• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.87-95
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the condition of feminine hygiene behaviors to identify factors predicting bacterial vaginosis infection. Methods: A self-reporting survey was conducted with 385 female university students in Korea through a descriptive survey. Data were collected on demographics, feminine hygiene behaviors, and bacterial vaginosis infection. Results: The bacterial vaginosis infection rate was 37.9%. Factors predicting bacterial vaginosis infection were grade, age of menarche, history of sexual intercourse, history of sexually transmitted infection, experience of using a bidet, internal douche during menses, over the counter drug anti-itch products, tampons, and tampons/pads combination. Conclusion: To prevent bacterial vaginosis infection among female university students, information and education should be provided to promote positive feminine hygiene behaviors at the university and at home. Results of this study are essential to improve education and practices that will prevent bacterial vaginosis in female university students.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.293-296
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• 2023

Oral mucosal burns can occur after contact with various chemical agents, and commonly manifest as areas of mucosal sloughing and ulceration. Policresulen (Albothyl, Celltrion Pharm Inc.) is an over-the-counter topical antiseptic that is frequently used to treat stomatitis. Policresulen solution is highly acidic, with an approximate pH of 0.6; it can thus cause mucosal injury when improperly applied in the oral cavity. Here, we present a rare case of an oral mucosal burn resulting from incorrect self-administration of policresulen and emphasize the importance of increasing understanding of this adverse drug event among consumers and health professionals.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.641-647
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• 2011

Polyphenols in green tea are biologically active and may interact with commonly-consumed over-the-counter (OTC) drugs in the body. In this study, modulation of cytotoxicity of polyphenon 60 (PPE, tea polyphenol mixture) with co-treatment of several OTC drugs, including ibuprofen (Ibu), acetaminophen (AAP), and aspirin was investigated in intestinal cells. PPE showed more potent cytotoxic effects on colon cancer HCT 116 cells than on normal intestinal INT 407 cells. Ibu had the strongest cytotoxic effects on both cell types. Cytotoxicity of PPE on HCT 116 and INT 407 cells was not markedly altered by co-treated OTC drugs. Cytotoxicity of the OTC drugs was not affected by PPE. When HCT 116 cells were incubated with AAP before or after PPE treatment, cytotoxicity was slightly enhanced more than their additive effect. The present study may provide basic information of possible toxicity due to interaction of the polyphenols and the OTC drugs.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.88-98
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• 2017

To prevent toxicity from both robax platinum (methocarbamol, ibuprofen) and robaxacet (methocarbomol, acetaminophen), separately, we used stretches and naproxen as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to compare each effectiveness. This study used the United States Forces Korea Prescription form (Annex A-Over-The-Counter Prescription) and Alice Rich's Pain scale with robax platinum, robaxacet including narproxen. The IBM SPSS statics version 24 was used to calculate the data. The combined methocarbamol 500 mg, acetaminophen 325 mg tablet, and ibuprofen 200 mg (or naproxen) tablet can work as well as the combined methocarbamol 500 mg tablet with acetaminophen 325 mg tablet with stretches. Both methods were successful in managing pain. The drug combination of methocarbamol 500 mg, acetaminophen 325 mg and ibuprofen 200 mg tablets yielded similar benefits as the methocarbamol 500 mg and acetaminophen 325 mg tablets paired with physical stretching exercises regarding managing overall pain.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.263-272
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• 2018

Nonprescription drugs have become increasingly important in Korean healthcare. By leveraging lower-cost drugs and reducing expenditure associated with fewer physician visits, the nonprescription segment can deliver tremendous value to individual consumers and the Korean healthcare system. Many countries have provided simpler and more rapid routes to market entry for qualifying nonprescription drug products, using the established data on drug safety and efficacy, as well as public and professional opinion. In US, the FDA waived the pre-approval process for over-the-counter (OTC) drugs marketed through the OTC Monograph Process. In Australia and Canada, different OTC product application levels are defined, with a reduced level of assessment required when the risks to consumers are considered low. Japan established a new OTC evaluation system in 2014 to facilitate the Rx-to-OTC switch process. The legislative framework for medicinal products in the European Union allows for drugs to be approved with reference to appropriate bibliographic data for old active substances with well-established uses. Through a comparison of the regulatory framework and the requirements for nonprescription approval process in different countries, several ways to improve regulatory practice for the evaluation of nonprescription drugs in Korea have been suggested.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.45 no.8
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• pp.1033-1037
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• 2002

Doxylamine is an antihistamine of the ethanolamine class. It is used primarily as a sleep-inducing agent. Clinicians should be aware of the complications in rhabdomyolysis patients who ingest doxylamine succinate and over-the-counter antihistamines. The easy availability of these substances increases the potential not only of intentional overdose by adults but also of inadvertent ingestion by children. Prompt intervention and careful assessment of renal function, urinary output, and serum creatine kinase levels may represent the difference between an uncomplicated and acute renal failure. Recognition of the potential for rhabdomyolysis and institution of vigorous treatment may prevent acute renal failure in patients who have taken an overdose of the drug. A 14-year-old male was found to have hematuria and oliguria. Evaluation of the patient revealed myoglobinuria, and a creatine kinase(CK) level of 117,563 IU/L. He was recovered by massive fluid administration, urine alkalization and mannitol infusion. We report a case of a suicide attempt in a child where ingestion of the doxylamine complicated by non-traumatic rhabdomyolysis with brief review related literatures.

