Key Compounding Pharmacy

🔬 Exploring How Gut Microbe Byproducts Influence Allergic Reactions

Researchers looked into how certain compounds produced by gut bacteria, called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), affect the behavior of immune cells known as mast cells. These cells play a role in allergic reactions.

🧪 What They Did:
- They studied the effects of SCFAs on mast cells in mice both in the lab and in real-life situations.

📊 What They Found:
- Giving mice SCFAs like valerate or butyrate through their mouths helped reduce allergic reactions in the body.
- SCFAs, especially propionate, butyrate, valerate, and isovalerate, toned down the activity of mast cells triggered by allergy-related signals.
- This calming effect of SCFAs on mast cells depended on specific pathways and receptors in the cells.
- Some medications could weaken SCFAs' soothing effects on mast cells.
- SCFAs seemed to increase the release of a compound called PGE2, which helped dampen mast cell activity.
- Blocking certain pathways in the body reversed the benefits of SCFAs in reducing allergic reactions.

🌟 Conclusion:
- SCFAs from gut bacteria seem to have a protective effect against allergic reactions by calming down mast cells.
- Understanding this process could lead to new ways of managing allergies and allergic reactio#gutbacteriat#allergiesr#immunesystemsupportp#mastcellsce#shortchainfattyacidsa#healthychoiceso#Butyrateyrate ... See MoreSee Less

Key Compounding Pharmacy

🩺 State-of-the-Art Review: Safety Profile of Low-Dose Colchicine in Secondary Prevention of Coronary Disease

Low-dose colchicine (0.5 mg daily) has received FDA approval for secondary prevention in patients with coronary disease, leading to its increasing use in clinical practice. This review consolidates data from contemporary systemic reviews of case reports, drug registries, and placebo-controlled trials to assess the safety profile of continuous low-dose colchicine use across various clinical settings. The aim is to inform physicians, pharmacists, and patients about the absolute risks associated with its use, particularly among individuals concurrently taking statin therapy.

📊 Key Findings:
- Mild diarrhea may occur upon initiation of colchicine, but it typically resolves within a week in the majority of patients.
- Continuous use of low-dose colchicine is well tolerated and deemed very safe.
- It does not adversely affect renal, liver, or cognitive function.
- No adverse effects on bleeding, wound healing, fertility, or pregnancy have been observed.
- There is no evidence to suggest an increased risk of cancer, serious infection, or cause-specific mortality associated with colchicine use.
- Reports of myelosuppression, myotoxicity, and serious drug-drug interactions are rare and no more frequent than placebo, even in patients taking statin therapy.

🔍 Conclusion:
- Continuous use of low-dose colchicine is deemed safe for patients with atherosclerosis, particularly in those without significant renal or hepatic impairment.
- Physicians, pharmacists, and patients can be reassured regarding its safety profile.
- When appropriately prescribed, low-dose colchicine can effectively reduce cardiovascular risk without significant safety concerns.

#colchicine #coronarydisease #SafetyProfile #cardiovascularhealth #statintherapy

:Nidorf SM, Ben-Chetrit E, Ridker PM. Low-dose colchicine for atherosclerosis: long-term safety. Eur Heart J. 2024 Apr 10:ehae208. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehae208. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38596868. ... See MoreSee Less

Key Compounding Pharmacy

🤰👶 Association of Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy with Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children

Several studies suggest a potential link between acetaminophen (paracetamol) use during pregnancy and increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children. This study aims to investigate the associations between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and the risk of autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and intellectual disability in children.

🔍 Study Design and Participants:
- Nationwide cohort study with sibling control analysis.
- Population-based sample of 2,480,797 children born in Sweden between 1995 and 2019, with follow-up through December 31, 2021.

📈 Key Findings:
- 185,909 children (7.49%) were exposed to acetaminophen during pregnancy.
- Crude absolute risks at 10 years of age for those not exposed vs exposed to acetaminophen:
- Autism: 1.33% vs 1.53%
- ADHD: 2.46% vs 2.87%
- Intellectual disability: 0.70% vs 0.82%
- Models without sibling control showed marginally increased risk of autism, ADHD, and intellectual disability with acetaminophen use during pregnancy.
- Sibling control analyses found no evidence of association between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability.

🌟 Conclusions and Implications:
- Acetaminophen use during pregnancy was not associated with increased risk of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability in children when familial confounding was considered.
- This suggests that previously observed associations may have been influenced by familial factors.
- These findings have substantial implications for the management of pain and fever during pregnancy, indicating that acetaminophen remains a safe option.

#acetaminophe #pregnancyjourney #neurodevelopmentaldisorders #autismfamily #adhdawareness #intellectualdisability #CohortStudy

:Ahlqvist VH, Sjöqvist H, Dalman C, Karlsson H, Stephansson O, Johansson S, Magnusson C, Gardner RM, Lee BK. Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children's Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability. JAMA. 2024 Apr 9;331(14):1205-1214. doi: 10.1001/jama.2024.3172. PMID: 38592388. ... See MoreSee Less

Key Compounding Pharmacy

🏃‍♂️ Comparative Analysis of Physical Exercise Types in Parkinson's Disease (PD) Management

Physical exercise is recognized as effective in managing Parkinson's disease (PD), but understanding the relative benefits of different exercise types remains unclear.

💡 Objectives:
- To compare the effects of various physical exercise types on motor signs severity, quality of life (QoL), and adverse events occurrence in adults with PD.

🔍 Search Methods:
- A systematic search was conducted by an experienced information specialist across multiple databases and other sources until May 17, 2021.
- Included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing different types of physical exercise for adults with PD.

