http://blogs.najah.edu/author/nidaljaradat An-Najah Blogs :: nidal-1970 en-us Sat, 20 Apr 2024 05:36:24 IDT Sat, 20 Apr 2024 05:36:24 IDT [email protected] [email protected] http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Anti-allergic-Effect-of-Thymus-serpyllum-on-Ova-Albumin-Induced-Asthma-inPublished Articles Herbalism has a long tradition of use outside of conventional medicine even before recorded history It is becoming more mainstream as improvements in analysis and quality control along with advances in clinical research show the value of herbal medicine in the treating and preventing inflammatory and other diseases This focuses the attention on the possibility of the presence of anti-allergic compounds in the extracts of some plants that may help control common allergic diseases including asthma To test the possible anti-allergic and prophylactic effects of the aqueous extract of Thymus serpyllum L Ts on ovalbumin-induced asthma clinical and hematological parameters in Syrian hamster models http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Synthesis-of-Naproxen-pro-drugs-for-enhanced-transdermal-absorptionPublished Articles Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs NSAIDs such as Naproxen have been used for a long time for the treatment of acute and chronic inflammation conditions However the oral administration of NSAIDs for a long time can cause gastric mucosal damage which may result in ulceration and bleeding Therefore the development of a transdermal drug delivery TDD system of NSAIDs is of a great interest as it decreases GIT side effect and provides a constant release of drug in a determined period of time http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/FREQUENCY-AND-ATTITUDES-OF-USING-HAIR-DYES-AMONG-PALESTINIAN-WOMENPublished Articles Objective: The objectives of the study were to identify the rate of using hair dyes among Palestinian women preferences motivations and attitudes towards their use Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between May and July 2011 A self-administered questionnaire was used Results: Among 200 females interviewed 149 745 said that they used hair dyes Their reasons were to hide gray hair in 35 235 to improve the outlook in 36 242 and to change and to follow the new trends in 78 523 Natural dyes henna were the choice for 389 The main reason behind the preference of natural dyes was the belief they are safer than chemical dyes A small percentage used hair dyes during pregnancy and 215 thought that hair dyes may cause cancer http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Interchangeability-between-paracetamol-tablets-marketed-in-Palestine-Is-there-a-quality-reason-for-ahigher-pricePublished Articles ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of 10 commercial paracetamol products available on the Palestinian market We carried out a survey on the price of all paracetamol tablet products and assessed their quality To assess quality all products were examined visually for their organoleptic properties tested for weight uniformity friability disintegration and dissolution profile and assayed for paracetamol content All imported products were 2 to 3 times more expensive than the locally produced generic products Based on our testing procedure all paracetamol products were equivalent to the innovator product except for 1 imported product which fell below the approved specifications developed for the innovator product http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Use-of-herbal-medicines-during-pregnancy-in-agroup-of-PalestinianwomenPublished ArticlesEthnopharmacological relevance: The useofherbalmedicinesduringpregnancyiscommonworldwide due tophysiologicalchangesthatleadtopregnancyrelatedproblems Objectives: The aimsofthisstudyweretomeasuretheprevalenceandpredictorsofherbuseamong a groupofPalestinianpregnantwomenandthepossibleinfluence ofherbalconsumptiononpregnancy outcomes http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Medication-dosing-errors-in-hospitalized-patients-with-renal-impairment-a-study-in-PalestinePublished ArticlesBackground and Aim Reduced renal function requires dose adjustment for certain drugs to avoid toxicity The aim of this study was to determine whether appropriate dosage adjustments were made for drugs that are nephrotoxic excreted or metabolized TEM medications by the kidney in patients with renal impairment Methodology A cross-sectional study of a group of hospitalized patients was carried out at Al-Watni governmental hospital Nablus Palestine All patients with creatinine clearance 59 mlmin were included in the analysis Data regarding patients clinical laboratory findings and medications whether they were prescribed at hospital or at discharge were collected from patients medical files Evaluation of appropriate dosing was based on Physician Disk Reference PDR All data were collected for further research and subsequent statistical analysis using statistical package for social sciences SPSS for windows version 10 Results A total of 78 patients had calculated creatinine clearance 59 mlmin Those patients were prescribed