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Ethnobotanical uses of medicinal plants for respiratory disorders among the inhabitants of Gallies - Abbottabad, Northern Pakistan

Kayani S, Ahmad M, Zafar M, Sultana S, Khan MP, Ashraf MA, et al.

J Ethnopharmacol, 2014 Oct 28;156:47-60.
PMID: 25153021 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2014.08.005

Rich accessibility of medicinal plants in the study area provides low cost health care for respiratory disorders to local communities. This first report survey was commenced with an aim to document ethnic knowledge regarding the use of folk herbal medicine for respiratory diseases among the local communities of Gallies Abbottabad, Northern Pakistan using quantitative ethnobotanical approaches.
Fulltext Computer aided screening of secreted frizzled-related protein 4 (SFRP4): a potential control for diabetes mellitus

Bukhari SA, Shamshari WA, Ur-Rahman M, Zia-Ul-Haq M, Jaafar HZ

Molecules, 2014 Jul 11;19(7):10129-36.
PMID: 25019556 DOI: 10.3390/molecules190710129

Diabetes mellitus is a life threatening disease and scientists are doing their best to find a cost effective and permanent treatment of this malady. The recent trend is to control the disease by target base inhibiting of enzymes or proteins. Secreted frizzled-related protein 4 (SFRP4) is found to cause five times more risk of diabetes when expressed above average levels. This study was therefore designed to analyze the SFRP4 and to find its potential inhibitors. SFRP4 was analyzed by bio-informatics tools of sequence tool and structure tool. A total of three potential inhibitors of SFRP4 were found, namely cyclothiazide, clopamide and perindopril. These inhibitors showed significant interactions with SFRP4 as compared to other inhibitors as well as control (acetohexamide). The findings suggest the possible treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2 by inhibiting the SFRP4 using the inhibitors cyclothiazide, clopamide and perindopril.
Community pharmacists' attitudes, perceptions, and barriers toward adverse drug reaction reporting in Malaysia: a quantitative insight

Elkalmi RM, Hassali MA, Ibrahim MI, Jamshed SQ, Al-Lela OQ

J Patient Saf, 2014 Jun;10(2):81-7.
PMID: 24618640 DOI: 10.1097/PTS.0000000000000051

This study was designed to explore awareness and attitudes of community pharmacists toward the national ADR reporting system activities in the northern states of Malaysia.
Fulltext Adverse drug reactions reporting : Knowledge and opinion of general public in Penang, Malaysia

Elkalmi R, Hassali MA, Al-Lela OQ, Jawad Awadh AI, Al-Shami AK, Jamshed SQ

J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2013 Jul;5(3):224-8.
PMID: 24082699 DOI: 10.4103/0975-7406.116824

The objective of this study was to explore the knowledge of the general population towards ADR and their reporting system.
Knowledge attitude and perception of dispensing doctors regarding generic medicines in Karachi, Pakistan: a qualitative study

Jamshed SQ, Hassali MA, Ibrahim MI, Babar ZU

J Pak Med Assoc, 2011 Jan;61(1):80-3.
PMID: 22368910
Consumers' views on generic medicines: a review of the literature

Hassali MA, Shafie AA, Jamshed S, Ibrahim MI, Awaisu A

Int J Pharm Pract, 2009 Apr;17(2):79-88.
PMID: 20214255

OBJECTIVES: To review the literature on consumers' knowledge, attitudes and opinions of the use of generic medicines.
METHOD: A narrative review of studies conducted from 1970 to 2008 on consumers perceptions and views towards generic medicines was performed. An extensive literature search was undertaken using indexing services available at the authors' institution library. The following keywords were used for the search: brand, generic, multisource, medications, medicines, drugs, pharmaceuticals and consumers, customers, and patients. Electronic databases searched were Medline, Inside Web, ISI Web of Knowledge, Science Direct, Springer Link, JSTOR, Proquest, Ebsco Host and Google Scholar. These electronic databases were searched for full text papers published in English from 1970 to October 2008.
KEY FINDINGS: Twenty studies were identified. Eleven were from the USA, four were from Europe, two were from Canada and one each was from Australia, Brazil and Malaysia. In general, consumers showed mixed reactions towards the use of generic medicines. This was evident from the divergence of views observed by country development level, consumers' socioeconomic characteristics, drug product characteristics, pharmaceutical reimbursement system, policy environment, contact with health care professionals, past experience with medications, and knowledge of the seriousness of a medical condition.
CONCLUSIONS: Patient confidence and knowledge pertaining to generic medicines use have increased over the past four decades, especially in developed countries. Mass educational efforts, financial incentives, and greater communication among patients and health care professionals were seen as major drivers to the uptake of generic medicines among consumers.
Fulltext Evaluation of Workload and its Impact on Satisfaction Among Pharmacy Academicians in Southern India

