ObjectivesThis research aims to describe the learning styles among undergraduate medical students at the College of Medicine, University of Bisha.Materials and methodsType of study is a cross-sectional. Students preference of learning styles was assessed through VARK (abbreviation stands for Visual, Aural, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic learning style) inventory questionnaire version 7.1. The questionnaire was bilingually translated. Data from the questionnaire were analyzed by SPSS (V20). Data were presented in the form of descriptive statistics. One-way ANOVA and Kruskal–Wallis test were used to assess the relations between study variables.ResultsOne hundred and eighteen students (86.8%) were unimodal in their learning preference, and 18 students (13.3%) were multimodal. The dominant unimodal style was aural (55.9%), and the lowest was reading (5.1%). Among multimodal the commonest preference was AK (77.8%) followed by VR and VK equally (11.1%). The multimodal pattern is limited to students in level one. Visual style increases in percentage with the academic levels.ConclusionStudents in the College of Medicine, University of Bisha (UBCOM) have different patterns and types of learning style. Aural is the dominant unimodal style. The visual style is widely distributed among students of different levels. Planning and implementation of educational activities that satisfy all learning styles will support the learning process.

Training Needs Assessment (TNA) is a triangular term; training (any activities to gain knowledge, skills or change attitude), needs (the gap between current and desired or required) and assessment (process for identifying needs and placing them in priority order). Investment in training of Academic Teaching Staff (ATS) can achieve better performance. TNA is the right step to design an appropriate, cost-effective training programme with clear priorities setting to achieve specific knowledge, skills and practice. This study aimed to assess the training needs of ATS in Faculty of Dentistry, University of Gezira, Sudan by selecting competencies and suggested priorities. This study designed as a population survey to determine training needs of ATS using self-administered, validated and adapted questionnaire (self-assessment) compared to the job description. The questionnaire was distributed to all available 35 staffs. The response rate was 82.9% (29 respondents). Results showed an urgent need for all competencies except only three, they were considered as well. These were teaching, computer, and communication skills. The priority of TNA to improve ATS could be from highest to the lowest as follows: research, leadership, health professional education, managerial, community development, and finally teaching and learning skills.

BackgroundThe beneficial effect of corticosteroids and anti-interleukin (IL)-5 on exacerbations of airway disease becomes apparent at blood eosinophil counts above 0.15 × 109/L, well within the normal range. One potential explanation is that the upper limit of the normal range is artificially high because studies have included patients with allergic disease and eosinophilic inflammation. We have assessed the normal range for blood eosinophil counts in volunteers with no self-reported history of allergic disease and compared this with the findings from a more traditional control population.MethodsWe recruited 78 volunteers (15 male) with a mean age of 38.8 years. Volunteers with a self-reported history of asthma, allergic rhinitis and/or eczema were excluded. The differential cell count was carried out using sysmex XN analyser and serum IgE measured using automated enzyme immunoassay by Phadia Immunocap equipment. Result were compared with an unscreened population (n = 120) used to calculate our local normal ranges.ResultsOne outlier value of 0.79 × 109/L, (>5 SD above the mean) was excluded from further analysis. In the remainder the mean blood eosinophil count was 0.15 × 109/L with an upper limit of normal range of 0.27 × 109/L. Volunteers with no self-reported history of allergic disease but an IgE >120 iu/L and/or positive specific IgE to house dust mites or grass were not statistically different. The mean blood eosinophil count in the laboratory population was 0.19 × 109/L (p 0.018 vs our population) and the upper limit of normal range 0.42 × 109/L.ConclusionsThe upper limit of the normal range for blood eosinophil count is lower in a population who have no clinical history of allergic disease.