Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the leading causes of cognitive decline, which leads to dementia and poses significant challenges for its therapy. The reason is primarily the ineffective available treatments targeting the underlying pathology of AD. It is a neurodegenerative disease that is mainly characterised by the various molecular pathways contributing to its complex pathology, including extracellular amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques, intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation. One of the crucial features is the hyperphosphorylation of tau proteins, which is facilitated by microtubule affinity-regulating kinase-4 (MARK-4). The kinase plays a crucial role in the disease development by modifying microtubule integrity, leading to neuronal dysfunction and death. MARK-4 is thus a druggable target and has a pivotal role in AD. Amongst MARK-4 inhibitors, 16 compounds demonstrate significant capacity in molecular docking studies, showing high binding affinity to MARK-4 and promising potential for tau inhibition. Further, in-vitro investigations provide evidence of their neuroprotective properties. The present review mainly focuses on the role of MARK-4 and its potential inhibitors used in treating AD, which have been thoroughly investigated in silico and in vitro.

Purpose:Diabetes remains a prevalent metabolic chronic condition. The pandemic promoted the use of telemedicine for patients with chronic conditions. Telemedicine offers innovative methods to achieve glycemic control for these patients. This study evaluates the effectiveness of telemedicine with pharmacists in reduction of glycated hemoglobin (A1C) for patients with diabetes. Methods:This study (n = 112) was a single-center, retrospective study that evaluated the effectiveness of patients enrolling in pharmacist-led diabetes management utilizing telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients with an A1C >9 mg/dL were contacted for telemedicine with the pharmacy team. The three groups included: patients agreeing to the telemedicine visit (n = 28), patients that declined the telemedicine visit (n = 42), and patients that did not answer the telephone when offered the telemedicine visit (n = 28). Results:Our study revealed a significant change in the primary endpoint A1C (2.6 + 2.4, p = 0.0144) for the patients who accepted telemedicine visits when compared with the other study groups. The secondary endpoints, changes in A1C (when evaluating employment status, number of clinic visits, number of chronic conditions, gender, race) and changes in body mass index, revealed no significant changes. Conclusion:Diabetes management using telemedicine with pharmacists impacts glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. This study demonstrates patients who accepted pharmacist-led telemedicine had a reduction in A1C. Further research may reveal long-term benefits on clinical outcomes after utilizing this service during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: To analyze the impact of gender and race on statin prescribing patterns in patients with diabetes in a family medicine clinic. Methods: This study (n=192) was a single-center, cross-sectional study that examined statin prescribing patterns at a family medicine clinic. Patients were obtained from January 2015 to November 2018, who were considered eligible for statin therapy based on a documented diagnosis of diabetes. The patients were divided into four subgroups for analysis (white males, non-white males, white females, and non-white females). Results: Females were found to have higher rates of prescribed statin therapy and appropriate statin intensity therapy when compared to males (p>0.05). When evaluating gender and race, white females were more likely to be prescribed an appropriate statin when compared to non-white females (p<0.05). Conclusion: The study shows that although males had a significantly higher mean 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk score, they were less likely than females to receive the appropriate intensity statin. Previous studies have shown race and gender disparities exist in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. A more collective, unified approach to improve prescribing patterns for statin therapy can eliminate these disparities.

Background: Recurrent acute pancreatitis can be influenced by a variety of factors, including metabolic and lifestyle triggers. This case report presents a 30-year-old Asian woman whose episodes of pancreatitis were complicated by hypertriglyceridemia, Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and occasional alcohol use. Medication-related risks, such as semaglutide, were also identified as possible contributors. Case Presentation: The patient experienced three distinct episodes of acute pancreatitis. Initially admitted in June 2020, she presented with no prior medical history and denied alcohol use. During subsequent admissions in April 2023 and January 2024, the patient reported alcohol consumption. The second admission showed significantly elevated triglyceride (TG) levels (>5680 mg/dL), and the third occurred after New Year’s Eve alcohol consumption, with TG >3000 mg/dL. Treatment across all episodes involved NPO status, IV fluids, and ICU admission with insulin therapy to lower TG levels. After the recurrence of pancreatitis, her T2DM treatment was changed from semaglutide to dapagliflozin. Conclusion: This case underscores the importance of comprehensive patient education on lifestyle factors, medication risks, and adherence to treatment plans to reduce the recurrence of acute pancreatitis. Tailoring interventions, such as switching diabetes medications (from semaglutide to dapagliflozin) and emphasizing TG management through gemfibrozil, atorvastatin, and icosapent ethyl, proved essential in stabilizing her condition. The patient’s case serves as a reminder of the multiple potential causes of pancreatitis and the need for ongoing monitoring to prevent further complications.

Introduction: The purpose of this research is to assess the mean change in A1C associated with patients who declined a pharmacy-led diabetes management program and to evaluate effects of predictor variables on the odds of achieving improved A1C in these patients. Study design: Retrospective, single-center, single-group, cohort study. Methods: Patients 18 years or older with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (defined as A1C ≥ 9%) who declined pharmacy-led diabetes management services were included in the study. The primary outcome of the study was to assess the mean change in A1C from time of phone call offering pharmacy management services (initial) to last observed A1C (final recorded A1C). Results: A total of 91 patients were included, 46 males and 45 females. The significant reduction in the mean change from baseline A1C to the final measured A1C was −0.59 (95% CI, −0.9327% to −0.2447%, P-value = 0.0010). This resulted in 8.79% of patients’ final A1C falling into the range of < 7%. Conclusion: Our study found a paradoxical reduction in A1C among patients who declined pharmacy-led diabetes management services, however, our study is limited by having no comparison group. Further research needs to be conducted to identify correlations between characteristics of patients declining diabetes management services in order to assist with identifying patient-specific methods for improving patient outcomes.