Ahmad A, Khan MU, Srikanth AB, Patel I, Nagappa AN, Jamshed SQ

J Clin Diagn Res, 2015 Jun;9(6):FC01-6.
PMID: 26266133 DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2015/12921.6023

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of workload among pharmacy academicians working in public and private sector universities in India. The study also aimed to assess the satisfaction of academicians towards their workload.
Fulltext Comparison of the knowledge, attitudes, and perception of barriers regarding adverse drug reaction reporting between pharmacy and medical students in Pakistan

Umair Khan M, Ahmad A, Ejaz A, Ata Rizvi S, Sardar A, Hussain K, et al.

J Educ Eval Health Prof, 2015;12:28.
PMID: 26072906 DOI: 10.3352/jeehp.2015.12.28

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to compare the knowledge and attitudes of pharmacy and medical students regarding adverse drug reactions (ADRs), as well as their perceptions of barriers to ADR reporting, in a Higher Education Commission-recognised Pakistani university.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among final-year pharmacy (n=91) and medical (n=108) students in Pakistan from June 1 to July 31, 2014. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The responses of pharmacy students were compared to those of medical students.
RESULTS: Pharmacy students had a significantly better knowledge of ADRs than medical students (mean±SD, 5.61±1.78 vs. 3.23±1.60; P<0.001). Gender showed a significant relationship to knowledge about ADRs, and male participants were apparently more knowledgeable than their female counterparts (P<0.001). The attitudes of pharmacy students regarding their capability to handle and report ADRs were significantly more positive than those of medical students (P<0.05). In comparison to pharmacy students, a lack of knowledge of where and how to report ADRs was the main barrier that medical students perceived to ADR reporting (P=0.001).
CONCLUSION: Final-year pharmacy students exhibited more knowledge about ADRs and showed more positive attitudes regarding their capacity to handle and report ADRs than final-year medical students.
KEYWORDS: Comparison; Medical; Pakistan; Pharmacovigilance; Pharmacy; Students
Fulltext The Development and Assessment of Modified Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence Scale among Malaysian Single Electronic Cigarette Users

Rahman AU, Mohamed MHN, Jamshed S, Mahmood S, Iftikhar Baig MA

J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2020 Nov;12(Suppl 2):S671-S675.
PMID: 33828359 DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.JPBS_245_19

Background: The Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence (FTND) is the most widely used scale for assessing nicotine dependence on conventional tobacco cigarettes (TCGs). But the FTND does not evaluate the subject's nicotine dependence to electronic cigarette (EC).
Objective: The aim of this study was to develop and assess an equivalent modified FTND scale that measures the nicotine dependency via EC.
Materials and Methods: The investigator developed the equivalent modified FTND scale that scores identical to the original scale, that is, 0-10. The developed scale piloted among 15 EC single users, that is, use only EC verified by carbon monoxide (CO) level of <8ppm. The assessment of the scale was done among 69 EC single users and observed for 1 year to determine their nicotine status.
Results: The modified scale revealed an acceptable Cronbach α value of 0.725. Further test-retest reliability of the scale showed a satisfactory Spearman's rank correlation coefficient value of 0.730 (P > 0.05). A 1-year observation showed that of 69 single users, 11 single users completely stopped nicotine intake, 24 remained as EC single users, 15 shifted to dual-use, and 19 relapsed to TCG. Surprisingly, the EC users who completely stopped nicotine intake after 1 year had a low average nicotine dependence value of 3 that was measured by the modified FTND scale at the baseline.
Conclusion: The modified FTND scale precisely identifies the physical dependence to nicotine via EC. Therefore, as per this study results the modified FTND scale can be applied in any EC-related studies to assess nicotine dependency via EC.
Fulltext Scale validation for the identification of falsified hand sanitizer: public and regulatory authorities perspectives from United Arab Emirates

Jairoun AA, Al-Hemyari SS, Shahwan M, El-Dahiyat F, Jamshed S

BMC Public Health, 2020 Oct 22;20(1):1595.
PMID: 33092568 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-09707-0

