Development, implementation and evaluation of a medication safety programme for schoolchildren in Qatar

The objectives of this study were to assess the needs of schoolchildren relating to medication safety and to develop and implement a health promotion programme in Qatar. Semi-structured interviews were completed with teachers, nurses and school administrators at 2 primary schools in Doha. Two main themes were identified from these interviews, namely medication basics and medication safety. Subsequently, a 25-minute health promotion programme was developed and delivered to 11 groups of schoolchildren aged 6-10 years. The student groups contained both expatriate and local Qatari students. The programme was evaluated based on perceptions of site representatives, investigators and peer reviewers using a standardized evaluation form. All the evaluators agreed that the programme was beneficial and should be recommended to other schools in Qatar. This study can serve as a prototype for future programmes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and elsewhere

Long- term effect of melatonin on submandibular salivary glands in old rats

The effect of melatonin on the submandibular salivary glands of old rats was studied using 20 control and 20 experimental rats which had received melatonin daily for 5 months. The glands were first weighed and then processed for light and electron microscopy. The glands of the melatonin rats were significantly heavier than the controls. With light microscopy, the control group showed a loss of normal architecture of the acini and multiple degenerative changes whereas in the melatonin group the acini had clear architecture and few degenerative changes. With electron microscopy, the control group again showed degenerative changes and little cellular activity whereas the melatonin group had features which indicated increased cellular activity