Mohamed Amin | Zagazig University (original) (raw)

Papers by Mohamed Amin

Journal of Building Engineering

Cells

Microbial endophytes organize symbiotic relationships with the host plant, and their excretions c... more Microbial endophytes organize symbiotic relationships with the host plant, and their excretions contain diverse plant beneficial matter such as phytohormones and bioactive compounds. In the present investigation, six bacterial and four fungal strains were isolated from the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) root plant, identified using molecular techniques, and their growth-promoting properties were reviewed. All microbial isolates showed varying activities to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and different hydrolytic enzymes such as amylase, cellulase, protease, pectinase, and xylanase. Six bacterial endophytic isolates displayed phosphate-solubilizing capacity and ammonia production. We conducted a field experiment to evaluate the promotion activity of the metabolites of the most potent endophytic bacterial (Bacillus thuringiensis PB2 and Brevibacillus agri PB5) and fungal (Alternaria sorghi PF2 and, Penicillium commune PF3) strains in comparison to two exogenously applied hormo...

Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy

INNOVATIONS in pharmacy, 2017

Background: Egyptian pharmacists routinely provide antibiotics without a prescription. A few pill... more Background: Egyptian pharmacists routinely provide antibiotics without a prescription. A few pills of common cold products are offered under the name "cold group". A cold group may contain one or more pills of antibiotics. This study aimed to estimate the proportion of pharmacies that provide subtherapeutic doses of antibiotics in community pharmacies as part of a CG or upon direct request from a simulated client. Methods: A probability sample of community pharmacies in Alexandria, Egypt was selected. A simulated client approached pharmacy staff using a standardized scenario. He initially requested a cold group and followed by requesting two antibiotic pills. Results: The simulated client visited 104 pharmacies and was sold an antibiotic at 68 pharmacies in total. A cold group with one or more antibiotic pills was provided in 31 pharmacies. Upon request for two antibiotic pills, 2-8 antibiotic pills were provided in 30 pharmacies whereas an antibiotic carton was provided in three pharmacies. In four pharmacies, the simulated client was sold a cold group containing an antibiotic as well as another antibiotic upon request. Beta-lactam antibiotics comprised 76% of antibiotics provided. In five encounters, the simulated client was told that the cold group contained an antibiotic when, in fact, it did not. Conclusions: Subtherapeutic doses of antibiotics are provided at dangerous rates in Alexandria's community pharmacies. Interventions are urgently needed to tackle different factors contributing to this dangerous practice.

Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice

Rationale, aims, and objectives Little attention has been given to perceptions of pharmacist avai... more Rationale, aims, and objectives Little attention has been given to perceptions of pharmacist availability and role in the community setting following policy changes. The Pakistani model is particularly interesting as it encompasses three different pharmacy practice licensure types with major differences in credentials, training, and role. Guided by the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), this study examined factors associated with the availability of pharmacists in the community setting in Pakistan following the implementation of a new policy regulating pharmacist presence in community pharmacies. Methods Fifteen participants were interviewed in three Pakistani cities (Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar). Those included pharmacy licence holders (types A, B, and C), non‐pharmacist owners and a pharmacist inspector who were purposively sampled to assure variance in education, gender, time in practice, and geographic location. Directed content analysis was performed based on the TPB framework. Description of themes came after discussions among the two authors. Results Findings indicated a discrepancy between participants about the value of having a pharmacist present with pharmacists showing more appreciation of the value they would provide. Participants felt that the new policy is attempting to change a norm that has existed for a long time. They also pointed to logistical challenges in making a pharmacist available including the feasibility of having a pharmacist present, the financial burden of hiring a pharmacist, and difficulty in enforcing the law uniformly across different geographical areas. Participants were concerned that some type A licence holders sensed that practicing in the community setting and the act of selling medications was beneath their social status as pharmacists. Conclusion A set of factors contribute to the availability of pharmacists in community pharmacies in Pakistan. The change in law should be supplemented with other interventions that contribute to making well‐trained pharmacy personnel available for serving patrons.

