Knowledge, perceptions and practices towards medical ethics among physician residents of University of Alexandria hospitals, Egypt

This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the knowledge, perceptions and practices towards medical ethics of physician residents at university hospitals in Alexandria, Egypt. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used for knowledge and perceptions and a checklist for observations of doctor -patient interactions in the outpatient setting. Only 18.0% of the 128 participating residents had obtained their knowledge from their medical education and 29.9% were dissatisfied with the roles played by the ethics committee. Most of the residents had satisfactory knowledge and 60.2% had satisfactory perceptions regarding ethical issues. The lowest perception score was in the domain of disclosing medical errors. Only 48.0% of the residents were compliant with the principles of medical ethics in practice and 52.0% of patients were dissatisfied with their treating physicians. The study identified areas of unsatisfactory knowledge and practices towards ethical issues so as to devise means to sensitize residents to these issues and train them appropriately

Problems and perceived needs for medical ethics education of resident physicians in Alexandria teaching hospitals, Egypt

There is a call for greater preparation for the ethical challenges encountered by physicians in their future professional duties. This study in Egypt aimed to reveal problems and perceived needs for medical ethics education of resident physicians working at University of Alexandria hospitals. In a descriptive, cross-sectional survey, 128 residents answered a self-administered questionnaire. More than half were of the opinion that their medical ethics course was ineffective; 56.3% mentioned poor curricular planning. The majority complained that the subject was not tailored to specialties, the course was too short, there was a shortage of resources to facilitate the educational process and that assessment was done for knowledge but not for skills. Problems related to staffing were low staff:student ratios and staff lack of experience. Trainees, regardless of clinical discipline, felt that there was a great need for improvement to their medical ethics education

Niosomal encapsulation of the tuberculocidal drug rifampicin

Niosomes are vesicles formed by self-assembly of non-ionic surfactants that have potential applications in the delivery of hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs intracellularly e.g. to macrophages and hence, are expected to increase the potency, safety and to overcome the resistant strains of M. tuberculosis. Rifampicin niosomes were prepared by the chloroform-film method using Span 60 and cholesterol. Stearylamine and dicetylphosphate were added as the positive and negative charge inducing agents, respectively. Characterization of Rifampicin niosomes was carried out using Differential Scanning Calorimetry [DSC] and Electron Microscopy. Computer presentations of DSC thermograms are provided for drug niosomes, drug free niosomes as well as the individual components of the niosomes investigated, using the Shimadzu-50 DS Calorimeter. Electron micrographs reveal the shape of the investigated niosomes. Rifampicin niosomes, thus prepared and characterized, were investigated for the purpose of optimizing the drug encapsulation efficiency, release profiles and expected increased potency and safety. The latter expectancy is explained by the intracellular targeting behavior of the drug niosomes compared to free drug. The results indicate that for rifampicin neutral niosomes, the molar ratio [Span 60: Cholesterol, 4: 2] exhibited better percentage of entrapment viz., 36.55% compared to 26.98% for the molar ratio [Span 60: Cholesterol, 1:1]. For the negatively charged niosomes, the molar ratio [Span 60: Cholesterol: Dicetylphosphate, 1:1:0.1] exhibited better percentage of entrapment viz., 35.08% compared to 30.64% for the molar ratio [Span 60: Cholesterol: Dicetylphosphate, 4:2:1]. For the positively charged niosomes, the molar ratio [Span 60: Cholesterol: Stearylamine, 4:2:1] exhibited nearly similar entrapment viz., 53.83% compared to 52.80% for the molar ratio [Span 60: Cholesterol: Stearylamine, 1:1:0.1]. The release profiles of these rifampicin niosomes were performed at 37°C, as a trial to anticipate the expected behavior of these niosomes under the hydrodynamic stress of in-vivo conditions. The release profile values for the different niosomes investigated showed that neutral niosomes of molar ratio [Span 60: Cholesterol, 1:1] exhibited the least release values compared to molar ratio [Span 60: Cholesterol, 4:2]. For the negatively charged rifampicin niosomes, the molar ratio [Span 60: Cholesterol: Dicetylphosphate, 1:1:0.1] exhibited less release than [Span 60: Cholesterol: Dicetylphosphate, 4:2:1]. Determination of the tuberculocidal activity, of rifampicin niosomes compared to the free drug, in guinea pigs, is under way

