Research on Drug Supervision System Based on Fisco Bcos Blockchain

Drug safety is related to people's livelihood and public safety. Therefore, we must improve drug supervision and curb the circulation of counterfeit and substandard drugs.At present, most of the centralized drug supervision systems have some problems, such as few participants, easy data tampering, lack of credibility and so on.This paper analyzes the application feasibility of blockchain technology in the field of drug supervision, and designs a decentralized drug supervision system based on Fisco Bcos blockchain, which can solve the problems of data forgery, data tampering, centralization and lack of trust in the current drug supervision system, and provide support and reference for all links of drug circulation.

Corrigendum to: Chloro-s-triazenes-toxicokinetic, Toxicodynamic, Human Exposure, and Regulatory Considerations

An error appeared in the graphical abstract and figure no. 1 of the article entitled “Chloro-s-triazines-toxicokinetic, toxicodynamic, human exposure, and regulatory considerations” by Khaled Abass, Olavi Pelkonen and Arja Rautio, Current Drug Metabolism 2021, 22(8), 645-656. <p> We regret the error and apologize to readers. <p> The original article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.2174/1389200222666210701164945

Definitions of Drug-Resistant Epilepsy for Administrative Claims Data Research

Objective:To assess accuracy of definitions of drug-resistant epilepsy applied to administrative claims data.Methods:We randomly sampled 450 patients from a tertiary health system with >1 epilepsy/convulsion encounter and >2 distinct antiseizure medications (ASMs) from 2014-2020 and >2 years of electronic medical records (EMR) data. We established a drug-resistant epilepsy diagnosis at a specific visit by reviewing EMR data and employing a rubric based in the 2010 International League Against Epilepsy definition. We performed logistic regressions to assess clinically-relevant predictors of drug-resistant epilepsy and to inform claims-based definitions.Results:Of 450 patients reviewed, 150 were excluded for insufficient EMR data. Of the 300 patients included, 98 (33%) met criteria for current drug-resistant epilepsy. The strongest predictors of current drug-resistant epilepsy were drug-resistant epilepsy diagnosis code (OR 16.9, 95% CI 8.8-32.2), >2 ASMs in the prior two years (OR 13.0, 95% CI 5.1-33.3), >3 non-gabapentinoid ASMs (OR 10.3, 95% CI 5.4-19.6), neurosurgery visit (OR 45.2, 95% CI 5.9-344.3), and epilepsy surgery (OR 30.7, 95% CI 7.1-133.3). We created claims-based drug-resistant epilepsy definitions to: 1) maximize overall predictiveness (drug-resistant epilepsy diagnosis; sensitivity 0.86, specificity 0.74, area under the receiver operating characteristics curve [AUROC] 0.80), 2) maximize sensitivity (drug-resistant epilepsy diagnosis or >3 ASMs; sensitivity 0.98, specificity 0.47, AUROC 0.72), and 3) maximize specificity (drug-resistant epilepsy diagnosis and >3 non-gabapentinoid ASMs; sensitivity 0.42, specificity 0.98, AUROC 0.70).Conclusions:Our findings provide validation for several claims-based definitions of drug-resistant epilepsy that can be applied to a variety of research questions.

Corrigendum to: Can Medical Therapy Fix Sexual Dysfunction after Major Pelvic and Prostate Surgery and does it Work for Kidney Stones? Chemotherapy before Cystectomy, New Schemes for which Patients?

Due to an editorial oversight, we would like to apologize for an error that occurred in the both print and online version of an editorial entitled “Can Medical Therapy Fix Sexual Dysfunction after Major Pelvic and Prostate Surgery and does it Work for Kidney Stones? Chemotherapy before Cystectomy, New Schemes for which Patients?. It was published without the co-authors’ names in the journal “Current Drug Targets” 2021; 22(1): 2 [1]. <p> The original editorial can be found online at https://doi.org/10.2174/138945012201201231123209 <p> REFERENCE <p> [1] Petros S, Ioannis M, Ioannis V, Luca C, Can medical therapy fix sexual dysfunction after major pelvic and prostate surgery and does it work for kidney stones? chemotherapy before cystectomy, new schemes for which patients? Curr Drug Targets 2021; 22(1): 1.

The anxiolytic effect of some plant extracts in clinical trials and animal models

The phenomenon of anxiety remains poorly understood and there is much to be learnt about its’s effective treatment. Here we discuss the data of available scientific literature concerning the use of plant derived extracts in the treatment of anxiety. Study of the treating effects of natural alternatives to prescription drugs is very important in regard to limitations of current drug therapies. Significance of the study of treating efficacy of endemic plant species, endemic to Georgia in particular, and the use of animal models, such as rat grooming and rat behavior in maze, for evaluation of the anxiolytic efficacy of phytomedicines is discussed as well. We conclude, that medical as well as experimental trials in animal models of anxiety provide strong argument for the use of plant extracts as an alternative to the current drug therapies for anxiety.

“Should I inhale?” - Perceptions, barriers, and drivers for medicinal cannabis use amongst Australian women with primary dysmenorrhoea: A qualitative study.

Objective: This study sought to investigate the perceptions, barriers and drivers associated with medicinal cannabis use among Australian women with primary dysmenorrhea. A qualitative study via virtual focus groups involving 26 women experiencing regular, moderate or greater menstrual pain explored categories including cost, associated stigma, current drug driving laws, community and workplace ethics as well as geographical isolation within the context of patient access under current Australian laws and regulations. Results: A qualitative descriptive analysis identified that dissatisfaction with current management strategies such as over-the-counter analgesic usage was the key driver for wanting to use medicinal cannabis. A number of significant barriers to use were identified including patient access to medical prescribers, medical practitioner bias, current drug driving laws, geographic location, and cost. Community and cultural factors such as the history of cannabis as an illicit drug and the resulting stigma, even when prescribed by a medical doctor, still existed and was of concern to our participants. Conclusion: Whilst medicinal cannabis is legal in all states and territories within Australia, several barriers to access exist that require government regulatory attention to assist in increasing patient adoption, including possible subsidization of cost. The high cost of legal, medicinal cannabis was a key factor in women’s choice to use illicit cannabis. Overall, the concerns raised by our participants are consistent with the broader findings of a recent Australian Senate inquiry report into barriers to patient access to medicinal cannabis in Australia, suggesting many of the issues are systematic rather than disease specific. Given the interest in use of medicinal cannabis amongst women with primary dysmenorrhea, clinical trials in this area are urgently needed.

Chromatin-Associated Protein Complexes Link DNA Base J and Transcription Termination in Leishmania

Leishmania parasites cause a variety of serious human diseases, with no effective vaccine and emerging resistance to current drug therapy. We have previously shown that a novel DNA base called J is critical for transcription termination at the ends of the polycistronic gene clusters that are a hallmark of Leishmania and related trypanosomatids.