Barriers to breast cancer screening among a sample of Egyptian females.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) is usually diagnosed in late stages in countries with limited resources. Early detection of BC is likely to improve the outcome of the disease for women in these areas. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to understand the possible personal, economic, and systems barriers to BC screening in a sample of Egyptian women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in family health centers representing the seven districts of Alexandria governorate, Egypt. A total of 612 women were randomly selected from the chosen centers. RESULTS: IN THIS SAMPLE OF EGYPTIAN WOMEN, THE MOST FREQUENTLY IDENTIFIED POTENTIAL BARRIERS TO BC SCREENING WERE THE FOLLOWING: 81.8% would not seek care until they were ill, 77% were unwilling to have a mammogram until it was recommended by the doctor, 71.4% blamed the, lack of privacy, 69.2% thought that medical checkups were not worthwhile, and 64.6% blamed the cost of services. The study further revealed that women of lower education, women in the lower income category, women who did not do paid work, those who had poor knowledge of the risks of BC, and women with no family history of BC were more likely to perceive different screening barriers compared with their counterparts. CONCLUSION: Many potential personal, economic, and health system barriers were identified. Addressing these barriers by increasing the awareness of BC and dealing with the misconceptions that the women have can help the policy makers to design more culturally relevant strategies to motivate women to utilize screening services.

Raising the Breast Health Awareness amongst Women in an Urban Slum Area in Alexandria, Egypt.

BACKGROUND: Breast Cancer (BC) is the most frequently occurring cancer among Egyptian women. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a health education program on raising the knowledge related to BC, its risk factors, and some related preventive practices among women living in an urban slum area in Alexandria. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A pre-/post-test interventional study was conducted during 2009-2010 on a random sample of women aged 30-65 years (n = 486) living in a slum area in Alexandria, Egypt. 20 health education sessions were carried out to educate the women on BC risk factors and some preventive practices. Previously trained nurses educated the sampled women on breast self-examination (BSE). The women's knowledge and opinion about BC and their practice of BSE were evaluated before and 3 months after the intervention. RESULTS: The findings indicated a significant increase in the mean knowledge score regarding BC and the mean opinion score regarding some BC risk factors. A significant increase in the practice of BSE was observed post intervention. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the effectiveness of intervention programs in improving the knowledge about BC risk factors and practice of BSE even in a group of women with a low literacy rate living in a slum area.

Determination of flavonoid and phenolic Acid contents of clover, cotton and citrus floral honeys.

Authentic samples of clover, cotton and citrus honeys were selected and extracted from their hives placed in clover, citrus, and cotton farms. Their botanical origin was assured then they were extracted and analyzed for flavonoids and phenolic acids content. Results showed that the lowest percentage of authentic samples was found in cotton honey. Moreover, 93.00% +/- 3.00 of pollen grains found in clover honey samples were for clover, 16.25% +/- 3.18 of pollen grains found in cotton honey samples were for cotton and 32.50 % +/- 10.60 of pollen grains found in citrus honey samples were for citrus species. In addition, the flavonone hesperetin was found only in citrus honey samples with a mean content of 1.08 +/- 0.36 mg/100 g honey whereas, the flavanol quercetin was found in the three floral honeys. The phenolic acids (cinnamic acid and p-hydroxy benzoic acid) were detected in the three floral honeys with different quantities. It is recommended to use honey as a healthy alternative to sugar; also, to use hesperetin as a floral marker of citrus honey.

Effect of processing on folic acid fortified Baladi bread and its possible effect on the prevention of colon cancer.

This paper studied the possible effect of folic acid in fortified Baladi bread on the prevention of colon cancer development in rats. Wheat flour samples (82% extraction rate) and soy bean flour were analyzed to determine their folic acid contents using the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Unfortified and folic acid fortified Baladi breads were prepared. Samples from each step of bread preparation were analyzed for folic acid concentration. Protein, fat, ash, fibers and carbohydrates percentages were also determined. Rats were divided into five groups, four of them were injected subcutaneously with dimethylhydrazine (DMH). After 15 weeks, the rats were sacrificed for pathological examination. Results showed that the folic acid content in wheat flour (82% extraction rate) was found to be highly significantly lower than that in soybean flour. After baking, folic acid content in all breads was found to decrease significantly. The highest protein and fat contents were found in soybean flour fortified Baladi bread. The colons of rats of groups 3 (fed 5% soy flour fortified Baladi bread) and 5 (fed Baladi bread fortified with 5% soy flour+8 mg folic acid/kg wheat flour) were the mostly affected by DMH injection as premalignant changes were observed.