Daytime sleepiness and chronic sleep deprivation effects on academic performance among the Sudanese medical students

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 self-administered 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 studies are needed to examine the causes and to implement preventive measures for the serious effects of these significant health problems

Motor cortical excitability following repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with Alzheimer's dementia

In Alzheimer's disease [AD], transcranial magnetic stimulation [TMS] studies have shown abnormalities of motor cortical excitability, but the exact nature of deficits and its importance are not known. The aim of the study was to establish how different mechanisms interact to promote motor system hyperexcitability in AD in relation to cognitive function and clinical features and to investigate the effect of rTMS on the excitability of the motor cortex. 45 AD patients and 37 healthy normal volunteers matched for age and sex were included in the study. Neurological evaluation, Minimental State Examination [MMSE], and Clinical Dementia Rating [CDR], were conducted for each participant. Neurophysiological evaluations were performed before and after rTMS for all patients including resting and active motor thresholds [RMT and AMT], motor evoked potential [MEP], cortical silent period [CSP] and transcallosal inhibition [TCI]. As expected, AD patients showed a significant reduction in RMT, and AMT, shortening of MEP latency, prolonged both CSP and TCI. There is a significant negative correlation between duration of illness on one hand and RMT and AMT. The more deterioration of cognitive function associated with more increase cortical excitability [reduced RMT and. AMT] in AD patients. Also there were a positive association between the hyper-excitability of the cortex and extra-pyramidal manifestation and primitive reflexes. Significant shortening of both CSP and TCI in patients receiving 20 HZ in comparison to those received 1 HZ and sham rTMS. No significant changes in RMT, and AMT after application of rTMS. AD associated with hyper-excitability of the motor cortex. These changes were correlated with duration of illness and MM SE. Twenty Hertz rTMS can produce a long lasting change in cortical excitability in AD patients through shortening of CSP and TCI

Prevalence and risk factors of asthma among Wad Medani basic school children, Gezira state, Sudan

Childhood asthma is said to be under-estimated and under-diagnosed in tropical countries including Sudan. The prevalence of asthma worldwide is increasing. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and the trigger factors of asthma among Wad Medani basic school children. A cross-sectional study was conducted during school year 2000-2001. The study group was selected by stratified proportional random sampling according to their age, sex and localities. Data was collected utilizing a pre-tested questionnaire addressing the history of asthma and its trigger factors [sample-2, 2002]. The results revealed that asthma is the ninth of the most common diseases among the school children, having a prevalence of 9.2% [sample 1] and 17.9% [sample 2], the main trigger factors of which are dust, cold bats, exercise and smoke respectively. Asthma among school children is a common problem that should be considered when planning preventive school health programmes

Marfan's syndrome

This paper reports a case of Marfan's syndrome in its classic form with abnormalities of the eye [ectopia lentis] and aorta [dilated aortic root], aortic regurgitation, mitral valve prolapse and skeletal abnormalities such as dolichostenomelia, high-arched palate and spider fingers