OBJECTIVE: This review was aimed to summarize and critically discuss the convincing evidence for the therapeutic effectiveness of phytomedicines for the treatment of AD and explore their anti-AD efficacy.
RESULTS: The critical analysis of a wide algorithm of herbal medicines revealed that their remarkable anti-AD efficacy is attributed to their potential of reducing erythema intensity, oedema, inflammation, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and a remarkable suppression of mRNA expression of ADassociated inflammatory biomarkers including histamine, immunoglobulin (Ig)-E, prostaglandins, mast cells infiltration and production of cytokines and chemokines in the serum and skin biopsies.
CONCLUSION: In conclusion, herbal medicines hold great promise as complementary and alternative therapies for the treatment of mild-to-moderate AD when used as monotherapy and for the treatment of moderate-to-severe AD when used in conjunction with other pharmacological agents.
METHODS: This cross-sectional retrospective study conducted in Kelantan involved 104 newly diagnosed female BC patients from 2015 to 2016 who underwent chemotherapy. For statistical analysis, chi-square was used to compare between CIA and non-CIA groups. In addition, simple and multiple logistic regression were used to determine the association of the CIA.
RESULTS: Our study revealed that 34.6% (n=36) of patients had mild anaemia, and 59.6% (n=62) had normal haemoglobin at pre-chemotherapy. The prevalence of anaemia increased from 40.4% to 77% at the end of our study. About 30.8% of patients received PRBC transfusion during chemotherapy with mean haemoglobin before the first transfusion of 7.9 g/dl. CIA was observed in 54.8% of cases. There was no significant association between CIA concerning the patient characteristic, cancer characteristic, or cancer treatment.
CONCLUSION: We concluded that a significant proportion (40.4%) of BC patients was anaemic even before chemotherapy, with the red blood cell requirements up to 30.8% throughout chemotherapy. A larger prospective study is needed to determine the predictors for the CIA and subsequently improve patient management.
SUMMARY: A 29-year-old woman undergoing contrast-enhanced computed tomography developed lesions over her trunk starting 6 hours after imaging. Although initially diagnosed as an allergy to the radiocontrast agent, the condition progressively worsened into toxic epidermal necrolysis-drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms overlap syndrome, despite adequate hydration and treatment. Investigation of the patient's medications revealed that she had been switched from brand-name to generic levetiracetam a week before the onset of symptoms. Levetiracetam was immediately discontinued, with the patient recovering after 2 weeks of intensive care. Adverse drug reaction analysis identified excipients in generic levetiracetam as the likely cause of the severe reaction.
CONCLUSION: This is the first reported case of severe cutaneous drug allergy after a brand-to-generic switch for levetiracetam. Brand-to-generic switches of medications can potentially cause severe allergic reactions due to differences in excipients.