Introduction: Although it is discouraged, community pharmacy customers can obtain oral corticosteroids (OCSs) without prescriptions from some community pharmacies in Iraq. Medication abuse is defined as the use of medication for non-medical reasons. Objectives: The study aimed to determine demographics, beliefs, and perceptions associated with the abuse of oral corticosteroids for non-illness reasons among community pharmacy customers. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in fall 2018 in four provinces in Iraq. Customers of 19 community pharmacies asking for OCSs for themselves without a prescription were administered a paper survey. This study used the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) to measure the relationship between the motivational factors and the abuse of OCSs. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationships between the use of OCSs for non-illness and six TRA factors: Normative belief, behavioral belief, evaluation of the behavior, motivation to comply, subjective norms and attitude toward behavior. Results: The study enrolled 141 participants (98 women and 43 men) taking asking for OCSs without prescription. Dexamethasone was the most commonly used OCSs (59.6%). Friends were the primary recommenders for corticosteroids abuse (28.4%). The main reasons for using OCSs were to increase appetite and gain weight (53.9 %). Approximately one-third (36.2 %) of the participants gained weight after using OCSs. The regression analysis of the TRA variables showed two factors were significantly related to the abuse of OCSs. Age had a significant inverse relationship with the abuse of OCSs and the "good appearance" belief had a significant positive association with OCS abuse. Conclusion: Some Iraqi community pharmacy customers use non-prescribed oral corticosteroids to increase appetite and gain weight. Improve body appearance represents the dominant incentive that urges people to use OCSs without prescription. Health officials and healthcare practitioners need to promote people's awareness about the risks of misusing OCSs through education programs and advertisements in public health settings, media, and social media. Article Type: Original Research
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease its etiology is unknown. The classical autoimmune diseases, have adaptive immune genetic associations with autoantibodies and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), diabetes mellitus type two (DM II). Serum of99 males suffering from RA without DMII as group (G1), 45 males suffering from RA with DM II as group (G2) and 40 healthy males as group (G3) were enrolled in this study to estimation of alkaline phosphates (ALP), C-reactive protein (CRP) and Pentraxin-3(PTX). Results showed a highly significant increase in PTX3 levels in G1 and G2 compared to G3 and a significant decrease in G1comparing to G2. Results also revealed a significa
... Show MoreAngle of arrival (AOA) estimation for wideband signal becomes more necessary for modern communication systems like Global System for Mobile (GSM), satellite, military applications and spread spectrum (frequency hopping and direct sequence). Most of the researchers are focusing on how to cancel the effects of signal bandwidth on AOA estimation performance by using a transversal filter (tap delay line) (TDL). Most of the researchers were using two elements array antenna to study these effects. In this research, a general case of proposed (M) array elements is used. A transversal filter (TDL) in phase adaptive array antenna system is used to calculate the optimum number of taps required to compensate these effect. The propo
... Show MoreFresh vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. The consumption of raw vegetables without cooking or good washing can be a major rout of transmission to the parasitic infection. The goal of this study was to determine the intestinal parasitic contamination of fresh vegetables from vegetables sales markets in Baghdad province during the different above months of the year. A total of 303 samples of different vegetables were randomly selected from three wholesale markets distributed through different regions in Baghdad (East, West and South) and then were examined by a floatation method. The present study showed that the collected vegetables were contaminated with 12 species of intestinal parasites, and the total percentage of contam
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Twenty bacterial isolates were identified as Staphylococcus aureus collected from wounds and catheters related infections. A capsulated S. aureus isolate was chosen after performing serum soft agar test, for this study Neutropenic mice were challenged with capsulated S. aureus ,and the effect of G-CSF with or without moxifloxacin was studied. The results indicated that the addition of G-CSF to moxifloxacin therapy have a synergistic effect in the killing of the bacteria, while when each G-CSF and moxifloxacin were used seperately have a similar effect on bacterial killing. It was found that the moxifloxacin has the same activity as G_CSF but is less costly than the latter one.
A total of 30 specimens of house sparrow Passer domesticus biblicus Hartert, 1904 (15 females and 15 males) were collected from gardens of some houses in Baghdad city; all birds were dissected to identify the parasites in vesicle, gizzard, intestine, gall bladder and caecum. One species of trematodes Brachydistomum microscelis (Yamaguti, 1933) was found in the gall bladder and two species of cestodes Anonchotaenia globata (von Linstow, 1879) and Raillietina tetragona (Molin, 1858) were found in the small intestine of house sparrow. Morphologic and morphometric measurements were considered.
The genus Brachydistomum Travassos, 1944 is being recorded for the first time in Iraq in the gall bladder of house sparr
... Show MoreBackground :Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was a widely used marker for skeletal and hepatobiliary disorders, but its activity was also increased in atherosclerosis and peripheral vascular disease. Several study has showed that ALP activity was increased in the sera of diabetic patients. The current study was conducted to evaluate ALP activity in type 2 diabetic patients and optimum conditions for enzyme activity in their sera.Methods: This study was carried out at in AL-Yarmok hospital(diabetic center) between February /2009 and April /2009. Fifty two patients with type 2 diabetes have been enrolled. Besides BMI, WHR, serum fasting blood glucose, ALP, HbA1C,uric acid and lipid profile levels have been performed .The relationship bet
... Show MoreThe purpose of my thesis is to synthesis two new bidentate ligands which were used to prepare series of metal complexes by reacting the ligands with (M+2 = Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Cd and Hg) Succinyl chloride was used as starting material to synthesis two bidentate ligands (L1) and (L2) by reaction it with 4-chloroaniline (L1) and (4-aminoacetophenone) (L2) in dichloromethane as a solvent, that are: (L1) = N1,N4-bis (4-chloro phenyl ) succinamide (L2) =N1,N4-bis(4-acetylphenyl)succinamide The new ligands were characterize by using spectroscopic study (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), electronic spectra ( UV-Vis) ,nuclear magnetic resonance(1H,13C-NMR), Mass spectra
... Show MoreThe present study aimed to investigate the possible production of Thioflavin T and the effect of NaCl concentrations and growth phases on the growth rate, doubling time and proline of C. saipanensis N. Hanagata (Scenedesmaceae, Shaerophleales). The alga was cultured in BG 11 medium and six NaCl concentrations were used in the experiments during different growth phases. The results have unveiled the presence of Triflavin T in the alga. The study results showed a growth rate decrease at all NaCl concentrations except in control treatment, while the doubling time, was recorded highest value (14 days) at the NaCl concentration of 0.08 M. The highest value of Proline (0.509 mg. Lˉ¹) was recorded at the treatment of 0.08 M of NaCl and recorded
... Show MoreBackground: Many materials were proposed as root canal obturating materials but the biocompatibility issue remains to be a critical one. Propolis has been used as a therapeutic agent since the time of Hippocrates. It is known that propolis exhibits some pharmacological activities, such as antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and anti inflammatory activity. Materials and methods: Eighteen albino rats were used in the study and divided randomly into three groups of 6 animals for each group. Each group was scheduled to be sacrificed at different time periods, which were three days, one week and three weeks. Propolis and ZOE sealer implants of 4mm in diameter and 0.5 gm in weight were implanted in the dorsal side of the rats. At the end of the
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