📈 Main Results:
- 154 RCTs involving 7837 participants were included.
- Most types of physical exercise showed beneficial effects compared to passive control groups.
- Dance and gait/balance/functional training demonstrated moderate beneficial effects on motor signs severity, while multi-domain training showed a small beneficial effect.
- Aqua-based training exhibited a large beneficial effect on QoL, while other types showed small beneficial effects.
- Limited evidence existed regarding adverse events, but the described interventions were deemed relatively safe.

🌟 Authors' Conclusions:
- Most physical exercise types showed beneficial effects on motor signs severity and QoL in PD patients, with little evidence of differences between interventions.
- Specific motor symptoms may be effectively treated by PD-specific programs.
- Despite uncertainty regarding adverse events, the interventions were con#parkinsonsdiseaser#physicalexerciseh#qualityoflife #qualityoflife

:Ernst M, Folkerts AK, Gollan R, Lieker E, Caro-Valenzuela J, Adams A, Cryns N, Monsef I, Dresen A, Roheger M, Eggers C, Skoetz N, Kalbe E. Physical exercise for people with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2024 Apr 8;4(4):CD013856. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013856.pub3. PMID: 38588457; PMCID: PMC11001292. ... See MoreSee Less

Key Compounding Pharmacy

🩸 Efficacy of Plozasiran in Severe Hypertriglyceridemia (sHTG) Management

Severe hypertriglyceridemia (sHTG) poses heightened risks of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and acute pancreatitis, despite available treatments. Evaluating the effectiveness, tolerability, and dosage of plozasiran, an APOC3-targeted small interfering-RNA (siRNA) drug, in reducing triglyceride and apolipoprotein C3 (APOC3) levels, as well as its impact on other lipid parameters in sHTG patients.

💡 Study Design:
- The Study to Evaluate ARO-APOC3 in Adults With Severe Hypertriglyceridemia (SHASTA-2) conducted a placebo-controlled, double-blind, dose-ranging, phase 2b randomized clinical trial.
- Enrollment spanned 74 centers across the US, Europe, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada from May 31, 2021, to August 31, 2023.
- Participants comprised adults with sHTG, having fasting triglyceride levels between 500 to 4000 mg/dL, receiving stable lipid-lowering treatment.

🔍 Interventions:
- Participants received 2 subcutaneous doses of plozasiran (10, 25, or 50 mg) or matched placebo on day 1 and at week 12, followed up through week 48.

📊 Main Outcomes:
- The primary endpoint assessed the placebo-subtracted difference in means of percentage triglyceride change at week 24, analyzed using mixed-model repeated measures.

📈 Key Results:
- Plozasiran induced significant dose-dependent reductions in triglyceride levels, with the highest dose showing a -57% reduction at week 24.
- Plozasiran treatment resulted in a significant reduction in APOC3 levels, with a placebo-adjusted reduction of -77%.
- Most plozasiran-treated patients achieved triglyceride levels below 500 mg/dL.
- While plozasiran led to an increase in LDL-C levels, there was no change in ApoB levels and a decrease in non-HDL-C levels.
- Adverse event rates were similar between plozasiran-treated and placebo groups, with no treatment-related serious adverse events leading to discontinuation or death.

🌟 Conclusion:
- Plozasiran effectively reduced triglyceride levels in sHTG patients, lowering the risk of acute pancreatitis in most participants.
- Improvements were observed in triglyceride-related lipoprotein parameters, with a generally favorable safety profile at all doses.

#hypertriglyceridemia #cardiovascularhealth #lipidmanagement #clinicaltrials #lipidprofile

:Gaudet D, Pall D, Watts GF, Nicholls SJ, Rosenson RS, Modesto K, San Martin J, Hellawell J, Ballantyne CM. Plozasiran (ARO-APOC3) for Severe Hypertriglyceridemia: The SHASTA-2 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Cardiol. 2024 Apr 7. doi: 10.1001/jamacardio.2024.0959. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38583092. ... See MoreSee Less

Key Compounding Pharmacy

🥤 Impact of Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs) on Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Survival

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have been flagged as a potential risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC), but their influence on post-diagnostic prognosis remains a mystery.

💡 Methodology:
- Analyzed data from food frequency questionnaires to estimate UPF intake post-diagnosis among 2498 CRC patients.
- Examined associations between UPF consumption and mortality risks using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression.

📊 Key Findings:
- Patients with the highest post-diagnostic UPF intake had a greater risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality (HR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.13-2.40) but not CRC or all-cause mortality.
- Increased consumption of fats/condiments/sauces was linked to higher CVD-specific mortality, while more ice cream/sherbet intake was associated with elevated CRC-specific mortality.
- No significant overall mortality associations were observed for UPF subgroups.

🌟 Conclusion:
Higher post-diagnostic UPF intake, particularly fats/condiments/sauces and ice cream/sherbet, may escalate the risk of cardiovascular disease and CRC mortality in CRC survivors.

#ultraprocessedfoods #cancerresearch #healthydiet #ColorectalCancer #colorectalcancerawareness #processedfoods

:Hang D, Du M, Wang L, Wang K, Fang Z, Khandpur N, Rossato SL, Steele EM, Chan AT, Hu FB, Meyerhardt JA, Mozaffarian D, Ogino S, Sun Q, Wong JB, Zhang FF, Song M. Ultra-processed food consumption and mortality among patients with stages I-III colorectal cancer: a prospective cohort study. EClinicalMedicine. 2024 Mar 28;71:102572. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102572. PMID: 38572081; PMCID: PMC10990709. ... See MoreSee Less