Smoking patterns among Jordanian health professionals: A study about the impediments to tobacco control in Jordan

Background

Little is known about Arab health professionals' smoking practices.

Aim

This is the first study to examine smoking practices among Arab health professionals.

Methods

Background: Little is known about Arab nurses and physicians' smoking patterns.

Aim

This study aims to examine smoking patterns among Arab nurses and physicians.

Methods

A total of 918 nurses and physicians participated in this study. Data were collected using the Global Professional Health Survey.

Results

About 38.8% are current smokers. The smoking percentages for male nurses and male physicians were high (83.8%, 94.6% respectively) compared to female nurses and female physicians (16.2%, 5.4% respectively). Approximately 53.8% wanted to quit and 60.6% had made previous quit attempts that lasted for more than two days. About 64.1% believed that nurses and physicians who smoke were less likely to advise patients to stop smoking. The predictors of smoking were: age when tried first cigarettes OR = 6.36, 95% CI = 4.48, 9.04; father smokes OR = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.40, 2.72; mother smokes OR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.18, 3.39; shift work OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.04, 2.03; and the interaction (gender and profession) OR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.55, 2.14.

Discussion

Effective interventions often begin with and/or depend on nurses and physicians being committed to smoking cessation. Given the very high smoking rates among nurses and physicians a key priority must be to provide quit smoking programs and to enable them to become effective champions of smoking cessation nationwide.     

The Effects of Primary Implant Bearing Design on the Complexity of Revision Unicondylar Knee Arthroplasty

Comparisons of fixed- (FB) and mobile-bearing (MB) implants have failed to demonstrate a superiority of one design over the other. Despite showing equally successful outcomes, the wear patterns and small particulate debris associated with MB implants have been linked to an increased prevalence of osteolysis. This study compared the complexity of revision surgery for both bearing types. Operative time, use of augmentation and/or bone grafts, and the level of constraint required during revision were used to assess complexity. It was found that MB knees more frequently required tibial augmentation in our sample population (P = 0.020), but overall surgical complexity was equivalent for revisions of both implant designs. These data suggest that additional research pertaining to the potential differences between implants be investigated.     

Hookah use: going down in smoke

This article provides a review of tobacco smoking using a hookah, an emerging threat to public health, especially among young adults. Knowledge deficits persist in regards to this form of smoking, because many perceive it as less harmful than cigarette smoking and little research is available. Knowledge about hookah smoking can be instrumental in guiding health professionals to address this practice with their clients and in their communities. A failure to address all tobacco products as unique, individual entities undermines any success in public policy efforts to control tobacco use.     

STW 5 is effective against nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs induced gastro-duodenal lesions in rats

BACKGROUND Proton pump inhibitors are often used to prevent gastro-intestinal lesions induced by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. However, they are not always effective against both gastric and duodenal lesions and their use is not devoid of side effects.AIM To explore the mechanisms mediating the clinical efficacy of STW 5 in gastroduodenal lesions induced by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs),exemplified here by diclofenac, in a comparison to omeprazole.METHODS Gastro-duodenal lesions were induced in rats by oral administration of diclofenac(5 mg/kg) for 6 successive days. One group was given concurrently STW 5(5 mL/kg) while another was given omeprazole(20 mg/kg). A day later, animals were sacrificed, stomach and duodenum excised and divided into 2 segments:One for histological examination and one for measuring inflammatory mediators(tumor necrosis factor α, interleukins-1β and 10), oxidative stress enzyme(heme oxygenase-1) and apoptosis regulator(B-cell lymphoma 2).RESULTS Diclofenac caused overt histological damage in both tissues, associated with parallel changes in all parameters measured. STW 5 and omeprazole effectively prevented these changes, but STW 5 superseded omeprazole in protecting against histological damage, particularly in the duodenum.CONCLUSION The findings support the therapeutic usefulness of STW 5 and its superiority over omeprazole as adjuvant therapy to NSAIDs to protect against their possible gastro-duodenal side effects.