a total of 1001 lines of prescription medication Dosage adjustment was necessary for 193 TEM medications Analysis of TEM medications with guidelines for adjustment indicated that 7358142 were found to be inappropriate and 2642 51 were found to be appropriate The most common inappropriate medications were ranitidine antibiotics and digoxin Approximately 775 of the unadjusted medications were prescribed during hospitalization Conclusion In our study a wide range of dosing errors was common among patients with renal impairment that was common during hospitalization Continued medical education in the field of clinical pharmacokinetics is important for physicians Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety Volume 16 Issue 8 Pages 908 - 912 http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Chewable-Tablets-Is-this-Dosage-Form-Well-Evaluated-by-Palestinian-Health-ProfessionalsPublished ArticlesTo evaluate the scientific knowledge and attitudes of health professionals in Palestine regarding the advantages of chewable tablets in comparison with other related dosage forms Methods: Data was gathered from a questionnaire that was handed out to community pharmacists Physicians Pharmaceutical industry decision makers were also enrolled in this study Data was analyzed using SPSS statistical software program version 110 Results: Both the 149 pharmacists and 111 physicians who participated in this study had very close opinions with regard to the superiority of chewable tablets over the corresponding liquid dosage forms especially when issues of palatability stability dose precision ease of administration portability and safety were mentioned Pharmacists and physicians were uncertain about the higher effectiveness of chewable tablets in comparison with other related dosage forms ie syrups and suspensions which contain the same active ingredients All industrial decision makers thought that the number of chewable tablet formulations present in Palestine is relatively low One third of them believed that this dosage form is not fully evaluated nor well appreciated by pharmacists and doctors About half of them thought that the lack of technology or specialized personnel is the reason behind the poor development of this dosage form Conclusion: The importance of chewable tablets is not completely understood and appreciated by the Palestinian health personnel Pharmaceutical manufacturers should pay more attention to the development and production of chewable tablets due to the obvious advantages of this dosage form Clear and complete information about this dosage form must be provided to pharmacists and physicians by medical representativeshttp://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Pharmacotherapeutic-Evaluation-of-Herbal-Medications-Utilized-by-Diabetic-Patients-in-West-Bank--PalestinePublished Articles Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate and analyze the utilizations of herbal medications among diabetic patients in the West Bank Method: A structured questionnaire was distributed to governmental primary health centers in west-bank Patients attending the diabetic clinic in those primary health care centers were asked to fill in the questionnaire and give it back to the attending physician in the clinic Every third patient attending the clinic was asked by the attending physician to fill in the questionnaire Results: Four hundred questionnaires were distributed all over west bank primary health care centers Three hundred and forty nine questionnaire were filled correctly and returned to the investigator 195 subjects 56 were found to be using herbs with the majority of them using conventional medical treatment along herbal therapy and they thought these herbs are efficacious The commonest herbs used were Fenugreek Nigella seeds Aloe Vera Sage Garlic and Onion Conclusion: Herbal medication is common among Palestinian diabetic patients Physicians who work with diabetic people should ask patients about their use of these therapies to avoid any adverse herb-drug interactions that may occur for patients receiving both conventional and herbal therapies http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/4-Hydroxy-2-quinolones-93-Synthesis-and-biological-properties-of-2-hydroxy-4-imino-14-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxylic-acid-N-R-amides-Published ArticlesVarious methods of synthesizing amides of 2-hydroxy-4-imino-14-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxylic acids have been studied Results of investigations on the antitubercular and antiinflammatory activity of the obtained compounds are discussed Chemistry of Heterocyclic Compounds Volume 42 Number 4 April 2006 http:wwwspringerlinkcomcontent453jv04956j78272http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/4-Hydroxy-2-quinolones-92-Reaction-of-1-R-4-chloro-3-ethoxycarbonyl-2-oxo-12-dihydroquinolines-with-anilinesPublished ArticlesA preparative method is proposed and the synthesis of 4-arylamino-2-oxo-12-dihydroquinolines has been effected An X-ray structural investigation of 4-4-chlorophenylamino-2-oxo-1-propyl-12-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxylic