Background: One way to target polypharmacy and inappropriate medication in hemodialysis (HD) patients is with medication deprescribing. Objective: To assess the impact of implementing a pharmacist-led deprescribing program on medication adherence among HD patients. Method: A prospective interventional, one-group pretest-posttest-only design study was conducted at a hemodialysis center in Wasit Governorate, Iraq. Medication reconciliation followed by medication review based on the deprescribing program was done for all eligible patients, and the patients were monitored for three months for any possible complications. Results: Two hundred and seventy patients were screened for eligibility. Only one hundred and eighteen were enrolled in the deprescribing program. The median age was 51.5 years, 56.8% were males, and hypertension was the most common etiology for their chronic kidney disease (CKD); 78% had comorbidities. After deprescription, there was a significant reduction in the number of medications from 6.0 to 4.0 and a reduction in the number of pills from 7.0 to 5.0. Medication adherence accessed using the Arabic version of Morisky, Green, and Levine’s (MGL) adherence scale also had a significant reduction from 2.0 to 1.0. Conclusion: A pharmacist-led deprescribing program is a successful strategy for decreasing the number of medications and daily pills prescribed while simultaneously improving hemodialysis patients' adherence to their regimens without compromising the patient’s safety.
The rapid spread of novel coronavirus disease(COVID19) throughout the world without availablespecific treatment or vaccine necessitates alternativeoptions to contain the disease. Historically, childrenand pregnant women were considered high-riskpopulation of infectious diseases but rarely have beenspotlighted nowadays in the regular COVID-19updates, may be due to low global rates of incidence,morbidity, and mortality. However, complications didoccur in these subjects affected by COVID-19. Weaimed to explore the latest updates ofimmunotherapeutic perspectives of COVID-19patients in general population and some added detailsregarding pediatric and obstetrical practice.Immune system boosting strategy is one of therecently emerging issue
... Show MoreThe infection with H. Pylori stimulates a signaling cascade that causes the generation of Cytokines and provokes Oxidative stress that is involved in the chronic inflammatory response leads to Gastric cancers. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produce 8-Hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), the persistent oxidative DNA damage product. The study objective was to assess if there was a link between inflammatory cytokine levels and the presence of Oxidative DNA damage in Gastric tumor patients. In addition, evaluation of the diagnostic and prognostic value of Oxidative DNA damage and inflammatory cytokine biomarkers for Stomach cancers is being conducted. The study was accomplished on medically diagnosed Stomach cancer patients before any form of trea
... Show MoreIntroduction and Aim: Forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) are the key regulators controlling the activity of Treg cells, which are crucial for maintaining immune tolerance and reducing autoimmune reactions. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential utility of elevated levels of FOXP3 and IL-10 gene expression as a diagnostic indicator in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Materials and Methods: The study used quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to examine the expression levels of FOXP3 and IL-10 transcripts in whole blood samples from Iraqi patients with rheumatoid arthritis. A group of healthy control subjects were also included in the study. Results: In blood samples taken fr
... Show MoreThe rapid spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in 2019 infected many people, primarily affecting the respiratory system. Both COVID-19 and type 2 diabetes have been associated with numerous risks that have become life-threatening. The study studied the link between galectin levels and some clinical characteristics in Iraqis with type 2 diabetes and COVID-19 against those without diabetes. The study included 120 patients and healthy men. Three groups were formed for this study depending on the initial mutant cell line: 80 samples of individuals with type 2 diabetes, aged 40–60 years, with and without COVID-19, were included in each of the first and second groups. The control group consisted of 40 research participants who were matched for ag
... Show MoreBackground: Although radiological diagnostic studies (RDS) are an important and acceptable part of medical practice, it is not without hazards. It is associated with increased risk of cancer. Unfortunately the typical and safe dose of each radiological examination is not known. Most of our knowledge of cancer risk comes from studies of survivors of those exposed to whole body radiation from atomic bomb in Hiroshima & Nagasaki, jobs associated with radiation exposure, Chernobyl survivors & patients treated with radiation therapy for cancer and other diseases.
Objectives To estimate radiation dose received by patients from diagnostic radiological examinations and lifetime
... Show MoreToxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic parasite in immune-compromised persons. The prevalence of toxoplasmosis in psoriasis patients is investigated. In addition, the treatment effect on psoriasis patients infected with toxoplasmosis through evaluating Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) cytokine levels is studied. Blood samples were collected from 130 individuals who involved 60 control samples and 70 samples with psoriasis. They attended Medical City Hospital in Baghdad province from October 2017 - February 2018. Then, the anti- T. gondii antibodies (IgM and IgG) and TNF- α in the sera were determined via the enzyme linked immune-sorbent assay. The highe
... Show Moresolation of candida spp. From cancer patients who suffered oral candidiasis due to immunodeficiency
Multiple studies support a role for inflammation in the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis and unstable cardiac syndromes. However, of the known pro-inflammatory cytokines, only elevated plasma levels of interleukin-6(IL-6) have been linked to Unstable Angina. We sought to examine the plasma levels of other major proinflammatory cytokines in similar clinical settings patients with unstable angina and acute myocardial infarction and the relationship extent between them. This study aimed to investigate and compare the level of IL-1 in Unstable Angina and Acute Myocardial Infarction patients. Thirty patients with unstable angina and thirty patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction, also thirty healthy individual as control were included
... Show MoreChronic Hepatitis B(CHB) is a serious sequel after Hepatitis B Virus infection, although the rate of chronicity is inverse with age but it may be associated with a significant proportion of deaths related to cirrhosis and liver cancer. HBV serology and measurement of hepatocytic enzymes with viral load can predict disease prognosis and response to treatment. HBeAg refers to a high viral replication and associated with more infectivity to others. This study aimed to determine the impact of HBeAg status in chronically infected patients on various baseline tests. A total of 90 patients with CHB infection who were included in this study. Several standardized measures used for liver function tests, viral load and hepatitis B serological
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