The unprecedented challenge faced by mankind due to emergence of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has obligated researchers across the globe to develop effective medicine for prevention and treatment of this deadly infection. The aim of this review is to compile recently published research articles on anti-COVID 19 management with their benefits and risk to facilitate decision making of the practitioners and policy makers. Unfortunately, clinical outcomes reported for antivirals are not consistent. Initial favorable reports on lopinavir/ritonavir contradicted by recent studies. Ostalmovir has conflicting reports. Short term therapy of remdesivir claimed to be beneficial. Favipiravir demonstrated good recovery in some of the cases of COVID-19. Umifenovir (Arbidol) was associated with reduction in mortality in few studies. Overall, until now, U.S. Food and Drug administration issued only emergency use authorization to remdesivir for the treatment of suspected or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in adults and children hospitalized with severe disease.

Compared to previously reported methods, the present method proved to be accurate and can be safely used for the prediction of lithium clearance and daily dosage requirements in psychiatric inpatients and outpatients.

Intralesional treatment is as effective as the standard systemic antimonials. It offers a less expensive alternative and a low side effects profile. Our findings confirmed the findings of earlier workers. It is recommended for treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis in endemic areas.

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Non-compliance results in several undesired consequences. Admissions due to non-compliance have been estimated to account for up to 10.5% of all admissions to hospital. There seems to be very little data about compliance in Saudi Arabia. The present study addressed the problem of non-compliance with short-term antibiotic therapy in patients attending Primary Health Centres (PHC). The data were collected from five different centres selected randomly from the 53 centres in the Riyadh area, Saudi Arabia. A five-part questionnaire was designed and used to collect data. Different parts were required to be completed by patient, doctor, pharmacist and social worker. At the end of the study period 414 questionnaires were suitable for evaluation. Paediatric patients (< 15 years old) constituted 65.9% of the sample. Compliance was noted in 67.8%. Those who missed three doses or less and more than three doses were 22.7% and 9.4% respectively. Factors which appeared to enhance patient compliance were: parental involvement (p < 0.001), unemployment (p < 0.01), absence of psychiatric illness (p < 0.02) and early improvement of symptoms (p < 0.05). Reasons most frequently mentioned by patients for non-compliance were: rapid improvement of symptoms, bitter taste of drug(s), forgetfulness and frequent dosing. These reasons accounted for 73.7% of reasons for non-compliance. Our findings suggest that approximately two thirds of patients were compliant with their medications. It is also worth noting that approximately three quarters of patients were not compliant for reasons which could be minimised or removed by good patient counselling and effective communication with patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Objective: To examine public opinion in Saudi Arabia regarding the technical drug package insert (PI) as a source of information and to assess the need for potential changes to the existing format in favor of a more patient-oriented package insert (PPI). Design:A cross-sectional survey was conducted from March through May 1998 by means of a selfadministered questionnaire.Setting: Eighty-four community pharmacies in Riyadh.Participants: Two thousand twenty-nine customers entering community pharmacies in Riyadh were enrolled in this survey. Results:Results of the survey showed that 88% of the respondents read the PI. The motives for reading the PI included the desire to know more about the medication (48.7%), to adhere to the prescription (21.7%), and to decide whether to take the medication (13.1%). From the list of information contained therein, respondents listed indications (47.1%) and adverse drug effects (46.6%) as the principal sections of interest. Respondents overwhelmingly endorsed the PI as a complementary source of drug information to the verbal instructions of the physician and the pharmacist. However, readers did criticize its detail, legibility, and poor graphic illustration. Respondents indicated their desire to see a concise PPI introduced, one that highlights only the most common adverse effects of a drug. It should be written in simple Arabic and include, whenever possible, illustrations to enhance comprehension. Conclusions:The PI does not have the power to overrule the physician's or pharmacist's instructions. Since some patients may cease taking their medicines if they feel threatened by the adverse effects mentioned in the PI, precautionary statements should be prominently placed in the PI to explain the purpose of mentioning such information and what proper action should be taken by the patient.

Rational and responsible self-medication (SM) is not only the key to better health outcomes, but also key to limiting adverse drug events. This institution-based cross-sectional study utilized seven- and four-item scales to assess the knowledge and attitude towards SM. Similarly, SM practices were measured using eight scale questions consisting of SM practice during the last six months, type of drug consumed, reason and frequency of SM, and so on. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS. Overall, 371 students completed the questionnaire. The students with a good level of knowledge and positive attitude towards SM were 60.64% and 66.8%, respectively. About 55.5% of students practiced SM during the last six months using antipyretics (37.7%), multivitamins (36.4%), sleeping aids (20.2%), and anti-histamines (18.6%). Headache (79.2%), fever (37.7%), pain (25.9%), and colds and coughs (25.3%) were the illnesses for which they sought SM. The students admitted that drug side effects (75%), drug resistance (33.7%), drug interaction (41.5%), and poor treatment outcome (28.3%) were the consequences of irrational SM practice. Students (87.6%) propose that extending SM awareness through the Ministry of Health (83%) and pharmaceutical companies (48%) as major platforms would improvise the rational practice. Since AlMaarefa University students will be future healthcare professionals, their perception must be considered and accordingly educated to practice rational SM.

Background & objectives Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinal disorder, and the greatest cause of infertility in women. Despite availability of individual data on impact of multiple endocrinal, reproductive and even metabolic factors in PCOS individuals, the data on the co-existence of BED and depression in PCOS patients with its relationship on the quality of life in Saudi Arabian females is not found. Hence this study is aimed to elucidate the implication of PCOS on eating behaviour, induction of depression and general health quality in Saudi Arabian population of Riyadh. Materials and methods This is a cross-sectional study carried out in multiple health facilities of Riyadh from January to March 2019. The study samples (494) were recruited by convenience sampling and administered validated questionnaire by trained research participants. The data obtained was analysed by binary logistic regression using SPSS-IBM 25. Results Of the total 494 women participated in the study, 23.48% (116) were PCOS individuals. The odds of developing abnormal health related quality of (HRQ) in patients with PCOS was significantly (P = 0.000, OR = 3.472) high when compared to non-PCOS participants. The odds of showing high binge eating disorder (BED, P = 0.007, OR = 2.856) and depression (P = 0.000, OR = 2.497) scores in PCOS participants were significantly more than patients who were not having PCOS. Out of the three parameters studied, abnormal health related quality of life possessed a higher influence of PCOS compared to depression and abnormal eating behavior. Interpretation & conclusion In conclusion, the present study shows that women with PCOS are at a significant risk for depressive disorders, disorganized eating behavior and impaired quality of life. Therefore, necessary care and screening is required to minimize the impact of PCOS on already burdened individuals.