METHODS: We analyzed data from the World Health Organization Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS 2014-2018) of 18,536 schoolchildren aged 12-16 from Iraq, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Tunisia, and Yemen. The weighted prevalence was calculated to generate nationally representative estimates. Adjusted multilevel logistic regression models were conducted to assess the association between ENDS use and WTS.
RESULTS: The pooled weighted prevalence of ENDS use was 9.5%. Higher odds of ENDS use were significantly associated with WTS (AOR: 5.26, 95%CI: 4.28-6.46), smoking conventional cigarettes (AOR: 1.54, 95%CI: 1.23-1.94) and first tobacco use prior to the age of 12 (AOR: 1.40, 95%CI: 1.14-1.72). Females and children who were taught in school the dangers of tobacco had less odds of using ENDS.
CONCLUSION: WTS was associated with increased odds of ENDS use by >5 folds, and vice versa. Tobacco consumption at age younger than 12 years was associated with higher odds of ENDS use, but less odds of WTS. Females and those who were taught in school the dangers of tobacco were less likely to report ENDS use.
METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey-based study was conducted among randomly selected pharmacy students in 12 countries: Egypt, Türkiye, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Jordan, Nigeria, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates. After pilot testing, the validated 30-item academic resilience scale (ARS) was used for the assessment. The data were collected between November 1, 2022 and April 15, 2023. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed, as appropriate.
RESULTS: A total of 3950 were received from the 12 participating countries. The mean age was 21.68 ± 2.62 years. About two-thirds of the responses were from female participants and those studying for Bachelor of Pharmacy degrees. Overall, the findings show moderate academic resilience, which varied across countries. The median (IQR) of the total ARS-30 was 114 (103-124). Females exhibited lower negative affective and emotional response subscale levels than males. There were significant cross-country variations in the ARS-30 and all subscales. The highest overall levels were reported for Sudan, Pakistan, and Nigeria and the lowest were reported for Indonesia and Türkiye. Students in private universities tended to have higher overall ARS levels than public university students. Higher academic performance was significantly associated with ARS levels, whereas those with excellent performance exhibited the highest ARS levels. Students with exercise routines had higher ARS levels than those without exercise routines. Finally, students who were engaged in extracurricular activities had higher ARS levels than those who did not participate in these activities.
CONCLUSION: The study offers insights into the factors affecting academic resilience in pharmacy students across several countries. The findings could guide interventions and support activities to improve resilience and academic outcomes.
PURPOSE: The study aimed to elicit the clinical presentation of pain and determine the relationships between QoL and pain in LCS.
METHODS: This household cross-sectional study of 12,925 SARS-CoV-2 cases between July and December 2021 was carried out in eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. Stratified random sampling from the cases retrieved from the Ministry of Health was employed. Symptom screening was performed through COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale, and long COVID was diagnosed according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. The analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS (Version 20.00).
RESULTS: The prevalence of pain in long COVID was between 01 and 3.1% in the studied population. The study also found five categories of pain symptoms as LCS in Bangladesh: muscle pain 3.1% (95% CI; 2.4-3.8), chest pain 2.4% (95% CI; 1.8-3.1), joint pain 2.8% (95% CI; 2.2-2.3), headache 3.1% (95% CI; 2.4-3.8), and abdominal pain 0.3% (95% CI; 0.01-0.5). People with LCS as pain, multiple LCS, and longer duration of LCS had significantly lower quality of life across all domains of the WHOQOL-BREF (P
METHODS: Phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (EP0083; NCT03083665) evaluating BRV 50 mg/day and 200 mg/day in patients (≥16-80 years) with FOS with/without secondary generalization (focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures) despite current treatment with 1 or 2 concomitant antiseizure medications. Following an 8-week baseline, patients were randomized 1:1:1 to placebo, BRV 50 mg/day, or BRV 200 mg/day, and entered a 12-week treatment period. Efficacy outcomes: percent reduction over placebo in 28-day FOS frequency (primary); 50% responder rate in FOS frequency; median percent reduction in FOS frequency from baseline; seizure freedom during treatment period (secondary). Primary safety endpoints: incidences of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs); TEAEs leading to discontinuation; serious TEAEs.
RESULTS: In this study, 448/449 randomized patients (mean age, 34.5 years; 53.8% female) received ≥1 dose of study medication (placebo/BRV 50 mg/BRV 200 mg/day: n = 149/151/148). Percent reduction over placebo in 28-day adjusted FOS frequency was 24.5% (p = 0.0005) and 33.4% (p
PURPOSE: To examine the association between the modified R-hf risk score and all-cause mortality in patients with HFrEF.
METHODS: Retrospective cohort study included adults hospitalized with HFrEF, as defined by clinical symptoms of HF with biplane EF less than 40% on transthoracic echocardiography, at a tertiary centre in Dalian, China, between 1 November 2015, and 31 October 2019. All patients were followed up until 31 October 2020. A modified R-hf risk score was calculated by substituting brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) for N-terminal prohormone of BNP (NT-proBNP) using EF× estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)× haemoglobin (Hb))/BNP. The patients were stratified into tertiles according to the R-hf risk score. The measured outcome was all-cause mortality. The score performance was assessed using C-statistics.
RESULTS: A total of 840 patients were analyzed (70.2% males; mean age, 64±14 years; median (interquartile range) follow-up 37.0 (27.8) months). A lower modified R-hf risk score predicted a higher risk of all-cause mortality, independent of sex and age [1st tertile vs. 3rd tertile: adjusted hazard ratio (aHR), 3.46; 95% CI: 2.11-5.67; P<0.001]. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that a lower modified R-hf risk score was associated with increased cumulative all-cause mortality [univariate: (1st tertile vs. 3rd tertile: aHR, 3.45; 95% CI: 2.11-5.65; P<0.001) and multivariate: (1st tertile vs. 3rd tertile: aHR 2.21, 95% CI: 1.29-3.79; P=0.004)]. The performance of the model, as reported by C-statistic was 0.67 (95% CI: 0.62-0.72).
CONCLUSION: The modified R-hf risk score predicted all-cause mortality in patients hospitalized with HFrEF. Further validation of the modified R-hf risk score in other cohorts of patients with HFrEF is needed before clinical application.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to three groups. Mandibular molar teeth were prepared using a low-speed round bur. In Group I, no material was applied; in Group II, teeth were treated with Ca(OH)2; and in Group III, teeth were treated with Propolis extract-Ca(OH)2, followed by Cention N filling. Immunohistochemistry was conducted on pulp tissue samples obtained on the third and seventh days post-treatment to assess malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase expression. Statistical analyses included the Shapiro-Wilk test, Levene test, ANOVA, and Tukey's HSD.
RESULTS: The samples treated with propolis extract-Ca(OH)2 combination exhibited significantly lower malondialdehyde expression on both days compared to samples treated with Ca(OH)2 (P<0.05), indicating reduced oxidative stress. Superoxide dismutase expression in the propolis extract-Ca(OH)2 group was higher (P<0.05), suggesting an enhanced antioxidant activity. The control group showed intermediate results. Statistical analyses confirmed significant differences between groups for both malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase expressions (P<0.05).
CONCLUSION: The study suggests that the propolis extract-Ca(OH)2 combination holds promise for direct pulp capping applications by minimizing oxidative stress and promoting antioxidant defense mechanisms in dental pulp.