Background: Hepatitis B is a serious chronic infection of the liver and caused by hepatitis B virus. It is an endemic disease in Sudan. Healthcare workers are occupationally[MS1]  more prone to acquire the disease. Evaluation of their knowledge, attitude and practice, and their vaccination status, are very important in the control of the disease. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of healthcare workers towards hepatitis B and their vaccination status.

Critical disparities threaten health care in developing countries and hinder progress towards global development commitments. Almost a billion people and thousands of public services are not yet connected to electricity -a majority in sub-Saharan Africa. In economically fragile settings, clinics and health services struggle to gain and maintain their access to the most basic energy infrastructure. Less than 30% of health facilities in LMICs report access to reliable energy sources, truncating health outcomes and endangering patients in critical conditions. While 'universal health coverage' and 'sustainable energy for all' are two distinct SDGs with their respective targets, this review challenges their disconnect and inspects their interdependence in LMICs. To evaluate the impact of electrification on healthcare facilities in LMICs, this systematic review analysed relevant publications up to March 2021, using MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, CENTRAL, clinicaltrials.gov and CINAHL. Outcomes captured were in accordance with the WHO HHFA modules. A total of 5083 studies were identified, 12 fulfilled the inclusion criteria of this review -most were from Africa, with the exception of two studies from India and one from Fiji. Electrification was associated with improvements in the quality of antenatal care services, vaccination rates, emergency capabilities and primary health services; with many facilities reporting high-quality, reliable and continuous oxygen supplies, refrigeration and enhanced medical supply chains. Renewable energy sources were considered in six of the included studies, most highlighting their suitability for rural health facilities. Notably, solar-powered oxygen delivery systems reduced childhood mortality and length of hospital stay. Unavailable and unreliable electricity is a bottleneck to health service delivery in LMICs. Electrification was associated with increased service availability, readiness and quality of care -especially for women, children and those under critical care. This study indicates that stable and clean electrification allows new heights in achieving SDG 3 and SDG7 in LMICs.

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Khalwa is one of the most ancient non-governmental educational institutions that are commonly found all over Sudan, playing a major role in the Sudanese society. The majority of Khalwa students are children. This study was part of a mixed-methods project, conducted by Khartoum Medical Students’ Association, aiming to investigate the health status of Khalwa students. It was a cross-sectional study, done in Mustafa Alfadni Khalwa, Sharg Al-Neel suburb in Khartoum State. The participants were clinically assessed by a doctor and data were collected by using a data entry tool made specially to screen for major infectious diseases among students. Results showed a mean age of 13.7 years. Most of the students (47.7%) were originally from Darfur, and 27.5% of them had only Khalwa education. Respiratory clinic results revealed that 10% were complaining of cough, and 3.4 % were diagnosed with pneumonia. Additionally, 44.6% of the students had Tinea capitis and 21% had scabies. On examination, 2.3% and 1.1% had mild splenomegaly and hepatomegaly, respectively. Infectious conjunctivitis and trachoma were reported among 11.7% and 10.9%, respectively. Blood films for malaria were positive in 51.3%. Macroscopic and microscopic hematuria was, respectively, evident among 13.4% and 10.8% of the participants. Stool examination results showed that 1.4% of the students had worms, 1.5% had ova and 18.8% had stool red blood cells. Infectious diseases are very common among Khalwa students and their living environment is facilitating the transmission of these diseases. agent control and sanitation improvement are crucial to decrease such infectious diseases.

Background: Epilepsy is a common disease with economic impact in form of frequent clinical visits, investigations and management. Objective: To estimate the direct and part of the indirect costs of epilepsy. Design and methods: The study was performed on a case series of medically treated Sudanese patients with epilepsy in a charity clinic. Data on clinical characteristics, utilization of medical services, and costs were collected from 38 patients using a standardized pre-tested format. The patients' approval was obtained as necessary. Results: Direct medical care costs was (2,395 Sudanese Pounds "SDG", 417 American Dollars "USD") per year per patient, of which antiepileptic drugs was the major component (1,587 SDG, 276 USD). Other costs are medical consultations and hospitalization charges (SDG 148, 26 USD), investigations cost (146 SDG, 25 USD), and cost of travel to clinics (514 SDG, 90 USD). Nonmedical direct cost -in form of traditional healers' visits were reported by 13.5% of the patients and estimated to be (1,422 SDG, 251 USD) per patient per year. The indirect cost was estimated for co-patients transportation, which is reported by patients who resides outside the state, making 7.9% of patients, and estimated to be (1,773 SDG, 308USD) per co-patient per year. The overall mean annual cost for epilepsy per patient in our clinic was approximately (2,724 SDG, 474 USD). Conclusion:The economic burden on epilepsy patients is heavy, and the contributors to the cost in Sudan have many similar features and some noteworthy differences with that of other countries.

Background: Research is one of the crucial factors in the advancement of health. Undergraduate medical research training is a cornerstone in medical students’ education. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of medical students toward medical research. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study included 200 medical students in their fifth and sixth years at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire, assessing students’ knowledge and attitudes toward medical research, which were scored out of 100. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software. Results: Of the 200 students, 69% were females and 31% males; 81% of them held a Sudanese secondary school diploma and reported future clinical career choice. Their mean academic score was 16 out of 32  6.6 points. Students’ mean knowledge score was 36 out of 100, which was considered low. Their mean attitude score toward medical research was 48.2 out of 100, which was considered moderate.   Conclusions: This study concluded that the knowledge of fifth- and sixth-year medical students about medical research was low. However, moderately positive attitude was reported among them. It is recommended that students’ engagement in active research ought to be started early in their medical school. Additionally, more engaging and interactive methods of teaching research are endorsed to be implemented. Keywords: attitude; knowledge; medical research; medical students; University of Khartoum

The aim of this study is to identify the factor(s) associated with memory disturbances among adult Sudanese epileptic patients. Methodology: A case series study of 47 consecutive epileptic patients was done in different neurologic and psychiatric outpatient clinics in Khartoum State. Patients in the post ictal phase and with memory disturbances from different etiologies were excluded. Patients were interviewed by three psychiatrists and trained doctors using the memory component of the mental state examination to objectively assess memory disturbances. The subjective component of memory was assessed by a validated questionnaire (The Questionnaire of Memory Efficacy). Anxiety and depression were assessed by the validated Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Patients consent was obtained as necessary. Results: Short and long term memory disturbances were objectively detected in 68.1% and 31.9% of patients respectively. There was no significant association in the mean long term memory score among patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy and temporal lobe epilepsy (P = 0.72). However, there was a significant difference in the mean short term memory score among patients with temporal lobe epilepsy compared to idiopathic generalized epilepsy (p = 0.02). There was no significant association between the mean memory score and the duration of epilepsy, use of sodium valproate, carbamazepine and polytherapy (P = 0.34, 0.07, 0.43, 0.93) respectively. There was a correlation between memory disturbances and both anxiety and depression (R = 0.72, R 2 = 0.51, P = 0.00) and (R = 0.35, R 2 = 0.12, P = 0.025). Conclusion: Epilepsy causes significant memory disturbances that may be attributable to the disease itself and associated anxiety and depression.