Clinical and biochemical profile of alcohol users in Basra

All psychiatric and general medical male patients referred to 2 hospitals in Basra, Iraq from September 2000 to April 200l were screened using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test. A total of 189 men were identified as having alcohol-related problems. The majority were aged 30-49 years, and two-thirds had drunk alcohol for over 10 years. About 53% of patients exceeded 1 bottle [750 mL] of spirits daily, and 14.8% reported morning drinking. Elevation of liver enzymes, hepatomegaly, jaundice and cirrhosis were identified in 46.0%. Liver cirrhosis was more common in patients drinking locally made arak. Many of the patients suffered psychiatric disorders, including anxiety disorders, depression and suicide attempts, and 80.9% took other psychoactive drugs

Haemolytic potential of three chemotherapeutic agents and aspirin in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency

The potential haemolytic effect of three chemotherapeutic drugs and aspirin was tested in vitro by gluthathione stability tests. Blood was collected from the local population of Basra, Iraq where previous studies had found a high frequency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase [G6PD] deficiency. Primaquine, chloramphenicol and sulfanilamide caused significant concentration-dependent reductions of glutathione levels in G6PD-deficient red cells when compared to normal red cells. Acetylsalicylic acid had no effect on glutathione level. The G6PD-deficient erythrocytes behaved as previously reported, probably due to similar patterns in the distribution of its variants. Studies on each local variant are warranted and new drugs should be tested for haemolytic potential prior to their introduction in areas where the deficiency is common

Awareness of hypertension in Basrah City: first announcement which needs action

Present study is the first announcement of the prevalence of hypertension among Basrah population and it estimates for the first time the percentage of awareness among the hypertensives to their high blood pressure. The distribution of hypertension was determined by age, Sex and body weight. In addition, risk factors such as smoking and family history were also evaluated. The WHO recommended diagnostic criteria were followed so that hypertension is defined as blood pressure measured greater than or equal to 140/90 mm Hg at the age of 20's and 160/95 mm Hg at the age of 50's or self-reported taking antihypertensive medication. Hypertension in turn was classified into mild, moderate and severe categories. The prevalence of hypertension among the total subjects [750] studied was found to be 32% and it is higher in males than in females [37% vs 27% respectively]. Blood pressure was increased with age and body weight in both males and females. Only 19% of the hypertensives were aware of their high blood pressure and the percentage of awareness correlated positively with age and severity of hypertension and it was higher in females [31%] than in males [12%]. However, only 5% of the aware hypertensives were on regular antihypertensive medications. This study estimates the size of the problem in Basrah which can provide a data base for a further epidemiological studies of hypertension in Basrah

Effect of soluble insulin administered rectally in rabbits

Soluble insulin [10U/Kg] was given rectally to eight rabbits. Blood glucose level was found to be reduced one hour after insulin administration and the maximum reduction occurred after two hours. The blood glucose level started to recover to normal level after three hours. It is recommended that the rectal route of insulin administration should be further evaluated for its potential use especially in diabetic ketoacidosis and in the maintenance therapy of insulin dependent diabetics

Iris colour, skin colour and mydriatic response

Mydriatic response to one drop of 2% homatropine applied locally into the eye was measured in subjects with different iris and skin colours. Maximum mydraisis was detected in subjects with green colour iris [7.9mm], followed by brown [6.9mm] and black [5.9mm] irides respectively. Subjects with white skin showed maximum mydriatic response [7.8mm], followed by dark [6.8mm] and black [5.2mm] skin. The majority of our local population has a dark complexion with heavily pigmented iris, therefore doses of mydriatic drugs should be adjusted according to the response. Further studies with topically applied drugs into the eye is recommebded, as well as the interaction between different drugs applied to the eye simultaneously