BACKGROUND: Since the time of declaration of global pandemic of COVID-19 by World Health Organization (WHO), falsified hand sanitizers surfaced regularly in markets, posing possible harm to public due to unlisted inclusion of methanol. The current research is an attempt to develop and validate a tool to document falsified hand sanitizer in the UAE community.
METHOD: A descriptive cross-sectional community-based study was conducted among 1280 randomly selected participants. Respondents were sent a web-based electronic link to the survey via email. Content validity, factor analyses and known group validity were used to develop and validate a new scale to identify falsified hand sanitizer. Test-retest reliability, internal consistency, item internal consistency (IIC), and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to assess the reliability of the scale. SPSS version 24 was used to conduct data analysis.
RESULTS: A total of 1280 participants were enrolled in the study. The content validity index (CVI) was 0.83 with the final scale of 12 items. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) value was 0.788, with the Bartlett test of sphericity achieving statistical significance (p
Fulltext Impact of Multifaceted Workplace Bullying on the Relationships between Technology Usage, Organisational Climate and Employee Physical and Emotional Health

Iftikhar M, Qureshi MI, Qayyum S, Fatima I, Sriyanto S, Indrianti Y, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2021 03 19;18(6).
PMID: 33808837 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18063207

This research article investigates the effect of organisational climate and technology usage on employees' physiological and emotional health damage resulting from face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying at the workplace. Furthermore, we investigated emotional intelligence as a coping strategy to moderate employee physiological and emotional health damage. The research used a quantitative research design. A five-point Likert-scale questionnaire was used to collect data from a multistage sample of 500 officials from Pakistan's four service sectors. Results revealed that organisational climate and technology usage are negatively related to face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying at the workplace. At the same time, workplace bullying adversely affects an employee's emotional and physiological health. However, emotional intelligence can reduce an employee's emotional health damage due to workplace bullying. Thus, we suggest incorporating emotional intelligence training at the workplace to minimise the devastating effects of face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying on employees' physical and emotional health.
Fulltext Public Awareness of and Action towards Heart Attack Symptoms: An Exploratory Study

Abdo Ahmed AA, Mohammed Al-Shami A, Jamshed S, Fata Nahas AR, Mohamed Ibrahim MI

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 12 02;17(23).
PMID: 33276636 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17238982

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is still the leading cause of mortality worldwide, and Malaysia is not an exception in this regard. The current research is an attempt to explore symptom awareness of and necessary actions in response to heart attack (HA) among lay public.
METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study design, and a survey was conducted from May to July 2018 among general public in Kuantan, Pahang state, Malaysia.
RESULTS: A total of 393 respondents recruited. Slightly more than one-fourth of the respondents (26.35%) were aware of HA symptoms like pain and/or discomfort in the jaw, neck, or back, while 71.65% showed awareness only of chest pain or discomfort as symptoms. Only 35.6% reported to call an ambulance if they experience someone suffering from HA symptoms, while 82% recognized ≥1 symptom, and only 11.5% recognized all five HA symptoms. Very few respondents, i.e., 1.3% reported awareness about correct recognition of all five HA symptoms. Respondents who had diabetes and hypercholesteremia were more likely to recognize all five HA symptoms. For those who had excellent awareness of all five HA symptoms, the odds ratio (OR) were significantly higher among single respondents (OR 0.023; 95% CI 0.001-0.594), Malay (OR 0.376; 95% CI 0.193-0.733), and those who received information associated with HA (OR 7.540; 95% CI 2.037-27.914). However, those who were aware that HA requires quick treatment had significantly low odds ratio (OR 0.176; 95% CI 0.044-0.710).
CONCLUSIONS: The awareness of and action towards the signs and symptoms of HA among the public were poor.
Low serum albumin concentration predicts the need for surgical intervention in neonates with necrotizing enterocolitis

Sharif SP, Friedmacher F, Amin A, Zaki RA, Hird MF, Khashu M, et al.

J Pediatr Surg, 2020 Dec;55(12):2625-2629.
PMID: 32771214 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2020.07.003

PURPOSE: To investigate whether serum albumin (SA) concentration can predict the need for surgical intervention in neonates with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).
METHODS: Retrospective review of all cases with NEC Bell's stage 2 and 3 that were treated in a single center between 2009 and 2015. Data on patient demographics, clinical parameters, laboratory findings and surgical status were recorded. Receiver operating characteristics analysis was used to evaluate optimal cutoffs and predictive values.
RESULTS: Overall, 151 neonates with NEC were identified. Of these, 132 (87.4%) had confirmed NEC Bell's stage 2. The median gestational age was 28.4 (range, 23.1-39.0) weeks and 69 (52.3%) had a birth weight of ≤1000 g. Sixty-eight (51.5%) underwent surgery, showing a sustained reduction in SA over time with significantly lower median SA levels compared to 64 (48.5%) cases that responded well to medical treatment (18.3 ± 3.7 g/L vs. 26.0 ± 2.0 g/L; P 
Resource recovery from industrial effluents through the cultivation of microalgae: A review