acid has been carried out enabling the ease of decarboxylating such compounds to be substantiated Results are given of a study of the anti-inflammatory activity of the synthesized compounds Chemistry of Heterocyclic Compounds Volume 42 Number 3 March 2006 http:wwwspringerlinkcomcontentj5p1j7660m752741http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Sex-Differences-and-Disease-Factors-Affecting-Monotherapy-Choice-for-HypertensionaPublished ArticlesObjective: To investigate the impact of sex differences and disease factors on drug monotherapy choice for hypertension Design and Methods: The data for this study were collected from patients medical files The sample studied included 876 patients with cardiovascular diseases Focus was made on the 228 patients with uncomplicated and complicated hypertension who were receiving monotherapy SPSS was used for data entering and statistical analysis Results: 43 98 of the treated men and 57 130 of the treated women were on monotherapy for hypertension Women tend to be treated with diuretics more often than men while men were more often treated with beta blockers Prevalence of the four major anti-hypertesive drug classes among men and women were as follows: diuretics men 12 women 32 [beta]-blocker men 45 women 42 calcium antagonist men 15 women 11 or an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor men 27 women 15 Disease factors that produce significant impact on drug choice include age category diabetes mellitus and bronchodilators co-medication Presence of ischemic heart disease does not have statistically significant impact on BB or CCB antihypertensive drug choice Conclusions: The pattern of antihypertensive drug use is influenced by sex and presence of other co-morbid conditions The influence of sex needs further long term investigation In general physicians in Palestine take most known indications and contra-indications into account when they prescribe an antihypertensive drug motherapy The Islamic University Journal Series of Natural Studies and Engineering Vol14 No1 P51-61 2006 http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Prevalence-amp-Treatment-of-Patients-with-Epilepsy-Associated-with-Intellectual-Disability-a-Pilot-Study-in-PalestinePublished ArticlesWe carried out a pilot study to investigate the prevalence and treatment pattern of epilepsy associated with intellectual disability in governmental neurologicalpsychiatric clinics in Nablus Palestine Medical files of all patients diagnosed with epilepsy in Al-Makhfeh neurologypsychiatry clinic were investigated Focus was made on treatment practices among patients whose files indicated intellectual disability All data were entered and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS software Out of one hundred and thirty four patients twenty patients 15 were diagnosed with intellectual disability Both combo and mono therapy were practiced among those patients Barbiturates were commonly used both in mono or in combo therapy Newer agents like vigabatrin lamotrigene and felbamte were not used This pilot study should stimulate health authority in Palestine to implement rational treatment policies of epilepsy among patients with intellectual disability given the fact that this group of people do not receive adequate medical and health attentionhttp://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Admission-blood-glucose-level-as-a-potential-indicator-for-short-term-mortality-and-morbidity-after-myocardial-infarctionPublished ArticlesHyperglycemia is common among patients with acute myocardial infarction AMI and is associated with high risk of mortality and morbidity However the relationship between admission plasma glucose APG levels and mortality in diabetic and nondiabetic patients with AMI needs further investigation The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between APG level and short-term mortality and morbidity after AMI Materials And Methods : This is a prospective study of 79 consecutive patients with AMI followed up for 90 days Medical history as well as demographic and clinical baseline characteristics of the patients was obtained from Al-Watni Governmental Hospital medical records The patients were divided into four groups based on APG levels Patients\ health status was followed up by phone call interviews with the patients and their families Follow-up data were further confirmed using patients\ medical records at the hospital The phone interviews investigated all causes of death or congestive heart failure CHF or re-infarction Results : The mean age of patients was 619 123 years At the time of hospital admission the median PG level was 162 mgdl During the 3-month follow-up overall mortality was 203 and was increased to 563 in patients with glucose levels 200 mgdl Mortality was comparable 219 vs 191; P 005 between diabetic and nondiabetic patients Nonfatal adverse outcomes in the form of combined CHF and re-infarction were highest in group IV and lowest in group I Conclusion :Our study demonstrates that high APG level is common in patients with AMI and is associated with