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Objective:Healthcare providers (HCPs) play a critical role in reducing colorectal cancer (CRC) related morbidity and mortality. This study aimed at exploring the attitudes and knowledge of nurses and physicians working in primary care settings regarding CRC screening.Methods:A total of 142 HCPs (57.7% nurses and 42.3% physicians) participated in a cross-sectional survey. Data were collected using a Self-administered Questionnaire. The participants were clinically experienced (mean = 9.39 years; standard deviation [SD] = 6.13), regularly taking care of adults eligible for CRC screening (62%) and had positive attitudes toward CRC screening (83.1%). Most participants (57%) had low levels of knowledge about CRC screening (mean = 3.23; SD = 1.50). The participants were most knowledgeable about the recommended age for initiating screening (62.7%) and the procedures not recommended for screening (90.8%).Results:More than 55% did not know the frequency of performing specific screening procedures, the upper age limit at which screening is not recommended, and the patients at high-risk for CRC. There were no significant differences between nurses’ and physicians’ attitudes and knowledge. The participants’ perceptions about professional training (odds ratio [OR] = 2.17, P = 0.003), colonoscopy (OR = 2.60, P = 0.014), and double-contrast barium enema (OR = 0.53, P = 0.041), were significantly associated with knowledge about CRC screening.Conclusions:The inadequate knowledge levels among nurses and physicians may be one of the barriers affecting CRC screening. Enhancing HCPs knowledge about CRC screening should be considered a primary intervention in the efforts to promote CRC screening and prevention.

Recycling waste Styrofoam to new useful materials is essential to both the environment and humans. In this paper, waste Styrofoam (Sfm) was chemically converted via nitration and sulfonation procedures to the corresponding nitrated (Nit-Sfm) and sulfonated (Sulf-Sfm) derivatives for further use as potential cation exchangers. The proposed method is aimed to proceed via surface chemical modification without changing the core of the Styrofoam material. The degrees of incorporated cation exchange properties of Nit-Sfm and Sulf-Sfm adsorbents were determined and found to correspond to 8.2 and 10.6 mmol g −1 , respectively. The potential applications of Nit-Sfm and Sulf-Sfm as efficient adsorbents for the removal of Cd(II), Pb(II), and Hg(II) from aqueous solutions were explored in the presence of various experimental controlling factors using the batch equilibrium technique. The optimum pH for removal of Hg(II) was 4.0 and for Cd(II) and Pb(II) was 7.0, and the optimum contact time for complete removal of the evaluated metal ions was found in the range of 20−30 min. The maximum uptake capacity values of Hg(II), Pb(II), and Cd(II) were characterized in the ranges of 1950−2450 (pH 4.0), 750−1100 (pH 7.0), and 450−600 (pH 7.0) μmol g −1 , respectively. The feasibility of using Nit-Sfm and Sulf-Sfm as packing materials in a multistage microcolumn technique for removal of Cd(II), Pb(II), and Hg(II) from industrial and drinking tap water samples was also explored, and excellent results were obtained as 80.0−90.2, 81.0−90.6, and 90.1−100.0 ± 0.5−3.0%, respectively.

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Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth most common type of cancer worldwide and it is responsible for 610,000 deaths annually, despite availability of screening tests that ensure early detection. Predictions specific to the Middle East show that this region will experience a significant increase in cancer mortality over the next 15 years. This study explored the practices and perceived barriers to CRC screening from the perspective of health care providers (HCPs) working in primary care settings in Muscat, Oman. A cross-sectional design and self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from 142 HCPs. The HCPs were nurses (57.7 %) and physicians (42.3 %) with average age and clinical experience of 32.5 and 9.5 years, respectively. The majority of the HCPs (64.8 %) rarely ordered, referred, health educated, or recommended CRC screening to eligible patients. The only major patient-related barrier to CRC screening reported by HCPs was lack of awareness about CRC tests (63.7 %). There were significant differences between nurses' and physicians' rating of patient-related barriers such as fear of cancer diagnosis (p = 0.037), belief that screening is not effective (p = 0.036), embarrassment or anxiety about screening tests (p = 0.022), and culture (p = 0.001). The major system barriers to CRC screening were lack of hospital policy or protocols, lack of trained HCPs, lack of CRC screening services, and timely appointments to get CRC screening. The findings indicate a need for interventions to enhance patient awareness, HCPs CRC screening practices, and strategies to ameliorate patient and system barriers to CRC screening.

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A speciation method is developed for Cr(III) and Cr(VI) at selected medium pH range via solid phase extraction on three designed and synthesized chelating inorganic solid sorbents based on adsorption of thiosemicarbazide, as the nitrogen and sulfur containing chelating compound, on alumina surface [Al-TSC (I-III)]. The influence of various parameters including medium pH, time of contact, and interference of matrix and coexistent elements on the speciation and selective extraction processes of chromium species are studied and evaluated on the basis of determination of the metal adsorption capacity, distribution coefficient, and separation factor. Quantitative recovery of Cr(VI) was accomplished by [Al-TSC (I-III)] at pH = 1.0, while Cr(III) was found to be recovered on these sorbents at pH = 7.0 with minimal or no interference between these two species under the studied buffering conditions. The proposed method has been successfully applied for speciation, selective extraction, and preconcentration of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in water samples with a preconcentration factor of 200.