Antibiotic prescription pattern in surgery department in baquba teaching hospital

Antibiotics are one of the most common drugs prescribed in the hospitasl. The present study was performed to study the style of prescription of different types of antibiotic regimens in different surgeries in Baquba Teaching Hospital and assess the appropriateness of antibiotic therapy through a comparison with the standard guidelines for antibiotic prescription. A retrospective study was used to evaluate the patients' undergone surgery through one month duration beginning from the 1[st] of April 2009 to the 1[st] of May 2009. 303 patients were enrolled in our study and questionnaires concerning demographic data, type of surgery, and parameters of antibiotic therapy [selection of antibiotic, dose, route and duration of therapy] were completed. From 303 patients, 179 patients receiving one antibiotic and the other 124 patients receiving 2 or more antibiotics [antibiotic combination]. Cefotaxime was the common antibiotic prescribed where it was written for 169 patients as a single agent or in combination with other antibiotics. Cefotaxime with Metronidazole was the common antibiotic combination, prescribed for 63 patients. Concerning duration of therapy, 159 patients continue on antibiotic therapy for 2-3 days while 71 patients continue for one day. The antibiotic selection in this hospital is optional and not according to any guidelines or recommendations. The utilization of culture and sensitivity studies is absent and antibiotic prescription is almost totally empirical. Therefore, antibiotic prescription is inappropriate and didn't follow the standard guidelines for antibiotic prescription

Treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection: DDB plus amantadine compared with interferon plus ribavirin

This study was designed to assess the effect of combined dioxy- biphenyl dicarboxylate [DDB] and amantadine hydrochloride compared with interferon alpha and ribavirin in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Eighty patients with chronic hepatitis C viral infection were allocated to this study and were divided into two groups, each including 40 patients: The first group received DDB plus amantadine and the second group received interferon plus ribavirin for six months. The patients were reviewed initially, then three months and six months after initiation of therapy. The additive value of DDB plus interferon combined therapy in chronic hepatitis C infection could be a promising treatment strategy, which needs further assessment studies

incidence of nasal diphtheria in patients with nasal discharge

In many parts of the world diphtheria has almost completely disappeared. The Corynebacterium diphtheriae may infect a variety of sites including the nose, conjunctiva and wounds. Carriers constitute the reservoir from which the disease spreads. Two hundred patients were examined in this study for the presence of nasal diphtheria bacilli. The incidence of nasal diphtheria carrier was 0.5 percent and a non toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae biotype mitis was diagnosed. The results were discussed and analyzed