ObjectivePharmacology teaches rational prescribing. Self-medication among medical students is recognised as a threat to rational prescribing. Antibiotic self-medication could cause antibiotic resistance among medical students. We aimed to find an association between pharmacology education and antibiotic self-medication.ResultsOverall, 39% [(110/285) 95% CI 32.9–44.3] of students were found to have antibiotic self-medication. The percentage for antibiotic self-medication progressively increased with the year of study. The percentage of antibiotic self-medication was significantly high in the “Formal Pharmacology Education” group (47%—77/165) in comparison to the “No Formal Pharmacology Education” group (28%—33/120) (P = 0.001032). Overall, the most common self-prescribed antibiotic was amoxicillin (56%—62/110).

BackgroundPrescription writing is a process which transfers the therapeutic message from the prescriber to the patient through the pharmacist. Prescribing errors, drug duplication and potential drug-drug interactions (pDDI) in prescriptions lead to medication error. Assessment of the above was made in prescriptions dispensed at State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC), Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.MethodsA cross sectional study was conducted. Drugs were classified according to the WHO anatomical, therapeutic chemical classification system. A three point Likert scale, a checklist and Medscape online drug interaction checker were used to assess legibility, completeness and pDDIs respectively.ResultsThousand prescriptions were collected. Majority were hand written (99.8 %) and from the private sector (73 %). The most frequently prescribed substance and subgroup were atorvastatin (4 %, n = 3668) and proton pump inhibitors (7 %, n = 3668) respectively. Out of the substances prescribed from the government and private sectors, 59 and 50 % respectively were available in the national list of essential medicines, Sri Lanka. Patients address (5 %), Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) registration number (35 %), route (7 %), generic name (16 %), treatment symbol (48 %), diagnosis (41 %) and refill information (6 %) were seen in less than half of the prescriptions. Most were legible with effort (65 %) and illegibility was seen in 9 %. There was significant difference in omission and/or errors of generic name (P = 0.000), dose (P = 0.000), SLMC registration number (P = 0.000), and in evidence of pDDI (P = 0.009) with regards to the sector of prescribing. The commonest subgroup involved in duplication was non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (43 %; 56/130). There were 1376 potential drug interactions (466/887 prescriptions). Most common pair causing pDDI was aspirin with losartan (4 %, n = 1376).ConclusionAtorvastatin was the most frequently prescribed substance. Fifteen percent of the prescriptions originate from government sector. SLMC registration number and trade names were seen more in prescriptions originating from the private sector. Most prescriptions were legible with effort. NSAIDs were the commonest implicated in drug class duplication. Fifty three percent of prescriptions have pDDI.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40360-016-0071-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundTreatment plans fail if patients have poor medication adherence. Our aim was to compare medication adherence, reasons for non-adherence, and satisfaction with community support among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients who pay for their medications and those who receive it free.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, among patients who were on oral anti-diabetic drugs for at least 3 months. They were grouped into two: universal-free group and fee-paying group. Three different scales were used to score medication adherence, reasons for non-adherence, and satisfaction with community support. Fisher’s exact test was performed to determine if there was a significant difference between the two groups (p < 0.05) concerning medication adherence and satisfaction with community support.ResultsThe median (IQR) medication adherence scores for fee-paying group and universal-free group were 3 (2-3) and 3 (3-3), respectively; the median (IQR) scores for satisfaction with community support were 5 (2–6) and 4 (4–6), respectively. Both the adherence and the satisfaction failed to show a significant difference between the two groups. Forgetfulness, being away from home, complex drug regime, and willingness to avoid side effects were common reasons of non-adherence for both the groups.ConclusionsThere was no significant difference in medication adherence between the universal-free group and fee-paying group, despite of having a significantly different income. The universal-free health service would be a probable reason.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s41043-019-0161-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background: Leptospirosis is a neglected zoonotic disease which is a major challenge for clinicians and public health professionals in tropical countries. The cytokine storm during the second (immune) phase is thought to be a major contributory factor for the leptospirosis disease severity. We aim to summarize evidence for cytokine response in leptospirosis at different clinical outcomes. Methods: A systematic review was carried out to examine the cytokine response in leptospirosis patients using relevant scientific databases. Reference lists of the selected articles were also screened. Quality of the selected studies was assessed by using the National Institutes of Health Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. Results: Of the 239 articles retrieved in the initial search, 18 studies fulfilled the selection criteria. India and Thailand have produced the highest number of studies (17% each, n = 3). The majority were comparative cross-sectional studies (72%, n = 13). Overall the quality of the selected studies was fair regardless of few drawbacks such as reporting of sample size and the lack of adjustment for confounders. Microscopic agglutination test (67% -12/18) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (50% -9/18) were commonly used for the confirmation of leptospirosis and the measurement of cytokines respectively. IL-1b, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and TNF-α levels were found to be significantly higher in severe than in mild leptospirosis. There were equivocal findings on the association between IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-10/TNF-α ratio and disease severity. Conclusions: Leptospirosis had a wide-range of elevated cytokines. However, prospective studies in-relation to the onset of the symptom are required to better understand the pathophysiology of cytokine response in leptospirosis.

