73 research outputs found
Necessity and concerns about lipid-lowering medical treatments and risk factors for non-adherence: A cross-sectional study in Palestine
Aims: Strong evidence indicates that drugs reduce blood lipids and improve cardiovascular
end-points, leading to their wide usage. However, the success of these drugs
can be affected by poor patient's adherence to prescribed medication. This study
aimed to evaluate medication adherence in patients with dyslipidaemia in association
with patient beliefs about medicines.
Methods: The study was conducted from January 2019 to July 2019 at the middle
governmental primary healthcare clinics in Ramallah and Bethlehem cities, and
used a cross-sectional design. Adherence was determined using the 4-item Morisky
medication adherence scale, while beliefs were determined using the Beliefs about
Medicines Questionnaire.
Results: Of 220 patients, 185 agreed to participate in the study, resulting in a response
rate of 84.1%. Of the participants, 106 (57.3%) were men, and almost half (88,
46.5%) were ≥56 years. Medication non-adherence was high (47.6%), but a majority
(65.5%) reported believing their treatment to be necessary for their continued good
health. Accordingly, the mean necessity score (17.3, SD 3.7) significantly outweighed
(P < .001) the mean concerns score (14.0, SD 3.5). Multivariate regression demonstrated
four variables to be significantly correlated with non-adherence: illiterate
(OR = 2.52; CI: 0.9-4.3; P = .03), polypharmacy (OR = 3.18; CI: 1.9-5.7; P = .007),
having comorbidity (OR = 3.10; CI: 2.2-4.6; P = .005) and having concerns about side
effects (OR = 2.89; CI: 1.1-4.6, P = .04).
Conclusion: Non-adherence among patients taking lipid-lowering agents was high despite
most holding positive beliefs regarding medication necessity. This may be due to
concern also being high. Physicians should identify and target high-risk patients and individualise
their treatment plans in order to achieve adequate control of dyslipidaemia.We thank all workers at health clinics at Ramallah and Bethlehem
who helped in finishing this study and also we thank the participants
who willingly accepted to share for the purpose of this study
Pharmacists’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Towards Herbal Remedies In West Bank, Palestine
Background:
There is an increasing trend towards consumption of
complementary and alternative herbal products in many parts of the
world.
Objectives:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowled
-
ge and attitudes among pharmacists in West Bank, Palestine towards
the use of herbs.
Methods:
Self-administered questionnaire was designed as the study
instrument and distributed among 350 qualified pharmacists working
in government and private pharmacies in West Bank, Palestine.
Results:
The response rate was 82.9% (290/350). The mean age of
the pharmacists was 32.9 (SD=6.5) years. The majority of the phar
-
macist 238 (82.1%) worked in the community pharmacies and their
experience in practice ranged from 1 to 26 years. Product package
instructions and product representative were the most consulted by
the pharmacists (128; 44.2% and 73; 25.2% respectively). General
health tonic preparations were the most widely dispensed drugs (142;
48.9%), followed by cough preparations (55; 19.0%) and slimming
agents (64; 22.1%). The Majority of pharmacists (195; 67.2%) belie
-
ved herbal remedies were effective; however, about fifty percent of
the pharmacists had concern about their safety. The knowledge of
respondents about the indications of herbal medicine was good, but
their awareness of interactions, contraindications and adverse effects
was inadequate. The majority of Pharmacists (255; 87.9%) believed
that herbal product should undergo increased regulation and (215;
74.9%) believed that information available about herbal and natural
product isn't adequate
The puzzle of self-reported weight gain in a month of fasting (Ramadan) among a cohort of Saudi families in Jeddah, Western Saudi Arabia
