Background: The closure of educational activities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an unplanned shift from traditional learning to a setup that exclusively involves digital teaching and learning. Within this context, the present study aimed to explore undergraduate medical students' perceptions regarding the effectiveness of synchronized online learning at

Fever is considered as a frequent symptom in childhood and is the cause of almost 65% to 70% of pediatric visits. Saudi Arabia has about 10% of child population (under 4 years of age), imposing a high burden of childhood illnesses including fever. A total of 1700 questionnaires were distributed to Saudi parents with children visiting pediatric clinic. Most of the participants were mothers (77.4%). A temperature of 38.0 °C was defined fever by 42% of participants. The majority of parents (80%) believed seizure is the consequence of untreated high fever. A total of 72.5% indicated that 40.7 to 43.20°C is the highest temperature that can be reached if untreated. There was a statistically significant relationship between mothers and fathers for overall knowledge, attitude, and practice scores. This study indicates that numerous misconceptions still persist regarding fever as more than 90% of parents demonstrated undue fear of consequent body damage from fever and also believed antibiotics can reduce high temperature.

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Background A global epidemic of obesity has been documented, particularly among African countries. While central obesity and overweight have been reported for many countries, very limited information exists about the prevalence of these health problems in Sudan, and these data are nonexistent for Eastern Sudan. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of obesity and central obesity, as well as the factors associated with both, among adults in Gadarif, Eastern Sudan. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in Gadarif, Eastern Sudan, during the period of January through May 2018. Sociodemographic and health characteristics data were collected through a questionnaire. Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were measured using the standard methods. Both descriptive and inferential statics were applied to analyze the data. Results A total of 594 adults participated in the study; 70.4% of them were female. The mean (standard deviation) age was 44.98 (16.64) years. Of the 594 enrolled participants, 33.7%, 7.4%, 26.8%, and 32.2% were normal weight, underweight, overweight, and obese, respectively. The prevalence of central obesity was (67.8%). Approximately, one-third of the participants (29.29%) were obese and had central obesity. In the multinomial regression, being married was the main risk factor associated with overweight, and older age, female sex, being married and hypertension were significantly associated with obesity. In the binary regression, the main risk factors associated with central obesity were female sex and being married.

Background:The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues with resurgent second and third waves worldwide. Vaccination is one of several measures that are needed to end this pervasive threat. Pakistan, however, has a relatively low rate of routine vaccine acceptance. Our study aimed to determine the proportion and predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (VH) among adults in Pakistan. Methods: An online cross-sectional study was conducted from December 27, 2020 to March 6, 2021. Non-probability sampling was applied to recruit study participants through social media platforms (ie, Facebook and Twitter) and through free messaging services (WhatsApp). Stata 16 was used to generate descriptive statistics and logistic regression models for identifying predictive variables of vaccine hesitancy. A p-value of <0.05 was considered strong evidence against the null hypothesis. Results: Out of 1014 participants, 35.8% (n=363) were hesitant about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Reasons for VH included concerns about side effects (42.4%), belief in conspiracy theories (20.1%), perceived inefficacy of the vaccine (13.2%), and perceived protection through precautionary measures (12.6%). Urban residency (AOR 2.34, 95% CI 1.54-3.57), reservations about vaccine safety (AOR 3.29, 95% CI 1.68-6.44), uncertainty about vaccine efficacy (AOR 2.70, 95% CI 1.50-4.86), failure of the vaccine to reduce hospitalization and death (AOR 6.36, 95% CI 4.01-10.22), and unfelt need for vaccination awareness among public (AOR 2.02, 95% CI 1.28-3.14) were associated with higher rates of VH. At least one chronic disease (AOR 0.60, 95% CI 0.39-0.92), knowing someone infected with COVID-19 (AOR 0.56, 95% CI 0.39-0.81), and trusting information from the ministry of health (AOR 0.64, 95% CI 0.41-0.99) and physicians (AOR 0.27, 95% CI 0.13-0.53) were found to be associated with lower rates of COVID-19 VH. Conclusion: More than one third of survey participants were VH. COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Pakistan can be improved through targeted health education strategies and planned interventions that address the barriers identified in the present study.

