Anthracyclines are effective antineoplastic drugs; however, their use is constrained by dose-dependent cardiotoxicity. Vascular endothelial dysfunction is an early independent event in cardiovascular diseases and may precede anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity. Brachial flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is a non-invasive technique for evaluating vascular endothelial function. We evaluated the evidence on anthracycline-induced vascular endothelial dysfunction in cancer patients and survivors using FMD. Studies measuring FMD in anthracycline-treated active cancer patients or survivors were retrieved from inception to August 2024 using PubMed, Embase, and Scopus. The primary outcome was the difference in FMD between anthracycline-treated patients and healthy controls or baseline. We performed the meta-analysis using a random-effects model and evaluated the certainty in effect estimates. Overall, 18 studies (n = 841 patients) met the inclusion criteria. Compared to the baseline, a non-significant change toward a decline in FMD was observed. However, a significant reduction in FMD was observed in anthracycline-treated patients compared to healthy controls (standardized mean difference (SMD): − 0.6082; 95% CI: − 0.8963 to − 0.3201; p < 0.0001). Subgroup analyses revealed consistent significant reductions in FMD for childhood cancers (SMD: − 0.7189; 95% CI: − 0.9903 to − 0.4476; p < 0.0001), while adult cancers showed no significant difference. No significant publication bias was detected overall for healthy control comparisons. High heterogeneity was observed in the included studies (I² = 81.7808% versus healthy controls and I² = 75.6876% for childhood cancers subgroup analysis). Anthracyclines induce vascular endothelial dysfunction, indicated by lower FMD in cancer patients and survivors, particularly among those with childhood cancers, who might be at risk of long-term cardiovascular complications.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment and management (RAM) services face many challenges and barriers in the community. Mobile technology offers the opportunity to empower patients and improve access to health prevention strategies to overcome these barriers. However, there is limited information on the availability and use of CVDRAM-related mobile technology in the Arabic language. To pilot test an Arabic version of a CVDRAM application among potential end-users accessing community pharmacy services in Qatar. Translation of an established cardiovascular risk calculator (EPI·RxISK™) into the Arabic language was conducted. The English/Arabic version of the calculator was tested by potential end-users, consisting of a sample of community pharmacists (CRxs) and members of the public (MOP) accessing community pharmacy services. Semi-structured interviews were conducted based on the quality attributes of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). Data were analyzed using deductive content analysis. A total of 10 CRxs and 5 MOP were interviewed. Five themes emerged to describe the EPI·RxISK™ calculator: Engagement, Functionality, Attractiveness, Education, and Responsiveness. For the most part, positive subthemes were associated with each of these themes. The functionality and educational themes had some negative subthemes. End-users of the EPI·RxISK™ calculator had mostly positive descriptors that were aligned with all five quality attributes of the web and mobile applications.

Background/Objective: Sepsis remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, making early risk stratification and prognosis critical. Vascular endothelial dysfunction is a hallmark of sepsis pathogenesis, with evidence suggesting that endothelial injury may occur early, preceding organ failure. Brachial flow-mediated dilation (FMD), a validated noninvasive ultrasound technique measuring endothelium-dependent vasodilation, serves as a surrogate marker of endothelial function, where lower FMD values reflect impaired function. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the validity and quality of evidence on using FMD to measure vascular endothelial dysfunction in septic patients by comparing FMD (i) between septic patients and non-septic controls and (ii) between sepsis non-survivors and survivors. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched until November 2024 for clinical studies assessing FMD in septic patients. A random-effects model was used for the meta-analysis, and quality of studies was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Results: Eight studies were included, and seven underwent quantitative synthesis (385 septic patients, 106 non-survivors and 217 survivors). Compared with non-septic controls, septic patients demonstrated significantly lower FMD (pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) = −2.1617; 95% CI −3.8349 to −0.4885; p = 0.0113; I² = 98.2939%). Within the sepsis cohort, non-survivors showed significantly attenuated FMD compared to survivors (pooled SMD = −0.7003; 95% CI −1.1133 to −0.2873; p = 0.001; I² = 60.5593%). Conclusions: FMD shows potential as a surrogate marker of endothelial dysfunction for sepsis risk assessment, as evident by lower FMD in septic patients, particularly non-survivors.

Purpose: Doxorubicin (DOX), an effective anticancer agent, is associated with dose‐dependent cardiovascular toxicity. Understanding its mechanisms and risk factors will facilitate novel interventions to minimize DOX‐induced cardiovascular toxicity. Thus, this study performed data mining of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) to detect and analyze DOX‐induced cardiac‐related adverse events (AEs). Methods: Data from 2004 to 2025, where DOX was the primary suspect, were extracted from FAERS via OpenVigil. Using the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities, AEs were categorized into preferred terms (PTs) and system organ classes (SOCs). This study used descriptive analysis and signal detection algorithms including Proportional Reporting Ratio (PRR), Reporting Odds Ratio (ROR), Multi‐item Gamma Poisson Shrinker (MGPS), and Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN). Results: A total of 2421 reports of DOX‐associated AEs were extracted in FAERS. Reports primarily involved female cancer patients (55.02%) between 18and 65 years (48.12%) from the United States. Most signals were of moderate to strong signal intensity, with cardiotoxicity, cardiac failure, and cardiomyopathy being the most reported. Interestingly, while cardiac disorders were mainly found to be strongly linked to DOX, novel vascular AEs like endothelial dysfunction were also among the top signals strongly associated with DOX. Out of the six serious AEs associated with DOX‐induced cardiotoxicities, “Death” and “Initial/prolonged hospitalization” were the most commonly reported. Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights into DOX‐induced cardiovascular toxicity using real‐world data from FAERS. Vascular events like endothelial dysfunction were shown to be significant novel AEs experienced by cancer patients undergoing treatment with DOX. Thus, careful monitoring of potential DOX‐AEs associations will help improve the risk–benefit ratio of DOX‐treated patients.