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 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 MoreBackground: lung function is closely related to anthropometric variables. Anegative relationship between different adiposity markers and lung function has been well established.
The aims of this reserch is identify evaluate the organizational commitment level of (emotional, standard, continuous) and the level of discipline dimensions (functional duties, professional responsibility and ethics) for medical doctors in Ramadi Teaching Hospital due to their relationship with the organization effectiveness the level of completion work and the importance of the expected results in the field respondent
sample of (50) doctors has from all branches and specialties, including specialist doctors consultants and practitioners as well as branches of residence and senior the most prominent results reached are the emotional and the st
... Show MoreThis paper proposes a new approach to model and analyze erect posture, based on a spherical inverted pendulum which is used to mimic the body posture. The pendulum oscillates in two directions, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], from which the mathematical model was derived and two torque components in oscillation directions were introduced. They are estimated using stabilometric data acquired by a foot pressure mapping system. The model was quantitatively investigated using data from 19 participants, who were first were classified into three groups, according to the foot arch-index. Stabilometric data were then collected and fed into the model to estimate the torque’s components. The components were statistically proce
... Show MoreObjective: The objective of the present study was to design and optimize oral fast dissolving film (OFDF) of practically insoluble drug lafutidine in order to enhance bioavailability and patient compliance especially for a geriatric and unconscious patient who are suffering from difficulty in swallowing.Methods: The films were prepared by a solvent casting method using low-grade hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC E5), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (SCMC) as film forming polymers. Polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG400), propylene glycol (PG) and glycerin were used as a plasticizer to enhance the film forming properties of the polymer. Tween 80 (1% solution) and poloxamer407 were used as a surfactant, citri
... Show MoreBackground: Anemia is a serious global public health problem that particularly affects pregnant women.
Objectives: The objectives of the study were to find out the prevalence of anemia and its associated risk factors among supplemented and non-supplemented pregnant women.
Cases and methods: Six hundred and forty-one blood samples were collected through simple random sampling from pregnant women and controls. The collected data from the participants included age, education, residence, and obstetrical related factors, and blood samples were taken for blood tests.
Results: One hundred and sixty-four (74.2%) and 73 (34.9%) of non-supplemented and supp
... Show MoreBackground: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are responsible for a high proportion of deaths caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide. The incidence of CVDs is largely attributed to several risk factors.
Aim of the study: To estimate the prevalence of common risk factors of cardiovascular diseases among secondary school students in Sulaimani city / Kurdistan-Iraq.
Subjects and Methods: One thousand and two hundred secondary school students between 16-18 years of age from eight secondary schools in the city of Sulaimani were selected to participate in this study. Students were selected randomly. The questionnaire form, which includes information about risk factors
... Show MoreAbstract: Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) are the most common bacterial infection in humans and a major cause of morbidity and they are the most common cause of hospital visits worldwide. Proper knowledge in identifying factors associated with urinary tract infection may allow the intervention to easily control of the disease in a timely manner. Therefore, the purpose of the study is determining the prevalence of UTI, diagnosis of causative bacterial agents and identifying the factors associated to the urinary tract infection among patients attending Medical City Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq. A total of 237, morning mid-stream urine samples were collected aseptically and the samples were diagnosed according to the standard methods. I
... Show MoreThe main aim of this paper is to introduce the relationship between the topic of coding theory and the projective plane of order three. The maximum value of size of code over finite field of order three and an incidence matrix with the parameters, (length of code), (minimum distance of code) and (error-correcting of code ) have been constructed. Some examples and theorems have been given.