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
Geomorphology is concerned with the topographic units that make up the Earth's surface. These take many forms, such as mountains and rivers, and include many dangers such as landslides, landslides and erosion. Many studies appeared in this field to analyze its effects and risks resulting from it, including urban studies, to determine the trends of optimal urban expansion and its geomorphological interactions. The results showed that the city of Kut originated and expanded near the course of the Tigris River and its branches, and it suffers from unbalanced urban expansion, due to the high rate of population growth, and overcrowding in housing units with the growth of urban land uses in it, which prompted the city to extend horizontally and v
... Show MoreThe study was conducted over the period of Oct 2018 to Apr 2019 and is aimed for the detection and estimation of four hazardous Volatile Organic Compounds VOC (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene) so-called (BTEX) in samples collected from the produced water in the Al-Ahdab oil field in Iraq also to track their availability in the important natural water sources around the field. These compounds pose a risk to human health as well as environment. To avoid the laborious and tiresome conventional extraction methods, water samples were collected and concentrated using solid-phase extraction technique (SPE) which is a robust and cost-effective method of sample extraction with minimal exposure and handling of solvents and then to be analy
... Show MoreWe discussed the proper preparation, directing, and implementation of physical education lessons, and clarification of the duties that fall upon the physical education teacher in addition to his physical and skill duties, which is the duty of the physical education lesson. The problem of the research lies in the fact that interactive harmonic exercises are not implemented accurately by physical education teachers because they require great experience, exceptional efforts, and accuracy in performance. The research aims to identify the level of some physical and motor abilities and intelligence among students aged (9-10) years, and to know the effect of some harmonic exercises. Interactivity at the level of some physical and motor abi
... Show MoreThe variety of clean energy sources has risen, involving many resources, although their fundamental principles remain consistent in terms of energy generation and pollution reduction. The using of hydropower system for energy production also has a dynamic impact in which it utilizes to harness the water for the purpose of energy production. As it is important to overcome the problem of accidents in the highway and rural areas in the case of server rainfall and flood by implementation a smart system that used for energy production. This paper aims to develop a controlled hydropower system installed in the drainage sinks allocated in highway roads used for producing. The proposed system consists of storage unit represented by pipes used for t
... Show MoreOne of the functions of Al-Shanasheel was to cool the air, but they could not compete with the Evaporative coolers, As Al-Shanasheel were a sign of luxury and wealth in Arab societies and were only built in homes of wealthy families, they are more expensive than the evaporative coolers, depending on the level of the decoration and the sculpting used to create them aesthetically, where People replaced them with evaporative coolers for their low cost, and higher cooling efficiency. One of the reasons for the disappearance of Al-Shanasheel is the absence of the functional need for them, in exchange for the high cost of construction. The diminished role of Al-Shanasheel in the contemporary urban scene, although they are one of the most
... Show MoreThe research deals with the subject of «ways to face rumors in the site of social networking Facebook», a research based on a doctoral thesis, as the research dealt with rumors in the most dangerous type of new media, which sites of social communication with the global community as spreading rumors of all kinds and afflicts everyone who has eyes on him Of the audience of these sites, and aims to identify the rumors on Facebook because it is one of the most popular sites in the world and the strategy of combating the rumors published by Facebook users in their personal pages and groups that organize them, as well as identify methods and methods that can be During which the face of the rumors in the said site and eliminate them t
... Show MoreThe Recent days witness an in creasing importanc of Islamic Banks which stems from the wide spread in Islamic and non-Islamic countries,Especially in USA and European countries.the consideration in Islamic Banks came after the financial crisis in 2008.Islamic Banks work with conventional banks in most countries,that is,the formers may face the same risks which face the latters,that represent the larger percent of the International Banking system.the problms that may affect Islamic Banks related to many causes,some related to the working in common economic environment.others related to the possibility of simulation to the method of investment and financing in conventional Banks,this mean,the work with principles not compling with
... Show MoreThe construction industry presents significant high risks of injury and fatality to its workforce. Adopting prevention through design (PtD) principles is reported to have high potential for mitigating such risks and improving safety outcomes. PtD seeks to assess and reduce workplace hazards during the design phase, minimizing unsafe construction conditions. Despite its potential benefits, the construction industry encounters challenges in effectively utilizing PtD. Thus, the implementation of PtD in the US construction industry is limited, and designers’ awareness remains low. This evident lack of utilization warrants further examination of the contributing factors. The goal of this study is to identify and rank PtD utilization ba
... Show MoreTo asses methylene blue as a cell marker, the cells of the buffy coat were labelled by incubating them in a medium containing a lable [Methylene blue] which is prepared in a concentration of 1%[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] drops were tried at different periods of incubation [+/-,+/-, 1+/-, 1+/-] at 37 C degree. The results showed that monocytes and polymorphs are the main cells involved in the phagocytosis of this dye
This study was aimed to determine a phytotoxicity experiment with kerosene as a model of a total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPHs) as Kerosene pollutant at different concentrations (1% and 6%) with aeration rate (0 and 1 L/min) and retention time (7, 14, 21, 28 and 42 days), was carried out in a subsurface flow system (SSF) on the Barley wetland. It was noted that greatest elimination 95.7% recorded at 1% kerosene levels and aeration rate 1L / min after a period of 42 days of exposure; whereas it was 47% in the control test without plants. Furthermore, the percent of elimination efficiencies of hydrocarbons from the soil was ranged between 34.155%-95.7% for all TPHs (Kerosene) concentrations at aeration rate (0 and 1 L/min). The Barley c
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