Pharmaceutical Activities, Services, Medicines, and Products at Community Pharmacies in the Qassim Region of Saudi Arabia: Findings and Implications for the Future.

Introduction  Community pharmacies are highly accessible and provide access to several services to patients and community members. Recently, several developments have been made in Saudi Arabia to enhance the roles and contributions of community pharmacists to the healthcare system, including expanding their scope of practice. This study aims to evaluate the current pharmaceutical activities, medicines, products, and services offered by community pharmacies.  Methods This was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based descriptive study. The questionnaire consisted of three sections. The first section comprised the demographic characteristics of the participants. The second section explored the types of pharmaceuticals and products sold by community pharmacies, while the third section explored the current professional services and activities offered by pharmacies. This study was conducted among community pharmacists in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. Results  Overall, 109/115 community pharmacies participated in the study, yielding a response rate of 94.78%. Most participants (97.25%) were men, and 42.20% were 31-40 years old. All pharmacies (100%) dispensed prescriptions and provided over-the-counter medicines, self-care therapeutics, vitamins, minerals, and dietary supplements. However, only a few pharmacies had controlled and narcotic medicine services (5.50%) and supplied vaccines (3.67%). Almost all pharmacies provided access to herbal products (97.25%), self-diagnostic test/home-test kits (97.25%), first-aid kits (95.41%), and medical equipment and devices and their accessories (89.91%). All pharmacies (100%) sold health-related products, including oral, skin, and hair care products. All pharmacists (100%) provided medication counseling. However, e-prescription services (Wasfaty) were provided in only 55.96% of the pharmacies. Most pharmacists provided health education and promotion (95.41%), management of minor ailments (88.99%), and patient training on the use of medical devices (92.66%). Other pharmaceutical activities included travel health advice (52.29%) and smoking cessation (31.19%). However, patient care services, including vaccination services (0.92%), patient assessment and monitoring services (0.92%), and point-of-care (POC) testing (0.92%), were limited. Additional services included online shopping (66.97%), home delivery of medicines (54.13%), and instant/live chat communication with pharmacies (70.64%). Conclusion  Community pharmacies play a crucial role in Saudi Arabia's healthcare system. These include providing access to medicines, medical equipment, and various products related to health and wellness. Community pharmacies provide public health services. However, their clinical services are limited. Consequently, a holistic strategy involving all stakeholders is required to further enhance the role of community pharmacists and better utilize their skills and training to provide preventive healthcare services and optimize medication therapy in primary care settings.

Exploring Phytochemical Profile, Pharmaceutical Activities, and Medicinal and Nutritional Value of Wild Edible Plants in Ethiopia.

In many parts of the world, wild edible plants (WEPs) constitute an essential component of the global food basket, providing an alternative source of wholesome and nourishing food. Ethiopia is one of countries of the world having largest concentrations of WEPs. In the country, various parts of WEPs, such as fruits, stems, leaves, tubers, roots, or entire plant sections, are frequently consumed and used as food sources for famine relief during seasonal food shortages, as well as for commercial purposes. WEPs have been also used in the country as sources of phytochemicals, traditional medicine, and pharmaceutical applications. Approximately 30%-40% of WEPs and over 413 different kinds of WEPs are commonly consumed by Ethiopians regularly. Most plant families utilized as WEPs are Moraceae, Fabaceae, Flacourtiaceae, Myrtaceae, Rosaceae, and Tiliaceae. The most widely used plant parts of WEPs were fruits. WEPs can be used as substitutes for traditional plant-based human diets because of their high nutritional value, which includes proteins, vitamins B2 and C, and low moisture content. This review focuses on using edible wild plants for pharmacological purposes, dietary supplements, and alternative medicine. Many obstacles prevent people from consuming WEPs, even when they are easily accessible and available. The use of WEPs must be encouraged by nutrition policies as one of the pillars of food and nutrition security. To increase yield, diversify the revenue streams of small-scale farmers, and protect the diminishing wild edible fruit resources, it is imperative to domesticate and enhance WEPs.

Telepharmacy: A Systematic Review of Field Application, Benefits, Limitations, and Applicability During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Introduction: Telepharmacy is widely known as the delivery of pharmacy care offered by registered pharmacists and pharmacies using telecommunication technologies to patients at a distance. We conducted a systematic review of the reported usages, benefits, and limitations of telepharmacy models worldwide to further clarify the pros and cons of a telepharmacy model. Methods: A total of 39 relevant articles was included after searching for articles with a fixed term on four databases, including PubMed, Virtual Health Library (VHL), Global Health Library (GHL), and Google Scholar, as of April 2021. Results: Our review suggested that telepharmacy has played an essential role in addressing pharmacist shortages and helping patients both safely and effectively administer medications in underserved areas. During the COVID-19 pandemic, remote dispensing and counseling are effective measures to avoid infection. Conclusion: Telepharmacy could potentially replace or complement pharmaceutical-related activities, facilitating future innovation in the health care industry.

