OBJECTIVES This study sought to assess relations of laws prohibiting over-the-counter syringe sales (anti-OTC laws) to population prevalence of injection drug users and HIV prevalence or incidence among 96 US metropolitan areas. METHODS A cross-sectional analysis was used. RESULTS Metropolitan areas with anti-OTC laws had a higher mean HIV prevalence (13.8% vs 6.7%) than other metropolitan ...

Propolis is a sticky material collected by bees from plants, and used in the hive as building material and defensive substance. It has been popular as a remedy in Europe since ancient times. Nowadays, propolis use in over-the-counter preparations, "bio"-cosmetics and functional foods, etc., increases. Volatile compounds are found in low concentrations in propolis, but their aroma and significan...

Understanding of the relevant information is especially important in the area of drug treatment, to guarantee an appropriate and rational use of medications by patients. The relevant information must be delivered in a way that patients understand all aspects of the treatment regimen they are taking. In this systematic review the authors analyzed a set of studies on the effectiveness of multimed...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The use of over the counter medications (OTCMs) is a common practice globally. OTCMs are of special concern among pregnant women as they pose risk to the mother and fetus. The objective was to assess the use of OTCMs by pregnant woman, and factors associated with it. METHODS A cross-sectional study, using a structured self-administrated questionnaire was conducted at ...

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to examine if package inserts (PIs) supplied with prescribed and over-the-counter medications in Saudi Arabia contain information relevant for the safe and appropriate use of these medications. METHODS Sixty PIs for prescription-only medications (n = 37) and over-the-counter medications (n = 23) were evaluated against a set of safety criteria compiled from th...

Lack of awareness about isolated tubercular osteomyelitis of the sternum resulted in a delay in diagnosing the condition in an eleven-year-old girl who presented with a gradually increasing swelling over the sternum. Radiological, histological, and microbiological investigations helped diagnose the condition and the child responded well to antitubercular therapy (ATT) and surgical debridement. ...

OBJECTIVE To review and describe various over-the-counter testing products available to the infertility patient, a billion-dollar a year industry that continues to grow. DESIGN Methodology involved a detailed Medline search of literature, use of online search engines, and focused communications with various manufacturers to determine the usefulness and validity of existing products. CONCLUS...

Background: This study was aimed to evaluate the orthopedists’ prescription pattern for outpatients referred to private clinics in Kerman province, Iran. Methods: In this study a total of 59,613 outpatients’ prescriptions issued by orthopedists contracting with Iran Health insurance organization and Iran Social Security Organization from the 1st May...

Background & Objectives Orphan Drugs (ODs) are medicinal products intended for diagnosis, prevention or treatment of rare diseases. Access to ODs is crucial for patients' health and quality of life. However, patients claim that access to orphan drugs is sometimes restricted, a phenomenon that has grown during the economic crisis. The aim of this study was to identify current problems and future...

one hundred and fifteen prescriptions which were purposely written in toxic and potentially fatal dose of different medicine (mainly digitoxin) were sent to pharmacies throughout iran. all pharmacies filled up the prescription and only one pharmacist made notice of dangerous dose. the pharmacist in the drugstores in iran is forcefully employed by the owner of the pharmacy which is required by l...