Background and Objectives: The role of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as a predictor of response in breast cancers after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is controversial. This study aims to explore the relationship of NLR with pathological complete response (pCR) in a cohort of Egyptian breast cancer patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: Forty-six breast cancer females received preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy and then underwent surgery. All resected tumors were evaluated to determine the pathologic effect of the neoadjuvant chemotherapy. A complete blood count was carried out at baseline before beginning the neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The absolute count of neutrophils was divided by the absolute count of lymphocytes to calculate the NLR. Results: Of the study patients, 18 (39.1%) were considered to have a low NLR (NLR < 1.76), and 28 (60.9%) were considered to have a high NLR (NLR ≥ 1.76). Patients with a low NLR had 18-fold higher rates of pCR when compared to patients with a high NLR (OR 18.1; 95% CI (1.058–310.757); p = 0.046). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the pretreatment NLR is a pivotal predictor factor of the pathological complete response in Egyptian breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Background: Piperacillin (Pip)/tazobactam (Taz) is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent that has been commonly used in the intensive care unit for severe and life-threatening infections. Recent evidence suggests that therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for Pip could be beneficial in clinical practice to facilitate dose optimization and increase the odds of treatment success. The aim was to develop and validate a sensitive and simple high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the simultaneous quantification of Pip and Taz in human plasma. Methods: Samples (0.3 mL) were deproteinized with acetonitrile. The supernatant was evaporated and then reconstituted and injected into the HPLC. The chromatographic analysis was carried out by using the C18 column and gradient elution with the acetonitrile:water mobile phase mixture with 0.1% trifluoracetic acid at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min using a UV detector at 218 nm. Results: The method had acceptable linearity (r² > 0.99) over the concentration ranges of 0.5–400 μg/mL and 1–100 μg/mL for Pip and Taz, respectively. The method demonstrated acceptable inter- and intra-day precision and accuracy within ±20% with adequate stability results. Conclusion: The developed method is sensitive and simple and utilizes simple sample preparation and elution steps, making it suitable and practical for Pip/Taz TDM.

In clinical practice, drug–drug interactions (DDIs) pose significant risks to a large number of patients. Consequently, healthcare providers are required to diligently identify, monitor, and effectively handle these interactions in order to enhance patient outcomes. In Egypt, DDIs are poorly addressed, with no reports for DDIs in primary care. In our cross-sectional, retrospective, observational study, we collected a total of five thousand, eight hundred and twenty prescriptions across eight major governorates in Egypt. Prescriptions were collected over a span of 15 months between 1 June 2021 and 30 September 2022. These prescriptions were analyzed for potential DDIs using the Lexicomp^® drug interactions tool. The prevalence of DDIs was found to be 18%, with 22% of the prescriptions having two or more potential DDIs. Moreover, we found 1447 DDIs of categories C (monitoring therapy recommended), D (therapy modification suggested), and X (avoid combination). The most commonly interacting drugs in our study were diclofenac, aspirin, and clopidogrel, while non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were the most reported therapeutic class implicated in pharmacologic DDIs. Pharmacodynamic agonistic activity was the most common mechanism of interaction. Therefore, it is crucial to conduct screenings, detect early signs, and closely monitor drug–drug interactions (DDIs) to enhance patients’ overall health outcomes, medication responses, and safety. In this regard, the clinical pharmacist assumes a vital role in implementing these preventive measures.