Background

The purpose of the study was to appraise and compare the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer with the nursing application of chemotherapy and traditional Chinese medicine.

Method

Based on the inspection of the meta-analysis data, the odds ratio (OR) and mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were derived by dichotomous random or fixed effect models. 26 papers with a total of 2290 subjects who were available between 2005 and 2021 were included in this meta-analysis.

Results

Traditional Chinese medicine had significantly higher quality of life (OR, 2.79; 95% CI, 1.87-4.16, p<0.001) and clinical efficacy (OR, 2.79; 95% CI, 2.24-3.47, p<0.001), and Karnofsky Performance Status score (OR, 3.03; 95% CI, 1.45-6.34, p=0.003), and lower leukopenia (OR, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.12-0.36, p<0.001), thrombocytopenia (OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.13-0.29, p<0.001), myelosuppression (OR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.10-0.58, p=0.001), hemoglobin decrease (OR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.12-0.93, p=0.04), nausea and vomiting (OR, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.11-0.22, p<0.001), diarrhea (OR, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.13-0.36, p<0.001), liver damage (OR, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.10-0.28, p<0.001), and kidney damage (OR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.10-0.90, p=0.03) compared to control in subjects with non-small cell lung cancer.

Conclusions

The data that was looked at showed that using traditional Chinese medicine had significantly higher quality of life and clinical efficacy, and Karnofsky Performance Status score, and lower adverse effects, and hematological toxicity compared to control in subjects with non-small cell lung cancer. However, given that most of the studies comprised a small number as sample size, attention ought to be given to their values.

Abstracts of the First Conference of Pharm D Clinical Pharmacy Students Faculty of Pharmacy Beni-suef University

The basic mechanisms that support the nervous system's operation in both invertebrates and vertebrates are impulse transmission and the body's reaction to stimuli. These mechanisms let organisms' sense changes in their internal and external surroundings, analyze the information, and start the proper behavioral or physiological reactions. For homeostasis, survival, and adaptation, impulse transmission and response to stimuli must be accurate and efficient. When a stimulus is strong enough to surpass the excitation threshold, a brief, transient change in membrane potential known as an action potential is generated, signaling the beginning of neuronal impulse transmission. This electrochemical process is initiated by the passage of ions, namely sodium (Na⁺) and potassium (K⁺) ions, across the neuronal membrane via voltage-gated ion channels. Synaptic transmission is a crucial step in impulse propagation after this. An action potential that reaches the axon terminal releases neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft. The kind of neurotransmitter and receptor involved determines whether these chemical messengers cause excitatory or inhibitory responses when they attach themselves to certain postsynaptic membrane receptors. Complex neural networks are formed by the communication that is made possible by this synaptic activity between neurons and threshold; the start of neuronal impulse transmission is indicated by the generation of an action potential, a short, fleeting shift in membrane potential. This communication tried to talk in more details about this topic.

Phytochemicals are chemical compounds naturally produced in plants during the food metabolism process. Phytochemicals also protect plants against hazards faced in the environment, such as moisture, drought, and extreme salt conditions. They also work on adapting plants to the surrounding environmental conditions and being responsible for giving plants their color. These compounds are represented in many types, including flavonoids, polyphenols, isoflavonoids, phytoestrogens, terpenoids, limonoids, phytosterols,anthocyanidins,glucosinolates, carotenoids, and fibers. Phytochemical are a good source of nutrition and obtaining daily needs. The inverse relationship between eating fruits and vegetables and the incidence of serious and chronic diseases such as cancer of all types and heart diseases was found.

Background

Spacers are commonly used especially for paediatric and elderly patients. However, there is a considerable discussion about their use and operation. The purpose of this study was to examine the performance of different types of spacers with Qvar breath actuated pressurize metered dose inhaler (pMDI) containing Beclometasone with fine particles.

Methods

The dose evaluation method for pMDIs in the British Pharmacopoeia (BP) was used to find out the total emitted dose (TED) and particle size distribution of Qvar pMDI. The study looked at pMDI alone and with three different spacers (Optimizer, Aerochamber Plus, and Aerochamber MAX) at a flow of 28.3 L/min and 4 L inhalation volume to mimic adults. At different times, from the first to the last actuation, the average amount of drug in each pMDI alone and connected to the three different spacers was evaluated.

