Head and neck cancer treatment: An overview

The advance head and neck cancers are most difficult for treatment. The newer approaches for the treatment being systemic chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy. Chemotherapy offers several advantages in metastatic head and neck cancers. The main choice for the systemic chemotherapy being platinum containing compounds (drugs), Taxanes, in recent years have shown to be promising and being included in the neo-adjuvant and concomitant therapy regimes. Further, targeted agents such as epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFRIs) have proven to be beneficial in concomitant and metastatic therapies.

Final evaluation of the results of the СТІКс study (concomitant Xavron stroke therapy)

Ischemic stroke remains a pressing problem today. Its pathogenesis consists of a sequential cascade of reactions in the brain, which, in addition to ischemia, are responsible for further damage to brain tissue and slow down the development of compensatory and regenerative mechanisms. Attempts to break the pathological cascade have been going on for decades. The first promising molecule that demonstrated the potential of a scavenger (cleaner, absorber) of excessive aggressive peroxides in preclinical studies was MCI-186, which is used in clinical practice under the name edaravone. The aim of the study the results of which are presented in this paper was to establish the clinical effects of edaravone (Xavron) as a concomitant therapy of acute ischemic stroke (СТІКс) in real clinical practice.

The Role of Oral Contraceptive Pills in Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Cohort Study

There is a need to establish the role of antiandrogens as an alternative or concomitant therapy for hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). Thus, the objectives of this study are (1) to assess the effectiveness of oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) at week 12 in HS women, and (2) to describe the clinical profile of patients receiving oral contraceptive pills (OCPs). A prospective observational study was designed. This study included 100 participants, 50 women with HS who started OCPs for the first time at our HS Clinic and 50 participants without OCP treatment. The main outcome of interest was the percentage of reduction in total abscess and inflammatory nodule (AN) count at week 12. Thirty-three women received combined OCPs and 17 non-combined OCP. HS patients with OCPs treatment were younger (31.7 vs. 40.9 years, p < 0.001), thinner (28.62 vs. 33.35 kg/m2), and have a higher number of areas affected (2.32 vs. 1.38, p = 0.02) than those without OCPs. After 12-weeks of treatment, it was observed that the percentage of AN reduction was higher in HS women receiving OCP than in patients without OCP (53.9% vs. 38.42%, p = 0.049). It was observed that OCP prescription (β = 3.79, p = 0.034) and concomitant therapy (β = 3.91, p = 0.037) were independently associated with a higher % AN when controlling for disease duration, concomitant therapy, and treatment with/without OCP (R^2 = 0.67). The factors potentially associated with the percentage AN reduction at week 12 in HS women treated with OCPs were disease duration (β = −1.327, p = 0.052), concomitant therapy (β = 11.04, p = 0.079), and HS worsening with the menstrual cycle (β = 10.55, p = 0.087). In conclusion, OCPs might be effective for improving AN count in women with HS. Women whose HS worsens in relation to the menstrual cycle and have a shorter disease may benefit more from the therapeutic effect of OCPs.

Elucidation of the effect of concomitant administration of Metformin and Diclofenac Sodium on insulin resistance, pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress markers in in vivo models

Prevalence of chronic disorders like arthritis is frequently observed in diabetic patients, especially among the geriatric population. To combat such a situation, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are mostly co-prescribed along with antidiabetics. Thus present study tried to evaluate the safety and efficacy of concomitant use of drugs in animals induced with comorbid conditions. Diabetes and chronic inflammation were induced in rats by Streptozotocin and Nicotinamide and Freund’s Complete Adjuvant respectively. These medical conditions were treated with antidiabetic Metformin and NSAID Diclofenac Sodium for 28 days. Blood glucose, paw edema were recorded weekly. At the end of the study duration, Insulin, C-peptide, cytokines in serum, oxidative stress biomarkers in liver and kidney tissues were estimated. Concomitant therapy of Metformin and Diclofenac Sodium was successful in reducing the glucose level and inflammation parameters. However, reduction by 30.06% and 46.51% in insulin and C-peptide levels respectively were evident in the rats treated with concomitant medications as compared to the normal. Concomitant therapy also failed to restore the normal levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines. Perturbation was also evident in the antioxidant status of the tissues. Results from this study can thus be utilized to optimize the therapeutic regimen of patients to ensure safe medication.

Remission Induced by TNF Inhibitors Plus Methotrexate is Associated With Changes in Peripheral Naïve B Cells in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Biological therapies, such as TNF inhibitors (TNFi), are increasing remission (REM) rates in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, although these are still limited. The aim of our study was to analyze changes in the profile of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in patients with RA treated with TNFi in relation to the clinical response. This is a prospective and observational study including 78 RA patients starting the first TNFi. PBMC were analyzed by flow cytometry both at baseline and at 6 months. Disease activity at the same time points was assessed by DAS28, establishing DAS28 ≤ 2.6 as the criteria for REM. Logistic regression models were employed to analyze the association between the changes in PBMC and REM. After 6 months of TNFi treatment, 37% patients achieved REM by DAS28. Patients who achieved REM showed a reduction in the percentage of naive B cells, but only when patients had received concomitant methotrexate (MTX) (OR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.39–0.91). However, no association was found for patients who did not receive concomitant MTX (OR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.63–1.16). In conclusion, PBMC, mainly the B-cell subsets, are modified in RA patients with TNFi who achieve clinical REM. A significant decrease in naive B-cell percentage is associated with achieving REM after 6 months of TNFi treatment in patients who received concomitant therapy with MTX.