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a chronic and a common condition worldwide which causes mild to severe symptoms. Private tuition attendees are a group which could have potential risk factors for GORD. Therefore, we aimed to determine the prevalence, associated factors and medication for symptoms related to GORD among advanced level private-tuition attendees of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among students aged ≥18 years. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Students scoring ≥ eight on the Frequency Scale for Symptoms of GORD were categorised to have symptoms related to GORD. Logistic regression was performed to determine the significant association between the variables of interest and the presence of symptoms related to GORD (P < 0.05). Results: Data of 1114 students were included for the analysis. A high prevalence of symptoms related to GORD (52%-580/1114) was noted. Heartburn received the highest score among GORD symptoms. Biology students had the highest prevalence of GORD symptoms (63%-127/201). Also, Biology students had the highest percentage for the utilisation of overall (17%-35/201) and prescribed (13%-27/201) medication for GORD symptoms. Presence of symptoms related to GORD was significantly associated with female sex [OR-0.436 (95% CI 0.342-0.555)], being boarded [OR-2.021 (95% CI 1.325-3.083)], chronic illness [OR-2.632 (95% CI 1.439-4.813)], midnight snack [OR-1.776 (95% CI 1.379-2.287)], frequent lack of breakfast [OR-2.145 (95% CI 1.688, 2.725)], quick eating [OR-1.394 (95% CI 1.091-1.780)] and inadequate sleep [OR-2.077 (95% CI 1.624-2.655)]. Conclusion: A high prevalence of symptoms related to GORD in comparison to previous literature was found among private tuition attendees. Possible reasons for the above findings were discussed.

BackgroundAssessment of the availability of essential medicines, in rural areas of countries with free state health care system, is scarce. Dependence on essential medicines among the population in rural sector is considered to be high. Assessing the availability of essential medicines in selected state owned primary and secondary health care institutions of a rural district will help to identify areas where improvement is needed.MethodsA descriptive cross sectional study, covering selected five primary and one secondary care institutions of a rural Sri Lankan district, was conducted. The national list of essential medicines, Sri Lanka was used as the check list and the guidelines of the WHO–Health Action International were adapted.ResultsThe secondary care institution recorded an overall availability of 71%, whereas the average overall availability of the primary care institutions was 56%. Central dispensaries recorded the lowest availability. Lack of availability of medicines needed for the management of chronic kidney disease, snake bite and poisoning was noted.ConclusionsAvailability of essential medicines in most of the primary and the secondary care institutions were fairly high. Deficiency in medicines needed for the management of emergencies was noted. A need based annual estimate of medicines based on an essential medicine list is suggested.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12913-016-1969-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background Simultaneous development of thyroid storm and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a rare condition. The review aims to summarise its clinical presentation, investigation findings and treatment options. Methods Databases and reference lists of the selected articles were searched for case reports in English which describe concurrent presentation of thyroid storm and diabetic ketoacidosis. CARE guidelines were used for the quality assessment of the selected articles. Results Twenty-six cases from twenty-one articles were selected out of 198 search results. Western Pacific, and American regions contributed to 77% of the cases. Females were most affected (88%). Features of Graves’ disease like hyperthermia and tachycardia, gastrointestinal and neuro-psychiatric disturbances were the common clinical presentations. In most of the cases, previous diagnosis of diabetes mellitus preceded that of Graves’ disease (46%). Among patients having their drug compliance reported, all had poor compliance to their routine anti-thyroid (9/9) and anti-diabetic (2/2) agents. Moreover, in all cases where HbA 1C (7/7) and T4 (16/16) were measured, the results were elevated and where TSH (17/17) was measured, the results were low. The recommended treatment for DKA and thyroid storm was used in most cases and methimazole was the thionamide of choice in the latest four cases reported. All cases survived except four (15%). Conclusions Concurrent presentation of thyroid storm and diabetic ketoacidosis is rare but life-threatening. Therefore, efforts should be made to maximise patient compliance to anti-thyroid and anti-diabetic agents in treating such patients. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12902-019-0374-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundMyasthenia gravis associated takotsubo syndrome is a rare condition. This study aimed to explore its typical presentation, investigations and treatment through a systematic review of previously reported cases.MethodsDatabases and reference lists of the selected articles were searched for case reports on Myasthenia gravis associated takotsubo syndrome. CARE guidelines were used for the quality assessment of the selected articles.ResultsSixteen cases were selected out of 580 search results. Western Pacific, American and European regions contributed to 88% of the cases. Females were most affected (81%). Features of both myasthenia gravis and takotsubo syndrome were the common clinical presentations. All cases had a myasthenic crisis. Half of the cases had no prior diagnosis of myasthenia gravis. Pyridostigmine and prednisolone were useful for myasthenia gravis while dobutamine was most commonly used for takotsubo syndrome. All cases survived except four (25%).ConclusionsMyasthenia gravis associated takotsubo syndrome via a myasthenic crisis is rare but life-threatening. Therefore, predisposition due to emotional and physical triggers needs to be avoided for its prevention. The rare entity should be suspected even in patients without a prior diagnosis of Myasthenia gravis.