Results

The pMDI by itself had the highest TED, which was significantly higher than all pMDI-spacer combinations (p < 0.05). The spacers also had higher fine particle dose, and fine particle fraction (p<5 µg) then pMDI alone. No significant different was observed in mass median aerodynamic diameter between the four tested combinations. No significant difference was observed between the three evaluated spacer.

Conclusions

These results show that there are improving effects on aerodynamic characterisation and the amount of drug available for inhalation when spacers are used as inhalational aids to pMDI. That support the GINA recommendation regarding the use of spacer with all patients using pMDI even the breath actuated pMDIs.

Background

An ocular ailment impacts the entirety of sensory functioning, and an undetected and untreated ocular ailment might result in visual impairment. The objective of this study was to create an automated system for detecting age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) using deep-learning (DL) method that combines optimal deep features selected using the arithmetic optimizer (AO).

Methods

The main stages of the proposed scheme include; image collection from the chosen dataset and resizing, feature extraction using the DL scheme, feature optimization with AO and serial features fusion, and bi-level data classification and five-fold cross validation. The performance of the developed DL system is verified using conventional-, optimal-, and fused-features and the importance of these methods are established based on the chosen performance metrics.

Results

This study is executed using 1200 numbers of optical coherence tomography images of Normal/ARMD class and the scheme helps in achieving accuracy of >90% and >91% with conventional- and optimal features. Further, the fused-features based classification provided an accuracy of >99% with the support vector machin.

Conclusions

The achieved results of this study confirm the importance of the developed procedure on the examination of retinal optical coherence tomography images.

Background: A meta-analysis study was undertaken to examine antibiotic resistance, specifically by assessing the effectiveness of pharmacist interventions in influencing the rate of antibiotic prescriptions compared to their impact on adherence to antibiotic prescribing guidelines.

Objective: Evaluating the effectiveness of pharmacist interventions in influencing the rate of antibiotic prescriptions, in contrast to their impact on adherence to antibiotic prescribing guidelines.

Method: A comprehensive literature review up to the year 2016 was conducted, examining a total of 215 relevant studies. Among these, 15 specific studies were chosen for inclusion, encompassing a population of 298,339 individuals who initially demonstrated antibiotic resistance. Within this group, 134,004 individuals were exposed to interventions involving pharmacist participation, while 164,335 served as controls. The calculation of odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was employed to assess antibiotic resistance in pharmacists involved in antibiotic prescribing rates as compared to those involved in antibiotic prescribing adherence rates. This analysis utilized dichotomous approaches and employed both fixed and random models.

Result: When pharmacists participated in interventions targeting antibiotic prescribing rates, a considerable reduction in antibiotic resistance was observed (Odds Ratio, 0.86; 95% Confidence Interval, 0.78-0.95, p<0.00001). However, these findings exhibited a significant degree of heterogeneity (I2 = 90%). Conversely, in interventions focusing on improving antibiotic prescribing adherence rates involving pharmacists, a substantial increase in antibiotic resistance was noted (Odds Ratio, 1.96; 95% Confidence Interval, 1.56-2.45, p<0.00001), with similarly high heterogeneity in the results (I2 = 91%). These outcomes were specifically evident in individuals grappling with antibiotic resistance issues.

Conclusion: Pharmacist-led interventions targeting antibiotic prescribing rates led to a noteworthy decrease in antibiotic resistance compared to scenarios without pharmacist involvement in such interventions. Nonetheless, it is crucial to approach the interpretation of these results with caution, given the limited sample size in certain studies incorporated into the meta-analysis.

Background

The study investigates the in-vitro aerodynamic particle size distribution of Symbicort^® Turbuhaler^®, a dry powder inhaler containing budesonide and formoterol, at different inhalation flows.

Methods

The primary objective was to assess the effect of inhalation flow on drug delivery by analyzing the fine particle dose (FPD) and mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) using an Andersen Cascade Impactor at 28.3 L/min and 60 L/min inhalation flows.

Results

The results reveal a statistically significant impact of inhalation flow on drug deposition (p<0.05). A higher inhalation flow (60 L/min) led to an increase in FPD, a decrease in MMAD, and a higher fine particle fraction (FPF), indicating improved lung deposition. Additionally, throat deposition decreased with increasing flows, suggesting better de-aggregation and dispersion of drug particles. Despite these changes, the ratio of budesonide (R and S epimers) to formoterol remained constant, ensuring consistent pharmacological efficacy.

