This study shows that a systematic intervention by community pharmacists in discharged patients, or their proxies, is able to reveal a high number of DRPs that might be relevant for patient health outcomes. There should be more initiatives to insure continuity of care, since DRPs after discharge from hospital seem to be very common.

Managing medical complications in pregnancy is a challenge to clinicians.ObjectivesThis study profiled some disease and prescription patterns for pregnant women attending antenatal clinics (ANCs) in Nigeria. A risk classification of the medicines was also determined.MethodsMedical case files of 1,200 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics of 3 health facilities in Benin City, Nigeria were investigated. Disease pattern was determined from their diagnoses. The prescription pattern was assessed using WHO indicators, and the United States Food and Drug Administration classification of medicines according to risk to the foetus.ResultsA total of 1,897 prescriptions of the 1,200 pregnant women attendees during the period under review were evaluated. Results indicated that malaria 554 (38%) was the most prevalent disease, followed by upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs, 13%) and gastrointestinal disturbances (GIT, 12%). The average number of drugs prescribed per encounter was found to be 3.0, and 2,434 (43%) of medicines were prescribed by generic name. Minerals/ Vitamins 2,396 (42%) were the most frequently prescribed medicines, and antibiotics occurred in 502 (8.8%) of the total medicines. Of all medicines prescribed, 984 (17%) were included in the foetal risk category C and 286 (5%) in category D.ConclusionThe study concluded that malaria fever occurred most frequently followed by URTIs and GIT disturbances among the pregnant women. Minerals, vitamins and to a less extent antimalarials topped the list of the prescribed medicines. The average number of medicines per encounter was much higher than WHO standards. The occurrence of contraindicated medicines was low.

No abstract

If the posterior hypothalamus contributes to elevate blood pressure in hypertension by increasing sympathetic vasomotor activity, then lesions of the posterior hypothalamus should lower blood pressure more in hypertensive than in normotensive rats. To test this hypothesis without complications caused by anaesthesia, aortic pressures were recorded from indwelling catheters in awake rats before and after selective hypothalamic destruction. In normotensive rats rats, bilateral lesions of the medial areas of the posterior hypothalamus always lowered blood pressure while those in the anterior hypothalamus slightly increased it. Heart rate responses varied widely and did not seem to contribute to the blood pressure changes. Posterior hypothalamic lesions of approximately the same size had significantly greater hypotensive after-effects in renal and spontaneously hypentensive rats than in normotensive or Doca hypentensive ones. These results imply that sympathetic overactivity emanating from posterior hypothalamic centres contributes to the blood pressure elevation in spontaneous or chronic renal hypentension but not in Doca hypertension. However, because of inherent weaknesses in the 'lesion method' and the complexity of blood pressure regulation in awake animals, other explanations are possible.