scholarly journals Panax Ginseng C.A.Mey. as Medicine: The Potential Use of Panax Ginseng C.A.Mey. as a Remedy for Kidney Protection from a Pharmacological Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
De Jin ◽  
Yuqin Zhang ◽  
Yuehong Zhang ◽  
Liyun Duan ◽  
Rongrong Zhou ◽  
...  

Panax ginseng C.A.Mey. has been widely consumed as food/diet supplements from natural sources, and its therapeutic properties have also aroused widespread concern. Therapeutic properties of Panax ginseng C.A.Mey. such as anti-inflammatory, ameliorating chronic inflammation, enhancing the immunity, resisting the oxidation again, and regulating the glucose and lipid metabolism have been widely reported. Recent years, lots of interesting studies have reported the potential use of Panax ginseng C.A.Mey. in the management of DKD. DKD has become the leading cause of end-stage renal disease worldwide, which increases the risk of premature death and poses a serious financial burden. Although DKD is somehow controllable with different drugs such as Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACEI), Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARB) and lowering-glucose agents, modern dietary changes associated with DKD have facilitated research to assess the preventive and therapeutic merits of diet supplements from natural sources as medicine including Panax ginseng C.A.Mey. Findings from many scientific evidences have suggested that Panax ginseng C.A.Mey. can relieve the pathological status in cellular and animal models of DKD. Moreover, a few studies showed that alleviation of clinical phenotype such as reducing albuminuria, serum creatinine and renal anemia in DKD patients after application or consumption of Panax ginseng C.A.Mey.. Therefore, this review aims to discuss the effectiveness of Panax ginseng C.A.Mey. as medicine for targeting pathological phenotypes in DKD from a pharmacological perspective. This review will provide new insights into the potential understanding use of Panax ginseng C.A.Mey. in the management of DKD in clinical settings.

Author(s):  
Satish Munigala ◽  
Margaret Brandon ◽  
Zackary D Goff ◽  
Richard Sagall ◽  
Paul J Hauptman

Objective: To evaluate the frequency of drug discount card utilization and to estimate cost savings associated with heart failure (HF) medication prescriptions. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of all HF prescriptions filled through the NeedyMeds.org drug discount card program nationwide, from January 2009 to December 2016. We evaluated the frequency of drug discount card prescriptions (across pharmacy types, pharmacy location, by prescriber specialty and by drug class) and calculated cost savings (average per drug discount card and total program dollars saved) for entire study period and for each year (from 2009 to 2016). Findings: A total of 381,347 prescriptions for medications that can be used for HF with drug discount cards were identified during the study period (83.7% at national, 5.7% at regional and 9.8% at local pharmacies). Most prescriptions were filled at urban locations (89.1% in urban clusters, 7.6% in urbanized areas) and in ZIP-codes with lower median household income (65.5%). Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and selected angiotensin receptor blockers were the most prescribed drugs with discount cards (44.1%) followed by beta blockers (27.5%), diuretics (21.5%), and mineralocorticoid receptor agonists (3.9%). The number of HF prescriptions with drug discount cards increased from 2577 in 2009 to 64,750 in 2016. Increase in the number of prescriptions was also noted for all drug classes from 2009 to 2016. Overall 224,049 prescriptions for HF medications (59% of the total) benefited from the program resulting in total savings of $4,739,204 with a median cost saving of $9.30 (41.5%) per prescription. Conclusion: Use of a drug discount program resulted in cost savings on HF prescription medications (approximately $9 in savings per prescription) compared to the original cost charged by pharmacies. While these drug assistance programs may reduce financial burden, continued efforts should be made to improve adherence to medications and for better outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 771
Author(s):  
In-Jeong Cho ◽  
Jeong-Hun Shin ◽  
Mi-Hyang Jung ◽  
Chae Young Kang ◽  
Jinseub Hwang ◽  
...  

We sought to assess the association between common antihypertensive drugs and the risk of incident cancer in treated hypertensive patients. Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, the risk of cancer incidence was analyzed in patients with hypertension who were initially free of cancer and used the following antihypertensive drug classes: Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs); angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs); beta blockers (BBs); calcium channel blockers (CCBs); and diuretics. During a median follow-up of 8.6 years, there were 4513 (6.4%) overall cancer incidences from an initial 70,549 individuals taking antihypertensive drugs. ARB use was associated with a decreased risk for overall cancer in a crude model (hazard ratio (HR): 0.744, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.696–0.794) and a fully adjusted model (HR: 0.833, 95% CI: 0.775–0.896) compared with individuals not taking ARBs. Other antihypertensive drugs, including ACEIs, CCBs, BBs, and diuretics, did not show significant associations with incident cancer overall. The long-term use of ARBs was significantly associated with a reduced risk of incident cancer over time. The users of common antihypertensive medications were not associated with an increased risk of cancer overall compared to users of other classes of antihypertensive drugs. ARB use was independently associated with a decreased risk of cancer overall compared to other antihypertensive drugs.


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