Background: Antimicrobial prescribing patterns have an important role in the emergence of resistance, and community pharmacists have a substantial influence on this issue. Objective: To assess community pharmacists' behaviors and attitudes toward antimicrobial dispensing, determine their proportions and categories, and examine the underlying rationales for this practice. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey of community pharmacists in Iraq was conducted from June to August 2023, using a self-administered validated questionnaire. The attitudes, practices, and motivations driving the distribution of antimicrobials without a prescription (AWP) were explored in three areas. Results: A sizable proportion (61.6%) of respondents rejected dispensing AWP at community pharmacies. Patients primarily seek antibacterials from community pharmacies owing to budget constraints, according to 82.7% of respondents, rather than for consultation and diagnostic services. The most powerful element in a pharmacist's decision to administer AWP is that patients will seek antimicrobials from another pharmacy if they are not dispensed by the pharmacist, owing to the pharmacist's experience in infection management. The study found that 50%–74% of patients who visited community pharmacies sought AWP. Antimicrobials are most commonly provided without a prescription for cold and flu and urinary tract infections (37.3% and 27.7%, respectively). Conclusions: The majority of pharmacists regularly dispense AWP. To guarantee compliance with Iraqi legislation and laws governing AWP distribution, ongoing training programs should be created to educate the public on the most effective methods.
Background: The menopause is physiological changes in women that give rise to adaptive changes at both systemic and oral level. During menopause, ovarian function declines and the production of sex steroid hormones reduces significantly affecting the oral tissues and periodontal structures leading to chronic inflammation of the gingiva, increased risk of tooth loss. Aim of study: The present study was designed to estimate the oral hygiene status in relation to salivary estradiol level among pre and post-menopausal women. Materials and Methods: Ninety women aged 48-52 years old, the control group consisted of 45 pre-menopausal women and the study group consisted of 45 post-menopause were examined for gingival index, plaque index and calcu
... Show MoreBackground: Birth weight is a powerful predictor of infant growth and survival. Evidence now shows that children born with low birth weight face an increased risk of chronic diseases and have many health problems including oral health. The aims of this study were to assess the salivary flow rate, viscosity, and salivary cortisol among low birth weight kindergarten children aged 5 years old in Hilla centre, in relation to dental caries and compares them with the normal birth weight children of the same age and gender. Materials and methods: The total sample involved 80 children (40 low birth weights and 40 normal birth weights) aged 5 years old. The diagnosis and recording of severity of dental caries was recorded through the application of
... Show MoreBackground: Invasion in oral cancer involves alterations in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions that accompanied by loss of cell adhesion. Catenins stabilize cellular adherence junctions by binding to E-cadherin, which further mediates cell-cell adhesion and regulates proliferation and differentiation of epithelial cells. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is one of the major signaling pathways in cell proliferation, oncogenesis, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Aims of the study: to detect immunohistochemical distribution pattern and different subcellular localization of β-catenin in oral squamous cell carcinoma and relate such expression to Bryne’s invasive grading system. Materials and Methods: This study included 30 paraffi
... Show MoreBackground: The genetic polymorphisms of vitamin D receptor (VDR) have an association with thalassemia development, additionally to the environmental elements that elicited the disorder in the genetically predisposed individuals. As well, VDR functions responsible for the regulation of bone metabolism, such its part in immunity. Aim: The sitting study intended to inspect the association between thalassemia disease and the genetic polymorphisms of VDR among the Iraqi population then compared these findings to other findings of thalassemia patients in other different ethnic populations. Materials and methods: The restriction enzymes Bsm-I and Fok-I were applied to determine the genetic polymorphisms frequencies of VDR by a Polymerase Chain Re
... Show MoreBackground: Lowering the amount of iodinated contrast material and tube voltage may increase pulmonary artery opacification and thrombus identification without compromising picture quality.
Objectives: To explore the efficiency of using lower tube voltage and a lower contrast medium dose for conducting computed tomography for pulmonary angiography (CTPA) aiming to increase its accuracy in detecting pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE).
Subjects and Methods:100 patients scheduled for CTPA with a preoperative diagnosis of PTE were grouped into two: group A, (50 patients) got 1 mL/kg at 120 kV and group B, (50 patients) received 0.5 mL/kg at 80 kV.The tec
... Show MoreDespite extensive investigations, an effective treatment for sepsis remains elusive and a better understanding of the inflammatory response to infection is required to identify potential new targets for therapy. In this study we have used RNAi technology to show, for the first time, that the inducible lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 2 (LPCAT2) plays a key role in macrophage inflammatory gene expression in response to stimulation with bacterial ligands. Using siRNA- or shRNA-mediated knockdown, we demonstrate that, in contrast to the constitutive LPCAT1, LPCAT2 is required for macrophage cytokine gene expression and release in response to TLR4 and TLR2 ligand stimulation but not for TLR-independent stimuli. In addition, cells transfe
... Show MoreThe study aimed at identifying the role of the Faculty of Education in the community service in light of vision of the Kingdom 2030 from the faculty members’ point of view at the University of Jeddah. The study used a descriptive method through a questionnaire administered to a sample of the faculty members.It concluded that the role of the College in serving the community is the development of the right habits in the family and the importance of establishing bridges of cooperation between the Faculty of Education and the surrounding environment and teaching special education teachers how to apply some methods of measurement to determine the needs of students with disabilities. The results also pointed out that there are no statistical
... Show MoreThe objective of the present study is to determine the rate of myocardial infarction among sample patients attending in CCU medical ward in AL-Zahra hospital and to identify factors associated with the myocardial infarction (age, gender, residence, occupation and educational level ), Family history (hypertension…..etc. A case control study conducted in Karbala city / AL-Zahra hospital /medical ward /CCU for cardio pulmonary care unit.. Sampling was (non probability convenient ) the study was included 100 cases and 100 controls.. The study was started from 15th July 2015 to the 20th October 2015. Data was collected by questionnaire to obtain
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