PLOS ONE

Fasting during the month of Ramadan is a basic pillar of Islam. While patients may be religiously... more Fasting during the month of Ramadan is a basic pillar of Islam. While patients may be religiously exempted from fasting, literature indicates that the majority decide to fast. Caring for millions of Muslim patients who decide to fast during Ramadan can be challenging for clinicians around the globe. This study proposes a communication tool, RAMCOM, which aims to assist clinicians in communicating with Muslim patients considering fasting during Ramadan. It addresses the following questions: What are the clinicians' preferences for the tool in terms of Content, Format, Style, Length and language? How do clinicians perceive factors that would impact their intentions to sue the tool? What would facilitate the implementation and dissemination of the proposed tool? Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of clinicians in Egypt (11) and the US (10). Clinicians were purposefully sampled to assure variance in age, gender, time in practice, specialty, and religious background. Directed content analysis was conducted and emerging data were mapped to constructs within the theory of planned behavior. Iterative sampling and analysis continued until saturation was reached. Results In total, 21 clinicians were interviewed. The tool was iteratively revised according to clinicians' comments on format, content, language and usability. Factors contributing to using RAMCOM included perception of tool (need for use, perceived burden of use), perceived norm (perceived patient expectations), and ability to use tool (time, frequency of seeing patients, knowledge of Ramadan and Islam). Practice environment factors that impact the use of RAMCOM include education, early reminders, colored laminated copies, communication training, involvement of support staff, and patient education.

Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy

Spurred by the value it can add, the use of qualitative research methods has been steadily growin... more Spurred by the value it can add, the use of qualitative research methods has been steadily growing by social pharmacy researchers around the globe, either separately or as part of mixed methods research projects. Given this increase, it is important to provide guidance to assist researchers in ensuring quality when employing such methods. This commentary addresses both theoretical fundamentals as well as practical aspects of establishing quality in qualitative social pharmacy research. More specifically, it provides an explanation of each of the criteria of trustworthiness proposed by Lincoln and Guba (credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability) and different techniques used in establishing them. It also provides a brief overview of authenticity, a more recent and less widely used set of criteria that involve demonstrating fairness, ontological authenticity, educative authenticity, catalytic authenticity, and tactical authenticity. For each of these terms, the commentary provides a definition, how it applies to social pharmacy research, and guidance on when and how to use them. These are accompanied by examples from the pharmacy literature where the criteria have been used. The commentary ends by providing a summary of competing viewpoints of establishing quality in the published literature while inviting the reader to reflect on how the presented criteria would apply to different qualitative research projects.

PLOS ONE, 2020

Fasting during the month of Ramadan is a basic pillar of Islam. While patients may be religiously... more Fasting during the month of Ramadan is a basic pillar of Islam. While patients may be religiously exempted from fasting, literature indicates that the majority decide to fast. Caring for millions of Muslim patients who decide to fast during Ramadan can be challenging for clinicians around the globe. This study proposes a communication tool, RAMCOM, which aims to assist clinicians in communicating with Muslim patients considering fasting during Ramadan. It addresses the following questions: What are the clinicians' preferences for the tool in terms of Content, Format, Style, Length and language? How do clinicians perceive factors that would impact their intentions to sue the tool? What would facilitate the implementation and dissemination of the proposed tool? Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of clinicians in Egypt (11) and the US (10). Clinicians were purposefully sampled to assure variance in age, gender, time in practice, specialty, and religious background. Directed content analysis was conducted and emerging data were mapped to constructs within the theory of planned behavior. Iterative sampling and analysis continued until saturation was reached. Results In total, 21 clinicians were interviewed. The tool was iteratively revised according to clinicians' comments on format, content, language and usability. Factors contributing to using RAMCOM included perception of tool (need for use, perceived burden of use), perceived norm (perceived patient expectations), and ability to use tool (time, frequency of seeing patients, knowledge of Ramadan and Islam). Practice environment factors that impact the use of RAMCOM include education, early reminders, colored laminated copies, communication training, involvement of support staff, and patient education.

Bulletin of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Assiut

a remarkably improved dissolution of the drug from the ternary solid dispersion systems when comp... more a remarkably improved dissolution of the drug from the ternary solid dispersion systems when compared to the binary solid dispersion systems. The therapeutic activity of the ternary system was evaluated using acetic acid-induced writhing method. In-vivo experiments in mice demonstrated that the investigated ternary system (drug, polymer and surfactant) shows a greater reduction of acetic acid-induced writhing in comparison with pure drug. Moreover, the ternary system of (CX) demonstrated antiwrithing potency 1.45 times higher than the respective binary system. Thus, the solubilizing power, the dissolution effect, and the analgesic effect were enhanced upon the addition of the investigated surfactant to the binary system of celecoxib and the polymer.

