BackgroundThere is increasing awareness about the association of sleep quality and academic achievement among university students. However, the relationship between sleep quality and academic performance has not been examined in Sudan; this study assessed the relationship between sleep quality and academic performance among Sudanese medical students.MethodsA case–control study was conducted among 165 male and female medical students at two Sudanese universities. Excellent (A) and pass (C) academic groups were invited to respond to a self-administered questionnaire, using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Students also completed a diary detailing their sleep habits for 2 weeks prior to filling out the questionnaire. Various parameters of sleep quality were then compared between the two groups.ResultsA significant difference (p < 0.001) between the excellent and average groups was found for overall sleep quality, subjective sleep rating, bedtime later than midnight, sleep latency, and daytime dysfunction (during driving, preparing a meal, etc.). No differences were found between groups for the use of sleep medications. The mean sleeping hours was (7 ± 1.9) and (6.3 ± 1.9) for the excellent and pass groups respectively (p < 0.05). A significant difference (p < 0.001) between the excellent and average groups was found for weekday and weekend bedtime, weekend wake-up time, and weekend wake-up delay. No differences were found between groups for the weekday’s wake- up time, and bedtime delay during weekends. Besides, snoring was present in 9.2 % of the excellent group versus 28 % in pass group (p < 0.005).

Objectives The date fruit has been shown to possess several health benefits. This study aims to determine the effects of date fruit consumption on the onset and progression of labour. Methods A randomised controlled clinical study was conducted on 89 participants to assess the effects of date fruit consumption on the onset and progression of labour. Twenty-six participants consumed date fruits alone, and 32 consumed date fruits followed by drinking of water. Thirty-one served as controls. Results There was a significant positive impact of consuming (rutab) date fruits on maternal outcomes in both the first and third stages of labour ( p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively). In addition, there was a significant relationship with the foetal well-being factors, such as healthy liquor, foetal heart rate, presence of caput, and A ppearance, P ulse, G rimace, A ctivity, and R espiration (APGAR) score at 5 min ( p < 0.05). The other maternal and foetal well-being factors showed no significant relationship with consumption of date fruits during labour. Conclusion The present study showed a promising effect of (rutab) date fruit consumption on the duration of the stages of labour. No significant differences were observed between the date fruit consumers and their counterparts regarding cervical dilatation; rupture of membranes; strength, frequency, and regularity of uterine contractions; tocometric reports; and maternal progression factors. Additionally, the APGAR score at 5 min was better among the infants whose mothers consumed date fruits.

IntroductionDepression and HIV/AIDS are common morbid health problems; the relationship is bidirectional exacerbating each other with deleterious consequences. There are limited studies on this topic in Sudan. In this study, we investigated depression among HIV/AIDS in Sudan.MethodsA cross-sectional analytic study was conducted among 362 HIV/AIDS patients from three centers in Khartoum, Sudan. Data were collected by the Hospital Depression and Anxiety (HADS) questionnaire. Chi-square was used for testing the significance and a P. Value of ≥ 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.ResultsDepression was evident in 332 (63.1%) of patients 68 (19.3%) had mild depression, 114 (32.4%) moderate depression, and 40 (11.4%) severe depression. Depression was commoner among women, illiterate, married/widowed, not receiving counseling, delaying the result of the test, P-value <0.05, no significant differences were found regarding test and treatment type P- Value >0.05.ConclusionDepression was prevalent among HIV/AIDS patients, especially females, low level of education, and widowed/married patients, and those not receiving counseling and post diagnosis sessions.

Objectives:The literature has shown a negative impact of daytime sleepiness on the academic performance of medical students. This study explored the relationship between academic performance, sleep deprivation, and daytime sleepiness among Sudanese medical students.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 108 medical students from Omdurman University during the period from June to August 2014. Male and female students with excellent (A) and average (C) grades in the clinical phases of their studies were chosen. A selfadministered questionnaire was used to collect data. The questionnaire contained questions about the following: subjective feelings of insufficient sleep, feelings of sleepiness during class time, sleeping less than 6 h for six nights in a row, smoking status, medical or neurological diseases, and daytime sleepiness as assessed by the Epworth sleepiness scale.Result: A significant difference (p < 0.001) was found between the A (excellent) and C (average) groups regarding daytime sleepiness, insufficient sleep, sleeping less than 6 h per night, and falling asleep while reading (p < 0.005). No significant difference was reported regarding snoring or the subjective feeling of sleepiness during study hours. Conclusion: Our study underscores the enormous effects of sleep deprivation and daytime sleepiness on academic performance among medical students. Larger multicenter Please cite this article in press as: Mirghani HO, et al., Daytime sleepiness and chronic sleep deprivation effects on academic performance among Sudanese medical students, Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtumed.2015.05.003studies are needed to examine the causes and to implement preventive measures for the serious effects of these significant health problems.

No abstract