Medical principles and practice : international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre
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Naringenin, a major flavonoid found in citrus juice, has been shown to inhibit HERG channels and cause QT prolongation. Statins, the most commonly used class of cholesterol reducing drugs, have also been reported to inhibit HERG channels and prolong QT interval in patients using these drugs. However, the interaction between naringenin and statins on the function of HERG channels has not been studied. ⋯ The results indicate that an additive interaction occurs between naringenin and statins; this could pose an increased risk of arrhythmias by decreasing repolarization reserve.
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The robotic platform compared to laparoscopy has proven to have similar postoperative outcomes, however its adoption in the Middle East has been slow and there is limited data regarding outcomes with its use in small newly established robotic colorectal programs. Our aim was to report our experience and outcomes of robotic colorectal surgery performed by fellowship-trained robotic colorectal surgeons and compare them to larger, more experienced centers. ⋯ The implementation and integration of robotic colorectal surgery at a newly established center in a small country, when led by fellowship trained robotic colorectal surgeons, is safe and effective in terms of morbidity, mortality, conversion to open and specimen pathological quality.
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Increasing reports of resistance to newer anti-tuberculosis drugs have prompted the search for other alternative drugs. Streptomycin could be used for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis if susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolate to streptomycin could be accurately detected. We performed phenotypic and genotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST) of 118 M. tuberculosis isolates for streptomycin. ⋯ Our data show that, like ifampicin, ethambutol and pyrazinamide, streptomycin also exhibits discordant phenotypic and genotypic DST results for some M. tuberculosis isolates. Hence, streptomycin should be included in therapy regimens only if both phenotypic and genotypic resistance testing indicate susceptibility to avoid amplification of resistance and drug toxicity.
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This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy, completeness, precision, and readability of outputs generated by three Large Language Models (LLMs): GPT by OpenAI, BARD by Google, and Bing by Microsoft, in comparison to patient education material on Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) provided by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RCOG). ⋯ While all models displayed a variable degree of correctness, ChatGPT excelled in completeness, significantly surpassing BARD and Bing. However, Bing led in precision, providing the most relevant and concise answers. Regarding readability, ChatGPT exhibited higher difficulty. The study found that while all LLMs showed varying degrees of correctness in answering RCOG questions on patient information for Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP), ChatGPT was the most comprehensive, but its answers were harder to read. Bing, on the other hand, was the most precise. The findings highlight the potential of LLMs in health information dissemination and the need for careful interpretation of their outputs.
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Clostridioides difficile is a major cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea worldwide. For years, metronidazole and vancomycin were considered the standard treatment for C. difficile infection (CDI). However, they are increasingly being associated with treatment failure and recurrence. In this study we investigated the in vitro activity of dalbavancin and fourteen other antimicrobials against 155 toxigenic C. difficile isolates originating from patients with C. difficile-associated diarrhea. ⋯ Dalbavancin exhibited potent activity against the isolates tested. As C. difficile is an important healthcare-associated pathogen, continued surveillance is required to monitor for development of resistance.