Current Issue : October-December Volume : 2026 Issue Number : 4 Articles : 6 Articles
Background: Hyperplasia of mammary glands (HMG) is a common benign disease of the female breast. Objective: This study aimed to observe the clinical efficacy and safety of Honghua Xiaoyao pills in the treatment of liver depression and haemostasis-type HMG, as well as their impact on menstruation. Methods: Sixty patients diagnosed with liver depression and haemostasis-type HMG in the breast disease department of our hospital were selected as the study participants. The treatment involved oral administration of Honghua Xiaoyao pills: four pills per dose, three times a day, for a duration of 3 months without interruption during menstruation. Hormones, Western painkillers and similar Chinese herbal medicines were prohibited during the trial. Changes in breast pain, breast masses, menstrual volume and safety indicators were observed. Results: Three patients were lost to follow-up after 2 months of treatment, and four patients voluntarily withdrew from the study. The changes in breast pain scores, breast mass size scores and breast mass texture scores relative to baseline and their respective change rates showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.0001). Changes in lower abdominal distension, breast distension, menstrual blood clots, chest tightness/discomfort and emotional scores relative to baseline were also statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Honghua Xiaoyao pills are effective in reducing breast pain, shrinking breast masses and improving lower abdominal distension, breast distension, menstrual blood clots, chest tightness/discomfort and emotional symptoms in patients with liver depression and haemostasis-type HMG....
In recent years, there has been an unprecedented upsurge in opioid prescriptions for pain management. Consequently, the widespread availability of these medicines has led to an increase in misuse and abuse. This has led to a greater number of overdoserelated deaths. The high prevalence of drug misuse was born of multiple and complex societal factors. However, from a medical perspective, critical contributors to the dire consequences of the crisis have been the need for chronic pain relief, as well as mental health issues within communities. Chronic pain coupled with psychological distress exacerbates patients’ predicaments and thus further fuels the crisis. Anxiety and depression have bidirectional and complex relationships with pain. The somatic symptoms associated with anxiety potentially worsen pain, whilst pain emanating from a chronic condition worsens anxiety. The same relational dynamic applies to depression and pain. Thus, these psychopathological states may be major contributors to the opioid abuse epidemic. Thus, psychosocial management as a first-line treatment instead of starting with drug treatments seems an enlightened approach to this problem. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been proven to be effective in managing specific symptoms associated with chronic pain. Similarly, patient education has been shown to be a viable alternative to drugs for certain aspects of chronic pain treatment. We consider that the opioid crisis could be addressed with a greater reliance and emphasis on non-pharmacological approaches to managing chronic pain patients. This mini-review examines non-pharmaceutical and monitoringbased interventions to reduce opioid misuse risk among adults prescribed opioids for chronic non-cancer pain. Studies were identified through PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Google Scholar using terms related to chronic pain, prescription opioid misuse, opioid use disorder, cognitive behavioral therapy, patient education, prescription drug monitoring programs, digital health, telehealth, and non-pharmacological interventions. Studies were included if they focused on adults with chronic pain who were prescribed opioids or at risk of misuse, and evaluated interventions aimed at reducing unsafe opioid use, misuse risk, or opioid-related harm. Evidence was synthesized narratively to identify key intervention approaches, limitations, and clinical implications....
Aim: Two empirical methods were used to predict the absolute bioavailability (F) of medicines in adults and children following oral administration in the absence of intravenous (IV) dosing. This study systematically evaluates the predictive performance of Equation 1 to predict F in adults and children. Methods: Equation 3 [F = Q/(Q + CLoral)] was used for the prediction of F in adults and children. In Equation 3, clearance is the observed oral clearance following oral administration of a medicine and Q is either liver blood or plasma flow rate. The predictive performance of Equation 3 was evaluated in adults and children for three categories of medicines; medicines which are mainly metabolized in the liver, medicines which are metabolized both in the liver and the gut, and medicines which are mainly renally excreted. From the literature, oral clearance and F values for adults and children were obtained. The predictive performance of these two methods (blood or plasma flow rate) was assessed by comparing the predicted F of the medicines used in this study with the observed F (obtained from clinical studies). Results: More than 90% predicted F values were within 0.5–2-fold prediction error in adults and children by both methods for all three categories of medicines. Plasma flow rate provided slightly better results than the blood flow rate. Conclusions: The proposed methods indicate that the estimation of F of medicines in adults and children is possible with reasonable accuracy (within 0.5–2-fold prediction error). The method is useful to estimate F, especially in children, because it is not ethical to administer medicines by both IV and oral routes to children just for the sake of estimating F....
