Over the counter

AIM: To investigate changes in the clinical characteristics of patients who abused benzodiazepine receptor agonists (BZRA) or over-the-counter (OTC) drugs before and after COVID-19 based on the 2018 and 2022 data of the "Nationwide Psychiatric Hospital (NPH) Survey on Drug-related Psychiatric Disorders." METHOD: A total of 446 and 155 cases, and 435 and 273 cases, who mainly abused BZRAs or OTC drugs, respectively, were extracted from the database of the two NPH Surveys...

BACKGROUND: Increasingly, counter-radicalisation interventions are using case management approaches to structure the delivery of tailored services to those at risk of engaging in, or engaged in, violent extremism. This review sets out the evidence on case management tools and approaches and is made up of two parts with the following objectives. OBJECTIVES: Part I : (1) Synthesise evidence on the effectiveness of case management tools and approaches in interventions seeking to counter radicalisation to violence...

The skin lightening (SL) industry has a global reach and is projected to continue to grow over the coming decade. While SL treatments may be safely prescribed for treatment of some dermatologic conditions, many over-the-counter SL products contain ingredients that can cause harm to the skin and other organ systems. Given a lack of transparent information to patients and the historical colorist foundation that contextualizes a component of the cosmetic SL industry, dermatologists need to navigate biomedical and ethical concerns when explaining SL products to patients...

Paracetamol is one of the most commonly used over-the-counter medications. Experimental studies suggest a possible stress-suppressing effect of paracetamol in humans facing experimental stress-inducing paradigms. However, no study has investigated whether paracetamol and steroid hormones covary over longer time frames and under real-life conditions. This study addresses this gap by investigating associations between steroid hormones (cortisol, cortisone, and testosterone) and paracetamol concentrations measured in human hair, indexing a timeframe of approximately three months...

BACKGROUND: The report of the Lancet Commission on medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust, released in November 2023, calls for this history to be required for all health professions education, to foster morally courageous health professionals who speak up when necessary. MAIN BODY: The report was released a month after Hamas' October 7 invasion of Israel, with the accompanying massacre of over 1200 people, taking of civilian hostages, and gender-based violence. These acts constitute crimes against humanity including genocide...

BACKGROUND: Frailty and polypharmacy are common conditions in older adults, especially in those with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Therefore, we analyzed the association of polypharmacy and incident frailty and the effect modification by CKD in very old adults. METHODS: In non-frail individuals within the Berlin Initiative (cohort) Study, polypharmacy (≥ 5 medications) was assessed according to multiple definitions based on the number of regular and on demand prescription and over the counter drugs, as well as vitamins and supplements...

Although the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has provided guidance on the control of drug degradants for prescription drugs, there is less guidance on how to set degradant specifications for FDA OTC monograph drugs. Given that extensive impurity testing was not part of the safety paradigm in original OTC monographs, a weight of evidence (WOE) approach to qualify OTC degradants is proposed. This approach relies on in silico tools and read-across approaches alongside standard toxicity testing to determine safety...

A drug store was never just an area to fill personal solution. Patients considered drug specialists to be counsels, somebody who could help them pick an over-the-counter treatment or understanding the portion and directions for a solution. Drug stores, similar to the remainder of the medical services business, are going through changes. Nowadays, one of the main highlights of any structure is the board. The executives give the refinement needed to wrap up any responsibility in a particular way. The executive framework of a drug store can be utilized to deal with most drug store related errands...

Water pollutants harm ecosystems and degrade water quality. At the same time, many pollutants carry potentially valuable chemical energy, measured by chemical oxygen demand (COD). This study highlights the potential for energy harvesting during remediation using photocatalytic fuel cells (PCFCs), stressing the importance of economically viable and sustainable materials. To achieve this, this research explores alternatives to platinum cathodes in photocathodes and aims to develop durable, cost-effective photoanode materials...

Background: Over-the-counter (OTC) diagnostic testing is on the rise with many in vitro diagnostic tests being lateral flow assays (LFAs). A growing number of these are adopting reader technologies, which provides an alternative to visual readouts for results interpretation, allowing for improved accessibility of OTC diagnostics. As the reader technology market develops, there are many technologies entering the market, but no clear, single solution has yet been identified. The purpose of this research is to identify and discuss important parameters for the assessment of LFA reader technologies for consideration by manufacturers or researchers...