Ali S, Paul Peter A, Chew KW, Munawaroh HSH, Show PL

Bioresour Technol, 2021 Jun 26;337:125461.
PMID: 34198241 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125461

Industrial effluents such as pharmaceutical residues, pesticides, dyes, and metal processes holds abundant value-added products (VAPs), where its recovery has become essential. The purpose of such recovery is for sustainable treatment, which is an approach that considers the economic, social, and environmental aspects. Microalgae with its potential in the recovery process from effluents, can reduce energy usage of waste management strategies and regenerate nutrients such as carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen. Microalgae cultures offer the use of inorganic materials by microalgae for their growth and the help of bacteria to produce biomass, thus, resulting in the absence of secondary emissions due to its ability to eliminate volatile organic compounds. Moreover, recovered bioactive compounds are transformed into bioethanol, bio-fertilizers, biopolymer, health supplements and animal feed. Therefore, it is significant to focus on an economical and efficient utilization of microalgae in recovering nutrients that can be further used in various commercial applications.
Fulltext Cost-effective Analysis of Proton Pump Inhibitors in Long-term Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: A Narrative Review

Jamshed S, Bhagavathula AS, Zeeshan Qadar SM, Alauddin U, Shamim S, Hasan S

Hosp Pharm, 2020 Oct;55(5):292-305.
PMID: 32999499 DOI: 10.1177/0018578719893378

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common gastrointestinal disorder that results from regurgitation of acid from the stomach into the esophagus. Treatment available for GERD includes lifestyle changes, antacids, histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs), proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), and anti-reflux surgery. Aim: The aim of this review is to assess the cost-effectiveness of the use of PPIs in the long-term management of patients with GERD. Method: We searched in PubMed to identify related original articles with close consideration based on inclusion and exclusion criteria to choose the best studies for this narrative review. The first section compares the cost-effectiveness of PPIs with H2RAs in long-term heartburn management. The other sections shall only discuss the cost-effectiveness of PPIs in 5 different strategies, namely, continuous (step-up, step-down, and maintenance), on-demand, and intermittent therapies. Results: Of 55 articles published, 10 studies published from 2000 to 2015 were included. Overall, PPIs are more effective in relieving heartburn in comparison with ranitidine. The use of PPIs in managing heartburn in long-term consumption of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) has higher cost compared with H2RA. However, if the decision-maker is willing to pay more than US$174 788.60 per extra quality-adjusted life year (QALY), then the optimal strategy is traditional NSAID (tNSAID) and PPIs. The probability of being cost-effective was also highest for NSAID and PPI co-therapy users. On-demand PPI treatment strategy showed dominant with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of US$2197 per QALY gained and was most effective and cost saving compared with all the other treatments. The average cost-effectiveness ratio was lower for rabeprazole therapy than for ranitidine therapy. Conclusion: Our review revealed that long-term treatment with PPIs is effective but costly. To achieve long-term cost-effective approach, we recommend on-demand approach to treat heartburn symptoms, but if the symptoms persist, treatment with continuous step-down therapy should be applied.
Fulltext Are healthcare workers ready for Ebola? An assessment of their knowledge and attitude in a referral hospital in South India

Ahmad A, Khan MU, Jamshed SQ, Kumar BD, Kumar GS, Reddy PG, et al.

J Infect Dev Ctries, 2016 Aug 02;10(7):747-54.
PMID: 27482807 DOI: 10.3855/jidc.7578

INTRODUCTION: The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic to be a public health emergency of international concern. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at the highest risk of infection, as they may come into contact with patients' blood or fluids. This study was conducted to assess knowledge and attitudes of HCWs towards EVD in India.
METHODOLOGY: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in a multispecialty public sector referral hospital of Telangana, India. Knowledge and attitude of HCWs were evaluated using a pre-validated questionnaire. A sample of 278 participants was selected to participate in this study. The Chi-squared test was used to assess the relationship between attitudes and demographic characteristics. Logistic regression was used examine the association between knowledge and study variables.
RESULTS: Of 257 participants who responded (92.4% response rate), 157 (61.1%) were females. The majority of the respondents were physicians (n = 117, 45.5%). Radio and television were the major sources of information about EVD reported by participants (89%). Overall knowledge of HCWs was poor (mean knowledge score: 6.57 ± 2.57). Knowledge of physicians and experienced workers (≥ 10 years) was significantly higher than their respective groups. The overall attitude of the participants was positive (mean attitude score: 1.62 ± 0.57). Significant positive correlations between knowledge and attitude were observed.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that participants lack basic understanding of EVD. We recommend future studies be conducted across India to identify and subsequently bridge the knowledge gaps among HCWs.
Fulltext The enlightenment from Malaysian consumers' perspective toward cosmetic products

