Afra Rezagholizadeh

@tbzmed.ac.ir

Clinical Pharmacy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy
Tabriz University of Medical Sciences

Afra Rezagholizadeh


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https://researchid.co/dr.afra

EDUCATION

Doctor of Pharmacy, Pharm.D. (EQF level 7), First Class, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, 2011-2017

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics, Infectious Diseases, Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine, Reviews and References (medical)
9

Scopus Publications

238

Scholar Citations

6

Scholar h-index

4

Scholar i10-index

Scopus Publications

  • Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in solid organ transplant recipients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
    Sama Samankan, Afshin Gharekhani, Sajad Khiali, Afraa Rezagholizadeh, Amin Agabalazadeha, et al.
    Clinical Nutrition Espen, 2025
  • Efficacy and Safety of SGLT2 Inhibitors in Individuals with Sold Organ Transplantation: A Systematic Review and Metaanalysis
    Sajad Khiali, Mohammadreza Ardalan, Ali Sharifi, Amin Sadrazar, Afra Rezagholizadeh, et al.
    Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2025
    Despite the growing body of evidence supporting the beneficial effects of sodium-glucose transporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors on metabolic, cardiovascular, renal, and mortality outcomes in the wide range of diseases, clinical data in patients with solid organ transplantation (SOT) is limited. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science from database inception until April 14, 2025, to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SGLT-2 inhibitors in patients with SOT. Among 25 studies, 18 included kidney transplant recipients. There was considerable heterogeneity between the remaining studies regarding design, setting, and outcomes. The meta-analysis of two interventional studies showed the beneficial effects of SGLT-2 inhibitors on body mass index (BMI) (-2.564, 95% CI: -4.982 to -0.146, I²=0%, P=0.0377), weight (-0.800, 95% CI: -0.878 to -0.722, I²=0%, P<0.0001), and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (-0.447, 95% CI: 0.085 to 0.810, I²=0%, P=0.0155) in the kidney transplant population. The mortality benefits of SGLT-2 inhibitors in the kidney transplant population have been shown in observational studies with large sample sizes. Despite the benefits of SGLT-2 inhibitors on metabolic outcomes and their satisfactory safety profiles represented in most eligible studies, these medications should be used with caution in patients with SOT, particularly in high-risk patients. Additional well-designed studies are needed to reveal the efficacy and safety of SGLT-2 inhibitors in patients with SOT.
  • SGLT2 Inhibitors’ Cardiovascular Benefits in Individuals Without Diabetes, Heart Failure, and/or Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review
    Sajad Khiali, Mohammadreza Taban‐Sadeghi, Parvin Sarbakhsh, Naser Khezerlouy‐Aghdam, Afra Rezagholizadeh, et al.
    Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2023
    Despite the growing body of evidence regarding the beneficial cardiovascular effects of sodium–glucose cotransporter‐2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, clinical data in individuals without diabetes, heart failure (HF), and/or chronic kidney disease (CKD) is limited. A systematic review of the literature was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar, from database inception until May 4, 2023, to explore new evidence of SGLT2 inhibitors’ cardiovascular benefits in individuals without diabetes, HF, and/or CKD. A total of 1156 individuals from 14 studies (13 randomized controlled trials and 1 nonrandomized study) were included. The results showed the benefits of SGLT2 inhibitors on blood pressure, weight, and body mass index in this population with an acceptable safety profile. The current evidence supports the potential role of SGLT2 inhibitors as primary prevention in individuals without diabetes, HF, and/or CKD. This review may shed light on the use of SGLT2 inhibitors in conditions such as stage A HF and metabolic syndrome. The literature trend is going toward uncovering SGLT2 inhibitors’ role in stage B HF, different types of myocardial infarction, and cardiac arrhythmias.
  • Empagliflozin and colchicine in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction following ST-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention: a study protocol for a randomized, double-blinded, three-arm parallel-group, controlled trial
    Sajad Khiali, Mohammadreza Taban-Sadeghi, Parvin Sarbakhsh, Naser Khezerlouy-Aghdam, Hossein Namdar, et al.
    Trials, 2023
    Background Patients with acute myocardial infarction are at greater risk for chronic heart failure and mortality. Currently, there is limited evidence supporting the beneficial effects of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors on cardiovascular outcomes in non-diabetic patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction following acute myocardial infarction. Furthermore, the clinical effects of the combination of standard-dose sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors with colchicine and high-dose sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors in this setting have not been evaluated yet. Methods A prospective, double-blinded, parallel-group, placebo control randomized trial will be carried out at Shahid Madani Heart Center, the largest teaching referral hospital for cardiovascular diseases, affiliated with Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. A total of 105 patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (≤ 40%) following the first episode of ST-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention with stent insertion will be randomized 1:1:1 to receive empagliflozin 10 mg daily, a combination of empagliflozin 10 mg daily and colchicine 0.5 mg twice daily, or empagliflozin 25 mg daily for 12 weeks. The primary outcomes are changes in the New York Heart Association functional classification and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein from the randomization through week 4 and week 12. Discussion The present study will be the first trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of early treatment with the combination of standard-dose empagliflozin and colchicine as well as high-dose empagliflozin in non-diabetic patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction following ST-elevation myocardial infarction. The results of this research will represent a significant step forward in the treatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction. Trial registration Clinical trial ID: IRCT20111206008307N39. Registration date: 27 October 2022. Graphical Abstract
  • Current evidence of COVID-19 vaccination-related cardiovascular events
    Sajad Khiali, Afra Rezagholizadeh, Hossein Behzad, Hossein Bannazadeh Baghi, Taher Entezari-Maleki
    Postgraduate Medicine, 2023