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>During Ramadan fast, approximately one billion Muslims abstain from food and fluid between the hours of sunrise to sunset, and usually eat a large meal after sunset and another meal before sunrise. Many studies reported good health-related outcomes of fasting including weight loss. The objective of this study is to identify the local pattern of expenditure on food consumption, dietary habits during Ramadan and correlate that to self-reported weight gain after Ramadan in a group of families in Jeddah, Western Saudi Arabia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A Cross-section study using a pre-designed questionnaire to identify the local pattern of expenditure on food consumption, dietary habits during Ramadan and correlate that to self-reported weight gain after Ramadan in a representative cohort of Saudis living in Jeddah. It was piloted on 173 nutrition students and administered by them to their families.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 173 Saudi families were interviewed. One out of 5 indicated that their expenditure increases during Ramadan. Approximately two thirds of the respondents (59.5%) reported weight gain after Ramadan. When asked about their perspective explanations for that: 40% attributed that to types of foods being rich in fat and carbohydrates particularly date in (Sunset meal) 97.7% and rice in (Dawn meal) 80.9%. One third (31.2%) indicated that it was due to relative lack of physical exercise in Ramadan and 14.5% referred that to increase in food consumption. Two thirds (65.2%) of those with increased expenditure reported weight gain.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Surprisingly weight gain and not weight loss was reported after Ramadan by Saudis which indicates timely needed life-style and dietary modification programs for a population which reports one of the highest prevalence rates of diabetes.</p
Magnesium administration provokes motor unit survival, after sciatic nerve injury in neonatal rats
BACKGROUND: We examined the time course of the functional alterations in two types of muscles following sciatic nerve crush in neonatal rats and the neuroprotective effect of Mg(2+). METHODS: The nerve crush was performed on the 2(nd )postnatal day. MgSO(4)*7H(2)O was administered daily for two weeks. Animals were examined for the contractile properties and for the number of motor units of extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscles at three postnatal stages and adulthood. Four experimental groups were included in this study: i) controls, ii) axotomized rats, iii) magnesium treated controls and iv) axotomized and Mg(2+)-treated rats. RESULTS: Axotomy resulted in 20% MU survival in EDL and 50% in soleus. In contrast, magnesium treatment resulted in a significant motor unit survival (40% survival in EDL and 80% in soleus). The neuroprotective effects of Mg(2+ )were evident immediately after the Mg(2+)-treatment. Immature EDL and soleus muscles were slow and fatigueable. Soleus gradually became fatigue resistant, whereas, after axotomy, soleus remained fatigueable up to adulthood. EDL gradually became fastcontracting. Tetanic contraction in axotomized EDL was just 3,3% of the control side, compared to 15,2% in Mg(2+)-treated adult rats. The same parameter for axotomized soleus was 12% compared to 97% in Mg(2+)-treated adult rats. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that motoneuron death occurs mostly within two weeks of axotomy. Magnesium administration rescues motoneurons and increases the number of motor units surviving into adulthood. Fast and slow muscles respond differently to axotomy and to subsequent Mg(2+ )treatment in vivo
Purinergic signalling and immune cells
This review article provides a historical perspective on the role of purinergic signalling in the regulation of various subsets of immune cells from early discoveries to current understanding. It is now recognised that adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) and other nucleotides are released from cells following stress or injury. They can act on virtually all subsets of immune cells through a spectrum of P2X ligand-gated ion channels and G protein-coupled P2Y receptors. Furthermore, ATP is rapidly degraded into adenosine by ectonucleotidases such as CD39 and CD73, and adenosine exerts additional regulatory effects through its own receptors. The resulting effect ranges from stimulation to tolerance depending on the amount and time courses of nucleotides released, and the balance between ATP and adenosine. This review identifies the various receptors involved in the different subsets of immune cells and their effects on the function of these cells
The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2
Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age 6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score 652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701
Hyperemesis gravidarum and pregnancy outcomes in the Norwegian mother and child cohort – a cohort study
Chemoradiation therapy with S-1 for primary squamous cell carcinoma of the rectum: report of three cases
Does Cannabis Composition Matter? Differential Effects of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol on Human Cognition
- …