International journal of clinical practice
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Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Dec 2021
Comparison of rituximab and intravenous immunoglobulin in the treatment of autoimmune bullous diseases: Real-life data from a single center.
Rituximab (RTX) and intravenous human immunoglobulin (IVIG) have been shown to be effective in the treatment of autoimmune bullous diseases (ABD), mainly pemphigus vulgaris (PV). The present study aimed to assess the clinical response of patients with ABD, mainly PV to RTX, IVIG and combined regimen of both. Whether adding IVIG to RTX therapy affects the achievement of complete remission off therapy (CR off), reduces time to CR off, time to steroid cessation, and decreases relapse rate was also investigated. ⋯ Adding IVIG to RTX did not increase CR off rates; it also did not decrease time to CR off, time to steroid cessation, relapse rates and did not increase time to relapse. Patient and disease characteristics, including age, younger age at the time of diagnosis, lesser disease duration before RTX treatment, lesser BMI and female gender, are factors associated with CR off.
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Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Dec 2021
Clinical Outcomes of Patients Taking First-generation EGFR-TKIs May Predict the Benefits Afforded by Osimertinib in EGFR T790M-mutant NSCLC Patients.
Epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) are widely used to treat patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). The association between the clinical outcomes of patients on first-line EGFR-TKIs and the efficacy of osimertinib as second-line treatment has not been previously assessed. This is our topic here. ⋯ We found that patients who benefited from first-line EGFR-TKIs may experience prolonged PFS and a higher response rate when subsequently given osimertinib. A low plasma frequency of the EGFR T790M allele may predict poor osimertinib efficacy and shorter PFS.
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Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Dec 2021
Comparison of Emotional Approaches of Medical Doctors Against Covid-19 Pandemic: Eastern and Western Mediterranean Countries.
Pandemics are states of disease that occur worldwide and sharply increase in populations. It causes life events which trigger anxiety, depression, anger, sleep deprivation, emotional distress and stress. World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic on March 11, pointing to the over 118,000 cases in over 110 countries. Many healthcare workers became ill during the pandemic and some among them died. In this study, we aimed to evaluate and compare level of stress against COVID-19 pandemic among doctors from Turkey and Italy. ⋯ The number of doctors per 1000 of population is lower and per capita visits to a physician are higher in Turkey when compared to Italy. Besides pandemic, these heavier working conditions, increased weekly working hours can cause stress for Turkish doctors. Reporting information such this study is important and international collaborations are essential to plan future prevention strategies. We need to strengthen international ties and build more international collaborations rather than staying within our national silos. Additionally, interventions to promote mental well-being in health care professionals exposed to COVID-19 need to be immediately implemented.
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Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Dec 2021
The association between meal specific low carbohydrate diet score and cardiometabolic risk factors: a cross sectional study of Iranian adults.
Since evidence regarding low-CHO diet and cardiometabolic risk factors is controversial, this study aimed to assess the relation between low-CHO diet score and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and cardiometabolic risk factors among a group of Iranian adults. ⋯ Diets with lower amounts of carbohydrate and higher contents of fat and protein were not significantly associated with the risk for MetS in Iranian adults. Only animal-based low-CHO diet score was significantly associated with general obesity at lunch meal.
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Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Dec 2021
Interleukin-1 β as Clinically Predictive Risk Marker for Recurrent Pregnancy Loss in Women Positive for Antinuclear Antibody.
Antinuclear antibody (ANA) was found to be associated with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). This study was designed to explore the immunological predictive indicators of RPL in women with positive ANA. ⋯ Increased IL-1β may play roles in the occurrence of RPL among women with positive ANA. The level of the IL-1β has the potential to be a predictive indicator of RPL in women with positive ANA.