Understanding the rate of polypharmacy in cardiovascular patients is crucial because of its increasing occurrence and its association with potentially inappropriate prescribing practices and negative health outcomes, particularly among elderly individuals with cardiovascular conditions. According to the best of the literature search knowledge, the magnitude of polypharmacy and associated factors were not known among older cardiovascular patients in eastern Ethiopia.
The aim of this study was to assess the rate of polypharmacy and its determinants among older adult cardiovascular patients at Hiwot Fana Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in eastern Ethiopia.
A cross-sectional study design was undertaken, involving a cohort of 364 individuals aged 65 years and older who were receiving follow-up care for cardiovascular disease. A data abstraction sheet was used to gather the data. The convenience sampling technique was employed. To identify factors related to the rate of polypharmacy, multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed.
The analysis included the medical records of 325 patients, revealing a polypharmacy prevalence rate of 20.7%. Individuals who were 77 years of age or older had a 1.12 times higher likelihood of having polypharmacy than individuals who were 65 to 70 years old. The presence of comorbidities along with cardiovascular diseases was a significant factor related to polypharmacy. Polypharmacy was prevalent among individuals with a larger number of comorbidities.
This study reported that 1 in 5 cardiovascular patients at a chronic care clinic experienced polypharmacy. Age (≥77 years), having comorbidities, number of comorbid diseases (≥3), duration of cardiovascular disease (≥5 years), and number of years taking cardiovascular drugs (≥5) were associated with higher odds of polypharmacy. Health care providers should be cautious about prescribing multiple medications to this population. Training in the prevention of inappropriate polypharmacy is crucial to reducing the trend of polypharmacy and its associated burden.
Ustekinumab is a first-line drug for Crohn's disease. However, little is known about its potential adverse effects on renal function. We present the case of a 42-year-old man with Crohn's disease who developed chronic renal dysfunction during ustekinumab treatment, which resolved after discontinuing ustekinumab. The findings underscore the importance of close monitoring of renal function in patients receiving ustekinumab, particularly those with preexisting kidney disease or risk factors for renal dysfunction.
Intravenous (IV) infusion therapy is commonly used in health care settings. However, IV therapy at home can be challenging because it relies on the patient's ability to manage multiple medications correctly, which may lead to decreased treatment adherence.
We aimed to assess the usability and accuracy of the IVsight monitor in capturing IV infusion data compared to manual recording.
A prospective, single-center, usability study involving patients receiving IV infusion therapy at one of the BJC's Home Infusion suites was conducted to evaluate the accuracy, performance, and acceptability of the device IVsight as a monitor for IV infusions.
Of the 15 participants, the median (IQR) age was 46 years (36–55), 8 (53%) were female, and 13 (87%) were non-Hispanic white. Each participant received a median (IQR) of 4 (4–5) infusions during the study, and 68 infusions were observed overall. The intraclass correlation coefficient between the IVsight measurement and manual recording of infusion duration in seconds was excellent (ICC 0.97, 95% confidence interval 0.96–0.98). The Bland–Altman plot visually showed an acceptable limit of agreement for the 2 measurements, and the linear regression analysis revealed no significant proportional bias between the 2 methods for measuring the IV infusion time. None of the participants thought that IVsight was difficult to hold, use, clean, or store. Only one participant was concerned that the device could interfere with the IV infusion, and all participants felt comfortable with the device transmitting data to their health care providers.
The IVsight infusion monitoring device showed near-perfect agreement on the recorded IV infusion duration compared with manual recording, and good acceptability among the study participants.
Moxifloxacin is a bactericidal methoxyquinolone used for the treatment of conjunctivitis and prophylactic therapy in cataract and refractive surgeries. Chloramphenicol is a bacteriostatic organochlorine introduced into clinical practice in 1948 and used mainly in topical preparations because of its known toxicity.
The study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antibacterial effect and the ocular cytotoxicity of these broad-spectrum antibiotics.
Antimicrobic activity was tested on 4 bacteria strains (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis), and determined through calculation of MIC and half inhibitory concentration for each microorganism. Antibacterial activity was determined by microdilution method after 24 hours’ incubation with 2-fold serial dilutions (2.5 mg/mL to 4.883 µg/mL) of moxifloxacin and chloramphenicol. Disk diffusion test were performed according to European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing methodology. Biofilm formation inhibition and biofilm eradication concentration assay were conducted for P aeruginosa and S epidermidis using the microdilution method. Cytotoxicity of antibiotics was evaluated by MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) colorimetric assay on human corneal cell.