    Currently, the world is recovering from the shock of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; however, this situation is still fragile. Health authorities recommend administering COVID-19 vaccines as the safest and most reliable tool for eliminating COVID-19. Subsequent to the extensive administration of the COVID-19 vaccines, a series of cardiovascular adverse effects have been reported. This comprehensive review aimed to provide an update on the etiology, pathophysiology, clinical features, and management of the cardiovascular adverse events associated with COVID-19 vaccines, including myocarditis, pericarditis, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, myocardial infarction, cardiac arrhythmias, hypertension, and stress-induced cardiomyopathy. The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination far outweigh the reported adverse events. It would be clinically important to provide diagnostic scoring systems to differentiate COVID-19-related cardiovascular adverse events from other causes and develop therapeutic approaches for their management. Further evaluation of cardiovascular adverse events of the COVID-19 vaccines is crucial for implementing vaccination programs and developing safer and more reliable vaccines.
  • SARS-CoV-2 and probable lung cancer risk
    Sajad Khiali, Afra Rezagholizadeh, Taher Entezari-Maleki
    Bioimpacts, 2022
    The pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a global crisis with a growing number of mortalities and morbidities worldwide. Despite performing numerous researches, there are still considerable unrevealed details regarding the long-term complications and post-infection immunity of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Based on pathophysiological features, SARS-CoV-2 may act similarly as an oncovirus in the lung. This letter summarized three possible oncogenic mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 that may be associated with lung cancer development.
  • Evaluation of the activated partial thromboplastin time and its influential factors in ischemic heart disease patients under heparin treatment
    Afra Rezagholizadeh, Zainab-Kubra Adib, Taher Entezari-Maleki
    Blood Coagulation and Fibrinolysis, 2021
    This study aimed to detect the defects of the current methods used to monitor unfractionated heparin (UFH) anticoagulant effect and find possible assistive parameters for activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) test to improve treatment performance. The required information was gathered from patients’ case records, treatment charts and laboratory reports. Kendall's tau correlation coefficient was calculated for analysing the relationship between variables. The partial least squares (PLS) and the stepwise multiple regression were operated, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and the r-squared (r 2) were used to show the analytical ability of the models, respectively. Overall, 102 UFH-receiving ischemic heart disease patients participated in this study. The aPTT value varied from 30 to 95 s (mean ± SD = 44 ± 14). Therapeutic aPTT values were observed in 15% of hospitalization days. The aPTT value showed statistically significant correlations with mean UFH infusion (U/kg/h), age, prothrombin time (PT), smoking, international normalized ratio, haemoglobin (Hgb) and blood triglyceride level. Triglyceride level and PT were efficacious predictors of aPTT value (P < 0.001, r 2 = 0.336). Moreover, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and blood creatinine (Cr) levels were the best predictors for mortality. The mean BUN/Cr ratio was 18 ± 5 and 25 ± 12 in nonexpired and expired subjects, respectively. If calibrated institution-specific therapeutic aPTT ranges and updated weight-based UFH nomograms get employed, aPTT test, along with the BUN/Cr ratio and Hgb level, as assistive parameters for predicting haemorrhagic incidents, would be near ideal monitoring method in UFH-receiving patients.
  • Remdesivir for treatment of COVID-19; an updated systematic review and meta-analysis
    Afra Rezagholizadeh, Sajad Khiali, Parvin Sarbakhsh, Taher Entezari-Maleki
    European Journal of Pharmacology, 2021
    The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a global health crisis. Considering the recent food and drug administration (FDA) approval of remdesivir as the first officially approved agent for COVID-19 treatment, we performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of remdesivir administration in COVID-19 patients. A systematic literature search was done through MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, medRxiv, and bioRxiv from their inception to December 22th, 2020. Five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and five non-randomized studies of intervention (NRSI) were entered into the meta-analysis. The results showed that remdesivir administration was associated with a significant improvement in the 28-day recovery (RR=1.09, 95%CI, 1.04-1.15), low flow oxygen support through days one to 14 (RR=2.88, 95%CI, 1.80-4.60), and invasive mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation requirement through days 14 to 28 of the follow-up time (RR=5.34, 95%CI, 2.37-12.05). The risk of experiencing serious adverse drug reactions (ADRs) was significantly lower (RR=0.75, 95%CI, 0.63-0.90) in the remdesivir group than the comparison/control group. The pooled median difference of the time to clinical improvement was 2.99 (95%CI=2.71-3.28), which did not remain significant during the sensitivity analysis. The clinical output comparison of the 5-day and 10-day remdesivir courses revealed that the 5-day regimen might provide similar benefits while causing fewer serious ADRs than 10-day. The current meta-analysis provided an updated evaluation of scientific evidence on the use of remdesivir in COVID-19 patients. Performing adequate well-designed RCTs are needed to show more accurate results.
  • A comprehensive review on sarilumab in COVID-19
    Sajad Khiali, Afra Rezagholizadeh, Taher Entezari-Maleki
    Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy, 2021
    Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by a newly discovered coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2), continues to spread all around the world. Despite the emergency of COVID-19 worldwide, remdesivir is the only treatment that has been recently approved to treat the diseases, and other effective therapies are still lacking. SARS-CoV-2 may cause severe illness in 20% of patients. Based on available data, there is an association between interleukin-6 (IL-6) and severe COVID-19. Sarilumab is a fully human immunoglobulin G1 monoclonal antibody binding to both membrane-bound and soluble IL-6 receptors with high affinity and has been considered for off-label use in the treatment of COVID-19. Areas covered: The present article reviews recently published literature focusing on the pathophysiology of COVID-19 induced cytokine storm, the potential therapeutic role, and important clinical issues of sarilumab in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Expert opinion: The off-label treatment administration is unavoidable in the critical situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further efforts should be directed to determine mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 induced immune dysregulation as well as indications of sarilumab in the patients with COVID-19 to minimize concerns regarding its off-label administration.

