Background and objective: the global prevalence of allergic rhinitis (AR) is rising and yet there is scarce information concerning the diagnosis, management and treatment patterns of AR in Northern Cyprus (NC). This study aims to provide a unique perspective on AR management as well as assessing the effectiveness of the pharmacist-led educational intervention for improving care of AR patients. Methods: across-sectional survey was carried out with community pharmacists (n = 70), patients (n = 138) and ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists (n = 12) in NC. For a controlled interventional trial, trained pharmacists provided a brief education on management of AR and nasal spray technique for patients while other pharmacists provided the usual care. Quality of life (QoL) and other outcome measures on the perceived symptom severity of the two groups were compared after a 6-week period. Results: only 33.3% of the ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists and 15.7% of the community pharmacists are aware of the Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) guidelines. The majority of patients (63%) self-managed with over-the-counter medications. Nasal congestion (96.4%) is the most bothersome symptom and oral antihistamines are the most commonly purchased medications (51.4%), indicating a pattern of suboptimal management. The pharmacists-led educational intervention has resulted in statistically more significant improvement in regards to nasal congestion and QoL for the intervention group patients (p < 0.05). Conclusion: the current management of AR has not been in accordance with the ARIA guidelines in NC. An educational intervention of the pharmacists can enhance the symptom management and improve the QoL in patients with AR.

Background: Capecitabine is frequently used alone or combined with other chemotherapy agents for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer in relapsed patients. Objective: The objective of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of capecitabine monotherapy versus combination in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer patients pretreated with anthracycline and taxane. Methods: Eligible randomized controlled trials examining the efficacy and safety of capecitabine alone compared to capecitabine combination were systematically searched. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), overall response rate (ORR), and grades 3–4 drug-related adverse events were the outcomes assessed. Results: A total of 6,714 patients of 9 trials were involved in the pooled analysis. Our findings demonstrated that capecitabine combination is significantly superior to capecitabine monotherapy in improving PFS (hazard ratio [HR] 1.32, 95% CI 1.13–1.54, p < 0.0001) and ORR (risk ratio [RR] 0.67, 95% CI 0.54–0.83, p < 0.001), but it was insignificant in OS (HR 1.09, 95% CI 0.98–1.22, p = 0.12). On the other hand, the incidence of non-hematological adverse events such as hand-foot syndrome and diarrhea was lower in capecitabine combination compared to capecitabine monotherapy. Conclusion: Capecitabine-based combination chemotherapy showed superiority over capecitabine monotherapy in terms of PFS and ORR, with no significant difference in OS. Non-hematological adverse effects such as hand-foot syndrome were fewer with a combination regimen. However, hematological adverse events were fewer with capecitabine monotherapy regimen.

Having cancer impacts the patient both psychologically and physically. However, if cancer is accompanied with HFS, the patient’s condition gets even worse. Capecitabine is a prodrug approved to treat several types of cancer such as breast and colorectal cancer. It is associated with several adverse effects such as hand and foot syndrome (HFS) which mostly affects the palms and legs. The provoked mechanisms of HFS are not clear yet. They require further validation of HFS pathogenesis. Up to now, prevention and treatment of HFS are not clearly solidified. Evidence supports the use of celecoxib, urea-based creams, and vitamin E to reduce the severity and the incidence of HFS. This review aims to provide the gaps and ways to further clinical evaluations.

The safety level and impacts of bioaccumulation of Cd, Hg and Pb various fish samples were determined in the present study. The accurate determination of the concentration of metals in fish samples is necessary due to the health risks associated with the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the human system through the ingestion of contaminated fish samples. AAS analysis was employed after microwave-assisted wet acid digestion. The results showed that frozen tuna has the highest concentration of mercury (157.09 ± 23.04 µg/kg), that is in line with the pattern of heavy metal accumulation of in fishes. Non-predatory fish samples, including bata (0.87 ± 0.01 µg/kg) and chapil (0.06 ± 0.01 µg/kg), had lower mercury levels. In all samples, the amount of Pb was lower than the level of Hg. Merluccius pacifia had the highest concentration of Pb (27.08 ± 0.00 µg/kg), whereas salmon (1.33 ± 0.15 µg/kg) and and basa fillets (1.51 ± 0.72 µg/kg) had the lowest concentrations of Pg. Cadmium was found to absent in all the fish samples examined. The results of the present study showed that environmental exposure and proximity to industrial effluents have impacts on the bioaccumulation of heavy metals. It was also observed that removing organs that have the potential to bioaccumulate heavy metals is one way to prevent heavy metal contamination, through appropriate handling and preparation techniques. The concentration of Pb and Hg were found below the EU limit. Mercluccius pacifica had the highest THQ for Pb (1.4), whereas tuna had the highest THQ for Hg (84.82). THQ greater than 1 for Hg was surpassed by more than 10 species, suggesting a health risk.

Background/Objectives: Gliomas are the most common tumours of the central nervous system (CNS), classified into grades I to IV based on their malignancy. Genetic and epigenetic alterations play a crucial role in glioma progression. DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) are vital enzymes responsible for DNA methylation, with DNMT1 and DNMT3 catalysing the addition of a methyl group to the 5-carbon of cytosine in CpG dinucleotides. Targeting DNMTs with DNA methyltransferase inhibitors (DNMTi) has become a promising therapeutic approach in tumour treatment. In this study, in silico screening tools were employed to evaluate potential inhibitors of DNMT1, DNMT3A, and DNMT3B for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Methods: The Gene2Drug platform was used to screen compounds and rank them based on their capacity to dysregulate DNMT genes. PRISM viability assays were performed on 68 cell lines, and DepMap data were analyzed to assess the antitumor activities of these compounds and their target genes. Candidate drug similarity was evaluated using DSEA, and compounds with p < 1 × 10⁻³ were considered statistically significant. Gene-compound interactions for DNMT1, DNMT3A, and DNMT3B were confirmed using Expression Public 24Q2, while Prism Repositioning Public data were analyzed via DepMap. Results: Glioblastoma cell lines showed sensitivity to compounds including droperidol, demeclocycline, benzthiazide, ozagrel, pizotifen, tracazolate, norcyclobenzaprine, monocrotaline, dydrogesterone, 6-benzylaminopurine, and nifedipine. SwissTargetPrediction was utilised to identify alternative molecular targets for selected compounds, revealing high-probability matches for droperidol, pizotifen, tracazolate, monocrotaline, dydrogesterone, and nifedipine. Conclusions: Integrating computational approaches with biological insights and conducting tissue-specific and experimental validations may significantly enhance the development of DNMT-targeted therapies for gliomas.