high risk of mortality and morbidity among patients with or without diabetes mellitus In fact our study showed that nondiabetic patients with high APG have higher risk of mortality than patients with a known history of diabetes mellitus Int J Diab Dev Ctries 2006;26:116-21 http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Pattern-of-Parenteral-Antimicrobial-Prescription-among-Pediatric-lrmPatients-in-Al-Watani-Governmental-Hospital-in-PalestinePublished ArticlesObjective: No studies were carried out in Palestine to investigate the prescribed antimicrobial agents in hospitalized pediatric patients The objective of this study was to evaluate and therapeutically analyze the pattern of parenteral antimicrobial prescriptions among pediatric patients in Al-Watani Government Hospital in Palestine Such audit will be of great value to clinicians and health policy makers Material and Methods: Data on antimicrobial prescribing were collected for 30 consecutive days for all pediatric patients admitted to Al-Watani government hospital Data on antimicrobial prescribing were entered and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS program Analysis was done for age sex diagnosis site of infection number of antimicrobial agents given how many times the drug regimen has been changed and the frequency of individual drug use Results: Three hundred and forty pediatric patients were admitted to Al-Watani government hospital during the study period Gastroenteritis was the most common cause of hospitalization while upper respiratory tract infection URTI was the most common cause of parenteral antimicrobial agent administration Two hundred and ten 618 patients received parenteral antimicrobial agents while 16 47 received both parenteral and oral antimicrobial agents Single antimicrobial agent was prescribed for 506 patients Cefuroxime was the main single antimicrobial agent used; it was administered to 70226 31 patients Conclusion: Treatment patterns used for most patients were nearly according to current empiric therapeutic recommendations However improving the availability of rapid diagnostic methods to differentiate between viral and bacterial infections is suggested to reduce empiric therapy numbers by antimicrobial agents so as to decrease chance for drug resistance An-Najah University Journal for Research - Natural Sciences A ISSN: 1727-2114 Volume 20 2006 Pages: 191-206http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Drug-Interactions-and-Risk-of-Bleeding-among-Patients-with-Atrial-lrmFibrillation-AF-Discharged-with-WarfarinPublished ArticlesThe objective of this study was to examine and evaluate the frequency of bleeding and serious drug interactions among patients with atrial fibrillation AF treated with oral anticoagulant [Warfarin] A random sample of 59 patients from Al-Watni government hospital in Nablus with a principal or secondary discharge diagnosis of AF was identified All drug and clinical data were abstracted from the patients files We excluded patients who were less than 65 years of age or left the hospital against medical advice and those whose AF was transient or could not be confirmed Of the original 59 AF patients 19 were cliagnosed who were discharged on Warfarin The mean age for these patients was 717 years Among the patients discharged on Warfarin 947 had one or more drug drug interactions that could lead to increase risk of bleeding Many patients discharged on Warfarin were having multiple interacting drugs Patient counseling and follow-up monitoring are essential and should be carried out to minimize the risk of bleeding and other complications An-Najah University Journal for Research - Natural Sciences A ISSN: 1727-2114 Volume 20 2006 Pages: 127-134 http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Extent-of-potential-drug-interactions-among-patients-receiving-anti-hypertensive-medicationsPublished ArticlesOBJECTIVE: To investigate the frequency of potential antihypertensive drug interactions among patients with cardiovascular diseases receiving antihypertensive medications METHODS: The study took place in Nablus Palestine starting April through October 2003 Patients with cardiovascular diseases n=876 or who were receiving one or more antihypertensive medications were evaluated All drugs prescribed for the patients were obtained from their medical files A drug interaction database was developed based on updated Drug Interaction Facts to examine potential and level of drug interactions in each patients regimen Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS software RESULTS: The number of unique pairs of potential drug interactions among the antihypertensive agents present in the data was 433 These included 16 cases 37 level one; 34 cases 78 level 2; 116 cases 268 level 3; 136 cases 314 level 4 and 131 303 level 5 interactions Both increasing age and number of drugs were significantly associated with the potential for significant interactions at all levels with a p value less than 0025 CONCLUSIONS: This study found a high frequency of potential drug interactions with agents typically used for hypertension Similar investigations