More Please check this summary of your article Test We're testing a new feature which would provide a 1-sentence summary of an article to help others quickly decide if it is relevant for them. We need your help to find out how accurate this automatically generated summary is. This summary is for testing purposes – only you can see it. Summary The adequacy of information given to consumers on over-the-counter medications dispensed in community pharmacies in Tripoli, Libya, and compared the performance Thank you for your help! Your feedback will help improve this feature. Very good How would you summarize your article in 1 sentence? Help us improve the quality of this feature by writing your own summary. Others will not see your summary. Enter your 1-sentence summary (max 300 characters) Do you have any other feedback about this feature? Enter your feedback Submit Abstract and figures Background: Adherence to pharmacy practice guidelines for dispensing medications in pharmacy settings is important to ensure the safe use of medications. Aims: This study assessed the pattern and adequacy of information given to consumers on over-the-counter medications dispensed in community pharmacies in Tripoli, Libya, and compared the performance of pharmacists and non-pharmacists. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey of private community pharmacies conducted in 2018 . Trained simulated patients were used to collect data on over-the-counter medications dispensed for hypothetical common cold symptoms and the information given by the pharmacy staff on the medication. This information included: name and the strength of the medication, indication for use, duration of use, dosage, how often to take the medicine, timing (before/after/with food), storage, expiry date, and side-effects of the medicine. Time taken to deliver the information was recorded. The adequacy of information provided by the pharmacists and non-pharmacists was compared. Results: A total of 169 pharmacists were surveyed. There were no significant differences between pharmacists and non-pharmacists in information given on the dispensed medications, except for information on taking the medication with food or not (84.5% of pharmacists gave this information versus 57.1% of non-pharmacists; P = 0.001) and on potential side-effects (39.4% of pharmacists versus 20.3% of non-pharmacists; P = 0.014). Significantly more pharmacists (85.9%) than non-pharmacists (61.2%) provided the medication-related information in less than 1 minute (P = 0.001). Conclusion: The inadequate information on medications provided by pharmacists is a concern for patient safety. Health regulatory organizations need to promote safe medication practices.
Ahmed Elbadri M Atia(7-2020)

Background: The concept of pharmacovigilance is not well known in Libya and its practice is still in the early stages. Aims: This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices of pharmacists in Tripoli, Libya about pharmacovigilance and the reporting of adverse drug reactions. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2019 to February 2020 of working pharmacists randomly selected from pharmacies in Tripoli. Participants were eligible for inclusion if they had a degree or diploma in pharmacy from a recognized university or institute. Data were collected using a validated self-administered questionnaire. Results: Of 500 pharmacists selected, 408 completed the questionnaire. The pharmacists' knowledge of pharmacovigilance and reporting of adverse drug reactions was poor overall: only 28.9% correctly defined pharmacovigilance and 14.7% knew about the existence of a centre for pharmacovigilance in Libya. The attitudes of the pharmacists to pharmacovigilance was positive: 77.2% believed that pharmacovigilance needed to be included in the pharmacy curriculum and 73.0% said that they would practice pharmacovigilance if trained. Pharmacists depended mostly on drug information leaflets to update their knowledge on adverse drug reactions. Conclusion: Given the pharmacists' low level of knowledge about pharmacovigilance but their readiness to become involved if trained, training programmes should be introduced for practising pharmacists to improve their knowledge and encourage their active participation in pharmacovigilance. Regulators need to reinforce the importance of reporting adverse drug reactions and implement pharmacovigilance policies in the Libyan health care system.
Ahmed Elbadri M Atia(7-2021)

INTRODUCTION: CAD/CAM denture base materials are milled from pre-polymerized pucks of resin that are highly condensed. So, they provide no polymerization shrinkage eliminating its subsequent disadvantages. This technology offered improved fit, strength properties and more bio-hygienic denture bases compared with conventional processing of the denture base material. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to evaluate the physico-mechanical properties of CAD/CAM denture base material and the effect of thermo-cycling on it compared with the conventional one. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on two parallel groups, divided according to the denture material used. Group (1) conventional PMMA (control group), group (II) CAD/CAM PMMA (study group) of 40 specimens each (16 for impact strength, 16 for flexural strength, 8 for surface roughness and grinded powder form both materials for residual monomer test). Each group was divided into 2 sub-groups: (A) No thermo-cycling and (B) Thermo-cycling, then subjected to 4 different tests, impact strength, flexural strength, surface roughness and residual monomer tests. Data were collected, tabulated and statistically analyzed. Significance level was set at 5%. Bar charts were used for graphical presentations. RESULTS: Our study revealed a highly statistically significant decrease in residual monomer of CAD/CAM PMMA material in both conditions before and after thermo-cycling when compared to conventional PMMA material, which therefore leads to enhanced impact strength and significantly reduced surface roughness after heat treatment. On the other hand, also a highly significant reduction of its flexural strength after thermocycling has been observed. CONCLUSIONS: CAD/CAM dentures with lower amount of methacrylate monomer exhibit more favourable physico-mechanical properties and they have a long-term biocompatibility even with thermal changes making them a more satisfactory as a denture base material for edentulous patients.
Yusra Muftah Saad Elfaidy, Ahmed M. Abdelhamid, Sonia M. Elshabrawy(12-2018)