Sand-Fly Phlebotomus Papatasi [Phlebotominae]: a general review with special reference to Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Egypt

Leishmania are digenetic protozoa which inhabit two hosts, the sandfly where they grow as promastigotes in the gut, and the mammalian macrophage where they grow as amastigotes Sandfly [or sand fly] is a colloquial name for any species or genus of flying, biting, blood- sucking Dipteran encountered in sandy areas. In the United States, sandfly may refer to certain horse flies that are also known as "greenheads" [family Tabanidae], or to members of the family Ceratopogonidae, also known in Florida and elsewhere as a sand gnat, sandflea, no-see-um [no-see-em, noseeum], granny nipper, chitra, punkie, or punky. Outside the United States, sandfly may refer to members of the subfamily Phlebotominae within the Psychodidae. Biting midges [Ceratopogonidae] are sometimes called sand flies or no-see-ums [no-see-em, noseeum]. New Zealand sandflies are in the Austrosimulium genus, a type of black fly. Of 500 known phlebotomine species, only some 30 of them have been positively identified as vectors of the disease. Cutaneous leishmaniasis [ZCL] is a protozoan disease well documented not only in Egypt, but in nearly all the East Mediterranean Countries. It is prevalent in the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula with at least three identified foci

Selected infectious disease disasters for nursing staff training at Egyptian eastern border

Infectious disease disasters are events that involve a biological agent, disease and that result in mass casualties, such as a bioterrorism attack, an emerging outbreak of infectious disease; all disasters pose a risk of infection transmission. But, infectious disease disasters pose the great-risk to illness or death from an infectious disease. This study raised the awareness and improved knowledge by educational program for Military Nursing Staff on selected infectious disease disasters acquired at Egyptian Eastern Border. The selected arthropodborne diseases were Anthrax, Tick borne relapsing, Louse borne replasing fever and liver fluke; Clonorchis sinensis. An interventional study was used, for 125 staff nurse who accepted to participate. The tools dealt with four questionnaires: [1] Some socio-demographic characteristics data [2] Educational needs assessment a structured questionnaire. [3] Knowledge test [pre/ post-test] and [4] Participants' reactions questionnaire. The results showed that educational intervention significantly improvements the nursing staff knowledge, which were achieved at the immediate post intervention phase, and retained via three months post-test phase. In the service training programs about infectious disease disasters at Egyptian Eastern Border must be established and continued on regular basis. This would improve their knowledge about the epidemiology of these infectious disease disasters

Evaluation of knowledge change of internal medicine residents following a training program in smoking cessation

One of the major barriers to smoking cessation practice is that many health professionals do not have the knowledge and skills on how to intervene. To assess the effect of a training program on physicians' knowledge about tobacco dependence and cessation interventions. Subjects and Methods: A comprehensive training program was given to internal medicine residents in Cairo University Hospitals, Egypt during 2008-2009. An anonymous, 11-item questionnaire was administered before and after the training program. The training process was evaluated by participants' satisfaction using a 13-item checklist. The objective of the study was adequately explained to participants and their consensus was obtained with assured confidentiality. A total of 163 internists entered the training program. Improvement in overall knowledge was evidenced by higher mean score in the post-test than pre-test [6.2 vs. 4.7 ; p<0.001]. Significant improvement were seen in the participants' knowledge related to assessment of tobacco dependence [61% vs. 27%; p<0.001], interventions for smokers willing to quit [51.6 vs. 28.2%; p<0.001], interventions for smokers unwilling to quit [40.8 vs. 19.6%; p<0.001] and coping skills to handle withdrawal symptoms [52.9 vs. 30.7; p<0.001]. Almost all participants reported that the training was very useful [96%] and applicable [85.6%] in their medical practices. Targeted training of health professionals has a potential to translate into improved smoking cessation counseling and to increase their inclination to intervene. Policy message: Continued medical education and regular/targeted training of health providers should be done

Stress profile among Fayoum university students

Stress is a specific adaptive reaction of an individual to a variety of physical or psychological challenges. The term "stress" refers to the process involving perception, appraisal, and response to harmful, threatening, or challenging events or stimuli. This specific stress reaction depends on the nature and intensity of the stressor, the social and cultural context, and on the subject's ability to evaluate and to cope with the problem as well as his vulnerability to stress. To assess sources of stress among Fayoum university students, symptoms of stress, stress levels and the coping strategies they used to overcome these stresses, comparing between medical and non medical students as well as between academic and clinical medical groups and between male and female students. This is a descriptive study of 400 students implemented in three faculties; Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Education and Faculty of Social Service in Fayoum University. A self-administered Arabic questionnaire including background characteristics and sources of stress and a validated structured Arabic questionnaire was used to assess the stress level. The sources of stress related to study or to family were the most common sources of stress. The four most frequently reported stressors, feeling tired of long study hours [81. 7%], family adherence to know all their friends [80.7%], feeling annoyance to be deprived of attending lectures when coming late [79.8%] and when parents quarrel with them if they do something wrong [78.4%], in that order. The mean family sources score was significantly higher among females than males [p=0.000]. It was clear that Fayoum university students were exposed to a variety of interpersonal and environmental stressors. These findings indicated the need for stress management programs specific to the needs of college students

Characteristics of women smoking in water pipe cafes in Cairo, Egypt

Tobacco use is increasing throughout the developing world. In particular, the use of water pipes to smoke tobacco has become increasingly popular among women. Many women water pipe users go to cafes to smoke rather than doing so at home, where it may not be allowed or accepted by family or neighbors. Although effective tobacco control policies will require an understanding of the complex socio-demographic, behavioral, and motivational characteristics of such women, they have been underrepresented in previous surveys of tobacco use. In order to address this knowledge gap, our study was conducted in Cairo, Egypt, to determine the personal and social characteristics of women smokers, their use of cigarettes and water pipes, and their attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge towards tobacco smoking and its health effects. An anonymous self administered questionnaire was given to women who smoked in water pipe caf‚s. A total of 630 subjects participated: 49% were cigarette-only smokers, 23% smoked both cigarettes and water pipes, and 28% exclusively smoked water pipes. The median age was 32.5 years, while those who exclusively smoked water pipes were younger than cigarette smokers on average [29 vs. 37, p<.001]. Cigarette smokers started smoking at a younger age [median 22 years] than water pipe smokers [mean 24 years, p<0.01]. Marital status was strongly associated with many of the surveyed factors: 63% of the unmarried women participants were water pipe smokers, compared to 41% of the married women and 41% of divorced or widowed women [p<0.01]. Being unmarried was also associated with the belief that water pipe smoking is less harmful than cigarettes [44% vs. 38% of married women, and 27% of divorced/widowed]. The results of this study suggest that future tobacco control efforts in Egypt will need to specifically address the use of tobacco products by women in caf‚s, where it is.becoming increasingly popular for women to smoke