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Efficacy and Safety of SGLT2 Inhibitors in Individuals with Sold Organ Transplantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
    S Khiali, M Ardalan, A Sharifi, A Sadrazar, A Rezagholizadeh, ...
    Pharmaceutical Sciences 31 (4), 357-378 , 2025
    2025
  • Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
    S Samankan, A Gharekhani, S Khiali, A Rezagholizadeh, ...
    Clinical Nutrition ESPEN 69, 809-820 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 2
  • SGLT2 inhibitors’ cardiovascular benefits in individuals without diabetes, heart failure, and/or chronic kidney disease: a systematic review
    S Khiali, M Taban‐Sadeghi, P Sarbakhsh, N Khezerlouy‐Aghdam, ...
    The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 63 (12), 1307-1323 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 20
  • Empagliflozin and colchicine in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction following ST-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary …
    S Khiali, M Taban-Sadeghi, P Sarbakhsh, N Khezerlouy-Aghdam, ...
    Trials 24 (1), 645 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 4
  • Current evidence of COVID-19 vaccination-related cardiovascular events
    S Khiali, A Rezagholizadeh, H Behzad, H Bannazadeh Baghi, ...
    Postgraduate Medicine 135 (2), 102-120 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 8
  • Study Protocol
    S Khiali, M Taban‑Sadeghi, P Sarbakhsh, N Khezerlouy‑Aghdam, ...
    2023
  • SARS-CoV-2 and probable lung cancer risk
    S Khiali, A Rezagholizadeh, T Entezari-Maleki
    Bioimpacts 12 (2), ePublished , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 15
  • Evaluation of the activated partial thromboplastin time and its influential factors in ischemic heart disease patients under heparin treatment
    A Rezagholizadeh, ZK Adib, T Entezari-Maleki
    Blood Coagulation & Fibrinolysis 32 (7), 496-503 , 2021
    2021
  • A comprehensive review on sarilumab in COVID-19
    S Khiali, A Rezagholizadeh, T Entezari-Maleki
    Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy 21 (5), 615-626 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 48
  • Remdesivir for treatment of COVID-19; an updated systematic review and meta-analysis
    A Rezagholizadeh, S Khiali, P Sarbakhsh, T Entezari-Maleki
    European journal of pharmacology 897, 173926 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 132
  • SARS-CoV-2 and Probable Lung Cancer Risk
    S Khiali, A Rezagholizadeh, T Entezari-Maleki
    Authorea 2020 (0721) , 2020
    2020
  • Scientometric evaluation of pharmaceutical chemistry departments of faculties of pharmacy in Iran
    A Rezagholizadeh, A Shayanfar, J Hanaee, A Jouyban
    Depiction of Health 8 (2), 75-87 , 2017
    2017
    Citations: 9

