Cooxidation of Chalcones and Oxalic acid using Chromium (VI)

Chalcones can be easily oxidized in presence of oxalic acid, by Cr(VI) in acetic acid medium, the rate of cooxidation was found to be a fractional order with respect to the chalcones and its substituents. The order with respect to the chromic acid is unity whereas order with respect to oxalic acid is also a fractional order. The effect of various parameters such as [H+], [NaCl], [NaNO3] and dielectric constant of the medium by changing the (v/v) ratio of acetic acid and water content were studied .The intermediate is formed between chalcones and a chromic aci

Treatment of Sewer Water Using Alum Salt

This investigation was carried out to study the effect of addition o

Ultrafiltration versus diuretics on prognostic cardiac and renal biomarkers in acute decompensated heart failure : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Duodenal ulcer promoting gene 1 (dupA1) is associated with A2147G clarithromycin-resistance mutation but not interleukin-8 secretion from gastric mucosa in Iraqi patients

AbstractHelicobacter pylori causes peptic ulceration and gastric adenocarcinoma. The aims were to study the influence of dupA1 positivity upon interleukin-8 (IL-8) secretion from gastric mucosa and determine the prevalence of mutations responsible for clarithromycin and fluoroquinolone resistance. DNA was extracted from 74 biopsies and the virulence factors were studied. Levels of IL-8 in gastric mucosa were measured using ELISA and the mutations responsible for clarithromycin and fluoroquinolone resistance were determined using a GenoType-HelicoDR assay. The prevalence of cagA in strains isolated from gastric ulcer (GU) and duodenal ulcer (DU) was significantly higher than those isolated from non-ulcer disease (NUD) (90% and 57.9% versus 33.3%; p 0.01). The vacA s1m1 genotype was more prevalent in patients with DU (73.7%) and GU (70%) than in those with NUD (13.3%) (p 0.01). The prevalence of dupA1 was higher in DU patients (36.8%) than those with GU (10%) and NUD (8.9%) (p 0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that a cagA+/vacA s1i1m2 virulence gene combination was independently associated with the developing peptic ulcer disease (PUD) with increased odds of developing PUD (p 0.03; OR = 2.1). We found no significant difference in the levels of IL-8 secretion in gastric mucosa infected with H. pylori dupA-negative and H. pylori dupA1-positive strains (dupA-negative: mean ± median: 28 ± 26 versus 30 ± 27.1 for dupA1; p 0.6). While 12 strains were clarithromycin resistant, only three isolates were levofloxacin resistant. A significant association was found between dupA1 genotype and A2147G clarithromycin resistance mutation (p <0.01). Further study is needed to explore the relationship between virulence factors and disease process and treatment failure

Career Readiness Among Saudi Pharmacy Students: Exploring the Need for and the Impact of Career Counseling Services

Purpose: Employers place emphasis on graduates’ work experience and interpersonal skills while academia mainly focuses on developing students’ learning ability. One proposed strategy is through career guidance by universities; however, supportive evidence is lacking. This study explored the career readiness of pharmacy students for the Saudi job market. It also examined the availability of career guidance services for pharmacy students and alumni in Saudi Arabia and the impact of such services on recipients’ career path choices and development of competencies. Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized an online-based survey. Pharmacy students in the last three years of their program and recent graduates participated in the survey. The study used descriptive statistics to describe participants’ demographic data. Respondents were asked to rate aspects related to career readiness on a 5-point Likert scale, and their responses were reported as frequencies with percentages or means as appropriate. Comparisons between groups were made using t-test or one-way ANOVA as required. Results: A total of 576 responses were collected. About 25% of participants acknowledged the career guidance services provided at their pharmacy college, whereas the majority indicated that they have never reached out to a career counselor at their university (89.6%). The highest level of disagreement was noticed in impact of career guidance services on participants’ establishment of their CV/portfolio (50.7%). Using the work readiness scale, the lowest mean was seen in the social intelligence domain (3.64 ± 0.94). Conclusion: Although substantial proportion of students reported the presence of career guidance services in their university or college, very few stated that they had utilized such services. This could have impacted the students’ career readiness for the rapidly changing Saudi job market. Therefore, proper measures to advertise the availability of career guidance services in Saudi pharmacy schools have to be implemented

