METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated self-administered questionnaire. A convenience sample of 147 community pharmacists working in community pharmacies in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
RESULTS: The questionnaire was distributed to 147 pharmacists, of whom 104 responded to the survey, a 70.7% response rate. The mean age of participants was 29 years. The majority (n = 101, 98.1%) had graduated with a bachelorette degree and worked in chain pharmacies (n = 68, 66.7%). Only 23 (22.1%) said they were familiar with the ADR reporting process, and only 21 (20.2%) knew that pharmacists can submit ADR reports online. The majority of the participants (n = 90, 86.5%) had never reported ADRs. Reasons for not reporting ADRs most importantly included lack of awareness about the method of reporting (n = 22, 45.9%), misconception that reporting ADRs is the duty of physician and hospital pharmacist (n = 8, 16.6%) and ADRs in community pharmacies are simple and should not be reported (n = 8, 16.6%). The most common approach perceived by community pharmacists for managing patients suffering from ADRs was to refer him/her to a physician (n = 80, 76.9%).
CONCLUSION: The majority of community pharmacists in Riyadh have poor knowledge of the ADR reporting process. Pharmacovigilance authorities should take necessary steps to urgently design interventional programs in order to increase the knowledge and awareness of pharmacists regarding the ADR reporting process.
Methods: HRQoL among patients on warfarin was measured using WHOQOL-BREF (World Health Organization Quality of life Assessment: Brief Version). Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.
Results: Out of 319 patients, more female patients were observed than the males (n = 221, 69.3%, and n = 98, 30.7% respectively). Mean scores for the physical (61.14 ± 15.96), psychological (68.58 ± 16.11), social (63.55 ± 27.06) and environmental domains (62.78 ± 17.58) were observed. Statistically, a significant association was found between the comorbidities other than CVDs with health satisfaction (p = 0.002), physical (p = 0.001), psychological (p
Methods: Wistar rats were fed with HF diet for eight weeks. These rats were also treated with resveratrol for eight weeks. Finally, kidney tissue samples were isolated from all sacrificed rats. The histological changes, creatinine and uric acid levels, oxidative stress parameters such as malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide, and advanced oxidation protein product (AOPP) levels were analyzed. The antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels; gene expression of inflammatory and fibrosis-related genes namely, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-β1), and collagen-1 were assessed. Moreover, gene expression of oxidative stress-related genes such as nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2), SOD, catalase, and glutathione reductase, were also assessed.
Results: HF diet-fed rats showed increased creatinine and uric acid levels in plasma which were lowered by resveratrol treatment. The study findings also revealed that resveratrol counterbalanced the oxidative stress and prevented the expression of the inflammatory genes; restored the catalase and SOD activities followed by the up-regulation of antioxidant genes expression in the kidneys of HF diet-fed rats. HF diet caused the Nrf-2 down-regulation followed by the decreased expression of HO-1 and HO-2 genes, which was restored by resveratrol treatment. Moreover, the histological assessment showed lipotoxicity and increased fibrosis in the kidneys of HF diet-fed rats. Resveratrol prevented the kidney fibrosis probably by limiting oxidative stress, inflammation, and down-regulating TGF-β1 mediated signaling pathway.
Conclusion: In conclusion, resveratrol treatment showed beneficial effects in preventing oxidative stress and fibrosis in the kidneys of HF diet-fed rats probably by modulating the gene expression of oxidative stress and inflammation related factors and enzymes.
OBJECTIVE: This narrative review's objective was to explore the use of AOM in relation to their medical indications, efficacy, and cardiovascular safety.
METHODS AND MATERIALS: We have conducted a narrative review of the literature on approved/non-approved AOM used for obesity and overweight. We have shed light on the emerging trials of therapies and evolving remedies.
RESULTS: Recently, there has been an enormous change in the use of AOM with high consumption that deserves extensive surveillance for the long-term consequences and impact on social, mental, and physical health. Nearly six AOMs and combined therapy are approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The recent guidelines for obesity management have shifted the focus from weight loss to goals that the patient considers essential and toward targeting the root cause of obesity.
CONCLUSION: The use of AOM increased enormously despite its sometimes-dubious safety and ineffectiveness. The public and medical professionals should be vigilant to the real-world benefits of anti-obesity drugs and their achieved effectiveness with an improved safety profile.