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
Cognitive stylistics also well-known as cognitive poetics is a cognitive approach to language. This study aims at examining literary language by showing how Schema Theory and Text World Theory can be useful in the interpretation of literary texts. Further, the study attempts to uncover how readers can connect between the text world and the real world. Putting it differently, the study aims at showing how the interaction between ‘discourse world’ and ‘text world’. How readers can bring their own experience as well as their background knowledge to interact with the text and make interpretive connections.
Schema and text world theories are useful tools in cognitive stylistic stud
... Show MoreThe current study seeks to evaluate teacher preparation programs in the scientific disciplines at the College of Education in Al-Aqsa University in the light of the requirements of the labor market. It further aims to reveal the significance of the differences in the sample members’ response averages of to the availability of labor market requirements in the program that prepares the teacher of scientific disciplines at the Faculty of Education in Al-Aqsa University taking into account the (gender, program) variables. The study followed the descriptive analytical approach, and so a questionnaire was distributed to a sample of scientific discipline students in the teacher preparation program adopted in Al-Aqsa University, (200) male and
... Show MoreAugmented reality technology is a modern technique used in all fields, including: medicine, engineering and education, and has received attention from officials in the educational process at present; The focus of this research is on the degree of use of augmented reality among field experience students in the project's optimal investment program for teaching staff and their difficulties, applied to a sample of 75 students, through a questionnaire prepared by the researcher as a tool to determine the degree of use, as well as difficulties. The researcher addressed the subject through two main axes to determine the degree of use, as well as the difficulties preventing teachers and learners from using this technique. The results of the rese
... Show Moreتعد لعبة كرة السلة من الألعاب الرياضية التي تحتاج متطلبات بدنية ووظيفية خاصة بها، وذلك من خلال الانتقال داخل الملعب بالكرة أو بدونها والسبل للتخلص من ملاحقة الخصم أثناء الدفاع وكيفية المناورة أثناء الهجوم مع إجادة التصويب بكافة أنواعه داخل الملعب، ومن هنا تكونت مشكلة البحث في كيفية تطوير تلك العوامل الوظيفية والتي لها الأثر في الارتقاء بمستوى أداء اللاعب أثناء اللعب، وعن طريق استخدام الباحثان لطريقة جهاز ا
... Show MoreThe effect of short range correlations on the inelastic Coulomb form factors for excited +2 states (1.982, 3.919, 5.250 and 8.210MeV) and +4 states (3.553, 7.114, 8.960 and 10.310 MeV) in O18 is analyzed. This effect (which depends on the correlation parameterβ) is inserted into the ground state charge density distribution through the Jastrow type correlation function. The single particle harmonic oscillator wave function is used with an oscillator size parameter .b The parameters β and b are adjusted for each excited state separately so as to reproduce the experimental root mean square charge radius of .18O The nucleusO18 is considered as an inert core of C12 with two protons and four neutrons distributed over 212521211sdp−− activ
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This study aims to identify the degree to which the first cycle teachers use different feedback patterns in the E-learning system, to identify the differences in the degree of use according to specialization, teaching experience, and in-service training in the field of classroom assessment as well as the interaction between them. The study sample consisted of (350) female teachers of the first cycle in the governmental schools in Muscat Governorate for the academic year 2020/2021. The study used a questionnaire containing four different feedback patterns: reinforcement, informative, corrective, and interpretive feedback. The psychometric properties of the questionnaire were verified in terms of validity
... Show MoreBackground: It had been found that passive smoking may have the same harmful effect as tobacco cigarettes smoking. Aims: This study was conducted to determine the effect of passive smoking on salivary glutathione peroxidase and selenium in relation to dental caries severity. Settings and Design: The sample consisted of 120 children aged 5 years old, classified into four groups according to the number of cigarettes smoked by their fathers daily: Passive smoking children of 5-10 cigarettes, those of 10–15 cigarettes daily, those of 15–20 cigarettes daily and non-passive smoking children of no smokers indoor (the control group). The sample was further classified according to dental caries severity into three groups: mild (DMFS values <4
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