The sustainable developmental goals emphasize good health, reduction in preventable neonatal and under-five mortalities, and attaining zero hunger. However, South Asian countries report a higher incidence of neonatal and under-five mortalities when compared to the Western world, many of which are attributed to maternal and perinatal micronutrient deficiencies. Isolated nutrient deficiency in the absence of calorie deficit poses a diagnostic challenge since such deficiencies present with acute multisystemic and enigmatic manifestations. Thiamine (vitamin B1) is a micronutrient of prime importance which exerts indispensable roles in energy metabolism. Deficiency of thiamine can lead to catastrophic consequences. This review provides insight into the biochemical actions of thiamine in energy metabolism, the compromised aerobic metabolism resulting from thiamine deficiency, and the crucial role of thiamine in the proper functioning of the nervous, cardiovascular, and immune systems. The review also explores the acute life-threatening consequences of thiamine deficiencies in neonates and infants and the speculative role of thiamine in other pathologies like encephalopathy, sepsis, and autism spectrum disorders. However, routine assessment of thiamine in pregnant women and neonates is yet to be implemented, due to the lack of affordable and automated diagnostic techniques, and the cost-intensive nature of mass spectrometry-based quantification. Conclusion: Physicians are recommended to have a low threshold for suspecting thiamine deficiency especially in vulnerable populations. Laboratory diagnosis of thiamine deficiency needs to be implemented as a standard of care, especially in endemic regions. Further, public health policies on food fortification, mandatory supplementation, and surveillance are imperative to eliminate thiamine deficiency-induced health hazards. What is Known:• South Asian countries report a higher incidence of neonatal and under-five mortalities, many of which are attributed to maternal and perinatal micronutrient deficiencies.• Preventable causes of neonatal/ infantile deaths include birth factors (low birth weight, birth asphyxia), infectious diseases (pneumonia, diarrhoea, tetanus, tuberculosis, measles, diphtheria, malaria, acute infections), deficiency diseases and genetic diseases (vitamin & mineral deficiencies, IEMs, congenital heart disease, unexplained PPHN, SIDS etc). What is New:• Acute thiamine deficiency presenting as multisystemic syndromes, has unfortunately been a long standing unresolved public health concern. However, accessible surveillance and diagnostic strategies remain elusive in most clinical settings.• Despite decades of reports and emerging guidelines, diagnosis of thiamine deficiency is often missed and policy mandates at national level are yet to be implemented even in endemic countries.• This review provides a comprehensive summary of the biochemical role of thiamine, its key functions and effects on major organ systems, the diagnostic gap, the enigmatic presentation of acute thiamine deficiency, the plausible role of thiamine in other pathologies and the preventive measures at individual and community level.

Background: Tamoxifen is useful in managing breast cancer and it is reported to have significant variability in its pharmacokinetics. This review aimed to summarize reported population pharmacokinetics studies of tamoxifen and to identify the factors affecting the pharmacokinetics of tamoxifen in adult breast cancer patients. Method: A systematic search was undertaken in Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed for papers published in the English language from inception to 20 August 2022. Studies were included in the review if the population pharmacokinetic modeling was based on non-linear mixed-effects modeling with a parametric approach for tamoxifen in breast cancer patients. Results: After initial selection, 671 records were taken for screening. A total of five studies were selected from Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and by manual searching. The majority of the studies were two-compartment models with first-order absorption and elimination to describe tamoxifen and its metabolites’ disposition. The CYP2D6 phenotype and CYP3A4 genotype were the main covariates that affected the metabolism of tamoxifen and its metabolites. Other factors influencing the drug’s pharmacokinetics included age, co-medication, BMI, medication adherence, CYP2B6, and CYP2C19 genotype. Conclusion: The disposition of tamoxifen and its metabolites varies primarily due to the CYP2D6 phenotype and CYP3A4 genotype. However, other factors, such as anthropometric characteristics and menopausal status, should also be addressed when accounting for this variability. All these studies should be externally evaluated to assess their applicability in different populations and to use model-informed dosing in the clinical setting.

Polypharmacy is very common among older adults and is associated with poor health outcomes. This scoping review aimed to understand the underlying factors for poor medication taking by older patients and potential solutions to mitigate these risks. The ability to take medications and adherence are affected by various factors related to patients, treatments, health conditions and socio-demographics, healthcare providers and the healthcare systems. Educational and behavioural interventions are used alone or in combination for the optimisation medication use. Medication review and deprescribing, including regimen simplification, by trained practitioners has the potential to enhance patient safety and reduce healthcare costs. Engaging the patient and family may bring about additional benefits. Various technology-based interventions to promote self-efficacy are evolving and are used to support consumer self-management.

Objectives: Pictorial representation has shown to be potential in enhancing patient knowledge. This study aimed to identify the usefulness of pictograms improving the knowledge of the patients or their caregivers. Key findings: The electronic databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, Embase and Scopus were searchedfor relevant studies. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to assess the quality of the included studies. The study was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Pictograms were used alone or in combination with the text-based/written or verbal/ oral instructions of medication used in study intervention. All the included studies showed similar outcomes that had a positive impact on improving patient adherence and helped in decreasing the dosing error. Factors such as age, gender, literacy level had a negative impact on adherence. Pictograms had a positive impact on the adherence in patients with low health literacy levels than the written/oral interventions. Summary: The current review provided insights on the effectiveness of pictograms in patients or their caregivers of various age groups in healthcare settings. Future studies should be aimed to identify the knowledge gaps and barriers impacting the effectiveness of pictograms in various settings.