Utilization patterns of drugs used in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a tertiary hospital

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease where there is a limitation of airflow that comes in and out of the lungs due to some abnormalities of the lung`s airway. COPD affects 10% of the global population and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The treatment aims to control the symptoms and achieve a good quality of life. The aim of this study is to identify the utilization patterns of different drugs used in the treatment of COPD in Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH). Methods: This was a retrospective study that included 170 patients who received treatment for COPD. Patients’ data and drugs’ data were collected through accessing the TrackCare system at SQUH. Results: The results show that 139 (81.8%) of patients were prescribed with muscarinic receptor antagonists followed by 131 (77.1%) patients who were prescribed with beta 2 receptor agonists. Salbutamol and tiotropium were the most specific drugs prescribed for 103 (60.6%) and 102 (60.0%) patients respectively. 24.7% of the patients received only one drug. There is evidence of a significant association between muscarinic receptor antagonist usage and gender. Conclusion: This study shows the utilization patterns of drugs that were used in the treatment of COPD in a tertiary hospital

Spectrophotometric Determination of Salbutamol Sulphate and Isoxsuprine Hydrochloride in Pharmaceutical Formulations

امكن تطوير طريقة يسيرة وحساسة لتقدير كبريتات السالبيوتامول وايزوكسوبرين هيدروكلوريد بشكلهما النقي وفي مستحضراتهما الصيدلانية, استندت الطريقة على مبدأ اكسدة المركبين الدوائيين بزيادة محسوبة من العامل المؤكسد N- بروموسكسينميد في وسط حامض الهيدروكلوريك وادخال غير المتفاعل من العامل المؤكسد في تفاعل اكسدة صبغة ايفانز الزرقاء المضافة بكمية ثابتة مؤديا الى قصر لونها الازرق وقياس المتبقي من الصبغة عند الطول الموجي 600 نانوميتر, اذ وجد ان امتصاص الصبغه المتبقية يزداد خطيا مع زيادة تركيز المركبين الدوائيين ضمن مدى التراكيز 1-12 و 1-11 مايكروغرام/مللتر بامتصاصية مولارية 4.21×410 و 2.58×410 لتر .مول-1.سم-1 لكل من كبريتات السالبيوتامول وايزوكسوبرين هيدروكلوريد على التوالي. طبقت الطريقة بنجاح على المستحضرات الصيدلانية للمركبين الدوائيين وكانت نتائجها متوافقة مع نتائج طريقة الاضافة القياسية مما يدل على ان الطريقة ذات دقة وصلاحية تطبيق تحليلي جيدة.A simple, sensitive and accurate spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of salbutamol sulphate (SAB) and isoxsuprine hydrochloride (ISX) in pure and pharmaceutical dosage. The method involved oxidation of (SAB) and (ISX) with a known excess of N-bromosuccinamid in acidic medium, and subsequent occupation of unreacted oxidant in decolorization of Evans blue dye (EB). This, in the presence of SAB or ISX was rectilinear over the ranges 1.0-12.0, 1.0-11.0 µg/mL, with molar absorptivity 4.21×104 and 2.58×104 l.mol-1.cm-1 respectively. The developed method had been successfully applied for the determination of the studied drugs in their pharmaceutical dosage resulting in a good agreement with certified value and standard addition procedure

Reported Barriers to Hepatitis C Treatment among Pregnant and Early-Parenting Mothers Undergoing Substance Use Disorder Treatment in One U.S. State

Nationwide, the prevalence of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) has risen in recent years. At least 90% of infected persons must be treated to achieve global elimination targets. The current study aimed to explore barriers to, and facilitators of, direct-acting antiviral (DAA) HCV treatment uptake amongst pregnant and early-parenting women undergoing comprehensive substance use treatment. Twenty participants with documented HCV antibody positivity were recruited from two substance use treatment centers in central Kentucky. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore knowledge about HCV, previous experiences, and intentions to seek care. Themes were extracted using an inductive analytical approach. Most participants were aware of the dangers posed by HCV infection. However, there was a high degree of misinformation about transmission mechanisms and treatment eligibility requirements. Low priority for HCV treatment also surfaced as a barrier to treatment uptake. Participants reported being unable to seek care due to time and resource limitations in the presence of a highly demanding treatment process. Findings from the current study suggest that more work is needed to eliminate residual barriers that limit access to HCV treatment among pregnant and early-parenting women in treatment for substance use disorder

Identification and Characterization of Novel Mutations in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) in Saudi Subjects by Whole-Exome Sequencing

Background: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a condition usually caused by a single gene mutation and manifested by both renal and extrarenal features, eventually leading to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) by the median age of 60 years worldwide. Approximately 89% of ADPKD patients had either PKD1 or PKD2 gene mutations. The majority (85%) of the mutations are in the PKD1 gene, especially in the context of family history. Objectives: This study investigated the genetic basis and the undiscovered genes that are involved in ADPKD development among the Saudi population. Materials and Methods: In this study, 11 patients with chronic kidney disease were enrolled. The diagnosis of ADPKD was based on history and diagnostic images: CT images include enlargement of renal outlines, renal echogenicity, and presence of multiple renal cysts with dilated collecting ducts, loss of corticomedullary differentiation, and changes in GFR and serum creatinine levels. Next-generation whole-exome sequencing was conducted using the Ion Torrent PGM platform. Results: Of the 11 Saudi patients diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and ADPKD, the most common heterozygote nonsynonymous variant in the PKD1 gene was exon15: (c.4264G > A). Two missense mutations were identified with a PKD1 (c.1758A > C and c.9774T > G), and one patient had a PKD2 mutation (c.1445T > G). Three detected variants were novel, identified at PKD1 (c.1758A > C), PKD2L2 (c.1364A > T), and TSC2 (deletion of a'a at the 3'UTR, R1680C) genes. Other variants in PKD1L1 (c.3813_381 4delinsTG) and PKD1L2 (c.404C > T) were also detected. The median age of end-stage renal disease for ADPK patients in Saudi Arabia was 30 years. Conclusion: This study reported a common variant in the PKD1 gene in Saudi patients with typical ADPKD. We also reported (to our knowledge) for the first time two novel missense variants in PKD1 and PKD2L2 genes and one indel mutation at the 3'UTR of the TSC2 gene. This study establishes that the reported mutations in the affected genes resulted in ADPKD development in the Saudi population by a median age of 30. Nevertheless, future protein-protein interaction studies to investigate the influence of these mutations on PKD1 and PKD2 functions are required. Furthermore, large-scale population-based studies to verify these findings are recommended

Conservation status of marine biodiversity of the Western Indian Ocean

The Western Indian Ocean is comprised of productive and highly diverse marine ecosystems that are rich sources of food security, livelihoods, and natural wonder. The ecological services that species provide are vital to the productivity of these ecosystems and healthy biodiversity is essential for the continued support of economies and local users. The stability of these valuable resources, however, is being eroded by growing threats to marine life from overexploitation, habitat degradation and climate change, all of which are causing serious reductions in marine ecosystem services and the ability of these ecosystems to support human communities. Quantifying the impacts of these threats and understanding the conservation status of the region’s marine biodiversity is a critical step in applying informed management and conservation measures to mitigate loss and retain the ecological value of these systems. This report highlights trends in research needs for species in the region, including priorities for fundamental biological and ecological research and quantifying trends in the populations of species. The assessments and analyses submitted in this report should inform conservation decision-making processes and will be valuable to policymakers, natural resource managers, environmental planners and NGOs