• 한국임상약학회지
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.301-310
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• 2021

Background: Trust is a key component for the good relationship between patients and healthcare professionals but trust for community pharmacists has not been studied much. Objectives: This study aimed to measure public trust in community pharmacists and to investigate variables that affect trust level in South Korea. Methods: A total of 25 questions, including 13-items for three dimensions of trust (pharmacists' behavior/attitude, technical competence, communication skills) and 1-item for overall trust were developed. The survey was conducted online and the data from 416 respondents were analyzed with a t-test, an ANOVA and a multiple linear regression analysis. Results: The average scores (mean ± standard deviation) for the three dimensions of trust in community pharmacists were 3.47±1.05 (out of 5 points) for pharmacists' behavior/attitude, 3.67 ± 0.99 for technical competence, and 3.66±0.99 for communication skills. The average of the 13 items incorporating all parameters was 3.56±1.02 and the overall trust level was 7.16±1.62 (out of 10 points). The total sum of the 13 items differed significantly by age group (p=0.02) and frequency of pharmacy visits (p=0.04). Each dimension had an independent impact on the trust level, and pharmacists' behavior/attitude had the greatest impact on trust levels. Conclusions: This study showed that pharmacists' behavior/attitude had the most significant impact on the trust level. However, the level of trust in pharmacists' behavior/attitude is not yet sufficiently satisfactory, and further improvements are required to increase trust in community pharmacists.

• 한국임상약학회지
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.35-42
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• 2023

Objective: There is a growing interest in the safe use of medications in pregnant and breastfeeding women. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to find ways to improve education about safe medication use by investigating the status of medication use of pregnant and breastfeeding women, and by evaluating their knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward safe medication use. Methods: In this study, a self-report questionnaire was conducted on pregnant or breastfeeding women in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The questionnaire consisted of the following four sections; 1) sociodemographic characteristics of participants, 2) experience of medication use, 3) experience of being educated on safe medication use, and 4) knowledge, attitudes, and practices about medication use during pregnancy/breastfeeding. Results: A total of 203 participants were included in the analysis. Of these, 38.4% reported to take prescription medications during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Regarding education on safe medication use, nearly 90% of the participants answered that they were not educated or were unsure whether they had it. In the knowledge-attitude-practice evaluation on safe medication use, the knowledge level was the highest (mean, 4.45), followed by the attitude level (mean, 3.58) and the practice level (mean, 3.33). The preferred education method of the participants was online education using a computer or mobile phone application, etc. Conclusions: This study suggests that there is a need for systematic and effective education that can link knowledge of safe medication use with attitudes and practices in pregnant and breastfeeding women.

• 약학회지
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• 제52권6호
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• pp.507-513
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• 2008

The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors affecting financial performance of community pharmacies after the implementation of the new drug policy in Korea: separation of drug prescription and dispensing (SPD). The online survey questionnaires were sent to the active pharmacists of the total 20,633 community pharmacies in Korea and 1,147 pharmacists responded to the survey (the response rate was 5.5%). The questionnaire asked simple financial data in order to compare their financial performances before and after the policy. With the SPSS package (version 12.0), two levels of data analysis were used: 1) descriptive statistics to see the financial status of the pharmacies; and 2) multiple regression analysis to find the factors. {or A multiple regression method was used for the data analysis.} The finding illustrated that the average net benefit of the pharmacies was 4,870 thousand won in August 2006, and the major factors affecting the net benefit were the location of pharmacy (geographical proximity to medical institutions), number of prescriptions, drug management services for patients, chain pharmacy membership. The findings of this study suggest that service improvement for patients, revitalization of non-prescription drug sales, professional management will contribute to promote community based pharmacy business.

• 한국임상약학회지
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• 제28권4호
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• pp.342-346
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• 2018

Background: Green tea extracts are approved as nonprescription drug and available as health functional foods, health foods, and beverages. Clinical information on the products is lacking. Methods: Information about the products on green tea nonprescription drugs was obtained from the website of the Korea Pharmaceutical Information Center. The Naver, i.e., a top ranking online search portal, was used for compiling the list of the health functional food products using key words of 'green tea catechin' on August 23, 2018. The recommended daily dosages of catechins were calculated as 30% of the total dried mass of green tea and about 50% of the catechins were considered as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Results: A total of two types of nonprescription drugs containing green tea powder or extracts, nine health functional food products, and three types of health foods were found. The regulatory requirements of the EGCG exceeding 800 mg were reported to be associated with adverse effects of elevated liver enzyme. If consumers take several green tea products concurrently, such as nonprescription drugs with health functional foods or health foods, it could exceed the recommended amount of EGCG. Conclusion: The concurrent use of green tea products as nonprescription drugs, health functional foods, and healthy foods may lead to an increased exposure to EGCG. Pharmacists should be aware the availability of various types of green tea products and the potential risk of liver toxicity due to excessive consumption of EGCG.