Cytotoxicity of antibiotics was evaluated on human epithelial corneal cells after 4 hours treatment by viability assay. Results showed that corneal cell viability was significantly higher after moxifloxacin treatment compared with chloramphenicol (P < 0.01). Moxifloxacin is characterized by a significantly lower MIC and half inhibitory concentration values and a larger inhibition zone for all the strain tested, with high performance in controlling gram-negative growth, compared with chloramphenicol. Moreover, moxifloxacin showed higher activity compared with chloramphenicol in the inhibition of biofilm formation and in the disruption of biofilm, especially against S epidermidis biofilm.
The lower corneal cell toxicity and the broader spectrum of antibacterial activity observed with moxifloxacin suggests its use in ophthalmic solution for the treatment of bacterial eye infections.
Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) use often cause to poor health outcomes in older patients. There is a dearth of information on PIMS use in this population of patients seeking treatment at Hiwot Fana Comprehensive Specialized Hospital.
To assess PIMs use and associated factors among older patients receiving follow-up treatment at the chronic care clinic of Hiwot Fana Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in eastern Ethiopia.
A retrospective cross-sectional study using medical records of 419 older patients was conducted. older patients, aged 65 years or older, treated in the ambulatory care clinic were included. Simple random sampling technique was used. PIMs use was identified by using the 2023 American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria (AGS Beers Criteria) and Screening Tool of Older People's Potentially Inappropriate Prescriptions Criteria and Screening Tool to Alert Doctors to Right Treatment (STOPP/START) version 2 criteria. The multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors associated with PIMs use. The strength of statistical association was measured by adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% CI. P values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
A total of 419 patients’ medical records were reviewed. Of these, 411 patients’ medical records fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were considered for final analysis. About 56.9% (n= 234) of the study population was women. The prevalence of PIMs use was 28.5% and 18.5%, according to 2023 AGS Beers Criteria and STOPP/START version 2 criteria, respectively. In accordance with 2023 AGS Beers Criteria, male sex (aOR = 1.78; 95% CI, 1.10–2.87), diabetes mellitus (aOR = 0.35; 95% CI, 0.19–0.62), and chronic kidney disease (aOR = 6.68; 95% CI, 2.55–9.32) were found to be the determining factors for PIMs use. According to STOPP/START version 2 criteria, deep vein thrombosis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and advanced age were the primary factors influencing PIMs use.
Compared with other study findings from across the world, the prevalence of PIMs use was low. Based on 2023 AGS Beers Criteria, male sex, diabetes mellitus, and chronic kidney disease were found to be the determinant factors for PIMs use. Deep vein thrombosis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and advanced age were significant factor of PIMs use according STOPP/START version 2 criteria.
Hepatotoxicity is the foremost issue for clinicians and the primary reason for pharmaceutical product recalls. A biomarker is a measurable and quantifiable attribute used to evaluate the efficacy of a treatment or to diagnose a disease. There are various biomarkers which are used for the detection of liver disease and the intent of liver damage.
This review aims to investigate the current state of hepatotoxicity biomarkers and their utility in clinical settings. Using hepatic biomarkers, the presence of liver injury, its severity, prognosis, causative agent, and type of hepatotoxicity can all be determined.
Relevant published articles up to 2022 were systematically retrieved from MEDLINE/PubMed, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and WOS databases using keywords such as drug toxicity, hepatotoxicity biomarkers, biochemical parameters, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
In clinical trials and everyday practice, biomarkers of drug-induced liver injury are essential for spotting the most severe cases of hepatotoxicity. Hence, developing novel biomarker approaches to enhance hepatotoxicity diagnosis will increase specificity and/or identify the person at risk. Importantly, early clinical studies on patients with liver illness have proved that some biomarkers such as aminotransferase, bilirubin, albumin, and bile acids are even therapeutically beneficial.
By assessing the unique signs of liver injury, health care professionals can rapidly and accurately detect liver damage and evaluate its severity. These measures contribute to ensuring prompt and effective medical intervention, hence reducing the risk of long-term liver damage and other major health concerns.