Is Sarilumab effective for COVID-19-associated Cytokine Release Syndrome?
Let’s look at a study and see how sarilumab can be effective in treating modulate mild to severe COVID-19-associated CRS. This study consists of 5 SARS-CoV-2 elderly patients (3 men and 2 women) with good quality of life. Previous to the outbreak, when first admitted to the hospital, they received hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin. They were considered candidates for sarilumab when they presented increased oxygen needs radiological progression, and worsening of biological parameters. Four of them were on noninvasive ventilation and 1 was on invasive mechanical ventilation. The decrease in lymphocyte count significantly improved after a single dose of sarilumab 200 mg. Two patients died 1 with (previous chronic obstructive pulmonary disease…
Sarilumab for Rheumatoid Arthritis
What is Sarilumab? Sarilumab or Kevzara is an injectable prescription medicine used to treat moderate to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adult patients. It can be used only after at least one other medicine called DMARD has been used and did not work well. How does Sarilumab work? It works by inhibiting interleukin-6 (IL-6). How do you take Sarilumab? Sarilumab comes in a pre-filled pen or syringe that you self-inject once every 2 weeks. Depending on your doctor, it can be taken with or without methotrexate. Do not try to inject your sarilumab prefilled syringe until you have been shown the right way to give sarilumab injections by a healthcare…
Lomitapide for Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia
Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia is a rare genetic disorder in which the individual is unable to remove LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) from their blood Lomitapide (Juxtapid) capsules are a prescription medicine used along with diet and other low-density lipoproteins (LDL) lowering medicines in adults with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) to reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol from the blood. Lomitapide may cause serious side effects, including: Liver Problems Before you start Lomitapide, your healthcare provider would do blood tests to check your liver because Lomitapide can cause liver problems (such as increased liver enzymes or increased fat in the liver). If your tests show signs of liver problems, your doctor may stop the…
Evinacumab for Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia
Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia is a rare disorder in which individuals are genetically unable to remove LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) from their blood. This disease The disease approximately affects 1 in 250,000 people in the United States and many are not diagnosed (people with homozygous FH are not diagnosed until adulthood, delaying proper management and treatment). Evinacumab (EVKEEZA, an injectable prescription medicine) is a fully human monoclonal antibody that inhibits ANGPTL3 and is used along with other low-density lipoproteins (LDL) lowering medicines in people 12 years of age and older to reduce the bad cholesterol or HoFH from the blood. Who shouldn’t use Evinacumab? You shouldn’t use evinacumab if you are allergic…
Should I air-dry or blow-dry my hair?
You might think that it’s better to avoid blow-drying because heat is damaging to the hair. That’s true, but wet is more fragile than dry hair and is prone to breakage. So, there should be a balance between the two. Water can make the hair swell up. The inner cuticles swell up when the hair is wet, but the outer cuticles remain rigid and do not swell up. This leads to the cuticle (damage to the cuticle) lifting off. This happens when a strain (like brushing, touching, moving) is applied to wet hair. All types of hair are vulnerable to breakage when wet. The problem with heat styling is that…
Should you go to bed with wet hair?
Weak hair is weaker than dry hair and is more likely to break. Every type of hair is weaker when it’s wet (from straight hair to curly hair to African hair). How is wet hair weaker to dry hair? So, water makes the hair wet. When the hair is wet, the inner cuticles (hair surface) swell up, but the outer cuticles do not swell up. This leads to cuticle lifting (damage to the cuticle and this leads to a coarse and rigid feeling of the hair). This cuticle lifting can become more induced when the hair is stretched or moved ( this is what happens with your hair while you’re…
Panzyga – One of the FDA-approved drugs to treat Autoimmune diseases
PANZYGA (Immune Globulin Intravenous (IGIV)) is used for the treatment of chronic immune thrombocytopenia (cITP) in adults to increase platelet counts to control and prevent bleeding; primary humoral immunodeficiency (PI) in patients 2 years of age and older (this includes common variable immunodeficiency Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, congenital agammaglobulinemia, X-linked agammaglobulinemia, and several other combined immunodeficiencies); and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) in adults to improve neuromuscular disability and impairment. What should I know before I receive Panzyga? Thrombosis (clotting of the blood) may occur with immune globulin intravenous (IGIV) products, including PANZYGA. Risk factors may include prolonged immobilization, advanced age history of venous or arterial thrombosis, indwelling central vascular catheters use…
Bupleurum Falcatum Extract for skin and body
Bupleurum falcatum is also known as sickle-leaved hare’s ear. It is a species in the Apiaceae family. B. falcatum and has been used in Chinese medicine as a “liver tonic” for over 2000 years. It is commonly prescribed by Chinese and Japanese traditional medicine doctors for inflammatory and infectious diseases. B. falcatum has been found to possess anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. It was reported that several major triterpenoid saponins were found in B. falcatum extract, including saikosaponin A (SSA) and saikosaponin D (SSD). These components are reported to have immunomodulatory, antiproliferative, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anticancer effects. Many studies have focused on the use of Chinese herbal medicines to treat or prevent PCV2-induced health disorders. How does it work?…
Amyris essential oil – Is it better than Sandalwood oil?
Amyris essential oil (Amyris balsamifera) or West Indian Sandalwood is produced from the heartwood of a small tree in the Rutaceae. Amyris has so many different names in different countries ( bois chandelle in Haiti, torchwood in Jamaica, tigua in Venezuela), but in the United States it is referred to as Amyris, balsam amyris, or West Indian sandalwood. Another interesting fact is that this species is not related to the other sandalwood i.e. the Indian or Australian sandalwood (which are more expensive and wood-scented). Benefits of using Amyris essential oil: We couldn’t find much data and the only benefits we found was that it had anti-microbial properties, can help ease…
Agastache Mexicana Flower for skin
Agastache mexicana is a flower in Mexico that inhibits pharmacological properties such as anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, and antioxidant properties. Agastache mexicana has two subspecies i.e. mexicana and xolocotziana. Both of them are different in their own way. Now let’s take a look at the benefits of using Agastache Mexicana. Benefits of using Agastache Mexicana Flower: Anti-inflammatory: It may soothe or calm the redness on the skin. Anti-oxidant: Agastache mexicana can as an antioxidant and can help to scavenge free radicals that destroy our skin. Spasmolytic activity: Agastache Mexicana displays spasmolytic activity that can relieve spasms of smooth muscle. Anxiolytic: it is an anxiolytic meaning that it can reduce stress and anxiety.…