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World Health Organization (WHO) reported that traditional products continue to be widely used in most countries. The aim of this study is to evaluate the pharmacists' attitudes and practices toward herbal products' uses. This study was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in Istanbul (Turkey). Sociodemographic characteristics of the participants were recorded and a self-structured questionnaire was applied face to face. A total of 50 pharmacists were included in the study. The mean age was 34.6 years and 39% of them have been in service for less than 20 years. Ninety percent of the pharmacists stated that they sell herbal products and believe that the herbal products were not completely harmless. More than half of the pharmacists (68%) stated that they were not questioning the herbal product use while taking the anamnesis from patients, while 54% of the pharmacists were mentioning about the side effects of the herbal products. According to the results, a majority of pharmacists sell herbal products and counsel about herbal products. Since pharmacists are easily accessible health consultants, they interact with patients through patient education and drug counseling and will contribute to the rational use of these products.

Introduction The complexity of treatment and extended therapy duration associated with bone marrow transplantation directly affect the psychological well-being of the patients, create anxiety, and reduce their quality of life. The aim of our study was to evaluate the quality of life of patients admitted to the bone marrow transplantation unit. Methods This prospective and descriptive study was conducted between January and June 2021 in an adult BMT unit in Turkey. The sociodemographic characteristics of the patients were recorded. The patient's quality of life was measured twice using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bone Marrow Transplantation (FACT-BMT) scale at the beginning of the study and 30 days later. SPSS 15 was used for the analysis. Results A total of 40 patients were included in the study. The mean age was 46 years. Most of the patients were diagnosed with multiple myeloma and 58% had at least one comorbid disease. Most of the patients (78%) were receiving myeloablative therapy. High dose melphalan regimen was the most commonly applied regimen (25%). Thrombocytopenia was the most common side effect (14%). Although there was no change in the quality of life, it was found that the social/family well-being scores increased ( p Conclusions In our study, it was observed that the number of comorbid diseases was higher in patients with bone marrow transplantation. The incidence of side effects may be high in these patients. We believe that clinical pharmacists have an important role in monitoring adverse effects and improving the quality of life in bone marrow transplantation units.

Background Aprepitant is a neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist approved for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea. We aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of aprepitant in patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. Methods A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted in patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis assigned to receive two courses of aprepitant 250 mg/day orally or placebo for 15 days with an interval of two months between courses. Primary end points were safety and tolerability, and secondary end point was clinical improvement or stabilization assessed by subacute sclerosing panencephalitis scoring system. Electroencephalography (EEG), brain magnetic resonance imaging, and cerebrospinal fluid measles-specific immunoglobulin G index were evaluated before and after treatment. Results Sixty-two patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis were allocated to aprepitant (n = 31, median age 18 years) or placebo (n = 31, median age 22 years) group. Fifteen patients left the study within the first six months and 12 patients left between six and 12 months. Aprepitant was well tolerated and treatment-associated adverse events were similar to those described in the treatment of nausea. Clinical status at six and 12 months’ follow-up did not differ between aprepitant and placebo groups. Post-treatment EEG scores at 12 months were better in the aprepitant group (P = 0.015). Cerebral atrophy on magnetic resonance imaging increased in both groups, whereas measles-specific immunoglobulin G index decreased in the placebo group. Conclusions In this first clinical trial of aprepitant treatment in patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, the drug was safe and well tolerated. No clinical effect was observed. A modest improvement in EEG findings might justify trials for longer periods because EEG changes can precede clinical findings in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

Objective To determine and evaluate the pharmaceutical care needs and quality of life of patients with colorectal cancer. Methods 36 Patients with colorectal cancer eligible for chemotherapy after surgery were included in the study. The patients were followed up during 3 courses of chemotherapy and individual pharmaceutical care plans were developed. The quality of life of patients was evaluated before and after the third course of chemotherapy. Results The incidence of drug-related problems (DRPs) in chemotherapy-treated patients was reduced in the 3rd course as compared with 1st course (63.9% vs 75%, respectively; n = 36; p > 0.05). The clinical oncology pharmacist gave 147 recommendations to patients, which were followed in 98% (n = 144) of cases. 91.7% (n = 132) of the recommendations of clinical oncology pharmacists solved the drug-related problems; however, the remaining 8.3% (n = 12) did not solve the problems and the patients were referred to a doctor for further investigations. The symptom-related quality of life of patients related to anaemia, diarrhoea and neurotoxicity was reduced after the third course of chemotherapy (p < 0.05). Conclusions The pharmaceutical care provided by the clinical oncology pharmacist has an important role in the identification and resolution of DRPs. Evaluation of symptom-related quality of life is important for the monitoring of patients receiving chemotherapy.

Background: To evaluate cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in outpatients receiving chemotherapy with cisplatin alone or in combination with other agents using a short hydration method. Methods: Forty-nine patients enrolled in the study were monitored during 3 cycles of chemotherapy. Cisplatin was given in 1000 mL of 0.9% NaCl solution for 90 min as an intravenous infusion. Renal parameters were evaluated before and after each chemotherapy cycle, and 6 weeks after the completion of treatment. Results: Blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and cystatin C levels increased significantly during the 3 cycles of chemotherapy, whereas sodium and potassium levels decreased significantly. Magnesium and calcium levels decreased only during the second cycle of chemotherapy. Significant increases in uric acid level were observed during the 1st and 3rd cycles, and 6 weeks after the completion of treatment. Conclusions: The method used in our study shows minimal changes in renal functions. To effectively monitor nephrotoxicity, renal parameters and electrolyte levels should be measured before and after each cisplatin based chemotherapy cycle. More investigations are required to evaluate this method with higher doses of cisplatin.