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Abstract Background Drug-related problems (DRPs) are frequently observed in intensive care units, resulting in a higher occurrence of drug side effects and increased treatment expenses. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of DRPs in pediatric patients admitted to the most prominent surgical and medical pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in southern Iran, given the susceptibility of children to the effects of DRPs. Method This cross-sectional study was conducted at Namazi Hospital, which is affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Shiraz, Iran, from June 2022 to March 2023. The research focused on identifying and detecting drug-related problems (DRPs) among pediatric patients during their hospital stays across three medical wards, two pediatric intensive care units, and a surgical intensive care unit. The identification process occurred concurrently with patient treatment and utilized the Pharmaceutical Care Network of Europe’s data collection form for DRPs version 8.01. Before any documentation, all cases were thoroughly reviewed and validated by a professional focus group. The data gathered were then statistically analyzed using SPSS to evaluate the study’s outcomes. Result During the study, 323 pediatric patients were involved, of whom 57% experienced at least one DRP. The primary issues identified during the study were suboptimal drug treatment, accounting for 41.13% of cases, followed by concerns related to treatment safety, which constituted 38.53% of cases. Drug-drug interactions were found to be the leading cause of DRPs, accounting for 36.26% of cases. Two significant factors associated with DRP occurrence were the number of prescribed drugs and the number of prescribed anticonvulsants. Out of all clinical pharmacist interventions, 97% were accepted. Conclusion Patients admitted to the PICUs experience a high occurrence of DRPs. It is essential to consider optimal dosage adjustment, particularly for pediatric patients with impaired kidney function.

Due to the high morbidity and mortality of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with malignancy, the necessity of vaccination in this group of patients became particularly important. Although a large number of studies have reported the safety of COVID-19 vaccination in multiple myeloma (MM) patients, the effect of the COVID-19 vaccine on MM relapse has not yet been reported. Here, we report a case of a possible association between relapse of MM and COVID-19 vaccination with Sinopharm®, an inactivated virus vaccine, in a patient with MM who has remained in complete remission for about 4 years. The MM relapse in the patient was diagnosed by both clinical findings and laboratory workup including serum protein electrophoresis, bone marrow aspiration, and biopsy. Despite this possible association between COVID-19 vaccination and MM relapse in the patient, given its importance in reducing mortality and having an acceptable safety profile, the COVID-19 vaccine should be administered to all cancer patients. However, careful monitoring and follow-up are recommended in patients with MM after COVID-19 vaccination.

IntroductionOne of the most prevalent healthcare-associated infections in the pediatric intensive care unit is ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). VAP not only results in prolonged hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) stays but also imposes higher costs on patients and the healthcare system. Therefore, it is essential to implement preventive measures. The lung-protective properties of taurine are recognized, and this research focuses on assessing the impact of taurine supplementation in preventing VAP.MethodThis double-blind, randomized clinical trial was conducted at Namazi Hospital's PICUs. The study included pediatrics on mechanical ventilation for over 48 h. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: the taurine and placebo groups. Alongside the standard care, participants from both groups were administered taurine or placebo capsules (30 mg/kg. day) in divided doses from the day of PICU admission through PICU discharge. The incidence of VAP through clinical and laboratory evidence was considered the primary outcome.ResultsSeventy-seven patients were included in the study, with 38 in the taurine group and 39 in the placebo group. VAP incidence was 7.9% in the taurine group and 64.1% in the placebo group. Taurine significantly reduced the duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU and hospital stay, and inotrope duration. The occurrence of septic shock was lower in the taurine group at 5.3%. Stepwise logistic regression showed that placebo receipt was the only risk factor for VAP, with placebo recipients being 20.8 times more likely to develop VAP. (P

Abstract Background Compounds possessing urea/thiourea moiety have a wide range of biological properties including anticancer activity. On the other hand, taking advantage of the low toxicity and structural diversity of hydrazone derivatives, they are presently being considered for designing chemical compounds with hydrazone moiety in the field of cancer treatment. With this in mind, a series of novel ureido/thioureido derivatives possessing a hydrazone moiety bearing nitro and chloro substituents (4a–4i) have been designed, synthesized, characterized and evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxic effect on HT-29 human colon carcinoma and HepG2 hepatocarcinoma cell lines. Results Two compounds (4c and 4e) having the chloro phenylurea group hybridized with phenyl hydrazone bearing nitro or chloro moieties demonstrated potent anticancer effect with the IC50 values between 2.2 and 4.8 µM at 72 h. The mechanism of action of compound 4c was revealed in hepatocellular carcinoma cells as an inducer of apoptosis in a caspase-independent pathway. Conclusion Taken together, the current work presented compound 4c as a potential lead compound in developing future hepatocellular carcinoma chemotherapy drugs. Methods The compounds were synthesized and then characterized by physical and spectral data (FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, Mass). The anticancer activity was assessed using MTT assay, flowcytometry, annexin-V, DAPI staining and Western blot analysis. Graphical Abstract