need to be carried out among patients with other types of chronic diseases Drug interaction software might be necessary in governmental pharmacy departments Saudi Med J 2005 Apr;264:548-52 http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Prescribing-pattern-of-angiotensin--converting-enzyme-inhibitors-and-beta-blockers-after-acute-myocardial-infarctionPublished ArticlesSaudi medical journal 2005 vol 26 no11 pp 1837-1839 http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Aspirin-Therapy-among-Diabetic-Hypertensive-PatientsPublished ArticlesThe objective of this study was to determine the percentage of diabetics with hypertension who are using aspirin and to report on any differences between males and females and age groups Medical records of the 342 diabetic hypertensive patients were analyzed The mean age of the patients in the sample was 644 years and male: female ratio was 103 : 1 Among the sample population studied only 108342 315 were using aspirin Gender differences in aspirin therapy was noticed Aspirin was used in 42168 25 females versus 66174 38 males No significant age differences were seen in aspirin therapy As a conclusion aspirin use is low in diabetics with hypertension Physicians in Palestine should be encouraged to use aspirin more in diabetics for both primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Medical-Plants-Utilized-in-Palestinian-Folk-Medicine-for-Treatment-of-Diabetes-Mellitus-and-Cardiac-diseasesPublished ArticlesTraditional remedies are part of the cultured and religious life in Palestine In this project herbal products used in folk medicine were investigated and recorded A total of one hundred and eighty four different plant species were in use Among these medicinal plants twenty one were used for their hypoglycemic effects eleven were used for their hypotensive effects and forty were used for their diuretic effects Reservation of endangered medicinal plant species as well as clinical investigation of these plants is requiredhttp://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Ethnopharmacological-Survey-of-Natural-Products-in-PalestinePublished ArticlesTraditional remedies are part of the cultural and religious life in Palestine In this survey herbal products used in folk medicine were investigated and recorded A total of two hundred and sixteen 216 different plant species sixty 60 inorganic resources and fifty two 52 animal products were in use Among these medicinal plants twenty one 21 were used for their hypoglycemic effects eleven 11 were used for their hypotensive effects and forty 40 were used for their diuretic effects Reservation of endangered medicinal plant species as well as clinical investigation of these plants is required An-Najah University Journal for Research - Natural Sciences A ISSN: 1727-2114 Volume 19 2005 Pages: 013-067http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/A-pilot-study-to-investigate-over-the-counter-drug-abuse-and-misuse-in-PalestinePublished ArticlesSaudi Medical Journal Volume: 25 Issue: 12 Pages: 2029-2032 Published: Dec 2004http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Typical-and-Atypical-Antipsychotic-Drug-Utilization-in-a-Psychiatric-Clinic-lrmin-PalestinePublished ArticlesPattern of atypical and typical antipsychotic medications among one hundred and twenty four patients receiving these medications was investigated and analyzed Males constitute approximately 61 of the sample More than half of the patients in the sample were less than 50 years old Most the patients prescribed antipsychotic medications were having schizophrenia 61 Analysis of the prescribed antipsychotics for the patients showed that approximately 99 of the patients were receiving conventional typical antipsychotic medications either as single 702 or combination 177 or in depot form 104 Less than 2 of the patients were receiving atypical antipsychotic medications Among those prescribed conventional typical antipsychotic drugs only 56 were co-prescribed anticholinergic drugs The underutilization of atypical antipsychotics and the underutilization of anticholinergics to be co-prescribed with conventional antipsychotics require further evaluation and investigation at the national Palestinian levelhttp://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Pharmacological-and-Therapeutic-Analysis-of-Anti-Diabetic-and-Anti-Hypertensive-Drugs-among-Diabetic-Hypertensive-Patients-in-PalestinePublished ArticlesThe objective of this study was to determine the utilization pattern of antidiabetic and antihypertensive medication among diabetic hypertensive patients The medical profile of three hundred and forty two patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension were reviewed and analyzed Among the tested sample antidiabetic monotherapy was prevalent 743 Antihypertensive monotherapy was found among 473 of the tested sample Analysis of the antidiabetic medications shows underutilization of insulin combination therapy and inappropriate use of metformin among the elderly Analysis of the antihypertensive therapy shows that there is underutilization of combination therapy low