• 한국임상약학회지
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• 제26권4호
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• pp.324-329
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• 2016

Background: With the development of information and communication technology, there is a growing number of people looking for health information on the internet. This pilot study was performed to analyze the pattern of pharmacist consultation on the internet portal site. Methods: Questions and answers posted on the portal site "Naver Jisik-iN" from March 1st to 31th in 2016 were collected. Medications asked were categorized into prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, sanitary aids, emergency drugs, functional health foods, and others. Medications were subcategorized into 14 according to the anatomical therapeutic chemical classification system. Questions were divided into 10 categories based on Hepler's drug-related problems. Results: Of the 955 cases, females accounted for 59.5% and inquirers from 11 to 40 years old, 89.4%. The number of prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, sanitary aids, emergency drugs, functional health foods, and others were 428 (44.8%), 328 (34.3%), 31 (3.3%), 2 (0.2%), 122 (12.8%), and 44 (4.6%), respectively. Questions for drugs acting on alimentary tract and metabolism took up 27.4% followed by those on nervous system, 13.6% and anti-infectives for systemic use, 12.2%. Pharmacist consultation regarding drug information, drug interaction, and adverse reaction occupied 47.9%, 15.2%, and 12.3%, respectively. Conclusion: Health counseling through online is predicted to increase steadily, so pharmacists should broaden their boundaries beyond off-line pharmacies to meet social needs.

• 한국임상약학회지
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• 제28권3호
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• pp.188-193
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• 2018

Background: Previous studies have noted that the simultaneous use of sulfonylureas and antimicrobials, which is common, could increase the risk of hypoglycemia. In particular, an age of 65 years or older is a known risk factor for sulfonylurea-related hypoglycemia in hospitalized patients. Therefore, we performed this study to determine the potential risk of hypoglycemia from the concurrent use of antimicrobials and sulfonylureas. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study on the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort from 2013. The eligibility criteria included patients of 65 years of age or older taking a sulfonylurea with 25 different antimicrobials. Different risk ratings of severity in drug-drug interactions (potential DDIs), level X, D, or C in Lexi-$Interact^{TM}$ online, and contraindicated, major, or moderate severity level in $Micromedex^{(R)}$ were included. SAS version 9.4 was used for data analysis. Results: A total of 6,006 elderly patients with 25,613 prescriptions were included. The largest age group was 70 to 74 (32.7%), and 39.7% of patients were men. The mean number of prescriptions was 4.3 per patient. The most frequently used antimicrobials were levofloxacin (6,583, 25.7%), ofloxacin (6,549, 25.6%), fluconazole (4,678, 18.0%), and ciprofloxacin (2,551, 9.8%). Among sulfonylureas, glimepiride was prescribed most frequently, followed by gliclazide, glibenclamide, and glipizide. Conclusion: Of the antimicrobials with a high potential of hypoglycemia, levofloxacin, ofloxacin, fluconazole, and ciprofloxacin were used frequently. Thus, the monitoring of clinically relevant interactions is required for patients concurrently administered sulfonylureas and antimicrobials.

• 한국임상약학회지
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• 제31권2호
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• pp.96-103
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• 2021

Background: The number of elderly people with comorbidities who experience dysphagia associated with geriatric disorders, such as stroke, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's dementia, is increasing. Consequently, the demand for long-term prescriptions of powdered medications is expected to rise. Most patients procure repackaged prescription medications from pharmacies; however, the guidelines regarding their expiration dates are unclear. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess awareness among adults regarding the expiration dates and drug stability issues associated with repackaged prescription medications, including powdered medications. Methods: A questionnaire with 16 components was designed and distributed online (August 1-September 1, 2019) to adults aged 19 years or older. Statistical analyses, including descriptive analysis and chi-square test, were conducted on the obtained data. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: Data from 254 respondents were analyzed; 191 (75.20%) respondents worked in non-healthcare-related fields. A significant number of healthcare workers recognized the stability issues associated with powdered medications (p<0.001). However, a large proportion of healthcare workers were not aware of the expiration dates (p>0.05). Conclusions: More than half of the total respondents, including healthcare workers, were not familiar with the appropriate expiration dates of repackaged prescription medications. The establishment of evidence-based guidelines regarding drug expiration dates and the dissemination of awareness among patients are required. Furthermore, clinical practices including repackaging or pulverizing medications for long-term prescriptions should be avoided owing to the associated drug stability issues.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제34권12호
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• pp.3629-3634
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• 2013

