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
Machine learning has a significant advantage for many difficulties in the oil and gas industry, especially when it comes to resolving complex challenges in reservoir characterization. Permeability is one of the most difficult petrophysical parameters to predict using conventional logging techniques. Clarifications of the work flow methodology are presented alongside comprehensive models in this study. The purpose of this study is to provide a more robust technique for predicting permeability; previous studies on the Bazirgan field have attempted to do so, but their estimates have been vague, and the methods they give are obsolete and do not make any concessions to the real or rigid in order to solve the permeability computation. To
... Show MoreThe Umayyad era is characterized by the diversity of the subjects and their multiplicity in the literary phenomena. These phenomena are singing phenomena, although they were known in previous eras, they took a distinctive form in the era.
In this light, the researcher tried to prove that singing theory in the Umayyad period was characterized by development and renewal. The research was entitled (evolution and renewal in the theory of singing in the Umayyad era).
Research studies show that urban green spaces promote physical activity, the health of urban residents, and psychological well-being. Taking the community park in Duhok city as the research object, the spatial service area in terms of accessibility of to the Community Park under the mode of pedestrian transportation is analyzed by using the network analysis service area function of the geographic information system (GIS). The results show that under the walking mode in the research area, Parks are concentrated in the north and south of the city, but community parks are few in disadvantaged neighborhoods. In addition, there is a significant disparity between the number of community parks and the number of communities. Only 11 communities
... Show MoreCustomers' creditworthiness standards are the key means employed by private commercial banks in assigning a suitable credit assessment for each customer. Accordingly, it had an instrumental role in indicating the degree of solvency of the potential customer before granting the required credit. The research problem reveals the nature of the relationship between the criteria of customer’s creditworthiness and banking liquidity. The most critical objectives of the study shed light on the role of using creditworthiness criteria as a tool for credit analysis of customers by banks that help reducing credit risks and thus increase banking liquidity. The questionnaire that was distributed to bank employees, the research sample, which w
... Show MoreThis research Sheds highlights the procedural protections that must be enjoyed by the consumer in the face of the product, which is the protection of no less dangerous than the substantive protection of our obligations and duties delivered by the legislature upon the product of consumer interest, what is the benefit of the right if the access road to him complicated, so know The consumer has a right to the face of the product, but leaves the claim, either to ignorance For access to this right either to the difficulty of connecting to him.
That this research modest attempt we tried through which to focus on the way to the consumer behavior of arrived right, as we tried to highlight the weaknesses and the complexity of the procedure to
This study aimed to evaluate the preparedness and adherence of community pharmacists to the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Health Advisory COVID-19 guidelines for pharmacists (July 2020) during COVID-19 pandemic. This was a cross-sectional study based on electronic survey using google form, which was distributed from November 19, 2020 to January 1, 2021 using social media platforms. The survey measured 21 pharmacy preventive measures (PM). A multivariate regression analysis was used to identify factors influencing pharmacy implementing of PM. Hand disinfection after serving patients represented the main adopted measure (89.3%). Surprisingly, only 35.4% of participants implemented the proper ways of hand disinfection during fa
... Show MoreThe present study included the microscopic and molecular identification of Entamoeba histolytica by using specific primers to detect four virulence factors possessed by Entamoeba histolytica. Virulence factors included Active Cysteine proteinase, Galactose/N-acetyl-D-galactose-lectin, Amoeba pore C and Phospholipase. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) were synthesized from Pseudomonas aeruginosa which producing Pyocyanin pigment as a reducing agent to form it. After that we studied the ability ofTiO2NPs to inhibit virulence factors production and curing the genes responsible for encoding them by using four different dose 2 ,3, 4, 6 mg/Kg and administered by intraperitoneal injection
... Show MoreLoratadine is a long acting non-sedating anti-histaminic agent that was developed for the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis, whose anti-histaminic action is more effective than the other anti-histaminic drugs available commercially. This project was carried out to prepare an acceptable suspension through studying the release of drug in presence of different types and concentrations of suspending agents such as polysorbate 40, xanthan gum, sodium carboxymethylcellulose (NaCMC), aluminum magnesium silicate (veegum) and sodium alginate. The effects of these suspending agents were studied at pH 1.2 (0.1N HCl) and 37 Ù’C. The results showed that the release rate of loratadine in the presence of these suspending agents was dependent o
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