Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the incidence and patterns of toxic exposures and poisoning in Jordan: a retrospective descriptive study

ObjectivesTo describe the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown in Jordan (21 March 2020–21 May 2020) on the incidence and patterns of toxic exposures and poisoning as compared with the same period from the previous year (21 March 2019–21 May 2019).DesignA retrospective descriptive study.MethodsCall data sourced from Pharmacy One Poison Center from the lockdown period (21 March 2020–21 May 2020) and the same period during 2019 (21 March 2019–21 May 2019) were revised. In addition, a database was established and analysed.ResultsWe noticed that not only did calls increased, but there was also a noticeable change in call patterns. Calls increased by 91% (544 vs 285 calls) during the lockdown period. Drugs were the most common among types of exposure, and the most prevalent route of exposure was ingestion. There was a notable increase in ocular exposure by 550% (13 vs 2 cases). The majority of exposures were at home and there were no occupational exposures. We found an increase in household cleaner exposure among males and an increase in alcohol exposure in females. Children aged below 5 years are the most affected. Even though there is an increase in the total number of cases, severe cases decreased.ConclusionThe lockdown effect on rates of toxic exposures was prominent, whether through the increase in calls or the change in patterns. As people spent more time at home, their exposure to toxic agents increased. Furthermore, cleaning recommendations led to the misuse of cleaning and disinfectant products, increasing exposures related to abating the COVID-19 infection.

Ocular Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling for Ointment Formulations

Purpose The purpose of this study is to show how the Ocular Compartmental Absorption & Transit (OCAT™) model in GastroPlus® can be used to characterize ocular drug pharmacokinetic performance in rabbits for ointment formulations. Methods A newly OCAT™ model developed for fluorometholone, as well as a previously verified model for dexamethasone, were used to characterize the aqueous humor (AH) concentration following the administration of multiple ointment formulations to rabbit. The model uses the following parameters: application surface area (SA), a fitted application time, and the fitted Higuchi release constant to characterize the rate of passage of the active pharmaceutical ingredient from the ointment formulations into the tears in vivo. Results Parameter sensitivity analysis was performed to understand the impact of ointment formulation changes on ocular exposure. While application time was found to have a significant impact on the time of maximal concentration in AH, both the application SA and the Higuchi release constant significantly influenced both the maximum concentration and the ocular exposure. Conclusions This initial model for ointment ophthalmic formulations is a first step to better understand the interplay between physiological factors and ophthalmic formulation physicochemical properties and their impact on in vivo ocular drug pharmacokinetic performance in rabbits.