Exploring hormone replacement therapy dynamics among menopausal women in Kuala Lumpur - a community based survey.

Background: Women may lack awareness of the existence of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), its benefits, and potential drawbacks. Furthermore, they may be uninformed about the treatability of menopausal symptoms. Consequently, there is a need to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to HRT among menopausal women within the Malaysian population.

Assessment of prevalence, knowledge and health-related practices of dysmenorrhea among Malaysian women in Kuala Lumpur: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Menstruation is a natural phenomenon considered an important indicator of women's health, reflecting their endocrine function. Women in low middle income countries face substantial menstrual hygiene management challenges. Data on the knowledge of dysmenorrhea and health-related practices among Malaysian women are scarce.

Prognostic factors for predicting severity and mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19, has reached all the corners of the world and was declared by the WHO as a global pandemic and public health emergency of international concern on the January 31, 2020. Allocating quick and specific biomarkers to predict the disease severity upon admission to hospital became a crucial need. This study, therefore, aimed at exploring the relationship between laboratory results in COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital and the final outcome in these patients.

Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Caregiver's Burden in Parkinson's Disease Patients in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in South India: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: In patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), the occurrence of motor and non-motor symptoms increases with disease progression. The range of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) vary among individuals and can be burdensome for caregivers. Only a few studies have identified the contributing factors of NPS and caregiver burden in India.

Effect of Pharmacist-Led Intervention on Progression of Diabetic Complications at Two Tertiary Care Hospitals of Malaysia.

Background And Objective: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease which can lead to different complications in patients if not treated properly. An appropriate intervention from health care providers is needed to stop and decrease the progression of diabetic complication in diabetic patients. This study aimed to measure the effect of pharmacist intervention on improvement in sign and symptoms and progression of diabetic complications in diabetic patients.

Point Prevalence Survey of Antimicrobial Use in a Malaysian Tertiary Care University Hospital.

Antimicrobial resistance remains a significant public health issue, and to a greater extent, caused by the misuse of antimicrobials. Monitoring and benchmarking antimicrobial use is critical for the antimicrobial stewardship team to enhance prudent use of antimicrobial and curb antimicrobial resistance in healthcare settings. Employing a comprehensive and established tool, this study investigated the trends and compliance of antimicrobial prescribing in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Malaysia to identify potential target areas for quality improvement.

Assessing quality of life using WHOQOL-BREF: A cross-sectional insight among patients on warfarin in Malaysia.

Background And Aim: The effect of anticoagulation control on overall Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in patients taking warfarin in Malaysia has not been explored yet. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate HRQoL among patients on warfarin in Malaysia.

Methods: HRQoL among patients on warfarin was measured using WHOQOL-BREF (World Health Organization Quality of life Assessment: Brief Version).

Determinants of health-related quality of life among warfarin patients in Pakistan.

Introduction: The effect of anticoagulation control on overall Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in patients taking warfarin in Pakistan has not been explored yet. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate HRQoL among warfarin patients in Pakistan.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among patients on warfarin in Pakistan.

Public Perception About the Zika Virus in Working Professionals: A Qualitative Inquiry.

Aims: The Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network recently warned that the Zika virus-containing mosquitoes are being found in Pakistan and the health sector is on high alert. It is thus significant to understand public beliefs and perceptions of the Zika virus and vaccination in the current scenario of Pakistan.

Methods: Twenty semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted and analyzed through an inductive approach to analysis.

Predictors of Levo-dopa induced Dyskinesias in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Levodopa has a superior antiparkinsonian effect than dopamine agonists making it the standard of care for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). During the initial stages, PD patients show a steady response to levodopa. Response fluctuations and levodopa-induced dyskinesias (LID) develop subsequently.

Does Circadian Rhythm Affect the Pharmacokinetics of Once-Daily Tobramycin in Adults With Cystic Fibrosis?

Background: In the era of multiple daily dosing of systemic aminoglycosides, a circadian rhythm in the clearance of these vital antibiotics has been demonstrated in animals and healthy volunteers. Over the past decade, once-daily dosing regimens have been proved to be less nephrotoxic and were therefore adopted worldwide for most indications requiring treatment with an aminoglycoside. In this study, the effect of the time of administration on the pharmacokinetics of once-daily tobramycin in adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) experiencing a pulmonary exacerbation was investigated.

Factor Structure of Urdu Version of the Flourishing Scale.

A great deal of research has been carried out on the assessment of the eudaimonic perspective of psychological well-being and the hedonic perspective of subjective well-being. The Flourishing Scale (FS) has been extensively used in research and practice, as it assesses the fundamental aspects of social psychological functioning. Nevertheless, the psychometric properties of Urdu versions of eudaimonic measures, such as the FS, have not yet been ascertained.

