Teaching medical ethics in Basra: perspective of students and graduates

The University of Basra Medical College introduced a course on medical ethics for undergraduate students in 1994. We explored the opinions of 54 graduates and 52 final-year medical students about the benefits they perceive they gained from the course and its relevance to their training or practice. About 31% of students and 34% of graduates thought the course was practically and theoretically useful. Over 80% of graduates and students thought the course was either very relevant or relevant to some extent to the practice of medicine. When asked to recall the important ethical issues taught in the course, 52% of graduates and 44% of students listed patient-doctor relationship. Confidentiality, physician liability and ethical issues concerning recent medical innovations were listed by few respondents. Only 6% of both graduates and students were able to list the four principles of medical ethics as described by Raanan. The self-learning component of the course should be developed to strengthen ethical reasoning and judgment in decision-making

effect of chemotherapy on the serological response of patients with schistosoma haematobium infection using the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay [Elisa]

The enzyme linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] was performed on blood samples obtained from 23 children found infected with Schistosoma haematobium before and three months after treatment with hycanthone. All of the children were negative by urine examination three months after treatment. Egg and worm antigens of S. mansoni were used in the assay. There was statistically significant decline in the level of antibodies against egg antigens but there was no difference in the level of antibodies against worm antigens. The comparability of the results with similar studies and their relevance to the interpretation of serological data obtained from epidemiological studies are discussed