Preparation of casein-chitosan sustained release microspheres containing indomethacin

A combination of polymers, casein and chitosan, was used for the preparation of sustained - release indomethacin microspheres by applying aqueous complex coacervation technique. The incorporation efficiencies of indomethacin within casein chitosan microspheres were achieved between 30.5-60.7% in the different prepared batches depending on the preparation conditions. Encapsulation efficiency was found to be 50.2 and 60.7 for 120 and 40 minutes hardening time, respectively. The results showed an increase in the mean microspheres diameter with the increase in casein concentration from 5% to 30% w/v. It was also observed that the larger the amount of initially loaded indomethacin into the microspheres that smaller was the microspher diameter. In addition, increasing chitosan concentration from 0.5 to 1.5% w/v decreased the mean microspheres diameter from 870 +/- 23 to 678 +/- 12 microm. Variation in chitosan concentration showed small effect on the particle size distribution where, increasing chitosan concentration slightly shifts the particle sizes to small diameter. Results show that the longer the stirring time [2 hours], the smaller was the microspheres size. The microspheres exhibited angle of repose values between 31- 42 and the values of the compressibility index were lower than 15% in some batches. An initial release [brust effect] of the drug is exhibited in all the prepared microspheres where 28-45% of the drug was released in the first 30 minutes in all the cases depending on the preparation conditions. Increase in casein concentration significantly decreases the rate of indomethacin release from the microspheres [P

Dissociation constants of some ethyl [[substituted benzylidene] dithio] diacetates in water organic solvent mixtures

The pKa values of some ethyl[[substituted benzylidene]dithio] diacetates in water-organic solvent mixtures are determined potentiometrically. The results obtained are discussed in terms of medium and structure effects. It has been found that the hydrogen bonding interactions, as well as solvent basicity, play important roles on the pKa values. Also, the calculated standard Gibbs transfer energies provided an evidence that solute-solvent interactions are of considerably greater importance of the solvent effect on the dissociation weak carbon acids. The structure effect is discussed in terms of Hammett correlations and the resulted alpha-values indicate that, for the present system, the negative charge on the benzylidene carbon is extensively delocalized into the two adjacent sulfur atoms

Synthesis of new 2-substituted hydroquinone bis- [dithiocarbazate ester] and there cyclization to corresponding 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives

Condensation of 2-bromo-, chloro- or nitrohydroquinone-O, O'-diacetyl chloride with methyl or benzyldithiocarbazate gave the corresponding dihydrazide derivatives I-VI. Cyclodehydrosulfurization of the products by thionyl chloride yielded the corresponding di-[1,3,4-oxadiazole] derivatives VII-XII. The structures of all synthesized compounds were confirmed by elemental analysis, IR and PMR spectra

Spectroscopic studies of some ethylene oxides

Z- and E-1,2-di-[4-nitrophenyl]-1-phenyl-ethylene oxides I and II were prepared by the reaction of 4-nitrodiphenylmethyl chloride with 4-nitrobenzaldehyde in the presence of alkali in aqueous dioxane at room temperature. 1,1-di-[4-nitrophenyl] ethylene oxide III was also prepared by reacting 4,4'-dinitrodiphenylmethyl chloride with paraformaldehyde under similar conditions. The structures of these new ethylene oxides I, II and III were confirmed by IR and PMR spectra, and their mass fragmentation patterns were discussed

Manufacture and physical characteristics of directly compressed tablets of different types of L-ascorbic acid

Four types of L-Ascorbic Acid were compressed into tablets applying two formulae under different pressures. The prepared tablets were examined for their physical characteristics. It was found that [C-97] type produced by Takeda Chemical Industries LTD. Osaka/Tokyo and prepared by fluidized bed granulator to contain 3 per cent starch to be the best, as the tablets acquired good uniformity of weight and thickness, high hardness, low friability and disintegrated within the U.S.P. XX limit. Other types of L-Ascorbic Acid produced tablets with bad mechanical properties regarding low hardness and high friability and that prepared by silicone coated type did not conform to the U.S.P. and X requirement for disintegration