Viruses such as Ebola, Marburg, influenza, mpox, MERS- CoV, SARS- CoV, and SARS- CoV- 2 may be considered pathogens of epidemic or pandemic concern. Developing novel antiviral medicines can be time- consuming and resource intensive. Repurposing existing medicines with known or potential antiviral activity offers a faster, cost- effective strategy to expand treatment options during public health emergencies. This scan aimed to map current investigational activity involving repurposed medicines for these viruses. A horizon scanning approach was employed, starting with a targeted search in Embase followed by a systematic search of Clini calTr ials. gov to identify developmental stages of relevant technologies. Eligible technologies included UK- or EUlicensed medicines being investigated for antiviral use, while vaccines, unlicensed medicines, and treatments already approved for the target viruses were excluded. From the literature, 196 repurposed technologies were identified, and the expanded search on the clinical trials registry revealed 58 technologies in active clinical development. Interventional trial activity was limited to influenza and SARS- CoV- 2, with 29 technologies for SARS- CoV- 2 and two influenza technologies advancing to phase III evaluation. For other viruses, candidate repurposed technologies were identified only at preclinical or exploratory stages. Frequently investigated pharmacological classes included direct- acting antivirals, immunomodulators, and anti- inflammatory agents. While repurposing represents a potentially rapid strategy for therapeutic deployment, inclusion in this horizon scan does not imply clinical efficacy. Rigorous preclinical validation, pharmacokinetic feasibility assessment, and mechanistic confirmation remain essential before clinical translation....
Background. Chronic stress caused by military conflicts and prolonged security threats in Ukraine and Israel has led to an increased demand for sedative medicinal products. Under these conditions, the analysis of the pharmaceutical market structure and the accessibility of such medicines becomes particularly relevant. Objective. To conduct a comparative analysis of the assortment, origin, and price accessibility of sedative medicinal products on the pharmaceutical markets of Ukraine and Israel as of 2025. Methods. The study was based on data obtained from the State Register of Medicinal Products of Ukraine, the Drug Registry of the Ministry of Health of Israel, and the analytical system Pharmstandard developed by the Morion company. The study employed the ATC classification system, as well as comparative and marketing analysis methods. Results. The results demonstrated that the pharmaceutical market of Ukraine is characterized by a broader assortment of sedative medicinal products (147 trade names within five ATC subgroups), approximately 75–80% of which are produced by domestic manufacturers. In contrast, the Israeli market is characterized by stricter regulation of prescription dispensing and a relatively smaller assortment of over-the-counter herbal medicines. In Ukraine, the availability of sedative medicines is mainly ensured by their relatively low price, whereas in Israel accessibility is largely supported by the national health insurance system and reimbursement mechanisms for medicinal products (Health Basket, Sal HaBriut). Conclusions. The pharmaceutical markets of sedative medicines in Ukraine and Israel differ in terms of the structure of the assortment and mechanisms ensuring medicine accessibility. In Ukraine, accessibility is largely determined by a wide range of herbal medicines and their relatively low price, while in Israel the key factor is the functioning of the health insurance system. The findings of this study may be useful for improving pharmaceutical supply mechanisms and developing reimbursement policies aimed at increasing the accessibility of sedative medicines for the population....
Rationale: Cupriavidus gilardii is an opportunistic pathogen that rarely causes clinical infections. Due to the absence of definitive antimicrobial susceptibility breakpoints established by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute, diagnosis and treatment remain challenging. We report 2 cases of C. gilardii infection to enhance clinical recognition of this pathogen. Patient concerns: Case 1: A 72-year-old female with a history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and Parkinson disease presented with fever for > 10 days, accompanied by cough and chest tightness. Auscultation revealed coarse breath sounds bilaterally. Case 2: A 68-year-old female with a history of diabetes mellitus and sequelae of cerebral hemorrhage presented with fever for > 8 days, mild epigastric tenderness, and a positive Murphy sign. Diagnoses: Case 1 was diagnosed with pneumonia. Case 2 was diagnosed with cholelithiasis with acute cholecystitis. Interventions: Both patients received empirical antibiotic therapy. Sputum (Case 1) and bile (Case 2) cultures confirmed C. gilardii infection. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing guided targeted antibiotic adjustment in Case 1. Outcomes: Both patients became afebrile, showed clinical improvement, and were discharged. Lessons: C. gilardii infection should be suspected in immunocompromised or elderly patients with refractory fever, especially those with underlying neurological or cerebrovascular conditions. Early identification by MALDI-TOF MS and timely susceptibility testing are critical for guiding effective treatment, as this pathogen exhibits intrinsic resistance to multiple antibiotics, including carbapenems and aminoglycosides. Abbreviations: 16S rRNA = 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid, AFB = acid-fast bacillus, CLSI = Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute, CRP = C-reactive protein, CT = computed tomography, DNA = deoxyribonucleic acid, MALDI-TOF MS = matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, NEUT = neutrophil count, PTGBD = percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage, rDNA = ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid, WBC = white blood cell....
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