In vitro and in silico pharmaceutical activities of the methylated cyclic pentapeptide, persipeptides.

AIMS: The persipeptides were recognized as a promising source of multiple pharmaceutical activities which were revealed following structure-activity prediction and examination in experimental analysis. METHODS AND RESULTS: The profile of toxicity, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and anti-ageing activity of persipeptides and the crude extract were evaluated experimentally. The pure Persipeptide A and B revealed a moderate xanthine oxidase inhibition activity at the concentration of 10 µg/ml. Persipeptide exhibited α-glucosidase inhibition activity (~10% inhibition) and less than 2% tyrosinase inhibition activity at the concentration of 10 µg/ml. The extract exhibited the inhibition of less than 2% acetylcholine esterase inhibition activity, but the pure persipeptide showed 6%-14% inhibition activity at the concentration of 10 µg/ml. The molecular docking analysis revealed that the activities of Persipeptide A and B are due to interaction with xanthin oxidase, α-amylase, α-glucosidase, tyrosinase and acetylcholine esterase enzymes. CONCLUSIONS: The persipeptides showed a similar inhibition rate with positive control that might imply its potential as an anti-diabetic and anti-gout compound among. Only acetylcholine esterase inhibition of persipeptide was higher than the extract. The interacting amino acids of the molecules with different targets show that persipeptides might have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-ageing activity and even other potential pharmaceutical activities that were not investigated in this study. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This report was presented to find some new pharmaceutical activities of Persipeptide A and B including the α-glucosidase inhibition activity as a molecular target of diabetes mellitus. Persipeptides also exhibited an effective inhibition of xanthine oxidase (XO) which can be a drug-like candidate in the treatment of diseases associated with XO like gout. The binding values indicated the interaction of persipeptides with these enzymes.

Crystal structure of (R)-5-[(R)-3-(4-chloro-phen-yl)-5-methyl-4,5-di-hydro-isoxazol-5-yl]-2-methyl-cyclo-hex-2-enone.

The title compound, C17H18ClNO2, was prepared and isolated as a pure diastereoisomer, using column chromatography followed by a succession of fractional crystallizations. Its exact structure was fully identified via 1H NMR and confirmed by X-ray diffraction. It is built up from a central five-membered di-hydro-isoxazole ring to which a p-chloro-phenyl group and a cyclo-hex-2-enone ring are attached in the 3 and 5 positions. The cyclo-hex-2-one and isoxazoline rings each exhibit an envelope conformation. The crystal packing features C-H⋯O, C-H⋯N and C-H⋯π inter-actions, which generate a three-dimensional network.

Isolation and structural characterization of sulfated polysaccharide from Spirulina platensis and its bioactive potential: In vitro antioxidant, antibacterial activity and Zebrafish growth and reproductive performance.

In this study, the sulfated polysaccharide (SPs) was isolated from Spirulina platensis. The isolated SPs contains carbohydrate, sulfate, protein and uronic acid at 38.7 ±â€¯0.30%, 21.3 ±â€¯0.87%, 7.1 ±â€¯0.15% and 7.9 ±â€¯0.4% respectively. The elemental analysis confirmed the presence of carbon (18.01 ±â€¯0.10%), hydrogen (1.83 ±â€¯0.02%) and nitrogen (3.43 ±â€¯0.01%). The monosaccharide composition and molecular weight of SPs were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and size exclusion chromatography respectively. The monosaccharide composition analysis showed the existence of glucose, rhamnose, xylose, fucose, mannose, galactose and the molecular weight of SPs was 1016 kDa. Further, the characterization of SPs was done by UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, FT-IR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR analysis. The obtained SPs exhibited potent antioxidant activity in DPPH (76.45 ±â€¯0.49%), reducing power (absorbance: 1.3 ±â€¯0.02), hydrogen peroxide scavenging (66.3 ±â€¯1.16%), hydroxyl scavenging (68.6 ±â€¯3.2%), nitric oxide (81.36 ±â€¯1.85%) and total antioxidant (absorbance:1.66 ±â€¯0.02) activities at 5 mg/ml. In addition, SPs revealed the highest antibacterial efficacy against the pathogenic bacteria Vibrio vulnificus in disc diffusion, agar bioassay and protein leakage assays at 100 µg/ml. Furthermore, the supplementation of 2% SPs through a feed to the Danio rerio fish enhances the growth and reproductive performances. This finding confirmed that the isolated SPs from S. platensis possess pharmaceutical as well as nutritional properties.

Synthesis, characterization and pharmacological potential of green synthesized copper nanoparticles.

