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
The synthesis of ligands with N2S2 donor sets that include imine, an amide, thioether, thiolate moieties and their metal complexes were achieved. The new Schiff-base ligands; N-(2-((2,4-diphenyl-3-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-9-ylidene)amino)ethyl)-2-((2-mercaptoethyl)thio)-acetamide (H2L1) and N-(2-((2,4-di-p-tolyl-3-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-9-ylidene)amino)ethyl)-2-((2-mercaptoethyl)thio) acetamide (H2L2) were obtained from the reaction of amine precursors with 1,4-dithian-2-one in the presence of triethylamine as a base in the CHCl3 medium. Complexes of the general formula K2<
This study estimated seven heavy metals (Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cd, Cr) in water (dissolved and particulate phase), sediments and some aquatic organisms including two species from aquatic plants (Ceratophyllum demersum&Phragmites australis); one species of clam (Psedontopeses euphratics) and two species from fish (Oreochromis aureus& Leuciscus vorax)in four sites within Mashroo AL- Musayyib channel project/ branch of Euphrates river, Babylon , medial of Iraq . This aims to show the concentration of these elements, their fate and the mechanisms of their transmission through the food chain in this lotic aquatic system ; also in addition to examining some physicochemical properties of ri
... Show MoreTo prepare a new ligand, many compounds were used to synthesize Schiff-Mannich base, such as isatin, Para chloro Aniline, 2-mercaptobenzimidazole and indole. The resulting compound 1-((2-((1H-indol-1-ylthio)-1H-benzo[d]imidazol1-yl)methyl)-3-(4-chlorophenylimino)indolin-2-one (L). (L) was used to create a series of metal ion complexes with Co (II), Ni (II), Cu (II), Pd (II), Pt (IV), and Au (III). C.H.N.S., FTIR, mass spectra UV-ViS, 1H-NMR, 13CNMR, magnetic moment, and molar conductivity were used to characterize all of these compounds. Except for the palladium(II) and gold(III) complexes, all of the produced complexes had an octahedral geometry, according to the data. The antibacterial activity of the produced compounds was tested by usin
... Show MoreA novel Schiff base ligand (DBC) synthesized from 4-chlorobenzoic acid, along with its Cu (II) and Co (II) complexes, was prepared and characterized using FT-IR, 1H and 13C-NMR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, as well as magnetic and conductivity measurements. Based on this, a tetrahedral structure of [M(DBC)Cl2] was proposed for the complexes. Antioxidant activity of the compounds was assessed and compared to ascorbic acid, revealing that the copper complex exhibited superior antioxidant properties compared to the cobalt complex and the ligand. Furthermore, the antibiofilm potential of the copper and cobalt complexes was assessed against five clinically relevant bacterial species (P.aeruginosa, E.coli, K.pneumoniae, S.aureus and S.typhi) usin
... Show MoreBiodiesel can be prepared from various types of vegetable oils or animal fats with the aid of a catalyst.
Calcium oxide (CaO) is one of the prospective heterogeneous catalysts for biodiesel synthesis. Modification
of CaO by impregnation on silica (SiO2) can improve the performance of CaO as catalyst. Egg shells and rice
husks as biomass waste can be used as raw materials for the preparation of the silica modified CaO catalyst.
The present study was directed to synthesize and characterize CaO impregnated SiO2 catalyst from biomass
waste and apply it as catalyst in biodiesel synthesis. The catalyst was synthesized by wet impregnation
method and characterized by x-ray diffraction, x-ray fluorescence, nitr
In addition to their high quantities of active chemicals, medicinal plants are well-known for their pharmacological qualities, which include immunological modulation. T Consequently, this study aimed to examine the effects of Avena sativa and Glycyrrhiza glabra leaf extracts on immunological responses as measured by blood cytokine and liver enzyme levels. The phytochemical analysis of Avena sativa crude leaf extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids,flavonoids, tannins, phenolic compounds, and saponins but the absence of resins and violet oils. On the other hand, violet oils, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, and glycosides were detected in significant concentration in Glycyrrhiza glabra ethanolic extract, although resins and phenolic compou
... Show MoreThe study aimed at identifying youth and sport forums from planning and leadership point of view and their relation with organizational culture. The researchers used the descriptive method on (140) worker in Baghdad youth and sport forums. A scale was designed for measuring planning and leadership in youth and sport forums as well as designing a scale for measuring organizational culture. After the application of the main experiment, the results showed that both youth and sport forum administration scale and organizational culture scale are appropriate to the study community. Finally the researchers recommended using these scales by workers in youth and sport forums and involving administration mangers in periodical training courses
... Show MoreThe widespread use of the Internet of things (IoT) in different aspects of an individual’s life like banking, wireless intelligent devices and smartphones has led to new security and performance challenges under restricted resources. The Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) is the most suitable choice for the environments due to the smaller size of the encryption key and changeable security related parameters. However, major performance metrics such as area, power, latency and throughput are still customisable and based on the design requirements of the device.
The present paper puts forward an enhancement for the throughput performance metric by p
... Show More