Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
M. Kamal, W. A. Negm, A. M. Abdelkader, A. A. Alshehri, G. El-Saber Batiha, H. Osama
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the use of the most common over the counter (OTC) medications and their effects on patients. The results showed that the most commonly used OTC drugs by the participants in the study were paracetamol, followed by ibuprofen. The gender of the patients was significantly related to the use of OTC drugs and patient counseling by the pharmacist.
EUROPEAN REVIEW FOR MEDICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Amanda G. Lovell, Bridget McCrate Protus, Julia R. Dickman, Maureen L. Saphire
Summary: The study shows that many crushed over-the-counter medications have poor palatability, and pharmacists' opinions on crushing medications changed after the experiment.
JOURNAL OF PAIN AND SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Sineenart Chautrakarn, Waraporn Khumros, Phanupong Phutrakool
Summary: Self-medication with OTC medicines is popular among the working-age population in metropolitan areas of Thailand, with a high prevalence rate. The most commonly used drug groups are NSAIDs and antibiotics. Reasons for self-medication include minor illnesses and easy access to pharmacies. While only a small percentage experienced adverse drug reactions, some had severe symptoms that disrupted their daily lives or required hospitalization. Participants also had misunderstandings regarding some antibiotic drug concepts. Recommendations include providing more information about risks of self-medication, drug adverse reactions, antibiotic stewardship, supervision of OTC drugs, and adequate facilities for medical services at the policy level.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Joanna Harnett, Erica McIntyre, Jon Adams, Tamia Addison, Holly Bannerman, Lucy Egelton, Jessica Ma, Leon Zabakly, Amie Steel
Summary: This study found that nearly half of Australians use complementary medicine (CM) products, with half of them frequently or always using CM products on the same day as prescription medications. Older individuals, those with lower education levels, and those with chronic illnesses are more likely to concurrently use CM products and other medications. Overall, the prevalence and characteristics of CM use in the Australian population are similar to data collected five years ago. This study highlights the need for further research to ensure appropriate and safe use of CM products among older and more vulnerable populations.
Article
Pediatrics
Laurie Seidel Halmo, George Sam Wang, Kate M. Reynolds, Heather Delva-Clark, Malin Rapp-Olsson, William Banner, G. Randall Bond, Ralph E. Kauffman, Robert B. Palmer, Ian M. Paul, Jody L. Green, Richard C. Dart
Summary: The study found that pediatric fatalities associated with over-the-counter cough and cold medications primarily occurred in young children after deliberate medication administration with nontherapeutic intent by a caregiver.
Review
Otorhinolaryngology
Edward D. McCoul
Summary: Numerous OTC sinonasal remedies have limitations in effectiveness and safety, compared to alternative drugs. Clinicians should encourage patients to use alternatives like intranasal corticosteroids and newer-generation antihistamines, while discouraging unsupervised use of decongestants. Dialogue between healthcare providers and patients about OTC sinonasal remedies can optimize individual health and healthcare delivery.
OTOLARYNGOLOGY-HEAD AND NECK SURGERY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Nina -Kristin Mann, Tim Mathes, Andreas Sonnichsen, Dawid Pieper, Elisabeth Klager, Mahmoud Moussa, Petra A. Thurmann
Summary: The PRISCUS list, published in 2010, is a catalogue of potentially inadequate medication (PIM) for the elderly in the German drug market. In a three-round Delphi process, experts evaluated and expanded the list to include 187 substances. The new PRISCUS list should now be validated and its feasibility in routine use verified.
DEUTSCHES ARZTEBLATT INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Brian E. Lacy, Elizabeth P. Shea, Machelle Manuel, Jessica L. Abel, Hancheng Jiang, Douglas C. A. Taylor
Summary: The study found that a high proportion of CIC patients, mainly female and white, have used at least one OTC medication with bisacodyl and polyethylene glycol being the most commonly used. Most patients stopped using OTC medications due to insufficient symptom relief. Many patients reported little to no satisfaction with the effects of OTC medications on their constipation and CIC-specific abdominal symptoms.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Yen-Ming Huang, Yao-Hsing Wang, Hsun-Yu Chan, Ling-Jie Chen, Ling-Ling Hsieh, Ping-Ing Lee, Yunn-Fang Ho
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of tailored counseling by pharmacists on consumers' understanding of over-the-counter medication use. The results showed that the SAIDS counseling approach improved consumers' understanding of potential side effects and coping strategies.
