Current medical research and opinion
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Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is typically asymptomatic in healthy individuals; however, certain populations are vulnerable to infection and may develop serious sequelae. CMV infection may also have a broad impact on humanistic outcomes, including patient health status and quality of life (QoL). We conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) to describe the global humanistic burden of CMV and congenital CMV (cCMV) infections across all age groups. ⋯ CMV infection can have substantial, lifelong, heterogenous impacts on humanistic outcomes, including health status and QoL, which should be considered when developing and implementing treatment and prevention strategies.
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Chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia (FN) is a medical emergency that may occur in patients with malignancies receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy. FN requires early therapeutic intervention since it is associated with increased hospitalizations and high mortality risk of 5%-20%. FN-related hospitalizations are higher in patients with myeloid malignancies than in those with solid tumors due to the myelotoxicity of chemotherapy regimens and the compromised bone marrow function. ⋯ Subsequently, the device was approved in the United States (US), European Union, Latin America, and Japan, with studies and a postmarketing commitment demonstrating device reliability. A recent prospective observational study conducted in the US demonstrated that the OBI substantially improved the adherence to and compliance with clinically recommended pegfilgrastim therapy; patients receiving pegfilgrastim via the OBI experienced a lower incidence of FN than those receiving alternatives for FN prophylaxis. This review discusses the evolution of G-CSFs leading to the development of the OBI, current recommendations for G-CSF prophylaxis in the clinic, continued evidence supporting next-day pegfilgrastim administration, and improvements in patient care made possible with the OBI.
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Many related scales have been developed and applied to measure patients' medication adherence, but the research on the psychometric characteristics of the scale still requires further studies. This study aims to provide further validation of the GMAS scale by using Rasch analysis and to make targeted recommendations for scale improvement. ⋯ The GMAS was found to be useful as a screening tool for patients' medication adherence problems reported, except some issues to be addressed for further improvement of the scale.
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Sleep quality is associated with many diseases and conditions that affect individuals' health in various ways. We aimed to investigate the association between sleep quality and common geriatric conditions in older adults. ⋯ We found that DM and depressive and anxiety symptoms were the risks of poor sleep quality. In addition, participants with poor sleep quality had a worse quality-of-life and nutritional status. Improving sleep quality may be helpful in the management of geriatric syndromes and that sleep quality assessment should be part of CGA.
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Observational Study
Safety of purified Vero cell rabies vaccine manufactured in Pakistan: A comparative analysis of intradermal and intramuscular routes.
Rabies vaccines are conventionally given via the intramuscular (IM) route; however, switching the route of administration from IM to intradermal (ID) without affecting efficacy can be advantageous in terms of cost, dosing, and time. Hence, it is indispensable to evaluate its safety along different routes. This study was carried out to ascertain the frequency of adverse drug events (ADEs) and associated factors, as well as to compare safety based on the IM and ID routes. ⋯ Half of the study participants reported ADEs. Almost similar proportions of local and systemic effects were observed. Likewise, the ADEs recorded were comparable for both routes. PVRV carries very low safety concerns with either route for administration.