dose thiazides and angiotensin II receptor antagonists ATIIRA Some of the 2-drug antihypertensive combinations were irrational like beta blockers BB plus diuretics angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors ACE-I plus BB or ACE-I plus dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers CCB In conclusion the study shows that some prescribing practices for diabetic hypertensive patients were appropriate while others were inappropriate and do not adhere to current recommendations in the literature Continuing medical education is needed to improve the prescribing practices in Palestine Journal of the Islamic University of Gaza Natural Sciences Series Vol12 No2 PP 35-57 2004 http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Short-Communication-Pharmacological-and-Pharmaceutical-Factors-Affecting-Physicianrsquos-and-lrmPharmacistrsquos-Selection-of-DrugsPublished ArticlesA survey of random sample of physicians and pharmacists in north Palestine was carried out to ascertain the factors that influence their decisions when selecting a drug for a patient Of the four hundred 400 questionnaire distributed two hundred and fourteen 214 were filled correctly and returned giving a response rate of approximately 56 The ten factors which had the greatest influence on drug selection were as follows in ranking order: active ingredients evidence of product efficacy patient characteristics presence of side effects for the drug successful self use of product product abuse potential confidence in manufacturer availability of product in community pharmacies cost of drug for the patient and range of dosage forms available for the product Commercial factors like profitability number of medical samples and personal relations with manufacturers have slight influence on the drug selection by physicians and pharmacists The results of this short communication suggest that selection of drugs for therapy is based on clinical and patient factors and whilst commercial factors may be involved they do not compromise the quality of therapeutic recommendations An-Najah University Journal for Research - Natural Sciences A ISSN: 1727-2114 Volume 18 Issue 1 2004 Pages: 087-096http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Short-Communication-Pharmacological-Investigation-of-Plant-Derived-Pharmaceuticals-in-lrmPalestinePublished ArticlesA survey of the plant derived pharmaceuticals in the Palestinian drug market was carried out The Palestinian Pharmaceutical Index PPI which contains a list of the imported and locally produced pharmaceuticals was manually reviewed The search in the PPI for plant-derived pharmaceuticals shows that laxatives drug class has the highest percentage 60 followed by bronchial spasm relaxants 56 and drugs acting on uterus 50 This survey shows the distribution of plant derived pharmaceuticals among the different pharmacological drug classes It also shows that plant derived pharmaceuticals still have a reasonable share of the drug market as investigated in Palestine Medical personnel may need further information on herbal pharmacology An-Najah University Journal for Research - Natural Sciences A ISSN: 1727-2114 Volume 18 Issue 1 2004 Pages: 081-086http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Short-Communication-Antibiotic-Drug-Cost-Variations-in-Palestine-Physicians-and-Patients-lrmDilemmaPublished ArticlesThe objective of this study was to compare and analyze drug price variations among various oral antibiotics marketed in Palestine Price of various antibiotics were obtained from up-to-date price lists available at the pharmaceutical companies and drug agents Price range price ratio and price difference percentage were calculated A price range as wide as 3 26 new Israeli shekels NIS for ciprofloxacin with a price difference percentage of 767 was seen In all of the cases the price difference was in favor of locally produced companies This short communication emphasizes the wide variations in antibiotic prices in Palestine and that physicians need to pay more attention for such variations An-Najah University Journal for Research - Natural Sciences A ISSN: 1727-2114 Volume 18 Issue 1 2004 Pages: 073-079http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Pharmacotherapeutic-Implications-and-Prescribing-Pattern-of-lrmBenzodiazepines-BZD-by-Psychiatrists-and-NeurologistsPublished ArticlesThe aim of this study is to explore and investigate benzodiazepine BZD prescribing pattern by neurologists and psychiatrists Randomly selected five hundred and five neurologists and psychiatrists prescriptions were collected throughout West-Bank and analyzed using SPSS 10 for windows Approximately half of the prescriptions contain BZD with alprozolam being the most commonly prescribed BZD followed by clonazepam More than half of the BZD prescriptions were missing important patient and dispensing information Gender of the patient and physicians specialty were not a determining factor in choosing or prescribing BZD Antidepressants were commonly co-prescribed with BZD 57 BZD were more commonly co-prescribed with tricylic antidepressants TCA antidepressants than selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors SSRIs Approximately 20 of antipsychotic prescriptions contained BZD especially clonazepam In conclusion although our study is not based on complete clinical investigation of patients disease and drug history it is clear that there is some irrational BZD prescribing practices based on the general requirements for BZD prescriptions An-Najah University Journal for Research - Natural Sciences A ISSN: 1727-2114 Volume 18 Issue 1 2004 Pages: 025-038 http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Pharmacological-Evaluation-of-5-Flurouracil-5-FU-lrmUtilization-among-Patients-with-Gastro-Intestinal-Tract-lrmlrmGIT-CancerslrmPublished ArticlesThe clinical utilization of 5-Fluorouracil and its therapeutic implications were investigated at Al-Watani governmental hospital at Nablus Palestine The drug and disease profiles of one hundred and thirty patients suffering from various types of cancers were studied No correlation was noticed between gender and cancer in general although such correlation might exist among patients with gastrointestinal tract GIT cancers Approximately one third 29 of those patients were suffering from GIT cancers especially colon and liver cancers The majority 66 of the patients with GIT cancers were treated with 5-FU Leucovorin LV was used by 68 of patients suffering from GIT cancers and were receiving 5-FU Patients in general were not exposed to poly-chemotherapy 26 drugspatient Strong pain killers like morphine were used in approximately 24 of patients having GIT cancers The utilization of 5-FU and LV is in agreement to the general international recommendations especially among patients with colon cancer Further national studies are required to investigate costeffectiveness dose and drug appropriateness among patients with malignant diseases An-Najah University Journal for Research - Natural Sciences A ISSN: 1727-2114 Volume 18 Issue 2 2004 Pages: 193-202http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/Drug-Information-for-Community-Pharmacies-Survey-on-Needs-and-Use-lrmof-Drug-Information-with-Special-Focus-on-New-Information-TechnologyPublished ArticlesThe purpose of this study was to determine the sources and needs of drug information for community pharmacies in Palestine A fifteen item questionnaire was distributed to community pharmacies Out of approximately one hundred fifty community pharmacies who received the questionnaire through An-Najah university pharmacy trainee students one hundred eighteen community pharmacies filled in and returned the questionnaire to the researchers The questionnaire included background information and questions regarding sources of drug information available to pharmacists and the most commonly drug-related questions encountered by community pharmacies Approximately ninety per cent of community pharmacists have Martindale or British Pharmacopoeia as a reference textbook but less than one per cent have other important primary sources of information like periodicals or continuing education courses Computer set-up and Internet services are available for some community pharmacies Community pharmacists were most often asked questions about drug price over-the-counter drug selection pediatric drug dosage and drug use in pregnancy and lactation The conclusion is that few drug information sources are available for community pharmacies in Palestine and this inadequacy in drug information constrains the community pharmacists in Palestine from providing patients with appropriate drug education and hinders them from playing an important role in health services as a drug information provider An-Najah University Journal for Research - Natural Sciences A ISSN: 1727-2114 Volume 17 Issue 2 2003 Pages: 287-300http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/nidaljaradat/article/A-Descriptive-Study-of-Community-Pharmacy-Practice-in-Palestine-lrmAnalysis-and-Future-LookPublished ArticlesThe purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the community pharmacy practice in Palestine from a clinical and legal aspects The study was conducted on a random sample of community pharmacies and carried out by pharmacy students of An-Najah University using a 15-item questionnaire The working hours of community pharmacies is approximately 9 hours daily and the average working people in the pharmacy is 28 The average customer turnover is approximately 258 Medical representatives and manufacturer brochures are the primary source of drug information for 90 community pharmacists Over the counter sale of many prescription medications is unregulated Substitution of prescribed medications is common in 25 of community pharmacies No official record of prescription is available The Ministry of health the Palestinian Pharmaceutical Association and the college of pharmacy at An-Najah University ought to take measures to improve the pharmacy practice and to provide continuing educational opportunities for community pharmacist in Palestine An-Najah University Journal for Research - Natural Sciences A ISSN: 1727-2114 Volume 17 Issue 2 2003 Pages: 191-199