PubMed · 16468430
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Michael Shermer. 2006. Murdercide.. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0106-34
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The purpose of this study is to evaluate the drug utilization trends and to describe the prevalence and type of medication-related prescribing errors in infants treated at primary care health centers in Bahrain. Prescriptions issued for infants were collected over a 2-week period in May 2004 from 20 health centers. Prescribing errors were classified as omission (minor and major), commission (incorrect information) and integration errors. Medications were classified according to the British National Formulary. In infants with a mean age of 6.5 months (+/-3.1) drugs per prescription were 2.52 (+/-1.1). Paracetamol and sodium chloride nasal drops were the topmost prescribed systemic and topical drugs, respectively. In 2282 prescriptions, 2066 (90.5%) were with omission (major), commission, and integration errors. In 54.1% of prescriptions with omission errors, length of therapy was not specified in 27.7%, and in 12.8% the dosage form was not stated. In 43.5% of prescriptions with errors of commission, dosing frequency (20.8%) and dose/strength (17.7%)-related errors were most common. Errors of integration such as potential drug-drug interaction comprised 2.4% of all prescribing errors. The proportion of drugs prescribed irrationally were: contraindicated medications, notably chlorpheniramine, promethazine, and corticosteroids (16.1%); medications prescribed on a p.r.n. basis (13.3%); missed information regarding strength of medications (2.8%); medications prescribed over extended periods (2.7%); low dosing frequency (2.6%); supratherapeutic doses (2.3%); excessive dosing frequency (0.8%). Irrational drug therapy in infants, with prescribing errors were apparent in primary care practice, which may be related to a lack of drug information, pharmacovigilance programme, and nonadherence to basic principles of prescribing. Establishing a national drug policy and pharmacovigilance programme for promoting rational drug use are to be considered. There is also a need to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions by measuring the outcomes.
Fusarium species assemblage and diversity were investigated in eight different contrasting extreme saline soil habitats of the hot arid desert environment of Bahrain. Saline habitats are located towards the central-southern part of Bahrain and featured by high electrical conductivity, slightly alkaline sandy soil, poor in nutrient sources and water holding capacity and mainly dominated by a salt-tolerant flora. Quantification of data for the recovery of Fusarium species was based on morphological characters and counts by a series of ten fold dilutions plate method and direct soil plating, using two selective media supplemented with different NaCl concentrations. A total of 68 isolates, fluctuated between 1 and 23 per soil sample, were recovered among all habitats mostly at 0 and 5% NaCl concentrations, while no recovery was achieved at 20 and 25%. Grouping of these isolates has resulted in only five species (F. solani, F. oxysporum, F. chlamydosporum, F. equiseti and F. compactum), all of which were previously reported from the arid terrestrial habitats of Bahrain. F. solani was the most predominant species, based on relative density, frequency of occurrence and dominance values, followed by F. oxysporum, a finding consistent with other similar arid Sahara ecosystems. Evaluation of data, supported by analysis of diversity indices and community coefficients, revealed that desert mountain habitat followed by burial mounds habitat were highly homogeneous coupled with maximum species richness, diversity indices and evenness, whereas soil habitats like cliffs, coastal and Al-Lowzy pit were the poorest. Moreover, in vitro tests showed that among other fusaria, F. solani exhibited the highest tolerance to increase NaCl concentrations (25%) and temperature (28.3 mm linear growth at 35 degrees C). At 10% NaCl concentrations, significant reduction in linear growth extensions suppressed all species accompanied by massive thick-walled, drought-resistant chlamydospores formation, indicating that species are mainly thermo-osmotolerant. Fusarium species recoveries were negatively significantly correlated (p < 0.05), with soil edaphic factors including salinity (r = -0.849) and soil moisture (r = -0.711). It is thus, proposed that inter and intra specific variation in the Fusarium species community, in particular soil niche, is an outcome of the influence of bioclimatic, multi-soil-edaphic and biotic factors.
In the late 1970s, leaders of the Arabian [corrected] Gulf countries proposed a novel idea of a joint educational and cultural venture: establishing a new regional university based in the Kingdom of Bahrain that would be managed as a multinational consortium of Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Bahrain. It was intended to promote higher education and research in the Gulf region; to serve the development needs of the region; to reflect the unique economic, social, and cultural attributes of the Gulf communities and their environments; and to respond to the health care needs of the member countries. Since its inception in 1982, the College of Medicine and Medical Sciences (CMMS) at Arabian Gulf University (AGU) has adopted the educational philosophy of problem-based learning (PBL) and self-directed, student-centered education. The curriculum is integrated, with early introduction of education to foster clinical skills and professional competencies. The strategic alliance with the health care systems in Bahrain and other Gulf regions has created a successful model of efficient and effective initialization of health care resources in the community. The experience that has accumulated at the AGU-CMMS from introducing innovative medical education has allowed it to take a leadership position in medical education in the Gulf region. The original goals of this unique experiment have been realized along with unanticipated outcomes of spearheading changes in medical education in the Gulf region. Old and new medical schools have adopted several characteristics of the AGU educational program. Several elements contributed to its success: a clear vision of providing quality medical education and realizing and sustaining this vision by a supportive leadership at the university and college levels; an alliance with the regional health care systems; a dedicated faculty who have been able to work as a team while continually developing themselves; proper student selection and the creation of a culture of student/faculty partnerships in education and in building an international reputation and credibility by cooperating with reputable international universities and organizations.