Ahed J Alkhatib

Heat shock protein 90 is a potential therapeutic target for ameliorating skeletal muscle abnormalities in Parkinson's disease

Previous studies have confirmed that heat shock protein 90 overexpression can lead to dopaminergic neuronal death. This study was designed to further investigate what effects are produced by heat shock protein 90 after endurance exercise training. Immunohistochemistry results showed that exercise training significantly inhibited heat shock protein 90 overexpression in the soleus and gastrocnemius in Parkinsons disease rats, which is a potential therapeutic target for ameliorating skeletal muscle abnormalities in Parkinsons disease.

Ammi Visnaga in treatment of urolithiasis and hypertriglyceridemia

Ammi visnaga is a widely distributed Ancient Egyptian medicinal plant used for treatment of several diseases including urolithiasis (kidney stones). The active chemical constituents′ khellin and visnagin obtained from the A. visnaga seeds have activity of antilithiogenic and pleiotropic. However, little is known about its activity on hypertriglyceridemia. The main aim of this review is to explore the use of A. visnaga in urolithiasis and to present a case of relevancy. We highlighted a case of a patient who has recurrent urethral stones and hypertriglyceridemia. The patient was treated with A. visnaga seeds, has recovered completely from ureteral stones and his high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol low levels retained to normal after using of A. visnaga seeds for 10 days. The present case of A. visnaga seeds being local medicinal plant has shown the effect in treating urolithiasis with extended effect on raising HDL-cholesterol. These results may provide insights for in vitro studies for isolation of these biologically active compounds for potential in raising HDL-cholesterol. Whether or not the later effect can have clinical utility remains to be explored.

MEDICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL APPLICATIONS OF ACTIVATED CHARCOAL: REVIEW ARTICLE

Cancer in general in Albania is an increasing problem and cervical cancer is the third most common gynecologic cancer among all women. Refer to European Code Against cancer an important action for women to help to prevent cervical cancer is to take part in organised cancer screening programmes. The study aims to identify in women health beliefs about cervical cancer. This is a transversal and analytical study with a sample of 210 healthy women from Vlora city with different socio-economic and educational levels. A selfadministered questionnaire that assesses the health beliefs components about cervical cancer was the data collection instrument. The results highlighted low risk perception relative to cervical cancer. Most of women believe that cervical cancer as dangerous as all the other cancers and uncertainties about the chances to recover from it exist among them. Misunderstandings and high sensitivity relate to cervical screening. Relationship between perceived benefits, emotional, economic barriers and Pap test uptake was found. Large numbers of women never screened. The results indicated that to improve the womens attitudes to health, to encourage adherence to cervical screening and to avoid misconceptions due to lack of information conversations with health operators and the designing of effective prevention strategies based on health beliefs are fundamental.

TRACKING LEAD (Pb) IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF JAKARA, KANO STATE, NIGERIA

Acidified and non acidified samples of wastewaters from the Etoudi’s slaughterhouse (Yaounde, Cameroon) were analyzed before and after having been exposed to an electric discharge in a cold plasma reactor at different exposure times. Analyses reveal that untreated and non acidified wastewaters (pH = 7.8) contain 230.4 mgL-1 of phosphate (PO4 3-) and 479.6 mgL-1 of nitrate (NO3 -) ions. Exposure of these wastewaters to the gliding discharge (“glidarc”) operated in humid air induces PO4 3- and NO3 - concentrations abatement by 41.55% for phosphates and 86.24% for nitrates within 20 min of exposure for a gas flow rate of 800 Lh-1,which confirms the efficiency of the glidarc treatment in humid air in case of waste treatments. On the other hand, exposure of acidified wastewaters (pH = 2.2) to the glidarc in the same conditions showed that PO4 3- andNO3 - concentrations increase with exposure time; this result is in conformity with oxidation phenomena induced by the glidarc and previously presented by several authors. From these results the efficiency of the “glidarc” technique in degrading phosphates and nitrates in basic medium was proven.

CHROMIUM AND COBALT LEVELS AMONG DENTAL TECHNICIANS IN THE NORTHERN JORDAN

The conducted clinical and instrumental study revealed that the aggregate group of the patients with chronic diseases of throat differs by increased frequency of isolated and combined disorders of gastrointestinal tract. If a patient has such symptoms as hoarseness, tickling, scratching, burning, feeling of dryness in throat, frequent variant of gastro-intestinal tract disorders is gastroesophageal reflux disease with pharyngolaryneal reflux. There are such severe pathologies of throat as pachydermia of vocal cords and nodules of vocal cords among more frequently met disorders at gastro-intestinal tract diseases. High probability of accompanied pathology of throat in the form of pachydermia and nodules of vocal cords at patients with gastro-intestinal tract disorders stipulates for the necessity of conducting fibrorhynolaryngoscopy in combination with fibergastroscopy.Study presents short overview of drug situation’s indicators during the first, or heroin decade of drugs, and then during the second, soft and synthetic drugs decade of drugs in Slovakia. Then the results of series of nation-wide school surveys, mapping development of licit and illicit drugs use among children and youth during nineties are outlined. The results indicated constant growth of licit and illicit drugs consumption among primary school pupils, and secondary school students until the fourth wave of nation-wide school surveys in the years 2006 – 2007. However, the next wave after four years has detected profound change in the expected pattern of further growth in the case of illicit drugs. Instead of this decline of use or at least stabilization occurred among Slovak youth. At the same time we have found growth of use in the case of licit drugs – alcohol and tobacco, more profoundly among girls. Also the use of new synthetic drugs among young people was revealed via traditional school survey.

CHEMICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL PROPERTIES OF PEFLOXACIN: A REVIEW

The objectives of this review study were to review the literature about chemical and pharmaceutical properties of pefloxacin, and to establish the potential of conducting further experimental study. We investigated its chemical structure, toxicity, and its antimicrobial properties. Taken together, pefloxacin has several therapeutic uses,

Financial Aspects Associated with Overuse of Health Resources

Financing implies the existence of both sources and level of financial [1]. It is one of the main concerns associated with constructing the health system in any country is to determine the funding source of the health systems [2]. The main funding agent for health sector is the government in most countries) [3,4]. It has been indicated to the existence of four main sources of finance to fund health sector including governments, private sources, health insurance and external sources [5]. Government financing includes expenditures of health either central or local in addition to that of public corporations [6]. Private financing includes two approaches, direct and indirect. Direct financing involves personal payments received by a variety of providers. On the other hand, indirect payment involves the funds received by employer including coverage, other non-governmental agents such as charity fund raising projects [7]. Health insurance involves government or social insurance, private insurance, and employer –based insurance [8].

Photocatalytic Degradation of Indigo Carmine in AqueousSolutions by the Antibacterial Agent Pefloxacin and UVA

Chemical kinetics is the study of chemical reactions with respect to reaction rate, effect of variables, formation of intermediate etc. It also includes investigation of how different experimental conditions can influence the speed of a chemical reaction. Kinetic methods are considered of great interest in chemical and pharmaceutical analysis Crouchs et al. [1]. The concept of using reaction-rate parameters to determine the initial analytical concentration of reactants dates back over a half of a century to the early literature in biochemistry, radiochemistry and phase diffusion, furthermore, among all the analysis performed in all laboratories around the world, the number carried out by kinetic-based methods probably exceeds that carried out by thermodynamics methods and direct instrumental measurement combined. This come surprise at first, until one considers the large number of enzymatic and other determinations done on multichannel autoanalysers used in clinical laboratories. Most of these rapid automated instrument use kinetic method Crouchs et al. [1]. The expanded use of automated continuous-flow sample processing in clinical and laboratories is also responsible for the increasing role that kinetics plays in contemporary analytical chemistry. In these continuous-flow procedures detection occurs in the un segmented continuous-flow stream while the system is attaining equilibrium by a physical or chemical process or both; thus, they are kinetic based Christian et al. [2]. Recent developments in instrument have contributed to a decrease in the dominance of equilibrium based methodology; consequently kinetic method is appropriate in this test. Every chemical reaction occurs at a finite rate, making it a potential candidate for a chemical kinetic method of analysis. To be effective, however, the chemical reaction must meet three necessary conditions: the reaction must not occur too quickly or too slowly; we must know the reaction’s rate law; and we must be able to monitor the change in concentration for at least one species Christian et al. [2]. The increasing role of digital computer in performing computational tasks makes multipoint methods more attractive than techniques based on a small number of data points. From analytical view point, such approaches offer Abstract

THE INFLUENCE OF METFORMIN TREATMENT ON LIVER FUNCTION OF DIABETIC PATIENTS ATTENDING JORDANIAN ROYAL MEDICAL CITY

Introduction: Liver is a vital organ and mediates many cellular processes. Liver may be injured in diabetes. Metformin treatment shows a high potential to lower the risk of liver injury or to ameliorate its damage. Study objective: To explore the potential of metformin treatment in reducing the level of liver injury. Methods and subjects: The present study employed the retrospective study design to review the files of diabetic patients. Study variables includedgender, age, duration of diabetes, metformin treatment, and liver function tests. Datawere analyzed using SPSS version 21. The relationship between variables was examined using Chi-square test, and T test. Significance was considered if p< 0.05. Study results: The study included 62 diabetic patients. The mean age of study participants was 62.95± 11.98 years, a total of 33 (53.22%) of study participants were males, duration of diabetes was 7.51±5.86 years, metformin was used as a diabetic therapeutic option by 41 (66.13%), the mean dose of metformin was 1617.32±694.49 mg, the mean level of AST was 16.01±7.79 (U/L), the mean level of ALT was 18.500±8.89 (U/L), and the mean level of bilirubin was 0.38±0.18 (mg/dl). A significant relationship was found between metformin dose and each of liver enzymes (p=0.000). When the mean levels of liver enzymes were compared between metformin group and without metformin group, no significant differences were observed. Conclusion: Liver injury in diabetes is a long term process and the use of metformin can offer protection against liver injury through keeping liver enzymes within normal limits.

THE IMPACT OF METFORMIN TREATMENT IN GLAUCOMA OF DIABETIC PATIENTS

Introduction: Glaucoma is associated with diabetes. Metformin is one of the first therapeutic options for diabetes and may act to overcome the incidence or severity of glaucoma. Study objectives: Tto study the prevalence of glaucoma in Jordanian diabetic patients and to investigate the association of glaucoma and metformin treatment in diabetic Jordanian patients. Methods and subjects: Aretrospective study was conducted to collect data from files of diabetic patients who attended internal medicine clinics at Royal Medical City. Files were eligible if the status of glaucoma was available and if the treatment with metformin was indicated.Dataincluded demographic variables such as age and gender; and medical conditions such as diabetes, glaucoma, and metformin treatment. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Data was presented as frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviation. The relationship between variables was investigated using Chi-Square, and One way Anova. Significance was considered at alpha <0.05. Study findings showed that the prevalence of glaucoma was 50% among diabetic patients. Study findings showed that the prevalence of glaucoma was 50% among diabetic persons. Glaucoma was not associated significantly with metformin use, gender, age, metformin use, or metformin dose. Taken together, the present study showed that the glaucoma is not associated significantly with study variables included in the study.