Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal (PMPJ)
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- ItemDissolution Method Development and Validation of Rutin Tablet(2017) Dania Yahyia; David G Watson; Murad Abu alhasan; Sana Obedat; Tasneem QutobRutin is a flavonoid glycoside that has shown wide range of pharmacological applications with various beneficial medical effects. Rutin is poorly soluble in water and could limit its absorption from the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of this project was to develop and validate a simple UV analytical method for the evaluation of Rutin release from tablet dosage form. The method was developed by testing solubility of Rutin in different concentrations of sodium lauryl sulfate. The dissolution method was then validated in accordance with international guidelines. The results showed that the best dissolution was achieved in phosphate buffer pH 6.8 containing 3% SLS. The percent released was almost 100% after 55 minutes. The developed method was found to be linear, precise and accurate in the range (0.04-0.1mg/ml). The analytical method was also found to be selective for Rutin. In conclusion we successfully developed a dissolution method that is easy and feasible. The validated analytical dissolution method could be used by quality control labs and could be adopted by the official international pharmacopeias.
- ItemKnowledge, Awareness, and Practice of Breast Self-Examination Among An-Najah National University Female Students(2017) Besan Ahmad; Ekhlas Kokash; Hamzeh Al Zabadi; Moaed Saed; Mohammad Husean; Wala`a KathemYoung breast cancer patients have a lower rate of survival than old age. Yet, breast self-examination makes women more "breast aware", which in turn may lead to an earlier diagnosis of breast cancer. We aimed to describe the degree of awareness, knowledge and practice regarding self-breast examination among An-Najah National University female students in Palestine. A descriptive cross-sectional design using a previously standardized and validated questionnaire was conducted. Data was collected from a convenient sample of 180 female students from An-Najah National University. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for data entry and analysis. Nearly, 63.8% of the total sample reported that they have heard about breast self examination and 96.2% reported that breast self examination is important. However, only 36% self-reported they perform the test. The most frequent reported barriers for breast self examination was lack of knowledge. Nearly, 9.2% reported that if they notice a mass in the breast, they don't know what to do. This study pointed to the insufficient knowledge, awareness and practice of university female students about breast self examination. The results should be generalized with caution. However, they provide useful baseline information that could be used to formulate health education and intervention tools aimed at increasing awareness and promote screening of breast cancer among young females at universities level in Palestine.
- ItemNon-Covalent Functionalization of Graphene Sheets with Surfactants and their Antibacterial Activity(2016) Adham Abu Taha; Ameera Mousa; Maha Al-ott; Maryam Faroun; Mohyeddin Assali; Pablo Romero Gomez; Saja ThiabGraphene is a monolayer of tightly packed carbon atoms that attracted tremendous research interest in recent years, owing to its interesting physical, chemical, electrical, mechanical and optical properties and has numerous exciting applications. However, it suffers from low water solubility which limits its biological application. Therefore, the aim of this work is to functionalize the graphene sheets non covalently with various charged surfactants (cationic- Cetrimide, nonanionic-Tween 80, anionic-Sodium dodecyl sulfate) to get a highly stable conjugate soluble in water and to improve the antibacterial activity of this nano-derivative. The morphology and the size of the functionalized graphene were determined by atomic force microscopy. Moreover, the functionalized graphene was quantified by thermogravimetric analysis obtaining the maximum functionalization in the case of citrimide functionalized graphene. The antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been studied. The results indicate that only the functionalized graphene with citrimide has significant antibacterial activity against the two strains of bacteria S. aureus and P. aeruginosa with MIC 0.98, 7.81 mg/L respectively.
- ItemAssemblage-Dependent Genetic Features of Giardia intestinalis in Humans(2016) Amjad Hussein; Kentaro Nakamoto; Masaharu Tokoro; Tomoko AraiWithin a significant genetic diversity consisting of 7 genotypes of Giardia intestinalis; assemblage A and B genotypes have been suggested to have different host specificities and variable pathogenicity in humans. Assemblages are highly variable with regard to the genetic features of each genotype. A total of 89 fecal samples were collected from patients who sought medical consultation for abdominal pain in the West Bank, Palestine. Giardia positive samples were assessed microscopically and where genotyped to assemblage level by direct sequencing and subcloning for both triosephosphate isomerase and β-giardin gene markers. G. intestinalis were detected in 12 samples; 9 samples were belonging to assemblage A and 3 samples were belonging to assemblage B. A single genotype was identified from all assemblage A samples, whereas 2 to 4 subgenotypes were confirmed in each of assemblage B samples. No mixed genotypes (inter-assemblages) were found in any sample. This study revealed the contrasting genetic diversity that supports the separate-species notion for assemblage A and B genotypes; it also highlights the need to investigate assemblage B genotype more thoroughly, as has been the case for assemblage A genotype.
- ItemThe Present and Future of Pharmaceutical Care in Palestine: A Survey among Pharmacists(2016) Ala' Abed Alkhaleq; Anwar Malawani; Karama Laboom; Rowa' Al-Ramahi; Sana' Rajab; Sujood KittaniThe aims of this study were to evaluate community pharmacists’ views about their current role, main barriers to pharmaceutical care practice and their attitudes towards continuing education and providing some services. The study was a questionnaire based cross- sectional study that was conducted among community pharmacists in the West Bank between July 2013 and March 2014. Key findings: The questionnaire was completed by 295 out of the 300 pharmacists approached giving a response rate of (98.3%). The majority of pharmacists (205; 69.5%) stated that the community pharmacists do not practice the pharmaceutical care as it should be. All of the pharmacists said that they dispense medications and write instructions of use, 224 (76.0%) claimed that they ask about allergies, 218 (74.0%) confirmed that they review the appropriateness of the doses, 200 (68.0%) said that they take medical and disease history. The majority of the pharmacists 275 (93.2%) were willing to participate in pharmaceutical care practice. The main reported barriers to practice pharmaceutical care were the poor cooperation from the patients (215; 73%), and physicians (180; 61%), having no enough time (177; 60%), and low salaries (153; 52%). The majority 92.5% (273 pharmacists) were willing to participate in continuing education activities. The majority of community pharmacists believe that they do not do their role in Palestine as it should be. Dispensing of prescriptions is the primary focus of community pharmacists. The community pharmacists have positive attitude towards pharmaceutical care and continuing education. Efforts are needed to overcome barriers.