BackgroundAnemia is a major cause of global morbidity and mortality, particularly among children. Management of anemia depends on causes and severity of anemia. However blood transfusion is a lifesaving intervention in severe and life-threatening anemia. There are no published data on blood transfusion for anemia in Sudan.MethodsA descriptive study was conducted in Gadarif Hospital in eastern Sudan during 1 August, 2017 to 31 March, 2018. Consecutive children who presented at the emergency room with an indication for blood transfusion were enrolled in the study. A detailed history was gathered from all patients. Physical examinations, including vital signs, were performed. The World Health Organization guidelines for blood transfusion were followed.ResultsDuring the study period, a total of 1800 children were admitted to the emergency pediatric ward in Gadarif Hospital and were assessed for anemia, 513 (28.5%) were anemic and 141 (7.8%) had severe anemia. Three hundred anemic children received blood transfusion. The median (interquartile) of the age of the 300 children who received blood transfusion was 4.2 4.2(2.0–9.0) years. A total of 148 (49.3%) of the children were boys and 151 (50.3%) were younger than 5 years. The diagnoses associated with the order for blood transfusion were sickle cell disease (129, 43.0%), active bleeding (58, 19.3%), malaria (50, 16.7%), visceral leishmaniasis (25, 8.3%), severe acute malnutrition (16, 5.30%), snake bite (11, 3.7%), sepsis (5, 1.7%), and others. Two hundred eighty-five (95.0%) children improved, nine children were discharged against medical advice, and six (2.0%) children died.ConclusionThere is a high burden of anemia in eastern Sudan. Sickle cell disease, malaria, and visceral leishmaniasis are the main causes of anemia in this region. Further research on blood transfusion is needed.

Background This study tested the association between serum levels of microRNA-486, −146b and -15b and betatrophin in normal and obese children with/without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods the study included 120 children; divided into three groups: G1 (50 healthy), G2 (35 obese) and G3 (35 obese with T2DM). The levels of microRNA-486, 146b and 15b and serum betatrophin were measured by their corresponding methods. Results serum microRNA-486, −146b, −15b and betatrophin levels were significantly high in G3 followed by G2 then G1 (p = 0.002, > 0.001, > 0.001, and > 0.001, respectively). Especially in G3, these levels correlated positively with the BMI percentile (r = 0.44, 0.58, 0.38, and 0.46, p = 0.007, > 0.001, 0.021, and 0.005, respectively), serum glucose (r = 0.56, 0.49, 0.82, 0.60, and 0.42, p > 0.001, 0.003, > 0.001, and > 0.001, respectively) and HbA1c% (r = 0.56, 0.39, 0.66, and 0.42, p > 0.001, 0.019, > 0.001, and 0.032, respectively) while, showed negative correlations with correlated with serum insulin levels (r = − 0.37, − 0.42, − 0.58, and − 0.41, p = 0.021, 0.012, > 0.001 and 0.013, respectively) and with serum C-peptide levels (r = − 0.76, − 0.50, − 0.35 and − 0.42, p > 0.001, 0.002, 0.036 and 0.011, respectively). Serum betatrophin levels correlated positively with microRNA-486, −146b and -15b levels in G2 (r = 0.35, 0.80, and 0.67, p = 0.036, > 0.001, and,> 0.001, respectively), and in G3 (r = 0.57, 0.36, and 0.38, p > 0.001, 0.029 and, 0.023, respectively). Conclusions Circulating microRNA-486, 146b and 15b increase significantly in obese children with T2DM and these levels correlate positively with serum betatrophin levels. Further studies are required to test the role of targeting of these microRNAs and betatrophin in the timely management of obesity and/or T2DM in children.

Background Healthcare practitioners (HCPs) are at high risk of influenza. Seasonal influenza vaccines can reduce influenza-associated morbidity in healthcare settings, but despite mandatory influenza vaccination in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the vaccination uptake rate among HCPs is below expectations. This study investigated vaccination trends from 2017 to 2020 to identify factors affecting vaccination among HCPs during the COVID-19 pandemic flu and subsequent seasons. Methods Cross-sectional study among HCPs was conducted in January 2021. A structured questionnaire was shared via social media. Vaccine uptake predictors were identified using descriptive statistics and logistic regression models (p-value 0.05). Results A total of 424 HCPs (118 physicians and 306 nurses) completed the questionnaire. Vaccine uptake increased from 2017 to 2019 (45% to 52% to 62%) but fell (to 59%) during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic flu season. Multivariable analysis indicated participants >40 years old (AOR 3.09, 95% CI 1.64–5.83), female (AOR 1.74, 95% CI 1.13–2.67), non-Saudi (AOR 2.62, 95% CI 1.72–4.01), nurses (AOR 2.70, 95% CI 1.75–4.17), and who possessed accurate knowledge of the flu vaccine efficacy duration (AOR 3.04, 95% CI 1.87–4.94) were more likely to have received the vaccine. However, 79% of HCPs declared their intention to be vaccinated in the 2021 flu season, with participants >40 years old, female (AOR 2.25, 95% CI 1.38–3.68), non-Saudi (AOR 3.79, 95% CI 2.34–6.16), or nurses (AOR 2.94, 95% CI 1.82–4.76) more likely to do so. Conclusion Influenza vaccination uptake declined among HCPs during the 2020 flu season compared with the previous season but is expected to increase in the upcoming 2021 season. Nevertheless, the findings are encouraging and indicate increased willingness of HCPs to become vaccinated in the upcoming 2021 season, but coverage could be further increased by policymakers via a comprehensive plan focusing particularly on younger HCPs, Saudis, males, and physicians.