Technology Innovation Management Review

Journal of Religion and Health

Caring for millions of Muslim patients who decide to fast during Ramadan can be challenging for c... more Caring for millions of Muslim patients who decide to fast during Ramadan can be challenging for clinicians. Using a theory-guided approach, this study explores Muslim patients’ perspectives on factors influencing communication with clinicians in relation to fasting during Ramadan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of patients in Egypt (9) and the USA (8). Participants were purposefully sampled to assure variance in age, gender, education, decision to fast and ethnicity. Data emerging from narratives were mapped to constructs within the Linguistic Model of Patient Participation in Care (LMOPPC). Using framework analysis, iterative sampling and analysis continued until saturation. Drawing on LMOPPC, participants’ narratives were mapped and clustered into patient participation and quality of care; predisposing factors (perceptions about fasting and its significance including sense of spiritual benefit when fasting and sense of guilt when not fasting, prior experiences including prior conversations with clinicians on fasting and experience of fasting while sick, patients’ personality and locus of control, belief in the legitimacy of participation, motivations and perception of need to communicate with clinicians about fasting, provider verbal and nonverbal responses, and provider–patient rapport); and enabling factors (knowledge about the topic and repertoire of communicative skills, presence of companions during appointment, and timing of appointments). The LMOPPC framework provided insight into patients’ perspectives on barriers and facilitators for communication with clinicians about fasting during Ramadan. It is important for stakeholders to consider those issues when implementing interventions aiming to adopt a concordant approach in providing care for this group of patients.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section A: Physical Sciences

The Egyptian Journal of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine

Journal of Religion and Health

This study explores clinicians’ perspectives on factors affecting care provided to Muslim patient... more This study explores clinicians’ perspectives on factors affecting care provided to Muslim patients who decide to fast during Ramadan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of clinicians in Egypt (11) and the USA (10). Framework analysis was conducted through mapping data to constructs within social cognitive theory. Data were mapped into clinician’s belief in ability to care for those patients, belief in group’s ability to provide care, anticipated consequences of providing such care, knowledge, learning by observing other clinicians, cultural norms and perceived acceptability and prevalence of care provision, environmental barriers and opportunities, and communication approach.

Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy

The Egyptian Journal of Surgery

The Egyptian Journal of Critical Care Medicine

Journal of Building Engineering

Cells

Microbial endophytes organize symbiotic relationships with the host plant, and their excretions c... more Microbial endophytes organize symbiotic relationships with the host plant, and their excretions contain diverse plant beneficial matter such as phytohormones and bioactive compounds. In the present investigation, six bacterial and four fungal strains were isolated from the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) root plant, identified using molecular techniques, and their growth-promoting properties were reviewed. All microbial isolates showed varying activities to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and different hydrolytic enzymes such as amylase, cellulase, protease, pectinase, and xylanase. Six bacterial endophytic isolates displayed phosphate-solubilizing capacity and ammonia production. We conducted a field experiment to evaluate the promotion activity of the metabolites of the most potent endophytic bacterial (Bacillus thuringiensis PB2 and Brevibacillus agri PB5) and fungal (Alternaria sorghi PF2 and, Penicillium commune PF3) strains in comparison to two exogenously applied hormo...

Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy

INNOVATIONS in pharmacy, 2017

Background: Egyptian pharmacists routinely provide antibiotics without a prescription. A few pill... more Background: Egyptian pharmacists routinely provide antibiotics without a prescription. A few pills of common cold products are offered under the name "cold group". A cold group may contain one or more pills of antibiotics. This study aimed to estimate the proportion of pharmacies that provide subtherapeutic doses of antibiotics in community pharmacies as part of a CG or upon direct request from a simulated client. Methods: A probability sample of community pharmacies in Alexandria, Egypt was selected. A simulated client approached pharmacy staff using a standardized scenario. He initially requested a cold group and followed by requesting two antibiotic pills. Results: The simulated client visited 104 pharmacies and was sold an antibiotic at 68 pharmacies in total. A cold group with one or more antibiotic pills was provided in 31 pharmacies. Upon request for two antibiotic pills, 2-8 antibiotic pills were provided in 30 pharmacies whereas an antibiotic carton was provided in three pharmacies. In four pharmacies, the simulated client was sold a cold group containing an antibiotic as well as another antibiotic upon request. Beta-lactam antibiotics comprised 76% of antibiotics provided. In five encounters, the simulated client was told that the cold group contained an antibiotic when, in fact, it did not. Conclusions: Subtherapeutic doses of antibiotics are provided at dangerous rates in Alexandria's community pharmacies. Interventions are urgently needed to tackle different factors contributing to this dangerous practice.

Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice

Rationale, aims, and objectives Little attention has been given to perceptions of pharmacist avai... more Rationale, aims, and objectives Little attention has been given to perceptions of pharmacist availability and role in the community setting following policy changes. The Pakistani model is particularly interesting as it encompasses three different pharmacy practice licensure types with major differences in credentials, training, and role. Guided by the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), this study examined factors associated with the availability of pharmacists in the community setting in Pakistan following the implementation of a new policy regulating pharmacist presence in community pharmacies. Methods Fifteen participants were interviewed in three Pakistani cities (Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar). Those included pharmacy licence holders (types A, B, and C), non‐pharmacist owners and a pharmacist inspector who were purposively sampled to assure variance in education, gender, time in practice, and geographic location. Directed content analysis was performed based on the TPB framework. Description of themes came after discussions among the two authors. Results Findings indicated a discrepancy between participants about the value of having a pharmacist present with pharmacists showing more appreciation of the value they would provide. Participants felt that the new policy is attempting to change a norm that has existed for a long time. They also pointed to logistical challenges in making a pharmacist available including the feasibility of having a pharmacist present, the financial burden of hiring a pharmacist, and difficulty in enforcing the law uniformly across different geographical areas. Participants were concerned that some type A licence holders sensed that practicing in the community setting and the act of selling medications was beneath their social status as pharmacists. Conclusion A set of factors contribute to the availability of pharmacists in community pharmacies in Pakistan. The change in law should be supplemented with other interventions that contribute to making well‐trained pharmacy personnel available for serving patrons.

PLOS ONE

Fasting during the month of Ramadan is a basic pillar of Islam. While patients may be religiously... more Fasting during the month of Ramadan is a basic pillar of Islam. While patients may be religiously exempted from fasting, literature indicates that the majority decide to fast. Caring for millions of Muslim patients who decide to fast during Ramadan can be challenging for clinicians around the globe. This study proposes a communication tool, RAMCOM, which aims to assist clinicians in communicating with Muslim patients considering fasting during Ramadan. It addresses the following questions: What are the clinicians' preferences for the tool in terms of Content, Format, Style, Length and language? How do clinicians perceive factors that would impact their intentions to sue the tool? What would facilitate the implementation and dissemination of the proposed tool? Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of clinicians in Egypt (11) and the US (10). Clinicians were purposefully sampled to assure variance in age, gender, time in practice, specialty, and religious background. Directed content analysis was conducted and emerging data were mapped to constructs within the theory of planned behavior. Iterative sampling and analysis continued until saturation was reached. Results In total, 21 clinicians were interviewed. The tool was iteratively revised according to clinicians' comments on format, content, language and usability. Factors contributing to using RAMCOM included perception of tool (need for use, perceived burden of use), perceived norm (perceived patient expectations), and ability to use tool (time, frequency of seeing patients, knowledge of Ramadan and Islam). Practice environment factors that impact the use of RAMCOM include education, early reminders, colored laminated copies, communication training, involvement of support staff, and patient education.

Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy

Spurred by the value it can add, the use of qualitative research methods has been steadily growin... more Spurred by the value it can add, the use of qualitative research methods has been steadily growing by social pharmacy researchers around the globe, either separately or as part of mixed methods research projects. Given this increase, it is important to provide guidance to assist researchers in ensuring quality when employing such methods. This commentary addresses both theoretical fundamentals as well as practical aspects of establishing quality in qualitative social pharmacy research. More specifically, it provides an explanation of each of the criteria of trustworthiness proposed by Lincoln and Guba (credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability) and different techniques used in establishing them. It also provides a brief overview of authenticity, a more recent and less widely used set of criteria that involve demonstrating fairness, ontological authenticity, educative authenticity, catalytic authenticity, and tactical authenticity. For each of these terms, the commentary provides a definition, how it applies to social pharmacy research, and guidance on when and how to use them. These are accompanied by examples from the pharmacy literature where the criteria have been used. The commentary ends by providing a summary of competing viewpoints of establishing quality in the published literature while inviting the reader to reflect on how the presented criteria would apply to different qualitative research projects.

