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This article compares the effectiveness and safety of two medications, montelukast and acebrophylline, as additional treatments for bronchial asthma. The study found that montelukast was more effective than acebrophylline in improving lung function at 6 and 12 weeks. Both medications significantly improved asthma control at 12 weeks. No significant side effects were observed in either group. The study concludes that montelukast, when used with low-dose inhaled corticosteroids, was more effective than acebrophylline in managing bronchial asthma. [Extracted from the article]

This article examines the prescribing practices of analgesics and antimicrobials in the orthopedics department of a tertiary care hospital in India. The study evaluates the rationality of drug prescriptions using established criteria. The findings reveal that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioid analgesics are the most commonly prescribed analgesics, while beta-lactam antibiotics are the most prescribed antimicrobials. The study emphasizes the importance of selecting appropriate drugs from the essential drug list and prescribing by generic name to enhance patient care. Additionally, the study highlights the correlation between the severity of pain and the type of surgery in determining the use of analgesics and antimicrobials. Overall, the study underscores the significance of rational drug use, adherence to essential drug lists, and prescribing practices to improve healthcare quality and reduce costs for patients. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: The ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 has led to severe disruption of healthcare services worldwide. We conducted this study to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the management of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) patients who were enrolled in the nation-wide inception cohort. Methods: A questionnaire was administered to the SLE patients enrolled in the inception cohort. Questions related to the effect on disease activity, preventive measures adopted against COVID-19, the incidence of COVID-19, hardships faced in getting access to health care professionals and availability of medicines, adherence, fear of COVID-19 and the potential benefits of being part of the registry. Results: A total of 1040 (90% females) patients completed the questionnaire. The mean age was 27.5 ± 19.1 years and the mean disease duration was 1.25 years. Twenty-Four (2.3%) patients had developed fever (>1 day) during this period, including one patient with additional symptoms of diarrhoea and anosmia, however, none of the patients developed COVID-19 infection. 262 patients (25.2%) reported financial difficulty during this period and patients reported an average excess expenditure of at least 2255.45 INR ($30) per month. 378 patients (36%) reported problems in getting their prescribed medicines due to lockdown. Of these, 167 (40%) patients needed to change their medication schedule due to this non-availability. Almost 54% of patients missed their scheduled follow up visits during the lockdown period and 37% of patients were unable to get their investigations done due to closure of laboratories and hospitals. 266 patients (25.5%) reported worsening of various symptoms of SLE during this period. Almost 61% patients felt confident that being associated with the inception cohort had helped them in managing their disease better during this period of lockdown as they received help in the form of timely and frequent telephonic consults, assistance in making the medicines available, and regular counselling resulting in abetment of their fears and anxieties. Conclusion: The current COVID-19 pandemic has made a huge impact on our SLE patients. Patients faced difficulty in the availability of medicines, missed the doses of medicines, had financial constraints, and spent more money on health during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]