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
Background: Oncogenesis in the oral cavity is widely believed to result from cumulative genetic alterations that cause a transformation of the mucosa from normal to dysplastic to invasive carcinoma. The p16 gene produces p16 protein, which in turn inhibits phosphorylation of retinoblastoma (Rb), p16 play a significant role in early carcinogenesis. A number of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family, HER2/neu, has received much attention because of its therapeutic implications. The aims of the study were to evaluate and compare the immunohistochemical expression of the cell cycle protein P16 INK4a and c-erbB2 (HER2/neu) in NOM, OED, and OSCC. Correlate both marker expression with each other as well as with various clinicopathological
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This study aims to identify the most prominent factors that lead to bullying of students with intellectual disabilities in primary and middle schools from the perspectives of special education teachers. A quantitative descriptive approach was utilized. A questionnaire was used as a tool for data collection. The sample consisted of (72) male and female teachers from the Asir region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The results revealed the most prominent factors that lead to bullying as follows: factors associated with the school and its policies, factors associated with peers, factors associated with students with intellectual disabilities, and factors associated with general education teachers. The findin
... Show MoreObjective(s): This study aims at determining the effectiveness of an educational program on knowledge of high school students' knowledge about substance abuse and its health consequences, and to find out the association between students’ knowledge about substance abuse and its health consequences and their demographic data of age, socioeconomic status, and educational level of parents.
Methodology: A quasi-experimental study is conducted for the period of October 28th, 2019 to March 30th, 2020. The study sample included a nonprobability “purposive” sample of (124) male students (62) students for the control group and (62) students for the study group, aged (14-19) years who are selected from Al-Hikma High School for Boys in Kirk
The relationships between the related parties constitute a normal feature of trading and business processes. Entities may perform parts of their activities through subsidiary entities, joint ventures and associate entities. In these cases, the entity has the ability to influence the financial and operating policies of the investee through control, joint control or significant influence, So could affect established knowledge of transactions and balances outstanding, including commitments, and relationships with related to the evaluation of its operations by users of financial statements, including the risks and opportunities facing the entity assess the parties. So research has gained importance of the importance of the availability
... Show MoreThe best means and ways to develop an athlete's physical and skill capabilities, and among these means is the use of training aids that help develop some bio-kinetic abilities, and prepared exercises have had an important role in improving athletic performance in badminton, where the player must possess physical fitness, explosive power, and strength. Characterized by speed as well as accuracy, awareness, and focus while playing on the court, the badminton player must be physically fit through a continuous movement of small and large muscles to achieve good performance, which requires special physical abilities and skills, and the most important of these bio-kinetic abilities are agility, coordination, and measuring the coordination
... Show MoreThe research aimed at identifying the level of Acute stress disorder and orientation towards supplication among the wives of the martyrs and knowledge of the two levels according to the age groups, academic achievement and profession. Sample of (72) wife of a martyr, and the results of the research indicated that the wives of the martyrs have symptoms of distress disorder and have adherence to the supplication to alleviate that disorder, as well as the results indicated that there are statistical differences in distress disturbance according to the variable of age groups, the profession variable and the variable of enrollment The academic year. As for the measure of the trend towards supplication, there are no statistical dif
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