Ayob A, Awadh AI, Jafri J, Jamshed S, Ahmad HM, Hadi H

J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2016 Jul-Sep;8(3):229-34.
PMID: 27413352 DOI: 10.4103/0975-7406.174232

Variety of cosmetic products was used in our daily life, yet the amount and types of the cosmetic products used by the consumers were varied, which may be due to the different perspectives held by each of the consumers.
Fulltext Self-medication practices among female students of higher educational institutions in Selangor, Malaysia: A quantitative insight

Jamshed SQ, Wong PS, Yi HC, Yun GS, Khan MU, Ahmad A

J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2016 Jul-Sep;8(3):217-22.
PMID: 27413350 DOI: 10.4103/0975-7406.172662

World Health Organization has defined self-medication as the selection and use of medications (including herbal and traditional product) by individuals to treat self-recognized illnesses or symptoms. The prevalence of self-medication is reported to be higher among female students.
Fulltext Investigating knowledge regarding antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance among pharmacy students in Sri Lankan universities

Sakeena MHF, Bennett AA, Jamshed S, Mohamed F, Herath DR, Gawarammana I, et al.

BMC Infect Dis, 2018 05 08;18(1):209.
PMID: 29739360 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-018-3107-8

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major challenge for global health care. Pharmacists play a key role in the health care setting to help support the quality use of medicines. The education, training, and experiences of pharmacy students have the potential to impact on patterns of antibiotic use in community and hospital settings. The aim of this study was to investigate antibiotic use, knowledge of antibiotics and AMR among undergraduate pharmacy students at Sri Lankan universities and to compare this between junior and senior pharmacy student groups.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the six universities in Sri Lanka that offer pharmacy undergraduate programmes. All pharmacy students in each university were invited to participate in this study using a self-administered questionnaire with ethics approval. The study instrument comprised five major sections: demographic information, self-reported antibiotic use, knowledge of antibiotic uses in human health, knowledge of AMR and antibiotic use in agriculture. Descriptive data analyses were conducted and Chi-squared analysis was used to explore associations between different variables and level of pharmacy education.
RESULTS: Four hundred sixty-six pharmacy students completed the questionnaire. A majority of participants (76%) reported antibiotic use in the past year. More than half (57%) of the junior pharmacy students incorrectly indicated that antibiotic use is appropriate for the management of cold and flu conditions. Senior pharmacy students (n = 206) reported significantly better antibiotic knowledge than junior students (n = 260), p
Fulltext Evaluation of Therapeutic Effectiveness of Prescribed Medications in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Findings from a Tertiary Care Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan

Rana B, Bukhsh A, Khan TM, Sarwar A, Omer MO, Jamshed SQ

J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2017 Apr-Jun;9(2):121-125.
PMID: 28717335 DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.JPBS_29_17

AIM: The present study was aimed to highlight the current prescribing pattern of oral hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus and to evaluate the therapeutic effectiveness of these therapeutic categories in achieving target glycemic control.

METHODS: This is a prospective, cross-sectional, observational study of 6 months' duration conducted in a tertiary care hospital of Lahore, Pakistan.

RESULTS: The current research recruited 145 patients presented in diabetes management center of a tertiary care hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. Mean age of the participants was 50.2 (± 8.5) years. Out of the 145 patients, 63% were females and 37% were males. Most patients were diagnosed to have diabetes within the past 5 years. Diabetes-induced neuropathy was the most common complication (71.7%) among the patients. A large proportion of these patients (70.3%) were also suffering from other comorbidities among which the most common one is hypertension. The average number of prescribed medications was 1.31. Metformin was prescribed to a majority of patients (64%) as monotherapy while 28.96% received combination therapy. Mean glycated hemoglobin (HBA1c) before and after 3 months of treatment was 8.5 (± 2.3) and 8.04 (± 2.1), respectively. Inferential statistics show a strong association between HBA1c and life style modifications and adherence to medication therapy (P = 0.05). However, the correlation between HBA1c and Morisky score and duration of disease was inverse and weak (P = 0.6, 0.4). The t-test values show a small difference between HBA1c values before and after 3 months (t = 0.440 and 0.466, respectively).

CONCLUSION: Optimization of medication regimen and continuous patient education regarding life style modification and adherence to medication therapy are necessitated to bring HBA1c values near to target.

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