Review: Beyond conventional therapies: Complementary and alternative medicine in the management of hypertension: An evidence-based review.

Hypertension is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality. Worldwide, Hypertension is estimated to cause 7.5 million deaths, about 12.

Assessment of the availability and rationality of unregistered fixed dose drug combinations in Nepal: a multicenter cross-sectional study.

Background: The medications that are registered and available in a country are meant for the prevention and treatment of ailments and diseases. However, a lack of effective regulatory bodies and operative control mechanisms, especially in developing countries, promotes irrational and inappropriate use of medicines. This study aims to evaluate the availability and rationality of unregistered fixed-dose drug combinations (FDCs) in Nepal.

Effect of Standardized Warfarin Treatment Protocol on Anticoagulant Effect: Comparison of a Warfarin Medication Therapy Adherence Clinic with Usual Medical Care.

Unlabelled: To evaluate the impact of pharmacist-led warfarin management and standardized treatment protocol. A retrospective cohort study was carried out in a cardiology referral hospital located in central Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 2009 to 2014. The inclusion criteria were: adult patients who were diagnosed and treated for atrial fibrillation (AF) with warfarin, attended the warfarin medication therapy adherence clinic (WMTAC) for at least 12 weeks, and with at least four international normalized ratio (INR) readings.

Assessment of utilization pattern of fixed dose drug combinations in primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare centers in Nepal: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Prescription practices, especially in South Asian countries, have come under investigation for quality. Although there have been no studies in Nepal that have analyzed the prescription pattern of FDCs for different levels of health care centers, several studies from Nepal and other countries in the region have revealed poor medicine use practices, including irrational use of fixed-dose drug combinations (FDCs). This research aimed at assessing the utilization pattern of FDCs among primary (PHC), secondary (SHC) and tertiary health care (THC) centers in Western region of Nepal.

The quality of lactation studies including antipsychotics.

The Aim Of The Study: The aim of this study is to determine the quality of lactation studies that investigated antipsychotics in breast milk according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) draft guidelines.

Materials And Methods: We used the draft FDA and ILCA guidelines to review the quality of articles including antipsychotic use during breastfeeding. We used PubMed and Lactmed for the literature search.

Extended-Interval Dosing of Gentamicin Aiming for a Drug-Free Period in Neonates: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Current gentamicin dosing algorithms in adult populations target a high peak concentration (Cmax) assuring efficacy and a drug-free period (concentration <0.5 mg/L) preventing toxicity. In contrast, gentamicin-based regimens in neonatal sepsis often aim for lower peak levels and trough concentrations of 0.

The association between perception of health during pregnancy and the risk of cardiovascular disease: a prospective study.

There is some evidence that self-rated perceptions of health are predictive of objective health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, and mortality. The objective of this study was to examine the prospective association between perceptions of health during pregnancy and cardiovascular risk factors of mothers 21 years after the pregnancy. Data used were from the Mater University Study of Pregnancy (MUSP), a community-based prospective birth cohort study begun in Brisbane, Australia, in 1981.

Pharmacokinetics of clomipramine during pregnancy.

Purpose: Clomipramine is one of the drugs for depression during pregnancy; however, pharmacokinetic data of clomipramine and its active metabolite desmethylclomipramine in this vulnerable period are lacking. In this study, we describe clomipramine and desmethylclomipramine concentrations including their ratios during pregnancy. Second, we describe Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D) scores during pregnancy.

Report: trends in adherence to secondary prevention medications in post-acute coronary syndrome patients.

To evaluate patients' adherence to evidence-based therapies at an average of 2 years after discharge for Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) and to identify factors associated with non-adherence. This study was conducted at Hospital Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. A random sample of ACS patients (n=190) who had discharged on a regimen of secondary preventive medications were included and followed up over a three follow-up appointments at 8, 16, and 23 months post discharge.

The effect of acute alcohol intoxication on gut wall integrity in healthy male volunteers; a randomized controlled trial.

The aim of the study is to determine the effect of acute alcohol consumption on enterocytes. Chronic alcohol consumption has been known to induce a decrease in gut wall integrity in actively drinking alcoholics and patients with alcohol-induced liver disease. Data on the extent of the damage induced by acute alcohol consumption in healthy human beings is scarce.

89Zr-bevacizumab PET visualizes heterogeneous tracer accumulation in tumor lesions of renal cell carcinoma patients and differential effects of antiangiogenic treatment.

Unlabelled: No validated predictive biomarkers for antiangiogenic treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) exist. Tumor vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) level may be useful. We determined tumor uptake of (89)Zr-bevacizumab, a VEGF-A-binding PET tracer, in mRCC patients before and during antiangiogenic treatment in a pilot study.