The use of Edaravone, given orally, for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was officially approved by the Federal Drug Association (FDA) in 2017. ALS is a rare and progressive degenerative disease that worsens over time. It attacks and destroys the nerve cells that control voluntary muscles, thus leading to weakness, eventual paralysis, and, ultimately death. Edaravone was given initially intravenously, but recent evidence shows better results with oral suspension. This narrative review is aimed to investigate the benefit of Edaravone for the management of ALS, compare it to Riluzole, discuss its mechanism of action, route of use, and side effects, and ultimately discuss future implications of this pharmacotherapy.

Vaccines have played a central role in minimizing new infections, the rate of hospitalizations, and the overall burden on the health sector. Fear of side effects is the biggest and commonest reason for avoiding getting vaccinated. It is, therefore, essential to maintain the clarity and consistency of message, to support and encourage people to get vaccinated. This study aims to contribute in that regard, by registering and quantifying the early side-effects of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Pakistan. This study employs a non-random cross-sectional design. Data collected from 477 participants using a structured questionnaire was used to investigate the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and side effect profiles of the participants. Binomial Logistic Regression was used to analyze the data. Odds Ratio (OR) gives the likelihood of having a side effect versus the reference group. Significance level (α) for the probability value (p-value) is set at 0.05. Fever (30.19%) was the most commonly experienced side effect, followed closely by fatigue (22.01%). 71.11% of those with fever experienced low grade fever (99-100F) while 62.69% of body aches experienced were moderate in intensity (Grades 4-6). In general, younger people are significantly more likely (p=0.023) to experience side effects (OR -1 = 1.023: interpreted as 1.023 times increase per unit decrease in age). Similarly, they are more likely (p= 0.029) to have a headache (OR -1 =1.039). Also, they are more likely (p= 0.007) to have a body ache (OR -1 =1.038). The Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine side-effects seem to be more prevalent among younger age groups, which points to increased vaccine safety among older individuals that are usually more susceptible to severe COVID-19 infection. In addition, we found a substantially reduced number of side-effects, as compared to the clinical trials, which is an encouraging indicator for vaccine safety.

BackgroundThe global incidence and prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is skyrocketing. In Asia, the prevalence of CKD varies from 10%-18%. However, as Asia is largely populated by developing countries with nascent health care systems, there is a dearth of research and data. It is estimated that a large number of cases go unreported. As a result, the exact disease burden remains unclear. The knowledge about risk factors and their proportionate role in CKD is indispensable in regards to patient management and care. ObjectiveThe early recognition of the most important risk factors for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is key to early diagnosis, successful treatment, and general heightened awareness regarding CKD. In developing countries, the provision of medical services, in general, and nephrological services, in particular, is wholly inadequate. The insufficiency of solid and regularly updated data compounds the problem. This research study aims to partake in catering to that need. MethodologyA structured questionnaire was used to obtain quantitative and categorical data from 119 ESRD patients in the nephrology ward, Allied Hospital, Faisalabad through non-probability sampling. Socio-demographic profile of the patients and information regarding the presence or absence of risk factors were collected. The resulting dataset was analyzed using R version 3.6.3 (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria) for data visualization and descriptive analysis. ResultsThe most common age group for ESRD presentation was 46-60 years (52.1%). Among the 119 ESRD patients, the most frequent risk factor was hypertension with 85.7% of the patients presenting with the condition, followed by diabetes mellitus (DM) in 54.6%, renal calculi in 28.6%, glomerulonephritis (GN) in 31.1%, Family history of CKD in 24.4%, and polycystic kidney disease (PKD) in 5% of the patients. Gender-wise distribution of the patients shows that the proportion of patients with hypertension, renal calculi, and family history of CKD varied very little among the two groups. ConclusionIn conclusion, our study has reinforced the existing body of knowledge and brought some fresh evidence regarding the prevalence of risk factors in ESRD to light. Hypertension and DM, together, represent the vast majority of cases with ESRD. However, hypertension far outpaces DM as the leading risk factor. Nephrolithiasis was also present in a considerable minority, with a figure much higher than previously reported. Finally, a relatively younger age group (45-60 years) formed the majority of the ESRD patients which is a concerning development. It points to early progression of CKD to ESRD. Long-term adequate control of these risk factors limits disease progression.

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship between maternal anemia and fetal birth weight and how other variables impact fetal birth weight. Study Design: Comparative, Cross-sectional, Multi-centric study. Setting: Labor Room Jinnah Hospital Lahore, Labor Room Allied Hospital Faisalabad, Labor Room Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi. Period: 01-08-2020 to 31-10-2020. Material & Methods: The data for this comparative, cross-sectional, multi-centric study was collected using a structured questionnaire from 360 subjects with equal representation among 3 major tertiary care centers of Punjab, Pakistan. Sample size was calculated using Open-Epi software at 95 percent confidence interval, taking frequency of anticipated factor (frequency of LBW babies among anemic females) as 64 percent. The calculated sample was 353 and we recruited 360 subjects for the study. 120 subjects from each study setting were recruited and divided into anemic and non-anemic groups of 60 subjects each. The sample size was equally divided among anemic and non-anemic groups to achieve comparative analysis of both groups for a variety of variables. Data analysis was performed on R v 4.0.2. Results: This study demonstrated a significant association between maternal anemia and low fetal Birth weight. In Anemic group, 28.88% of the babies were born with Low Birth weight, as compared to 17.77% Low Birth weight babies in the Non-Anemic group, the difference being statistically significant (p<0.012). Conclusion: Maternal anemia and fetal birth weight have a significant negative correlation. Mothers with Anemia are more likely to give birth to babies with Low weight at Birth.