Bacterial contamination of karst groundwater is a major concern for public health. Artificial tracing studies are crucial for establishing links between locations where pollutants can rapidly reach the aquifer systems and subsequent receptors, as well as for enhanced understanding of pollutant transport. However, widely used solute artificial tracers do not always move through the subsurface in the same manner as particles and microorganisms, hence may not be ideal proxies for predicting movement of bacterial contaminants...

INTRODUCTION: Chemotherapy remains the mainstay treatment for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) due to the lack of specific targets. Given a modest response of immune checkpoint inhibitors in TNBC patients, improving immunotherapy is an urgent and crucial task in this field. CD73 has emerged as a novel immunotherapeutic target, given its elevated expression on tumor, stromal, and specific immune cells, and its established role in inhibiting anti-cancer immunity. CD73-generated adenosine suppresses immunity by attenuating tumor-infiltrating T- and NK-cell activation, while amplifying regulatory T cell activation...

Sterols have long been associated with diverse fields, such as cancer treatment, drug development, and plant growth; however, their underlying mechanisms and functions remain enigmatic. Here, we unveil a critical role played by a GmNF-YC9-mediated CCAAT-box transcription complex in modulating the steroid metabolism pathway within soybeans. Specifically, this complex directly activates squalene monooxygenase (GmSQE1), which is a rate-limiting enzyme in steroid synthesis. Our findings demonstrate that overexpression of either GmNF-YC9 or GmSQE1 significantly enhances soybean stress tolerance, while the inhibition of SQE weakens this tolerance...

AMPylation-the covalent transfer of an AMP from ATP onto a target protein-is catalyzed by the human enzyme HYPE/FicD to regulate its substrate, the heat shock chaperone BiP. HYPE-mediated AMPylation of BiP is critical for maintaining proteostasis in the ER (endoplasmic reticulum) and mounting an UPR (unfolded protein response) in times of proteostatic imbalance. Thus, manipulating HYPE's enzymatic activity is a key therapeutic strategy towards the treatment of various protein misfolding diseases, including neuropathy and early onset diabetes associated with two recently identified clinical mutations of HYPE...

Elderberry flower extract is marketed as an herbal supplement with purported benefits in boosting the immune system. The use of elderberry increased during the coronavirus pandemic. However, the interaction of elderberry with cytotoxic medicines has remained elusive. Pazopanib is a multikinase inhibitor approved for patients diagnosed with soft-tissue sarcoma. The present study reported on the case of a middle-aged woman diagnosed with localized intermediate-grade sarcoma of the left sartorius muscle who received neoadjuvant pazopanib with radiation therapy...

Engineering asymmetric transmission between left-handed and right-handed circularly polarized light in planar Fabry-Pérot (FP) microcavities would enable a variety of chiral light-matter phenomena, with applications in spintronics, polaritonics, and chiral lasing. Such symmetry breaking, however, generally requires Faraday rotators or nanofabricated polarization-preserving mirrors. We present a simple solution requiring no nanofabrication to induce asymmetric transmission in FP microcavities, preserving low mode volumes by embedding organic thin films exhibiting apparent circular dichroism (ACD); an optical phenomenon based on 2D chirality...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study was designed to determine whether a virtual, self-care activity improved knowledge and confidence in third-year student pharmacists. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Third-year student pharmacists (n = 386) from three institutions participated in the virtual self-care simulation during their respective practice laboratory course. A pre- and post-assessment collected 10 knowledge and five confidence questions, self-reported on 0-100 scale, mapped to learning outcomes and pharmacy standards...

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INTRODUCTION: Internet access, smartphones, and televisions have significantly boosted over-the-top (OTT) movies and web series viewing in India, especially among youths. Despite restrictions, OTT platforms continue to promote tobacco products. India has recently enforced the revised OTT Rules 2023 effective September 1, 2023, to counter tobacco promotion in OTT shows. This study explores compliance with the OTT Rules 2023 in popular movies and web series on select OTT platforms in India...

In recent decades, bio-polymeric nanogels have become a forefront in medical research as innovative in-vivo drug carriers. This study introduces a meticulously pH-sensitive chitosan nanoparticles/P(N-Isopropylacrylamide-co-Acrylic acid) nanogel (CSNPs/P(NIPAm-co-AAc)), making significant advancements. The nanogel effectively encapsulated doxorubicin hydrochloride (Dx. HCl), a model drug, within its compartments through accurate electrostatic binding. Comparing nano chitosan (CSNPs) before and after integrating copolymerized P(NIPAm-co-AAc), highlighting an improved and adaptable nanogel structure with responsive behaviors...