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Remdesivir for treatment of COVID-19; an updated systematic review and meta-analysis
    A Rezagholizadeh, S Khiali, P Sarbakhsh, T Entezari-Maleki
    European journal of pharmacology 897, 173926 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 132
  • A comprehensive review on sarilumab in COVID-19
    S Khiali, A Rezagholizadeh, T Entezari-Maleki
    Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy 21 (5), 615-626 , 2021
    2021
    Citations: 48
  • SGLT2 inhibitors’ cardiovascular benefits in individuals without diabetes, heart failure, and/or chronic kidney disease: a systematic review
    S Khiali, M Taban‐Sadeghi, P Sarbakhsh, N Khezerlouy‐Aghdam, ...
    The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 63 (12), 1307-1323 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 20
  • SARS-CoV-2 and probable lung cancer risk
    S Khiali, A Rezagholizadeh, T Entezari-Maleki
    Bioimpacts 12 (2), ePublished , 2022
    2022
    Citations: 15
  • Scientometric evaluation of pharmaceutical chemistry departments of faculties of pharmacy in Iran
    A Rezagholizadeh, A Shayanfar, J Hanaee, A Jouyban
    Depiction of Health 8 (2), 75-87 , 2017
    2017
    Citations: 9
  • Current evidence of COVID-19 vaccination-related cardiovascular events
    S Khiali, A Rezagholizadeh, H Behzad, H Bannazadeh Baghi, ...
    Postgraduate Medicine 135 (2), 102-120 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 8
  • Empagliflozin and colchicine in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction following ST-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary …
    S Khiali, M Taban-Sadeghi, P Sarbakhsh, N Khezerlouy-Aghdam, ...
    Trials 24 (1), 645 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 4
  • Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
    S Samankan, A Gharekhani, S Khiali, A Rezagholizadeh, ...
    Clinical Nutrition ESPEN 69, 809-820 , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 2
  • Efficacy and Safety of SGLT2 Inhibitors in Individuals with Sold Organ Transplantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
    S Khiali, M Ardalan, A Sharifi, A Sadrazar, A Rezagholizadeh, ...
    Pharmaceutical Sciences 31 (4), 357-378 , 2025
    2025
  • Study Protocol
    S Khiali, M Taban‑Sadeghi, P Sarbakhsh, N Khezerlouy‑Aghdam, ...
    2023
  • Evaluation of the activated partial thromboplastin time and its influential factors in ischemic heart disease patients under heparin treatment
    A Rezagholizadeh, ZK Adib, T Entezari-Maleki
    Blood Coagulation & Fibrinolysis 32 (7), 496-503 , 2021
    2021
  • SARS-CoV-2 and Probable Lung Cancer Risk
    S Khiali, A Rezagholizadeh, T Entezari-Maleki
    Authorea 2020 (0721) , 2020
    2020