Current medical research and opinion
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To conduct an economic evaluation estimating the cost per live birth after controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) using Follitropin Alpha (Gonal-F), in the Greek National Health System setting. A secondary objective was to predict the live birth rateof the In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) procedure. ⋯ The present study constitutes the largest single-arm study based on real data in Greece to date. The cost of IVF treatment and the cost per live birth are not insignificant in this NHS setting. The live birth rate, cost per oocyte, and the cost per live birth are in line with literature. OSI was a main contributing factor to the accurate prediction of the live birth rate, while age and BMI were found to be negatively correlated.
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Observational Study
Durability of antibodies post vaccination with two doses of inactivated BBIBP-CorV vaccine.
Breakthrough infections post-COVID-19 vaccination occur with the emerging variants of the SARS-CoV virus which might be either due to the newer variants escaping immune response or the waning of antibodies over time. However, there is lack of long-term follow-up evidence on the waning of immune response following inactivated COVID-19 vaccine. ⋯ Inactivated BBIBP-CorV vaccine recipients, based on age, gender and associated comorbid conditions might need booster doses at an earlier interval than the currently followed six months interval.
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Anemia is a common complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this study was to evaluate hemoglobin levels at the initiation of erythropoiesis stimulating agent (ESA) therapy in patients with non-dialysis-dependent CKD (NDD-CKD) and anemia using a large-scale administrative database in Japan. ⋯ This real-world database study revealed that hemoglobin levels at the initiation of ESA therapy in new users of ESA were lower than those recommended by treatment guidelines in Japan.
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Real-world evidence on the application of the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor lipegfilgrastim for the reduction of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and febrile neutropenia (FN) is limited. The NADIR study aimed to evaluate effectiveness and safety of lipegfilgrastim as primary or secondary prophylaxis in patients with lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy in routine clinical practice. ⋯ Lipegfilgrastim in routine clinical practice of patients with lung cancer showed similar effectiveness and safety as compared to the pivotal trial. Interestingly, in older patients severe neutropenia was reported less frequently. While most patients with high FN risk received lipegfilgrastim for primary prophylaxis as recommended, there are still 20-30% of patients at high FN risk without primary prophylaxis who could benefit from better adherence to guidelines.
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To assess the knowledge level and awareness of Alzheimer's disease, including knowledge about the disease, pharmacotherapy, provision of patient education and associated factors among community pharmacists across Turkey and Northern Cyprus. ⋯ There is still a lack of knowledge regarding AD reported by moderate ADKS score, especially in medically-oriented domains, which creates a barrier to early provision of care and preventing AD, noted with no difference among community pharmacists across Turkey and Northern Cyprus.