Assessment of Radiological Air Contamination for Selected Places at Al-Tuwaitha Nuclear Site during Winter and Spring

This study presents the results of atmospheric particulates sampling using high volume air sampler for selected places at Al Tuwaitha nuclear site. The collected samples were analyzed for gross alpha /beta radioactivity using Ludlum model 3030 and measurement particles activity in Al Tuwaitha nuclear site and the surrounding areas for the period from 28/12/2016 to 13/4/2017.The measurement of activity concentrations ranged from (0.42±0.03 to 4.18±0.13) Bq/m3 for alpha particles and from(0.93±0.06 to 9.21±0.26) Bq/m3for beta particles. The activity concentration of nuclides inversely proportional with air temperature and wind speed while humidity is directly proportional with it. Highest value of activity concentration has been found at(Near nuclear and radiation safety directorate/ In the center of planning department/T9)while the lowest value has been found at (the right side of Nuclear application and researches directorate / building 61/T42). The results of this study show that the region has natural nuclides which are the daughters of the two decay series, namely the thorium and the uranium series. In both cases, it is a radioactive Radon isotope which can escape from the soil and ascend into the air

The relationship between trust in primary healthcare providers among patients with diabetes and levels of depression and anxiety.

BackgroundTrust in healthcare providers has been shown to improve several clinical and patient-reported outcomes. However, its relationship with depression and anxiety has not been investigated among patients with chronic health conditions, such as diabetes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine whether trust in primary care physicians among patients with diabetes is associated with their levels of depression and/or anxiety.MethodAdult patients (≥18 years) with a diagnosis of diabetes, confirmed through their electronic health records, were recruited and interviewed from the primary care clinics of three public hospitals. Patient trust in primary care physicians was assessed using the Health Care Relationship (HCR) Trust scale. Depression and anxiety were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7), respectively. Two multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the association of HCR-Trust scores with PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores controlling for age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index score, education, health literacy, annual income, nationality, duration of illness, and research site.ResultsThe number of patients who agreed to be interviewed was 367. Most of the participants were female (61.54%) and Saudi (92.86%). High HCR-Trust scores were negatively associated with PHQ-9 scores (β = -0.18; 95% CI: -0.23 --0.13; P = ConclusionsTrust in primary care physicians among patients with diabetes was associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety. Therefore, healthcare providers should adopt a patient-centered care approach that fosters trust in the relationship between their patients and themselves. Further research should explore whether interventions that foster shared decision-making and trust in healthcare providers might also improve the health outcomes of patients with diabetes

Evaluation of Change in Knowledge and Attitude of Emergency Medicine Residents after Introduction of a Rotation in Emergency Medical Services and Disaster Medicine

Background: Saudi Board of Emergency Medicine (SBEM) graduates are involved in a 1-month rotation in emergency medical services (EMSs) and disaster medicine. The purpose of this study was to evaluate change in knowledge and attitude of EM residents after the introduction of the EMS and disaster medicine rotation. Materials and Methods: The study included 32 3rd-year SBEM residents. A pretest/posttest design and a five-point Likert scale were used. The data included a response to a questionnaire developed by EMS and disaster experts. The questionnaire was distributed on the 1st day of the rotation and 45 days after. Satisfaction questionnaires were distributed after the rotation. The data were analyzed using SPSS 20. Results: Twenty-five residents responded to the satisfaction survey (75%). The overall satisfaction with the course modules was high; the course content showed the highest level of satisfaction (96%), and the lowest satisfaction was for the air ambulance ride outs (56%). The results of the pre-/post-test questionnaire showed an increase of 18.5% in the residents mean score (P < 0.001). In the open-ended section, the residents requested that the schedule is distributed before the course start date, to have more field and hands-on experience, and to present actual disaster incidents as discussion cases. The residents were impressed with the organization and diversity of the lectures, and to a lesser extent for the ambulance ride outs and the mass casualty incident drill l. Seventy-one percent indicated that they would recommend this course to other residents. Conclusion/Recommendation: This study showed that a structured course in EMS and disaster medicine had improved knowledge and had an overall high level of satisfaction among the residents of the SBEM. Although overall satisfaction and improvement in knowledge were significant, there are many areas in need of better organization