Dental Education

Objective: To detect differences in attitudes towards psychiatric illness, regarding its nature, cause, different ways of therapy, possibility of cure and the effect on the society in two areas from different socioeconomic classes in Egypt. Method: A survey study using self administered questionnaire, to detect culture differences between students of Cairo and Beni Suef universities "Beni Suef is one of upper Egypt governorates". All participating students were subjected to Familial Socioeconomic status scale, Beliefs about Psychiatric Illness in the Arab Culture Scale. Results: 69.8% students were females.

To estimate the prevalence and possible risk factors for anemia and abnormal anthropometric measurements among schoolchildren in Al-Hada Area, Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We conducted the study between January and April, 2005 at Al-Hada area. A nested case-control study was conducted to estimate risk factors for anemia and abnormal anthropometric measurements. From 5 schools, 513 students were recruited. The mean hemoglobin concentration was 13.4+/-0.9 g/dL, while the prevalence of anemia was 11.6% and 15.5% based on hemoglobin and hematocrit values. At the same time, underweight affected 14.2% of the students, and stunting affected 12.2%. Moreover, 9.8% of the students were obese and 13.8% suffered from wasting. Most of the victims of anemia and erroneous anthropometric measurements were females, except for wasting which was more prevalent among males. Anemia is highly prevalent among these schoolchildren, which is seriously affecting the growth of 6-14 year-old children. Simila...

Background: Helicobacter pylori are well recognized as a major cause of gastrointestinal illnesses and gastric cancers. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess different methods for detection of H. pylori in the oral cavity (saliva and dental plaque) and in gastric biopsy among patients with gastric affection, as well as, detection of H. pylori antigen in stool, moreover, to evaluate the antibiotic susceptibility testing of the isolated strains. Methods: Specimens were obtained from . Thirty patients were subjected to detailed history and different sampling; gastric biopsy, oral and stool samples. The oral and gastric samples were processed and cultured. Thereafter, microscopic examination and rapid urease tests (RUTs) were conducted. H. pylori antigen detection was carried out in the stool samples, as well as, susceptibility testing to several antibiotics for all isolates identified. Results: The selected patients had a mean age of 36.23 + 6.317 years. They included 17 males (56.7%) and 13 females (43.3%). 90% of the cases were found positive by culture of the gastric biopsies, while, 96.7% were positive in oral cultures. 92.5% of the gastric samples showed positive results by microscopic examination, however, RUTs were positive in 63.3% of the gastric samples and in 73.3% of the oral samples, meanwhile, 66.7% of patients were found positive by testing their stool for H. pylori antigens. The prevalence of resistance among gastric and oral isolates to Amoxycillin, Amoxycillin/Clavulinic acid, Ampicillin/Sulbactam, Clarithromycin , Tetracycillin and Metronidazole were; (3.7 and 17.2 %), (11.1 and 24.1 %), (11.1 and 20.7 %), (11.1 and 24.1 %), (25.9 and 37.9 %) and (96.3 and 100 %) respectively. Conclusion: There is an evidenced association between gastric affection and oral H. pylori recognition that, even exceeds stool detection of H. pylori antigen. Moreover, continuous evaluation of antibiotic susceptibility should be carried out and clinicians should be aware about it to select the appropriate empiric regimen for H. pylori eradication. [Nermin H. Ibrahim , Azza Abdulazim Gomaa, Mohamed Ahmed Abu-Sief, Tamer M. Hifnawy and Mervat Abd El-Baseer Tohamy The use of different laboratory methods in diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection; a comparative study Life Sci J 2012; 9(4):249-259]. (ISSN: 1097-8135).

This study identified knowledge and concerns about avian influenza among secondary school students in Taif, Saudi Arabia. A stratified random sample of 514 students from 6 secondary schools was given a self-administered multiple-choice questionnaire. Knowledge scores were significantly related to socioeconomic indicators. Approximately 70% of the participants reported that media (TV and/or radio) was the source of their information. Overall, 65.4% of the participants said they expected there to be cases of avian influenza in Saudi Arabia this year. Females were more concerned than males (70.9% versus 58.9%). Effective school health education programmes should be implemented in order to prepare the community to deal with this important threat.