In this study, an improved method for the quantitative analysis of ginkgolic acids (GAs) in Ginkgo biloba leaf extract was developed. The samples were extracted with a mixture of chloroform and 50 % ethanol, after which the chloroform extract was dried and reconstituted in methanol. GAs with 13:0, 15:1, and 17:1 in the extract were successfully separated within 40 min and determined with high throughput performance using an online column-switching HPLC method using an SP column C8 SG80 ($4.6{\times}150mm$, $5{\mu}m$) and a Cadenza 5CD C18 column ($4.6{\times}150mm$, $3{\mu}m$). The developed HPLC method was validated for Ginkgo biloba leaf extract. The validation parameters were specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, and limits of detection and quantitation (LODs and LOQs, respectively). It was found that all of the calibration curves showed good linearity ($r^2$ > 0.9993) within the tested ranges. The LODs and LOQs were all lower than $0.04{\mu}g/mL$. The established method was found to be simple, rapid, and high throughput for the quantitative analysis of GAs in ten commercial Ginkgo biloba leaf extract and dietary supplements. The samples were also analyzed in LC-electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) - multiple-ion reaction monitoring (MRM) mode to confirm the identification results that were obtained by the column switching HPLC-DAD method. The developed method is considered to be suitable for the routine quality control and safety assurance of Ginkgo biloba leaf extract.

• 한국임상약학회지
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• 제25권3호
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• pp.138-144
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• 2015

Objective: It is to evaluate the drug interaction monitoring program as a pilot project to develop a pharmaceutical care model in a medical intensive care unit and to analyze the influencing factors of drug interactions. Method: Electronic medical records were retrospectively investigated for 116 patients who had been hospitalized in a medical intensive care unit from October to December in 2014. The prevalence of adverse reaction with risk rating higher than 'D' was investigated by Lexi-$Comp^{(R)}$ Online database. The factors related with potential drug interaction and with treatment outcomes were analyzed. Results: The number of patients with a potential interaction of drug combination was 92 (79.3%). Average ages, the length of stay in the intensive care unit and the numbers of prescription drugs showed significant differences between drug interaction group and non-drug interaction group. Opioids (14.4%), antibiotics (7.2%), and diuretics (7.2%) were most responsible drug classes for drug interactions and the individual medications included furosemide (6.4%), tramadol (4.9%), and remifentanil (4.5%). There were 950 cases with a risk rating of 'C' (84.6%), 142 cases with a risk rating of 'D' (12.6%), and 31 cases with a risk rating of 'X' (avoid combination) (2.8%). The factors affecting drug interactions were the number of drugs prescribed (p < 0.0001) and the length of stay at intensive care unit (p < 0.01). The patients in intensive care unit showed a high incidence of adverse reactions related to potential drug interaction. Therefore, drug interaction monitoring program as a one of pharmaceutical care services was successfully piloted and it showed to prevent adverse reaction and to improve therapeutic outcomes. Conclusion: Active participation of a pharmacist in the drug management at the intensive care unit should be considered.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제25권6호
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• pp.625-633
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• 2017

Sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC) is one of the bioactive phospholipids that has many cellular functions such as cell migration, adhesion, proliferation, angiogenesis, and $Ca^{2+}$ signaling. Recent studies have reported that SPC induces invasion of breast cancer cells via matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) secretion leading to WNT activation. Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) is a matricellular and calcium-binding protein that binds to a wide variety of integrin and non-integrin cell surface receptors. It regulates cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis in inflammation, angiogenesis and neoplasia. TSP-1 promotes aggressive phenotype via epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). The relationship between SPC and TSP-1 is unclear. We found SPC induced EMT leading to mesenchymal morphology, decrease of E-cadherin expression and increases of N-cadherin and vimentin. SPC induced secretion of thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) during SPC-induced EMT of various breast cancer cells. Gene silencing of TSP-1 suppressed SPC-induced EMT as well as migration and invasion of MCF10A cells. An extracellular signal-regulated kinase inhibitor, PD98059, significantly suppressed the secretion of TSP-1, expressions of N-cadherin and vimentin, and decrease of E-cadherin in MCF10A cells. ERK2 siRNA suppressed TSP-1 secretion and EMT. From online PROGgene V2, relapse free survival is low in patients having high TSP-1 expressed breast cancer. Taken together, we found that SPC induced EMT and TSP-1 secretion via ERK2 signaling pathway. These results suggests that SPC-induced TSP-1 might be a new target for suppression of metastasis of breast cancer cells.