BACKGROUND Appropriate prescription of dabigatran etexilate methanesulfonate (JAN) is more complicated than assumed, because there are totally 10 items of contraindications and instructions for dosage reduction depending on patients' characteristics. We aimed to study whether the routine audit of first-time prescriptions of dabigatran performed by pharmacists is effective in improving the quali...

Neuromuscular disorders are characterised by progressive muscle weakness, which in time causes functional impairment. To quantify the extent of disease progression, muscle force and functional ability can be measured. Which of these parameters changes most depends on the disease stage. In a previous study, we reported normal values for muscle force obtained by hand-held dynamometry in healthy c...

BACKGROUND Prednisone treatment is used to prolong ambulation in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). However, since severe adverse effects often accompany prednisone treatment, it is debatable whether the benefits of prednisone treatment outweigh its adverse effects. OBJECTIVES To study the effects of prednisone on muscle function and to determine the extent of steroid-related ad...

Two hundred ambulant diabetic patients (152 females and 48 males) were screened for significant bacteriuria by bacterial colony count method. Significant bacteriuria was found in 13% (24 females and 2 males). E.coli was the predominant organism isolated in 17 out of 28 cases. A higher relative frequency of past history of renal disorders and hypertension was seen in the group with significant b...