc; used in the formula to crystallize insulin molecules. It is not clear if regular insulin-accelerated wound healing is due to insulin, the zinc it contains, or both. Thus, we aimed to compare topical regular crystalline insulin (containing zinc) vs. aqueous zinc chloride solution to controls, on healing of open uncomplicated cutaneous wounds. In this randomized controlled pilot study, 90 nondiabetic patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups depending on the twice daily applications received; group I: regular insulin; group II: aqueous zinc chloride solution, and group III: 0.9% saline (control). A questionnaire was used to determine the effect of wounds on the quality of life. Both topical regular crystalline insulin (containing zinc) and aqueous zinc chloride solution enhanced healing of uncomplicated cutaneous wounds of nondiabetic patients, than control (p < 0.001), and hence improved patients' quality of life. However, regular insulin showed better results than aqueous zinc solution (p = 0.015), probably due to synergistic effect between insulin and zinc of its formulation. Healing rate was significantly higher in acute than chronic wounds (p < 0.001), in those ≤40 years than those >40 (p = 0.004), and in upper body wounds than lower body (p = 0.015).

Cost-Effectiveness of the Combined Use of Warfarin and Low-Dose Aspirin versus Warfarin Alone in Egyptian Patients with Aortic Valve Replacements: A Markov Model.

BACKGROUND: The combination of antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy significantly reduces the rate of thromboembolic events in patients with heart valves compared with anticoagulant therapy alone. Cost-effectiveness of this therapy in Egypt, however, has not yet been established. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the combined use of warfarin and low-dose aspirin (100 mg) versus warfarin alone in patients with mechanical aortic heart valve prostheses who began therapy at the age of 50 to 60 years over a 5-year period from the perspective of the medical providers. METHODS: A cohort Markov process model with five health states (recovery, reoperation, bleeding, thromboembolism, and death) based on Egyptian clinical practice was derived from published sources. The clinical parameters were derived from meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials of patients with mechanical valve prostheses. The quality of life of the health states was derived using the available published data. Direct medical costs were obtained from four top-rated governmental cardiology hospitals in Egypt. All costs and effects were discounted at 3.5% annually. All costs were converted using the purchasing power parity rate and are reported in US $ for the financial year of 2013. RESULTS: The total quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were estimated to be 1.1616 and 1.1199 for the warfarin plus aspirin group and the warfarin group, respectively, which resulted in a difference of 0.0416 QALYs. The total costs for the warfarin plus aspirin group and the warfarin group were US $307.33 and US $315.25, respectively (the difference was US $7.92), which yielded an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of -190.38 for the warfarin plus aspirin group. Thus, the combined therapy was dominant. Various one-way sensitivity analyses indicated that probabilities of reoperation and bleeding in the recovery state had the greatest effects on incremental costs. The model parameters that had the greatest effects on incremental QALYs were the relative risk reduction of death and the utility value in the recovery state. CONCLUSIONS: The present study is the first cost-utility analysis to conclude that, from the perspective of Egyptian medical providers, combined therapy is more effective and less costly than warfarin alone for patients with mechanical aortic valve prostheses. For clinicians and patients who choose to focus on minimizing thromboembolic risk, these results suggest that combined therapy offers the best protection. This study helps to inform decisions about the allocation of health care system resources and to achieve better health in the Egyptian population.