PATIENT EDUCATION AND COUNSELING
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
M. S. Gulwako, J. M. Mokoele, Y. B. Ngoshe, V. Naidoo
Summary: South Africa has two types of animal farming systems, commercial industry and subsistence farming in more rural areas. The lack of veterinary services led to the use of over the counter medications by farmers. The study found a lack of proper training among rural-based farmers and highlights the importance of farmer training.
BMC VETERINARY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Stefania Chiappini, Franca Ceci, Alessio Mosca, Francesco Di Carlo, Julius Burkauskas, Mauro Pettorruso, Giovanni Martinotti, Amira Guirguis, John M. M. Corkery, Norbert Scherbaum, Fabrizio Schifano, Massimo Di Giannantonio
Summary: This study aimed to explore the consumption and misuse of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines in Italy and identify the characteristics of individuals involved in this phenomenon, as well as potential risk factors. It was found that OTC misuse was associated with knowledge of the effects of OTC, while educational level appeared to be a protective factor. Therefore, increased attention and preventive strategies are needed to address OTC misuse.
CURRENT NEUROPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Arash Nemat, Khalid Jan Rezayee, Mohammad Yasir Essar, Wafaa Binti Mowlabaccus, Shoaib Ahmad, Mohammad Yousuf Mubarak
Summary: Self-medication with over-the-counter medications is a prevalent issue in Afghanistan due to poverty, illiteracy, and limited access to healthcare facilities. An online survey was conducted to understand this problem, and the results showed that cost, convenience, and perceived effectiveness were the main reasons for choosing over-the-counter medications. The study highlights the need for greater education and awareness about the appropriate use of over-the-counter medications in Kabul, Afghanistan.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Guyue Tang, Kairi Izumi, Megumi Izumisawa, Shinichi Koyama
Summary: Designing an OTC-EHR can improve OTC usage. A survey examined participant characteristics, attitudes towards obtaining user-shared OTC medication information, health-related application usage, and inclination to share anonymized health information. The findings showed that Japanese consumers with high eHealth literacy and women had more positive attitudes towards obtaining user-shared OTC medication information. Most consumers owned smartphones but did not use health-related applications. The perceived helpfulness of OTC-EHR was associated with health-related application usage and attitude towards sharing anonymized health information.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Christine Leong, Kaarina Kowalec, Sherif Eltonsy, James M. Bolton, Murray W. Enns, Qier Tan, Marina Yogendran, Dan Chateau, Joseph A. Delaney, Jitender Sareen, Jamison Falk, Rae Spiwak, Sarvesh Logsetty, Silvia Alessi-Severini
Summary: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a decrease in new prescriptions for antidepressants and anxiolytics after the implementation of restrictions. However, at the end of 2020, there was an increase in the new use of antidepressants and antipsychotics, particularly in females and individuals aged 40 years and older.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Akihiro Shiina, Tomihisa Niitsu, Masaomi Iyo
Summary: The use of OTC drugs for psychiatric conditions remains controversial. In a survey conducted in Japan, it was found that the need for self-medication of psychiatric symptoms appears to be limited, with some participants holding a relatively positive opinion regarding the use of OTC psychiatric drugs.
Article
Health Policy & Services
Agnes Vitry, Barbara Mintzes
Summary: The French bulletin Prescrire annually publishes a list of drugs to avoid, which was assessed in terms of approval, reimbursement, and usage in Australia. Results showed that 16 harmful drugs included in the list were being substantially used in Australia, prompting a need for regulatory and reimbursement agencies to review the status of these drugs.
JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL POLICY AND PRACTICE
(2021)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Renly Lim, Lisa M. Kalisch Ellett, Susan Semple, Elizabeth E. Roughead
Summary: Medication-related problems often lead to patient harm. This paper reviews the Australian literature to determine the incidence, severity, and preventability of medication-related hospital admissions. The study estimates that at least 250,000 hospital admissions annually in Australia are medication related, with a cost of AUD$1.4 billion to the healthcare system. Two-thirds of these admissions are potentially preventable.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Pin Li, Wern Chern Chai, Zhan-Yi Wang, Kai-Jun Tang, Jin-Yao Chen, Henrietta Venter, Susan J. Semple, Lan Xiang
Summary: Bioactivity-guided fractionation of Sophora flavescens extract led to the isolation of two new compounds and 18 known flavonoids, among which 4 compounds exhibited modest antibacterial activity against Acinetobacter baumannii.
NATURAL PRODUCT RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Emilie Kold Bredahl, Louise Kjaerulff, Chi Ndi, Susan Semple, Bevan Buirchell, Birger Lindberg Moller, Dan Staerk
Summary: This study investigated the crude extract of Eremophila spathulata leaves using different scales of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and hyphenated HPLC-photodiode array-high-resolution mass spectrometry-nuclear magnetic resonance (HPLC-PDA-HRMS-SPE-NMR), and discovered seven previously unreported caryophyllane sesquiterpenoids.
PHYTOCHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Daniel G. Coro, Amanda D. Hutchinson, Kathryn A. Dyer, Siobhan Banks, Bogda Koczwara, Nadia Corsini, Agnes Vitry, Alison M. Coates
Summary: This study explored the relationship between diet and cognition in cancer survivors using online data collection. The results showed that fruit, vegetable, and omega-3 intake were not significant predictors of cognition in this sample, while age, BMI, and length of treatment had some predictive effects on cognitive outcomes. The study demonstrated the feasibility of online data collection methods.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Malene J. Petersen, Chao Liang, Louise Kjaerulff, Chi Ndi, Susan Semple, Bevan Buirchell, Sonia Coriani, Birger Lindberg Moller, Dan Staerk
Summary: Eremophila, a genus of Australian desert plants, has traditionally been used by Australian Aboriginal people for medicinal purposes. Extracts from Eremophila glabra showed inhibitory activity against alpha-glucosidase and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B. The study identified new serrulatane diterpenoids and confirmed the presence of previously known compounds, some of which exhibited PTP1B inhibitory activities.
Article
Plant Sciences
Susan J. Semple, Dan Staerk, Bevan J. Buirchell, Rachael M. Fowler, Oliver Gericke, Louise Kjaerulff, Yong Zhao, Hans Albert Pedersen, Malene J. Petersen, Line Fentz Rasmussen, Emilie Kold Bredahl, Gustav Blichfeldt Pedersen, Laura Mikel McNair, Chi P. Ndi, Nikolaj Lervad Hansen, Allison M. Heskes, Michael J. Bayly, Claus J. Loland, Nanna Heinz, Birger Lindberg Moller
Summary: In this study, we used DNA sequencing, chemical profiling, and molecular networking analyses to investigate the Eremophila genus and discovered new natural products and their bioactivities. Despite our intention to share the benefits with Australia's First Peoples according to the Nagoya Protocol, we encountered difficulties and conflicts in practice.
Article
Oncology
Kazzem Gheybi, Elizabeth Buckley, Agnes Vitry, David Roder
Summary: Comorbidity is prevalent in colorectal cancer cases in South Australia, especially in older individuals. The association between comorbidity and age, stage, and age at diagnosis varies depending on the specific comorbid conditions.
CANCER EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Line Fentz Rasmussen, Jennifer Anton, Louise Kjaerulff, Yong Zhao, Susan J. Semple, Ndi Chi, Bevan Buirchell, Birger Lindberg Moller, Dan Staerk
Summary: This study investigated the root bark extract of the plant Eremophila longifolia and identified 12 previously unreported serrulatane diterpenoids. The structures of these compounds were determined through analysis techniques and NMR analysis. The study also found that some of these compounds exhibited weak inhibitory activity against targets important for managing type 2 diabetes.
