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: Oral health represents an important base for human well-being; the heath of the body begins from oral cavity. Great deal has been applied to increase knowledge in the field of oral health in order to develop appropriate preventive program. This study was conducted in order to estimate the percentage and severity of dental caries and gingivitis among children attending Preventive Department in Collage of Dentistry, University of Baghdad and to determine dental treatment need for those patients, further more to study the relation of these variables with dental knowledge. Materials and Methods: The study group consists of 163 children with an age ranged from 6 to 14 years, who attended the preventive clinic for the first time to be
... Show MoreAbstract Objective: The study aimed to assess the factors contributes of patient with bladder cancer and to find out the relationship between the factors of bladder cancer with certain variable. Methodology: A descriptive study to assessment of factors that contribute to bladder cancer that was carried out Al-Karama teaching hospital, Al-Kendy teaching hospital, Specialty Surgery teaching hospital and Al-Yarmok teaching hospital for the period of November 2003 to August 2004. A purposive (non-probability) sample of (100) patients with bladder cancer. An assessment from was constructed for the purpose of the st
Background: Dental caries and periodontal disease are the most common and widely spread diseases affecting humans at different ages. Aim of this study is the assessment of prevalence and severity of dental caries, gingivitis, oral hygiene and enamel anomalies in relation to gender and residency among 15 years old students in Maysan governorate –Iraq. Materials and methods: The total sample composed of 750 students (400 males and 350 females, 450 urban and 300 rural) selected randomly from different high schools in the Governorate. Diagnoses and recording dental caries was according to the criteria of WHO (1987), Plaque index of Silness and Loe (1964) was used for plaque assessment, Ramfjord index (1959) was applied for the assessment
... Show MoreThe present study aims to identify the most and the least common teaching practices among faculty members in Northern Border University according to brain-based learning theory, as well as to identify the effect of sex, qualifications, faculty type, and years of experiences in teaching practices. The study sample consisted of (199) participants divided into 100 males and 99 females. The study results revealed that the most teaching practice among the study sample was ‘I am trying to create an Environment of encouragement and support within the classroom which found to be (4.4623). As for the least teaching practice was ‘I use a natural musical sounds to create student's mood to learn’ found to be (2.2965). The study results also in
... Show MoreThe paper examines key aspects of the use of phraseologi-cal units related to colors in Russian culture and speech. It explores their role in shaping cultural identity, reflecting national characteristics and men-tality. The study analyzes the frequency and contexts of the use of color-related phraseological units in contemporary speech, as well as the influ-ence of media and literature on their popularization. The author highlights the significance of phraseological units in preserving cultural heritage and fostering a deeper understanding of language and culture.
Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains a lethal and deforming disease, with a significant mortality and a rising incidence in younger and female patients. It is thus imperative to identify potential risk factors for OSCC and oral PMDs and to design an accurate data collection tool to try to identify patients at high risk of OSCC development. 14 factors consistently found to be associated with the pathogenesis of OSCC and oral PMDs. Eight of themwere identified as high risk (including tobacco, alcohol, betel quid, marijuana, genetic factors, age, diet and immunodeficiency) and 6 low risk (such as oral health, socioeconomic status, HPV, candida infection, alcoholic mouth wash and diabetes) were stratified according to severit
... Show MoreIn recent years, there has been growing interest in using Nanosystems in different biomedical applications. Among all metal nanoparticles, selenium nanoparticles have attracted the attention of many researchers due to its low toxicity and nutritional supplementation value. The purpose of the current study was designed to examine the possible effect of selenium nanoparticles in combination with fenugreek leaves extract (an edible herb with good medicinal properties) in the treatment of oxidative stress status-related to polycystic ovary syndrome in letrozole-induced PCOS (an imbalance of reproductive hormones that causes infertility) in adult female rats. Cold plasma was used in the preparation of selenium nanoparticles subsequently the prod
... Show MoreBackground. To identify the most common retention protocols practiced by Iraqi orthodontists using a specially designed e-survey. Furthermore, this study aimed to assess the effect of sociodemographic factors on the participant’s choice. Methods. Two hundred and twenty-five questionnaires with 23 multiple choice questions were sent to members of the Iraqi Orthodontic Society. The questionnaire was organized into four sections representing information about sociodemographic status of the orthodontists, factors affecting the selection of the retention system, commonly used retainers in the upper arch and lower arch, and duration of the retention system. The chi-square test was used to test the significant association between differe
... Show MoreThe present study deals with the effect of teaching oral Communication Strategies on English language learners. The use of oral communication strategies not only solves learners’ communication problems, but also enhances the learner’s interaction in target language, which in turn, improves their oral proficiency .The sample of this study is EFL students in the first stage at the Department of English Language, morning studies, College of Education /Ibn-Rushd .The sample of the study consists of (60) students distributed on experimental group(A) includes (30) students, and (30) students as control group(B). In order to achieve the aim of the study, and to gain a closer idea about the impact of teaching oral Communication Strategies on th
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