• Design Convergence Study
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.17-29
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• 2016

Over-the-counter pharmaceuticals sold in convenience stores are accurate and easy to understand on its containers, packaging, or attached materials for the prevention of drug misuse. The limited space of the packaging, however, makes the information difficult to read and consequently, consumers have had difficulty in purchasing the products. This research conducted an analysis of 8 packages of pill-type drugs and conducted a survey and interviews targeting 10 foreigners and 20 Korean consumers to analyze the user consciousness. The findings of this study showed that fever remedies are the most frequently bought drug. And consumers first looked for the information of the drugs in the following order: the effects, dosage, and warnings. While domestic consumers had little difficulty in comprehending the information, more than 40% of the foreigners who were studies failed to comprehend it, which was because the package was entirely written in Korean. This study presented some ideas for improving the design by using English and foreign expressions and pictograms, consumers can easily and quickly understand, and by placing the information on the symptoms, dosage and age information so that the type of drugs will be easily discernible.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.432-440
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• 2023

Irrational and injudicious use of antibiotics, easy availability of them as over-the-counter drugs in economically developing countries, and unavailability of regulatory policies governing antimicrobial use in agriculture, animals, and humans, has led to the development of multi-drug resistance (MDR) bacteria. The use of medicinal plants can be considered as an alternative, with a consequent impact on microbial resistance. We tested extracts of Piper longum fruits as new natural products as agents for reversing the resistance to antibiotics. Six crude extracts of P. longum fruits were utilized against a clinical isolate of multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.The antibiotic susceptibility testing disc method was used in the antibiotic resistance reversal analysis. Apart from cefoxitin and erythromycin, all other antibiotics used (lincosamides [clindamycin], quinolones [levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin], and aminoglycosides [amikacin and gentamicin]) were enhanced by P. longum extracts. The extracts that showed the greatest synergy with the antibiotics were EAPL (ethyl acetate [extract of] P. longum), n-BPL (n-butanol [extract of] P. longum), and MPL (methanolic [extract of] P. longum The results of this study suggest that P. longum extracts have the ability to increase the effectiveness of different classes of antibiotics and reverse their resistance. However, future studies are needed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms behind the synergy between antibiotic and phytocompound(s) and identify the active biomolecules of P. longum responsible for the synergy in S. aureus.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.226-233
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• 2020

Background: Currently, the over-the-counter (OTC) drug market is flooded with series OTC products. The pharmacist must follow the OTC product's indication, given that the most critical role of a pharmacist is the right selection and recommendation of an OTC drug for a patient's symptoms in a dynamic pharmacy environment. Therefore, pharmacists must know each OTC product information precisely to avoid any ambiguity due to several OTC series brand names. Objective: We evaluated the risk and effectiveness of OTC series medicines. Methods: From December 5 to December 18, 2019, an online survey was conducted among 145 community pharmacists. Results: A total of 51.0% of pharmacists knew the difference between products named in a series and could explain it spontaneously. Only 0.7% of the pharmacists admitted to not knowing the difference between products named in a series. While 42.9% of pharmacists who owned a pharmacy opined that the OTC medicines named in a series have health benefits for patients, 50.0% of employee pharmacists admitted that they were rather confused because there are several OTC series medicines. In contrast, 69.2% of pharmacists who owned pharmacies and 72.2% of employee pharmacists admitted that OTC series drugs with names similar to popular OTC drugs sell better. Conclusion: While pharmacists had different opinions regarding OTC series drugs per employment status, they opined that OTC series are more helpful in pharmacy management than completely new brand names. Further studies in this regard are needed.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.17-27
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• 2021

Objectives: Deliberate self-poisoning (DSP) is the most common suicide method and can be life-threatening. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors related to the lethality of DSP and the characteristics of the adolescent group. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on patients who had visited an academic hospital's regional emergency medical center between 2015 and 2018. The data reviewed through their medical records included sociodemographic factors, clinical variables, and psychiatric treatment. Four groups (Q1-Q4) were categorized by descriptive analysis using the risk-rescue rating scale. Results: A total of 491 patients were enrolled in this study. This study showed that high lethality had statistically significant associations with male sex, older age, admitting suicidal intentions, and the use of herbicides for suicide. Logistic regression analyses showed a significant association between high-lethality and female [odds ratio (OR)=0.50, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.30-0.81, p=0.01], non-psychiatric drugs (over-the-counter drug: OR=2.49, 95% CI=1.08-5.74, p=0.03; herbicide: OR=8.65, 95% CI=3.91-19.13, p<0.01), and denial of suicide intent (OR=0.28, 95% CI=0.15-0.55, p<0.01). Conclusion: This study showed the clinical factors associated with the high lethality of DSP and suggested that efforts were needed to care for and thoroughly examine patients with DSP.