Article
Microbiology
Wern Chern Chai, Jonathan J. Whittall, Steven W. Polyak, Klyie Foo, Xin Li, Cameron J. Dutschke, Abiodun D. Ogunniyi, Shutao Ma, Matthew J. Sykes, Susan J. Semple, Henrietta Venter
Summary: Acinetobacter baumannii is a highly drug-resistant pathogen and treatment options for infections caused by this pathogen are limited. This study discovered that cinnamaldehyde analogs have potent antimicrobial activity against A. baumannii and can inhibit its cell division. The safety of these compounds was also assessed through in vitro and in vivo experiments.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yong Zhao, Oliver Gericke, Tuo Li, Louise Kjaerulff, Kenneth T. Kongstad, Allison Maree Heskes, Birger Lindberg Moller, Flemming Steen Jorgensen, Henrietta Venter, Sonia Coriani, Susan J. Semple, Dan Staerk
Summary: The development of sustainable and safe drugs to combat emerging health pandemics requires new analytical technologies to explore the unique chemical properties in Nature. In this study, a new analytical technology called polypharmacology-labeled molecular networking (PLMN) was introduced, which combined positive and negative ionization tandem mass spectrometry with polypharmacological high-resolution inhibition profiling data. By applying PLMN analysis to the crude extract of Eremophila rugosa, the antihyperglycemic and antibacterial constituents were identified, revealing their activity in different assays. Furthermore, 27 new non canonical nerylneryl diphosphate-derived diterpenoids were discovered, with serrulatane ferulate esters showing potential antihyperglycemic and antibacterial activities, including synergy with oxacillin in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains and saddle-shaped binding to the active site of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B. PLMN holds promise for polypharmacological natural-products-based drug discovery.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Ting Guo, Yang Chen, Weijin Chen, Susan J. Semple, Xiaotong Gu, Steven W. Polyak, Guanglin Sun, Henrietta Venter, Shutao Ma
Summary: A series of novel benzo[h]chromene compounds were designed and synthesized as AcrB inhibitors, and their antibiotic-potentiating effects, Nile Red efflux inhibition, outer and inner bacterial membrane activity, and toxicity were evaluated. Six compounds were identified to significantly reduce the MIC values of tested antibiotics and inhibit Nile Red efflux. The 4-methoxyphenoxy)propoxy derivative compound G6 showed the strongest antibacterial potentiation with erythromycin, while H6, G6, G10, and G11 completely abolished Nile Red efflux. The 3,4-dihydro-2H-benzo[h]chromen-5-yl)(mor-pholino)methanone core is a promising chemical skeleton for further study as potential AcrB inhibitors.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Kazzem Gheybi, Elizabeth Buckley, Agnes Vitry, David Roder
Summary: This study found that older age is associated with decreased likelihood of colorectal cancer treatment. Comorbidities also have a role in reducing treatment rates. Different comorbidity types have different effects on treatment modalities.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Kazzem Gheybi, Elizabeth Buckley, Agnes Vitry, David Roder
Summary: This study explores the association between age and mortality risk in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. The results indicate that younger age and lower comorbidity are associated with lower all-cause and CRC-specific mortality. Age has a stronger association with mortality in early-stage CRC and rectal cancer compared to advanced-stage CRC and right colon cancer. Only a limited number of comorbidities are associated with CRC-specific mortality. These findings highlight the need for greater attention to factors that contribute to poor prognosis in older individuals.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Lily A. Pisoni, Susan J. Semple, Sida Liu, Matthew J. Sykes, Henrietta Venter
Summary: The inhibition of efflux pumps is a promising approach to combating multidrug-resistant bacteria. We have developed a combined structure- and ligand-based model, using OpenEye software, for the identification of inhibitors of AcrB, the inner membrane protein component of the AcrAB-TolC efflux pump in Escherichia coli.
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