PLOS ONE, 2020

Fasting during the month of Ramadan is a basic pillar of Islam. While patients may be religiously... more Fasting during the month of Ramadan is a basic pillar of Islam. While patients may be religiously exempted from fasting, literature indicates that the majority decide to fast. Caring for millions of Muslim patients who decide to fast during Ramadan can be challenging for clinicians around the globe. This study proposes a communication tool, RAMCOM, which aims to assist clinicians in communicating with Muslim patients considering fasting during Ramadan. It addresses the following questions: What are the clinicians' preferences for the tool in terms of Content, Format, Style, Length and language? How do clinicians perceive factors that would impact their intentions to sue the tool? What would facilitate the implementation and dissemination of the proposed tool? Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of clinicians in Egypt (11) and the US (10). Clinicians were purposefully sampled to assure variance in age, gender, time in practice, specialty, and religious background. Directed content analysis was conducted and emerging data were mapped to constructs within the theory of planned behavior. Iterative sampling and analysis continued until saturation was reached. Results In total, 21 clinicians were interviewed. The tool was iteratively revised according to clinicians' comments on format, content, language and usability. Factors contributing to using RAMCOM included perception of tool (need for use, perceived burden of use), perceived norm (perceived patient expectations), and ability to use tool (time, frequency of seeing patients, knowledge of Ramadan and Islam). Practice environment factors that impact the use of RAMCOM include education, early reminders, colored laminated copies, communication training, involvement of support staff, and patient education.

Bulletin of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Assiut

a remarkably improved dissolution of the drug from the ternary solid dispersion systems when comp... more a remarkably improved dissolution of the drug from the ternary solid dispersion systems when compared to the binary solid dispersion systems. The therapeutic activity of the ternary system was evaluated using acetic acid-induced writhing method. In-vivo experiments in mice demonstrated that the investigated ternary system (drug, polymer and surfactant) shows a greater reduction of acetic acid-induced writhing in comparison with pure drug. Moreover, the ternary system of (CX) demonstrated antiwrithing potency 1.45 times higher than the respective binary system. Thus, the solubilizing power, the dissolution effect, and the analgesic effect were enhanced upon the addition of the investigated surfactant to the binary system of celecoxib and the polymer.

Technology Innovation Management Review

Journal of Religion and Health

Caring for millions of Muslim patients who decide to fast during Ramadan can be challenging for c... more Caring for millions of Muslim patients who decide to fast during Ramadan can be challenging for clinicians. Using a theory-guided approach, this study explores Muslim patients’ perspectives on factors influencing communication with clinicians in relation to fasting during Ramadan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of patients in Egypt (9) and the USA (8). Participants were purposefully sampled to assure variance in age, gender, education, decision to fast and ethnicity. Data emerging from narratives were mapped to constructs within the Linguistic Model of Patient Participation in Care (LMOPPC). Using framework analysis, iterative sampling and analysis continued until saturation. Drawing on LMOPPC, participants’ narratives were mapped and clustered into patient participation and quality of care; predisposing factors (perceptions about fasting and its significance including sense of spiritual benefit when fasting and sense of guilt when not fasting, prior experiences including prior conversations with clinicians on fasting and experience of fasting while sick, patients’ personality and locus of control, belief in the legitimacy of participation, motivations and perception of need to communicate with clinicians about fasting, provider verbal and nonverbal responses, and provider–patient rapport); and enabling factors (knowledge about the topic and repertoire of communicative skills, presence of companions during appointment, and timing of appointments). The LMOPPC framework provided insight into patients’ perspectives on barriers and facilitators for communication with clinicians about fasting during Ramadan. It is important for stakeholders to consider those issues when implementing interventions aiming to adopt a concordant approach in providing care for this group of patients.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section A: Physical Sciences

The Egyptian Journal of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine

Journal of Religion and Health

This study explores clinicians’ perspectives on factors affecting care provided to Muslim patient... more This study explores clinicians’ perspectives on factors affecting care provided to Muslim patients who decide to fast during Ramadan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of clinicians in Egypt (11) and the USA (10). Framework analysis was conducted through mapping data to constructs within social cognitive theory. Data were mapped into clinician’s belief in ability to care for those patients, belief in group’s ability to provide care, anticipated consequences of providing such care, knowledge, learning by observing other clinicians, cultural norms and perceived acceptability and prevalence of care provision, environmental barriers and opportunities, and communication approach.

Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy

The Egyptian Journal of Surgery

The Egyptian Journal of Critical Care Medicine