Medicine is an essential need for many people to treat their illness. Creating awareness among general public regarding medicines use and common illnesses can promote healthy lifestyles among them. The objectives of this study are to determine public knowledge and perception of medicines use and; to explore the pattern of medicines used in the past 3 months. A cross‐sectional survey was carried out among the general public in Pulau Pinang. People who were using medications during the time of the survey or in the last 3 months were invited to participate in the study. Only Malaysians ≥18 years were selected by convenient sampling to participate in the survey. The results of this study showed that most of the respondents were using some sort of medications during the last 3 months. Around 30% did not read the label of the medicines before use. Furthermore, participants had low awareness towards some aspects of medicines use such as the name of generic and brand medicines, overuse of paracetamol or vitamins and their side effects, discontinuation of antibiotics, storing ointments and syrups in refrigerator, and the side effects of medicines registered in Malaysia. Efforts are still needed to increase the awareness of medicines use among the general public. More quantitative studies are needed to understand the factors that may influence public knowledge and perceptions on the use of medicines.
Background: Limited information exists regarding the pathophysiological interactions between osteoporosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Objective: To study the association of Osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-Β ligand (RANKL) in male COPD patients. Methods: An observational clinical study was conducted at Penang General Hospital in Malaysia. Participants were divided into three groups: COPD patients with osteoporosis, COPD patients without osteoporosis, and healthy participants of the same age groups. Serum OPG (sOPG) and RANKL (sRANKL) levels were investigated. Results: The mean age of COPD patients was 64.10 ± 10.04 years. COPD patients had lower body mass index (23.22 ± 6.43) than healthy participants (27.32 ± 6.80). The T-score was significantly lower among COPD patients than healthy participants (p = 0.018). The sOPG concentration among healthy participants was significantly higher (361.90 ± 29.10 pg/mL, p < 0.001) than in the other groups, while the sRANKL concentration was not significantly different. The serum OPG/RANKL concentration was markedly higher in the control group than in the COPD patient group (p < 0.05). The COPD patients with osteoporosis had significantly lower pulmonary parameters (forced expiratory volume in the first [FEV]1% and FEV1/[forced vital capacity] (FVC), p < 0.01) and more dyspnea (modified medical research council = 2.60 ± 0.78 versus 1.90 ± 0.70, p < 0.01) than did the patients without osteoporosis. Furthermore, patients with severe COPD had a 3 times greater risk of developing osteoporosis (OR = 2.997 [95% CI = 2.181, 4.118], p < 0.001), while spirometric parameters had a significant inverse relationship with osteoporosis (FEV1% OR = 0.970, [95% CI = 0.954, 0.986], p = 0.001; FEV1/FVC OR = 0.984, (95% CI = 0.970, 0.999], p = 0.035). Conclusion: The study concluded that COPD patients had lower sOPG levels, leading to decreased OPG/RANKL ratio and faster bone resorption. Low bone mineral density was associated with more severe COPD. (Rev Invest Clin. 2024;76(6):262-73).