The phenomenal and astonishing properties and their different application in the field of pharmaceutical made copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) to be in the spotlight of the researcher's focus. In the present study, copper nanoparticles were biologically synthesized with the aqueous extract of the flower Millettia pinnata, and their corresponding characteristics were studied using UV-visible spectroscopy, XRD, FT-IR, SEM, TEM, and SAED analysis. Copper acetate was reduced to copper nanoparticles and is confirmed by UV-visible spectrophotometer analysis. The maximum absorption occurring at 384 nm at the visible spectrum of UV rays confirms the surface plasmon resonance of the nanoparticles. The result of the FTIR spectroscopy analysis of the nanoparticles complements the involvement of organic mioties of the flower extract in the synthesis. The synthesized particles were extremely durable, spherical with the average particle size in the range of 23 ± 1.10 nm. The Cu-NPs exhibited greater inhibition on DPPH radical and nitric oxide scavenging activities. The biologically synthesized Cu-NPs was receptive to the Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria as well. The Cu-NPs exhibited strong anti-inflammatory activity using albumin denaturation and membrane stabilization. The present study is the first effort done to synthesize of Cu-NPs from the extract of M. pinnata flower. Consequently, to authenticate the results and to establish the antioxidant, antibacterial, an anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory agent, in vivo studies are made in the molecular level.

Evaluation of Polyphenolic Compounds and Pharmacological Activities in Hairy Root Cultures of Ligularia fischeri Turcz. f. spiciformis (Nakai).

A considerable amount of bioactive compounds have been used for the biopharmaceutical engineering to help human health and nutrition. Hairy root culture (HRC) or transgenic root is a favourable alternative technique for phytochemical production. Ligularia fischeri is a significant source of pharmaceutically important active compounds with an enormous range of health care applications. HRC of L. fischeri was developed using Agrobacterium rhizogenes for the production of polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, anticancer and anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical activities. Hairy roots (HRs) were selected by morphological assessment, genetic and molecular analyses. The maximum accumulation of fresh mass (94.15 g/L) and dry mass (9.45 g/L) was recorded in MS liquid medium supplemented with 30 g/L sucrose at 28 days. Furthermore, HRs successfully produced numerous polyphenolic compounds, including six hydroxycinnamic acids, seven flavonols, seven hydroxybenzoic acids, vanillin, resveratrol, pyrogallol, homogentisic, and veratric acids, which were identified by UHPLC analysis. HRs produced higher total phenolic (185.65 mg/g), and flavonoid (5.25 mg/g) contents than non-transformed roots (125.55 mg/g and 3.75 mg/g). As a result of these metabolic changes, pharmaceutical activities were found higher in HRs than non-transformed roots (NTRs). The present study indicates that HRC has the potential to increase the content of beneficial polyphenolic compounds with higher potential pharmaceutical activities. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first report on enhancing the production of polyphenolic compounds with pharmaceutical activities from the HRCs of L. fischeri.

Structure-Bioactivity Relationship Study of Xanthene Derivatives: A Brief Review.

Over the last decades, several heterocyclic derivatives compounds have been synthesized or extracted from natural resources and have been tested for their pharmaceutical activities. Xanthene is one of these heterocyclic derivatives. These compounds consist of an oxygen-containing central heterocyclic structure with two more cyclic structures fused to the central cyclic compound. It has been shown that xanthane derivatives are bioactive compounds with diverse activities such as anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory as well as therapeutic effects on diabetes and Alzheimer. The anti-cancer activity of such compounds has been one of the main research fields in pharmaceutical chemistry. Due to this diverse biological activity, xanthene core derivatives are still an attractive research field for both academia and industry. This review addresses the current finding on the biological activities of xanthene derivatives and discussed in detail some aspects of their structure-activity relationship (SAR).

Pharmaceutical prospects of naturally occurring quinazolinone and its derivatives.

Quinazolinones belong to a family of heterocyclic nitrogen compounds that have attracted increasing interest because of their broad spectrum of biological functions. This review describes three types of natural quinazolinones and their synthesized derivatives and summarizes their various pharmacological activities, including antifungal, anti-tumor, anti-malaria, anticonvulsant, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and antihyperlipidemic activities. In addition, structure-activity relationships of quinazolinone derivatives are also reviewed.

[Data regarding the roles and impact of pharmaceutical activities: Quantitative and qualitative study with four groups of experts]. / Mieux s'approprier les données relatives aux rôles et retombées de l'activité pharmaceutique : étude quantitative et qualitative auprès de quatre groupes d'experts.

