Background:Falls in elderly people can lead to serious health problems. There is limited knowledge about the prevalence of falls, risk factors and causes of falls in the United Arab Emirates.Objective:To assess the prevalence of falls among older adults aged 60 years and above and to determine the risk factors associated with falls.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted using an anonymous, 20-item questionnaire which was developed in English and Arabic to be delivered as a semi-structured interview. The pre-piloted questionnaire was distributed to 510 families with at least one elderly person. The study was conducted in Sharjah and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from September to November 2017.Results:Participants were Arabs (368; 99.5%), living with family (339; 91.6%), females (256; 69.2%), married (240; 64.9%), holders of a university Bachelor’s degree (110; 29.7%), and unemployed (154; 41.6%). Almost half of the participants (188; 50.8%) had a fall in the past two years, and three quarters (141; 75%) of those claimed that their illness was the reason for their fall. The results indicate that female and 70 years and above old participants are more likely to experience falls than males and younger counterparts respectively. A larger proportion of elderly participants not taking medications did not experience falls, while those on 1-4 medications fallers were less than non-fallers. However as the number of medications increased to 5-8 and more than 8 the number of those experiencing falls was significantly higher than non-fallers.Conclusions:Falls are prevalent among the elderly population studied and efforts should be made to decrease the incidence of falls, identify those at risk and increase awareness about falls and their health consequences among the elderly and the general public.

Objectives: To investigate the habits of use and home storage of over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription drugs. Subjects and Methods: A pretested questionnaire was distributed to university students who represented 300 household units in different regions of the northern United Arab Emirates. Household chairs (parents) answered questions on various aspects of home use and storage of OTC and prescription medicines. The number of drugs stored at home was collapsed into 5 unequal groups (1–3, 4–6, 7–10, 11–15 and 16–20). Results: The response rate was 300 (100%). The average number of drugs per household unit was 6 items. Almost 40% of the participants stored between 16 and 20 drugs. More than half (56%) of the household units stored medicines in a home pharmacy kept either in the bedroom (n = 66; 39%) or in the kitchen (n = 71; 42%). No correlation was found between the level of education and the number of family members (r = 0.29) or drugs stored at home (r = –0.35). Only 2 (0.7%) of the participants did not keep drugs at home. There was a clear discrepancy in either OTC or prescription drugs stored, and the variation in the utilization and preference of drugs was obvious among the pooled sample. Conclusion: Various problems related to the use and storage at home of OTC and prescription drugs were revealed. Discussing the results of this survey with students who participated as members of the household units that took part in the study may prove to be a helpful intervention. The need for public educational efforts on the rational use of medicines at home is urgent to foster awareness of the proper use of drugs.

To determine the incidence of self-medication among Sharjah university students and the impact of medical knowledge on such practice. A pre-validated questionnaire was distributed to 200 pharmacy students during May, 2012. Data were analyzed using SPSS and results expressed as counts and percentages. The overall response rate was 85% with 98% of respondents being Arabs. Females comprised about 91% of students and the mean age (SD) was 19.5(2.4). Practicing self-medication in the past year was high as145 (86%) used drugs without medical consultation. Most respondents (128, 76%) obtained their medication from pharmacies and used the medication for one week (106, 63%). Antibiotics were used by 54(32%) of students despite the fact that slightly more than 50% of students were aware of the possibility of emergence of bacterial resistance and were also aware of the concept of rational drug use in general. Main reasons for self-medication were non-serious health problem, illness is minor, seeking quick relief and to avoid long waiting hours at clinics. Reasons against selfmedication include risks of adverse effects, using the wrong medication, drug interaction, misdiagnosis and drug abuse and dependence. Medical consultation is mainly sought in case of presence of severe pain, worsening of symptoms, or persistence of the latter for more than a week. Headache or mild pain, eye and ear symptoms, gastric problems, cold, fever and allergy were the commonest symptoms for self-medication. Knowledge of responsible self medication is inadequate but the practice is high and common among pharmacy students. Interventions to promote responsible self-medication among university students are required.

1. Differences between sexes and the effect of bilateral surgical gonadectomy on the response to morphine analgesia and dependence were examined in rats and mice. 2. The analgesic response to morphine (5 mg/kg) was assessed by the hot plate and the abdominal constriction tests. Dependence was induced by injecting morphine at increasing doses (5-160 mg/kg) for 6 consecutive days and withdrawal signs elicited by injecting naloxone (2.5 mg/kg). 3. The base line reaction times in the intact control, sham-operated and gonadectomized animals of either sex were not significantly different from each other. 4. After treatment with morphine, the percentage increase in the reaction time in gonadectomized male and female rats and in gonadectomized male mice was significantly higher than in their respective controls. 5. The increase in the reaction time, after morphine treatment, was significantly higher in gonadectomized female rats than in gonadectomized male rats. 6. Naloxone-induced withdrawal signs in morphine-dependent gonadectomized rats and mice were not significantly different from those in sham-operated controls. However, female rats in both groups exhibited a significantly higher number of escape jumping responses than males.

Background The most prevalent nutritional disorders worldwide are childhood overweight or obesity. Various factors clearly contribute to the childhood obesity epidemic. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of childhood obesity in children of primary schools, and determine the influence of eating behavior and lifestyle in such a condition. Methods The study based on a cross sectional survey including school children aged 6-11 years. Pupils were from different schools in Sharjah, UAE. Outcome measures used in this study covered health characteristics; child habits and lifestyle; disease status and medication. Results The number of pre-validated surveys distributed was 932 and those returned counted to 678, giving a response rate of 72.8%. More than half (379; 55.9%) of the participants were females and 191 (28.2%) of the children were obese or overweight. Almost one quarter (162; 23.9%) of the children was physically inactive. Additionally, candy and fast food consumption was significantly high (370; 54.6%) and (324; 47.8%) respectively. Participant's food, age and time spent on TV were significantly associated with body mass index (BMI). Conclusion Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the Emirate of Sharjah is high in both genders and across all ages of the study population. Contributing factors may include; sedentary lifestyle, consumption of unhealthy food and family history. There is a need for an immediate attention and measures to reduce the prevalence of obesity and associated diseases.