MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 150 subjects aged 30 years and above who attended a health screening in a Malaysian tertiary institution. Sociodemographics, clinical characteristics and laboratory parameters (lipids, glucose, and sdLDL) were obtained. Lipoprotein subfraction was analysed using the polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis method.
RESULTS: Malays and females made up the majority of subjects and the median age was 37 years. Normolipidaemic Pattern B was significantly higher in women (p=0.008). Significant independent predictors of Pattern B were gender (p=0.02), race (p=0.01), body mass index (BMI) [p=0.02] and lipid status (p=0.01). Triglyceride was the only independent predictor of sdLDL (p=0.001).
CONCLUSION: The prevalence of Pattern B of 33% in this study was comparatively high, of which 6.7% were normolipidaemic. Chinese males with dyslipidaemia and increased BMI independently predicted Pattern B. Differences in triglyceride levels alone among these ethnic groups do not fully explain the differences in the prevalence of Pattern B although it was the only lipid parameter to independently predict sdLDL. Individuals with atherogenic normolipidaemia are at greater risk for a CVD event as they are not included in the protective measures of primary CVD prevention.
Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted in the Sindh province, Pakistan. A total of 508 TB children in multicenter hospitals under ATT were assessed for ADRs. Naranjo Causality Assessment and Hartwig's Severity Assessment Scale were used.
Results: A total of 105 ADRs were reported in 67 (13.2%) of 508 patients. Gastrointestinal disorders were the most frequently observed ADRs (65.7%), followed by arthralgia (24.8%). Around 65 (61.9%) of ADRs were identified as probable and 78 (74.3%) as mild severe ADRs during the study. A total of four cases of mild hepatotoxicity were observed among children. On multivariate analysis, the independent variables which had statistically significant positive association with ADRs were female (OR; 2.66, P = 0.004), retreatment (OR; 22.32, P = ≤ 0.001), and absence of BCG scar (OR; 17.84, P = 0.001).
Conclusions: The finding of the current study suggests that close monitoring of females, patients with previous TB treatment, and those without BCG is warranted at the study site.
METHOD: A cross-sectional survey of two groups of participants was conducted using the Revised Patients' Attitudes Towards Deprescribing questionnaire. Descriptive results were reported for participants' characteristics and questionnaire responses from four factors (belief in medication inappropriateness, medication burden, concerns about stopping, and involvement) and two global questions. Correlation between participant characteristics and their responses was analyzed.
RESULTS: A total of 1,057 (615 older adults; 442 caregivers) participants were recruited from 10 institutions in Singapore. In which 511 (83.0%) older adults and 385 (87.1%) caregivers reported that they would be willing to stop one or more of their medications if their doctor said it was possible, especially among older adults recruited from acute-care hospitals (85.3%) compared with older adults in community pharmacies (73.6%). Individuals who take more than five medications and those with higher education were correlated with greater agreement in inappropriateness and involvement, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should consider discussing deprescribing with older adults and caregivers in their regular clinical practice, especially when polypharmacy is present. Further research is needed into how to engage older adults and caregivers in shared decision making based on their attitudes toward deprescribing.