Prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among Libyan primary and secondary schoolteachers: a cross-sectional study

Achievement of high academic performance needs good emotional expression. Studies have showed that depression, anxiety and stress [DAS] are the most common psychosomatic problems facing teachers worldwide. Therefore the present study aimed to investigate whether Libyan primary and secondary schoolteachers experience DAS manifestation throughout job programmers. So a cross-sectional survey was performed at different schools in Tripoli city, from July to October 2014; male and female teachers [n=200] were enrolled in terms of sociodemographic variables. Data were gathered using DAS scale [DASS-21] questionnaire. The mean age was 38.7+/-8.5 years, and the average tough experience was 13.95+/-0.69 years. Of 21 possible items, our study showed that 44.5% of teachers reported depressive sensation, 56% stated anxiety and 39.5% described stress mood. The most frequent reported items were, for depression "I felt down-hearted and blue" by 64%; for anxiety "I was worried about situation in which I might panic and make a fool of myself" by 60.5%, and for stress "I felt that I was using a lot of nervous energy" by 78.5%. In addition, increasing tea and coffee intake, and being smokers were associated with more symptoms, and increased number of taught experience, among females, resulted in fewer symptoms. Overall, 27.5% of teachers reported no symptoms, 22% specified one level of mind strife, 27% expressed two symptoms and 23.5% itemized the three DAS disorders. Furthermore, DAS sub-scales were significantly correlated. Hence, our findings support the predominance of DAS in tutors. It also shows that Libyan schoolteachers' experienced more symptoms than other survey countries; their quality of work possibly be affected by these events

In vivo effects of Faizol Ubat Batuk, a herbal product on aminopyrine metabolism in rat hepatocytes

Traditional medicines, in particular herbal products, have been used abundantly over the years in curing several diseases. Pharmacological interactions of herbal products with modern drugs, however, remain to some extent unknown. Herein, we examined whether co-administration of Faizol Ubat Batuk [FUB], a mixture of aqueous extract of different plants, modifies the metabolism of aminopyrine, a conventional analgesic drug, in rat liver. We used rat hepatocytes outfitted by collagenase perfusion technique. Determination of aminopyrine n-demethylase activity was performed using the Nash colorimetric method, by measuring the amount of formaldehyde produced. Compared to control treatment, FUB significantly increased the hepatic metabolism of aminopyrine in healthy adult male rats. In contrast, the hepatic metabolism of aminopyrine in adult female rats was decreased. Besides, a biphasic effect in n-demethylase activity was observed in young male rats treated with FUB. In a subsequent experiment, FUB did not change the metabolism of aminopyrine in streptozotocin [STZ]-diabetic adult male rats. In conclusion, administration of FUB could affect phase I aminopyrine metabolism in rat heptocytes. In addition, the effects of FUB on hepatic n-demethylase activity were gender and disease dependent

Allergen-specific subcutaneous immunotherapy in allergic asthma: immunologic mechanisms and improvement

Allergic asthma is a disease characterized by persistent allergen-driven airway inflammation, remodeling, and airway hyperresponsiveness. CD4-T-cells, especially T-helper type 2 cells, play a critical role in orchestrating the disease process through the release of the cytokines IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13. Allergen-specific immunotherapy [SIT] is currently the only treatment with a long-term effect via modifying the natural course of allergy by interfering with the underlying immunological mechanisms. However, although SIT is effective in allergic rhinitis and insect venom allergy, in allergic asthma it seldom results in complete alleviation of the symptoms. Improvement of SIT is needed to enhance its efficacy in asthmatic patients. Herein, the immunoregulatory mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of SIT are discussed with the ultimate aim to improve its treatment efficacy