The number of patients with Alzheimer’s disease is increasing annually. Most of these patients are older adults with comorbid physical illnesses, which means that they are often treated with a combination of medications for the disease they have and those for Alzheimer’s disease. Thus, older adults with Alzheimer’s disease are potentially at risk for polypharmacy. In addition, the drug interactions between Alzheimer’s disease medications and those for the treatment of physical illnesses may reduce their efficacy and increase side effects. This article reviews polypharmacy and drug interactions in elderly patients with Alzheimer’s disease, with a focus on psychotropic drugs.

Introduction: Advances in the early detection and treatment of cancer have significantly improved the prognosis of patients with cancer. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are effective targeted treatments for various malignancies that act by inhibiting kinase activity. Although these drugs share a common mechanism of action, they differ in their targeted kinases, pharmacokinetics, and side effects. TKIs can cause cardiovascular side effects, which adversely affect the prognosis of cancer survivors. This study aimed to assess the risk of cardiac toxicity associated with TKIs using the World Health Organization Global Database, VigiBase.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data from VigiBase, a comprehensive global database of suspected drug reactions. The dataset included reports up to December 2022. We identified patients treated with Food and Drug Administration-approved TKIs and analyzed their age and sex data. The primary outcome was cardiovascular impairment, defined by 21 preferred terms in the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities Terminology version 25.1. Disproportionality analysis using the reported odds ratio was performed to detect adverse cardiovascular signals. Statistical analyses were conducted using R 3.3.2, with a P-value <0.05 considered significant.Results: Of the 32, 520, 983 reports in VigiBase, 23, 181, 539 were eligible for the analysis. Significant cardiovascular signals were identified for 17 TKIs, including erlotinib, gefitinib, and imatinib. Stratified analyses revealed potential sex- and age-related differences in the risk of adverse events. Heatmaps indicated significant signals for drugs such as lapatinib in males and gefitinib in younger patients.Discussion: Our findings indicate that some TKIs, particularly those classified as VEGFR, BCR-ABL, and BTK, pose similar risks of cardiotoxicity, while others, including EGFR, HER2, and ALK TKIs, exhibit varied risk profiles. These results underscore the importance of individualized risk assessment and management of TKI-treated patients. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the cardiotoxic risk of TKIs, which is essential for developing tailored treatment plans.

Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet #Preprint #PeerReviewMe: Warning: This is a unreviewed preprint. Readers are warned that the document has not been peer-reviewed by expert/patient reviewers or an academic editor, may contain misleading claims, and is likely to undergo changes before final publication, if accepted, or may have been rejected/withdrawn. Readers with interest and expertise are encouraged to sign up as peer-reviewer, if the paper is within an open peer-review period. Please cite this preprint only for review purposes or for grant applications and CVs (if you are the author). Overdoses of medications, including over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription drugs, have increased in Japan, with digital platforms contributing to inappropriate use patterns. This study analyzed overdose-related online search trends by using data from Yahoo! JAPAN between 2020 and 2024. Search volume for “overdose” increased approximately fivefold, from 89,800 in 2020 to 240,000 in 2024. Female individuals accounted for 52.67%-72.11% of the users who conducted overdose-related searches. The most frequently searched medication class (36.6%) in the context of overdose was benzodiazepines. Furthermore, compounds contained in OTC drugs accounted for approximately 11.8% of all medication-related searches. These findings reveal a concerning trend in medication overdose risk in Japan and underscore the importance of developing targeted prevention strategies based on the digital surveillance of online search patterns.

UNSTRUCTURED Overdoses of medications, including over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription drugs, have increased in Japan, with digital platforms contributing to inappropriate use patterns. This study analyzed overdose-related online search trends by using data from Yahoo! JAPAN between 2020 and 2024. Search volume for “overdose” increased approximately fivefold, from 89,800 in 2020 to 240,000 in 2024. Female individuals accounted for 52.67%-72.11% of the users who conducted overdose-related searches. The most frequently searched medication class (36.6%) in the context of overdose was benzodiazepines. Furthermore, compounds contained in OTC drugs accounted for approximately 11.8% of all medication-related searches. These findings reveal a concerning trend in medication overdose risk in Japan and underscore the importance of developing targeted prevention strategies based on the digital surveillance of online search patterns.