Conclusions

The findings highlight the importance of flow considerations in dry powder inhaler performance and suggest that higher inspiratory flows may enhance drug delivery efficiency. This study supports the need for variable flow testing in pharmacopoeial standards to optimize inhaler design and ensure effective drug administration for patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Afghanistan is among the countries which have the highest maternal mortality in the world. The inadequate utilization of antenatal care (ANC) services increased the risk of maternal mortality in Afghanistan.

The goal of this study is to understand key associated factors with antenatal care and its impact on maternal mortality in Afghanistan. It also elaborates on the impacts and utilization of antenatal care services among women in Afghanistan.

Methods: For this research, data from the Afghanistan Demographic Health Survey 2015 has been used, the study participants were 18139 reproductive-aged women. The relevant variable was chosen, and data was analyzed for general descriptive, Chi-square, and logistic regression tests. Analysis was carried out using JAMOVI 2.2.5.

Results: The overall number of ANC visits among women was 10040 (55.4%) and 8099 women (44.6%) never used ANC visits. The utilization of one ANC visit was 11.2% and two ANC visits were most frequent among women with 17%. Women who undertook three or four and more than four were 11.6%, 7.1%, and 4.3% respectively.

In this study, we examined the socio-economic and demographic backgrounds of 18139 reproductive-aged women attending ANC clinics. The highest age group (30-39 years) represented 32.3% (OR=0.947, 95%CI: 0.885-1014), followed by the age group of over 40 which was 25.1% (OR=0.919, 95%CI: 0854-0.990) compared to age group under 29 among women. According to residency, urban areas represented 77.2% of the total (18139) women, and 22.8% were from rural areas (OR=1.097, 95%CI: 1.023-1.177) compared to urban areas. In terms of education, 86% of women had received no education, 6.5% received primary education (OR=1.159, 95%CI: 1.020-1.316), the number of secondary educations was 5.7% with (OR=0.981, 95%CI: 0.828-1.163) and higher education was 1.8%with (OR=0.917, 95%CI: 0.712-1.181) compared to not education women group in Afghanistan. ANC visits were used more frequently by Pashtuns, 38.8%, followed by Tajiks, 35.1%. (OR=0.192,95% CI:0.852-0.977), Uzbek was 10% (OR=1.224, 95% CI:0.869-1.068) followed by Hazara at 6.6% (OR=0.963, 95% CI:0.869-1.068) the Turkmen at 5.4% (OR=2.571, 95% CI:2.208-2.924), the percentage by Aimaq was 1.2% (OR=1.574, 95% CI:1.196-2.072) and for Baloch 0% (OR=1.917, 95% CI:0.320-11.4812.072) followed by others with 2.6% (OR=0.910, 95% CI:0.753-1.099) compared to Pashtun ethnic group. For media exposure the number of not listening to the radio per week was 58.1% and one time per week was 16% (OR=0.974, 95%CI: 0.897-1.058), for two times per week it was 25.8% (OR=0.854, 95%CI: 0.797-0.915) and more than three plus times per week was 0.1% (OR=0.970, 95%CI: 0.402-2.343) compared with the zero time of listening to radio per week. Also, for not watching TV was 56% and one time per week was 11.3% (OR=0.888, 95%CI: 0.807-0.977) also for two times per week it was 32.6% (OR=0.913, 95%CI: 0.856-0.974) and the number of three plus times of watching TV was 0.2% OR=1.188, 95%CI: 0.617-2.286) compared with zero time of watching the TV.

Conclusion: The most important key associated factors were residency, education level, ethnic groups, and media exposure. We suggest that the Afghanistan government and with international community improve their health policy, increasing accessibility of health care and equal distribution of health services in rural and urban areas in Afghanistan.

Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA), a significant reproductive challenge, involves multiple pregnancy losses and impacts fertility. Although various factors contribute to RSA, immune system dysfunction is frequently implicated. Recent technological advancements in bioinformatics, particularly high-throughput sequencing and computational modeling, have enabled a more detailed examination of immune responses associated with RSA. This text explores how bioinformatics tools, including gene expression analysis, machine learning, and network analysis, facilitate the prediction of immune factors relevant to RSA. Additionally, it reviews current progress and potential future applications in personalized treatment strategies.