OBJECTIVES: The use of scientific data about the roles and the impact of pharmacists is suboptimal. The objective is to evaluate the opinion and attitude of expert pharmacists on the measurement of indicators for the pharmaceuticals activities, sharing and appropriation of scientific knowledge and the place of the website "Impact Pharmacie". METHODS: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. Four expert groups were interviewed (hematology-oncology, intensive care, emergency and infectious diseases). To achieve the objective, a preliminary evaluation followed by a semi-structured interview by teleconference was organized for each group. RESULTS: Twenty pharmacists were invited and 18 participated in the survey and 19 in interviews. Ten out of 18 and 2 out of 18 were collecting descriptive and impact indicators respectively. The use of these indicators by pharmacists was limited. Pharmacists had difficulties determining precise indicators measuring their impact but the majority would choose indicators related to medication errors or adverse drug event monitoring. The keywords mentioned by panelists about the usefulness of the site were "to guide", "to help prioritize", "to think", "to (re) structure the activity" and "time saving". To optimize website use, participants targeted journal club visioconferences, targeted activities in professional meetings and through various organizations. CONCLUSION: Experts pharmacists recognized the importance of monitoring their practice and a better use of the current available data may ensure the provision of consistent pharmaceutical services. They recognized the need to better educate pharmacists about using and disseminating data about the role and the impact of pharmacists including the website Impact Pharmacy.

[Characteristics of systematic reviews about the impact of pharmacists]. / Caractéristiques des revues systématiques présentant les interventions de pharmaciens.

INTRODUCTION: The pharmacists' role is varied and numerous articles evaluate the outcomes of pharmaceutical interventions. The main objectives of this study were to establish the characteristics of systematic reviews about pharmacists' interventions that were published in the last five years. METHODS: A literature search was performed on Pubmed for French and English articles published between 01-01-2008 and 31-05-2013. Systematic reviews that presented the role, the interventions and the impact of pharmacists were selected by two research assistants. RESULTS: A total of 46 systematic reviews was identified, amongst which one third (n=15/46, 33 %) were meta-analyses. A quarter of systematic reviews did not evaluate the quality of included articles (n=13/46, 28 %). Twelve themes were identified. A median [min-max] of 16 [2-298] articles was included per systematic review. The most frequent pharmaceutical activities were patient counseling (n=41 systematic reviews), patient chart review (n=29), pharmacotherapy evaluation (n=27) and recommendations (n=26). The least frequent activities were teaching others than patients (n=12) and medical rounds participation (n=7). DISCUSSION: Many elements can influence the completion of pharmacy practice research projects; however, there exists no link between the presence of systematic reviews and the importance of pharmacists in a given healthcare program. CONCLUSION: This study presents the characteristics of 46 systematic reviews about pharmacists interventions published since 2008.

Pilot Study on the Impact of Evidence-Based Data on Oncology Pharmacists' Perceptions.

OBJECTIVES: The main objective was to evaluate whether the level of agreement of oncology hospital pharmacists with statements on their impact is influenced by the presence or absence of evidence-based data. The secondary objective was to evaluate the relative importance of evidence-based data among factors that may have contributed to oncology pharmacy practice evolution. METHODS: Oncology pharmacists' answered a Web questionnaire to measure their level of agreement with statements regarding their impact. Respondents answered the questionnaire before (pre) and after (post) being informed whether supporting evidence was available for each statement. Respondents were also asked to rank all of the factors in order of their perceived contribution to oncology pharmacy practice evolution. RESULTS: A total of 64 questionnaires were obtained. Respondents reported a high level of agreement with statements regarding their impact on oncology pharmacy practice (mean agreement of 95.9% pre vs 93.8% post). A statistically significant diminution in the level of agreement was observed for 3 statements after respondents were informed that no supporting evidence was available for these statements. Respondents assigned a high importance to factors related to the perception of positive outcomes of pharmaceutical activities on patient safety, health care costs, and clinical results but a low importance to the use of evidence-based data.

Prioritizing pharmaceutical activities: a simulation by pharmacy residents.

OBJECTIVES: The primary objective was to examine the consistency of prioritization decisions made by pharmacy residents in a simulated environment where the available resources are constrained. Secondary objectives were to rank the factors that influenced their prioritization and to compare the residents' results with those of Canadian pharmacy leaders. METHODS: We have developed a prioritization exercise that aims at evaluating how pharmaceutical activities are prioritized. The simulation was conducted with hospital pharmacy residents in 2 Quebec universities in 2011. RESULTS: Residents covered a similar number of activities in the prioritization simulation (mean 27 of 32). Teams tended to favor a broad range of services delivered less comprehensively. Participants ranked "perception of the favorable impact of the activity on health outcomes" higher than "conclusive evidence available to support the decisions." The relative weight attributed per domain was similar between pharmacy residents and pharmacy leaders, but their ranking of factors that influenced their decisions was different. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacy residents opted to provide a wide range of services, but at a low level of comprehensiveness. The high variation between each team's coverage per activity in this simulation supports the observation that pharmacy residents do not agree on a core set of pharmaceutical activities that should be prioritized.