An-Najah National University

About: An-Najah National University is a education organization based out in Nablus, Palestinian Territory. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Adsorption. The organization has 1857 authors who have published 2607 publications receiving 68226 citations. The organization is also known as: An Najah National University.

Risk of error estimated from Palestine pharmacists' knowledge and certainty on the adverse effects and contraindications of active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients.

Abstract: Purpose: This study aimed to investigate community pharmacists’ knowledge and certainty of adverse effects and contraindications of pharmaceutical products to estimate the risk of error. Factors influencing their knowledge and certainty were also investigated.

Nurses’ knowledge, perceived barriers, and practices regarding cancer pain management: a cross-sectional study from Palestine

Abstract: Accurate knowledge and good pain evaluation and documentation practices should be present for efficient pain management. In this study, we aimed to assess the knowledge and practices of nurses relating to the management of cancer pain in Palestine, and to determine the barriers to efficient pain control in cancer patients. A cross-sectional survey took place at 8 hospitals across Northern West Bank. A convenience sample of 220 Nurses working in governmental and private hospitals in West Bank/Palestine was studied. For that purpose, a questionnaire was developed to assess knowledge, practices, perceived barriers, and delaying processes relating to cancer pain management (CPM). In total, 220 questionnaires were completed with a response rate of 88%. Participants’ mean age was 30.34 years. Overall, 69.5% worked in governmental hospitals, 26.8% worked in the private sector and the remainder worked in both governmental and private sectors. The correct response rate to questions that assess knowledge relating to cancer pain control was calculated and a mean knowledge score was found to be 5.1 with a standard deviation of 2.1. A relationship between the knowledge score and the sample characteristics was made and showed that males scored significantly higher (p = 0.001) than females with median scores of 6 [4–7] and 5 [3–6] for males and females, respectively. Inadequate pain assessment (76.8%), insufficient knowledge of pain control (70.5%) and strict regulation on opioid use (69.5%) were the most frequently perceived barriers. Nurses reported that they would assess pain on every round and check all items related to pain assessment. Contacting the physician for the prescription of opioids was cited as the main delaying process by 56.4% of participants. This study allowed us to recognise the knowledge deficit and the barriers to effective management. On the other hand, the analysis has shown good pain documentation practices among nurses. Those knowledge deficits demonstrate the need for more education about CPM. The improvement of coordination and communication between physicians and nurses seems to play a crucial role in CPM, as contacting physicians was cited as the most delaying process in CPM by nurses.

Nurses’ practice of blood transfusion in the United Arab Emirates: an observational study

Abstract: Aims. The aim of this study was to document nurses’ practice of red blood cells transfusion. Background. In the United Arab Emirates hospitals, nurses are responsible for the administration of blood transfusions. The safety and effectiveness of the transfusion process is dependent, among others, on the knowledge and skills of nurses who perform the procedure. Poor practice may result in avoidable complications that may threaten patients’ safety. Published work indicated that nurses’ practice varied across contexts and highlighted that patients received suboptimal care and incorrect transfusion that culminated in death or morbidity. In the United Arab Emirates, publications related to nurses’ practice of blood transfusion are lacking. Design. Descriptive. Methods. Data were collected by means of non-participant structured observation. Data collection was undertaken in two general public hospitals in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. A random sample of 50 nurses from both hospitals was selected. Each nurse was observed once, from 10 minutes prior to blood collection until 15 minutes after initiating a transfusion. Results. Forty-nine nurses (98%) were observed. The maximum obtained score was 13 points of a possible score of 21, and 75% of nurses scored below the 50% level. Practice deficiencies included improper patient identification, suboptimal vital signs documentation and invalid methods of blood warming. Conclusions. Patients in both hospitals were at risk of receiving incorrect blood, suffering unobserved transfusion reaction and acquiring bacterial infection. Relevance to clinical practice. This study revealed inadequate practices that nurses and hospitals should strive to change to provide a safer and more effective care that would, hopefully, minimise the risks and maximise the benefits of blood transfusion. These findings also have implications for clinical supervision and nurse education.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel benzodioxole derivatives as COX inhibitors and cytotoxic agents.

Abstract: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are among the most used drugs. They are competitive inhibitors of cyclooxygenase (COX). Twelve novel compounds (aryl acetate and aryl acetic acid groups) were synthesized in this work in order to identify which one was the most potent and which group was most selective towards COX1 and COX2 by using an in vitro COX inhibition assay kit. The cytotoxicity was evaluated for these compounds utilizing MTS assay against cervical carcinoma cells line (HeLa). The synthesized compounds were identified using FTIR, HRMS, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR techniques. The results showed that the most potent compound against the COX1 enzyme was 4f with IC50 = 0.725 µM. The compound 3b showed potent activity against both COX1 and COX2 with IC50 = 1.12 and 1.3 µM, respectively, and its selectivity ratio (0.862) was found to be better than Ketoprofen (0.196). In contrast, compound 4d was the most selective with a COX1/COX2 ratio value of 1.809 in comparison with the Ketoprofen ratio. All compounds showed cytotoxic activity against the HeLa Cervical cancer cell line at a higher concentration ranges (0.219–1.94 mM), and the most cytotoxic compound was 3e with a CC50 value of 219 µM. This was tenfold more than its IC50 values of 2.36 and 2.73 µM against COX1 and COX2, respectively. In general, the synthesized library has moderate activity against both enzymes (i.e., COX1 and COX2) and ortho halogenated compounds were more potent than the meta ones.