Attitudes et perceptions des patients à l'égard de la recherche et de leurs droits : étude pilote au Moyen-Orient RESUME La surveillance éthique et réglementaire de la recherche peut ne pas être optimale dans les pays à revenu faible et intermédiaire. Afin de déterminer les attitudes et les perceptions des patients à l'égard de la participation à la recherche et des perceptions de leurs droits, nous avons recruté 202 participants dans des hôpitaux en Arabie saoudite, en Égypte, au Liban et au Soudan, et leur avons demandé de compléter un questionnaire évaluant leurs attitudes et perceptions à ce sujet. Environ 20 % croyaient qu'il arrivait que des médecins mènent des recherches sur des patients sans leur consentement, et 35 % pensaient que si les participants se retiraient du processus de recherche, ils ne bénéficieraient pas de soins médicaux de qualité. Plus de 85 % pensaient qu'ils devaient avoir droit à la confidentialité de leurs données, à des soins médicaux gratuits en cas d'incident durant la recherche et qu'ils devaient pouvoir poser des questions. Près de la moitié étaient d'avis qu'ils avaient le droit de se retirer de la recherche sans être pénalisés, et environ 75 % pensaient qu'ils pouvaient adresser des plaintes sans craindre de subir des préjudices. Les participants illettrés ou sans emploi étaient moins susceptibles d'évaluer leurs droits que les autres participants.

Background Cardiovascular system involvement in coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has gained great interest in the scientific community. Main body Several studies reported increased morbidity and mortality among COVID-19 patients who had comorbidities, especially cardiovascular diseases like hypertension and acute coronary syndrome (ACS). COVID-19 may be associated with cardiovascular complications as arrhythmia, myocarditis, and thromboembolic events. We aimed to illustrate the interactions of COVID-19 disease and the cardiovascular system and the consequences on clinical decision as well as public health. Conclusions COVID-19 has negative consequences on the cardiovascular system. A high index of suspicion should be present to avoid poor prognosis of those presenting with unusual presentation.

Ethical and regulatory oversight of research may be suboptimal in low- and middle-income countries. To determine patients' attitudes and perceptions toward research participation and perceptions of their rights, we recruited 202 participants from hospitals in Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Sudan and asked them to complete a questionnaire assessing attitudes and perceptions. Around 20% believed that doctors sometimes perform research on patients without their knowledge and 35% believed that if participants withdrew from the research they would not receive good medical care. Over 85% believed that they should have rights regarding confidentiality of data, free medical care if injured during the research and asking questions. Almost half believed they have a right to withdraw without penalty and around 75% believed they could make complaints without fear of harm. Those who were illiterate or unemployed were less likely to appreciate their rights compared with their counterparts.

Objective-To examine associations between reproductive history and urinary bladder cancer in Egyptian women. Methods-We used questionnaire data from an ongoing, multicenter case-control study in Egypt. Controls were matched on age and residence area. This analysis focused on female cases with confirmed urothelial (UC) and squamous cell (SCC) carcinoma of the bladder. Results-We recruited 779 women (540 controls, 239 cases; >98.0% nonsmokers). Younger age at menopause (<45 y) and older age at first pregnancy (>18 y) were factors significantly associated with increased risk of bladder cancer, even after adjusting for schistosomiasis history and other covariates in the multivariable logistic model; adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals were 1.98 (1.41, 2.77) and 6.26 (3.46, 11.34), respectively. On the other hand, multiple pregnancies or use of oral contraceptives were associated with decreased odds of having bladder cancer. Similar associations were observed with UC and SCC when analyzed separately; however, the magnitude of association with SCC was lower than with UC. Conclusion-Our data suggest that early estrogen exposure, or the relative lack of it, plays a role in urinary bladder carcinoma development among Egyptian women.