Since the industrial revolution in the 1800s, plastic pollution is becoming a global reality. This study aims to assess knowledge and attitude about plastic pollution among secondary school students in Sharjah city, United Arab Emirates. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 students in 6 different secondary schools in Sharjah city. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed through probability stratified random sampling method between February and April 2016. Majority of the population understands how harmful plastic wastes are to the environment (85.5%). However, the students' mean knowledge score was 53%, with females (P < 0.01), grades 11 and 12 (P = 0.024), and students whose mothers were more educated (P = 0.014) being more knowledgeable and inclined towards pro-environmental behavior. Yet, all students showed tendency to be involved in the fighting against this dilemma. Strategies which address deficiencies, provide incentives for change, and assure governmental support along with environmental education are needed to bridge the information gap and enhance opportunities to adopt pro-environmental behaviors.

No abstract

Background:Injury is an important cause of mortality and morbidity. It is the second most common cause of death in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the last 15 years, claiming more than 1200 lives annually. Those numbers can be significantly reduced through first aid (FA) education and training. The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge and attitude toward FA in the UAE.Methods:Self-administered questionnaires were distributed through nonprobability sampling method to more than 500 residents across the UAE, aged at least 30 years. Data collection was conducted between July 20, 2017, and September 20, 2017. The number of participants from each city was proportionate to the population size according to the latest available census.Results:More than half of the population (54.2%) were not sufficiently knowledgeable about basic FA. Only 33.8% took an FA course. Age of the participants, higher education, and taking FA courses significantly increased the knowledge about basic FA information. Most of the population showed positive attitude toward FA and were willing to take an FA course in the future.Conclusion:The knowledge about FA in the UAE population is limited. FA courses must be made more accessible for the population and updated at frequent intervals. More emphasis should be given to basic FA information.

ObjectiveCochleovestibulopathy is a distinguishable paraneoplastic phenotype. In this study, we evaluate clinical presentation, serological/cancer associations and outcomes of paraneoplastic cochleovestibulopathy.MethodsRetrospective chart review of patients with hearing impairment and/or vestibulopathy who underwent serological evaluations for paraneoplastic antibodies between January 2007 and February 2021 was performed.ResultsTwenty-six patients were identified (men, n=23; median age, 45 years, range: 28–70). Biomarkers detected included: KLHL11-IgG‌ ‌(n=20,‌ ‌77% (coexisting LUZP4-IgG, n=8)),‌ ‌‌ANNA1-IgG‌ ‌ ‌(n=3,‌ ‌12%),‌ ‌amphiphysin-IgG‌‌ ‌(n=2,‌ ‌8%)‌ ‌and‌ ‌LUZP4-IgG‌‌ ‌(n=1,‌ ‌4%). Most common neoplastic association was ‌testicular‌/‌extra-testicular‌ ‌seminoma‌ ‌ (n=13,‌ ‌50%).‌‌ Hearing‌ impairment (bilateral, 62%) was ‌present‌ ‌in‌ ‌all‌ ‌patients.‌ ‌Fifteen patients (58%) had cochleovestibular dysfunction as their initial presentation before rhombencephalitis/encephalomyelitis manifestations (hearing loss, four; acute vertigo, eight; both, three). ‌Brain‌ ‌MRI‌ ‌demonstrated‌ ‌internal‌ ‌auditory‌ ‌canal‌ ‌enhancement‌ ‌in‌ ‌four ‌patients.‌ Audiometry commonly revealed severe-profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. Most patients ‌had‌ a refractory course ‌despite‌ ‌immunotherapy‌ ‌and/or‌ ‌cancer‌ ‌treatment‌.ConclusionCochleovestibulopathy commonly presents with rapidly progressive bilateral hearing loss and/or acute vertigo. However, in some patients, these symptoms present along with or following brainstem/cerebellar manifestations. KLHL11-IgG and seminoma are the most common serological and cancer associations, respectively. Recognition of this phenotype may aid in earlier diagnosis of paraneoplastic autoimmunity and associated cancer.

No abstract

ObjectivesTo report the expanded neurological presentations and oncological associations of tripartite motif-containing protein 46 (TRIM46)-IgG seropositive patients.MethodsArchived sera/cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were evaluated by tissue-based immunofluorescence assay to identify patients with identical axon initial segment (AIS)-specific staining pattern. Phage immunoprecipitation sequencing (PhIP-Seq) was used to identify the putative autoantigen.ResultsIgG in serum (17) and/or CSF (16) from 25 patients yielded unique AIS-specific staining on murine central nervous system (CNS) tissue. An autoantibody specific for TRIM46 was identified by PhIP-Seq, and autoantigen specificity was confirmed by transfected COS7 cell-based assay. Clinical information was available for 22 TRIM46-IgG seropositive patients. Fifteen were female (68%). Median age was 67 years (range 25–87). Fifteen (68%) patients presented with subacute cerebellar syndrome (six isolated; nine with CNS accompaniments: encephalopathy (three), brainstem signs (two), myelopathy (two), parkinsonism (one)). Other phenotypes included limbic encephalitis (three), encephalopathy with/without seizures (two), myelopathy (two). Eighteen (82%) had cancer: neuroendocrine carcinomas (9; pancreatic (3), small-cell lung (4), oesophagus (1), endometrium (1)), adenocarcinomas (6; lung (2), ovarian (2), endometrial (1), breast (1)), sarcoma (2) and gastrointestinal tumour (1). Neurological symptoms in three followed immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) administration.ConclusionsThis study supports TRIM46-IgG being a biomarker of paraneoplastic CNS disorders and expands the neurological phenotypes, oncological and ICI-related adverse event associations.

No abstract

Three clinico-epidemiological forms of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) exist in Tunisia: zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL; epidemic in the centre and the south-west); sporadic cutaneous leishmaniasis (SCL; found in the north); and chronic cutaneous leishmaniasis (CCL; originally described from Tataouine, in the south-east). As few isolates of Leishmania from Tunisian cases of CL have been typed, isolates were collected, using NNN medium, from 71 such cases. Most (59) of the cases investigated came from the north of the country, including 16 from Sidi Bourouis, where there was an epidemic outbreak of SCL in early 2001; the other 12 cases were natives of the centre or south of the country. The 71 strains were then characterized, at the Centre National de Référence des Leishmania, in Montpellier, France, by iso-enzyme analysis. This revealed four zymodemes: two of L. infantum and one each of L. major and L. killicki. The MON-1 zymodeme of L. infantum, which is more usually associated with visceral leishmaniasis, was recovered from seven of the cases, including six natives of Sidi Bourouis. The MON-24 zymodeme of this species, which appears to be responsible for the SCL, was isolated from 48 cases, all of whom lived in the north of the country. Another 15 cases (nine from the centre, four from the north, and two from the south-east of the country) were found to be harbouring L. major MON-25, the zymodeme usually causing ZCL. Only a single isolate of L. killicki was made; this was of the MON-8 zymodeme responsible for the CCL, and came from a native of Gafsa, in the south-west. Six of the cases investigated (five infected with L. infantum MON-24 and one with L. major MON-25) showed involvement of their nasal and labial mucosae. These results increase the number of strains typed from Tunisian cases of CL more than four-fold, and should help to elucidate the geographical distribution and epidemiology of the various forms of the disease.