Detainment and health: the case of the Lebanese hostages of war.

The purpose of the current research was to compare former detainees of Khiam prison to a comparison group regarding depression, anxiety, presence of chronic diseases, smoking, and alcohol drinking. The sample consisted of 118 ex-detainees and 90 community controls. The Beck Depression Inventory, the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, the Clinician-Administered Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Scale, and the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire were used. The ex-detainees suffered from an increased level of depression, high anxiety scores, increased chronic diseases, smoked more, and consumed more alcohol than their comparison group. Regression analyses showed that detainment independently predicted depression and anxiety.

Sesame oil use in ameliorating cough in children: a randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the role of sesame oil (SO) in reducing the frequency and severity of acute cough in children 2-12 years of age. DESIGN: Double blind, placebo controlled randomised trial. SETTING: Seven primary health care centres/clinics in Lebanon. A total of 107 children between the age of 2 and 12 years with cough secondary to common cold were enrolled. INTERVENTION: Five milliliters of SO or placebo by mouth at bed time. OUTCOME MEASURES: Cough strength and frequency as judged by parents on a four points Likert scale after giving three syrup doses over three consecutive nights. Analysis was performed on an intention to treat basis. RESULTS: At day 1, the effect size for cough frequency and cough strength were +0.26 (95%CI -0.64,+0.12) and +0.15 (95%CI -0.53, +0.23), respectively. SO decreased cough symptoms more than placebo but these were not statistically significant. The effect size decreased from days 1 to 3. Cough symptoms improved over the 3 days both in SO and placebo group. No evidence of undesirable effects were noted to SO. CONCLUSION: Like other over the counter antitussives, SO did not result in marked improvement in cough symptoms.

Postgraduate educational program for primary care physicians in remote areas in Lebanon.

INTRODUCTION: Continuing medical education (CME) is a requirement in many developed countries. Lebanon lacks such a rule; hence, the dictum "once a doctor always a doctor" holds. This article describes a pioneering postgraduate educational program for primary care physicians in remote areas of Lebanon. METHOD: The Lebanese Society of Family Medicine introduced a 2-year structured CME program to four remote Lebanese areas. Thirteen family physicians provided 33 activities to 1,073 primary care physicians tackling 22 subjects chosen from a list of 53 common clinical problems approved by community medical leaders. Each attendee was requested to complete an evaluation form at the end of each session. RESULTS: The activities were attended by 1,073 physicians, 914 of whom filled out the evaluation forms (85.2% response rate). The analysis of the response of the attendees revealed that 65% of the attendees completely agreed that they benefited from the activities, 68% completely agreed that the presentations were clear, 86% thought that the methods used were adequate, 57% agreed completely that the presenters were prepared, and 69% replied that enough time was available for interaction. DISCUSSION: The CME programs were conducted with minimal costs. They were well received by attendees. It is recommended that the Lebanese health authorities make CME a requirement to promote the knowledge and behavior of primary care physicians and improve health.