ABSTRACT
Introduction: The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the Orthopaedic Specialty Committee (OSC) Exit Examination candidates. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of this pandemic on the candidates' teaching and learning, mental well-being, and personal experience during the examinations. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 1st to 31st January 2021. 103 candidates for the OSC Exit Examination November 2020 were asked to answer a questionnaire. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to compare differences in the frequencies before and during the pandemic. A p-value of less than 0.05 was taken as significant. Results: There was a significant reduction in the number of classes (P-value < 0.001) and examination preparatory courses conducted, reduced number and variety of patients attended and limited exposure in the operation theatre. Most candidates had virtual and physical classes, and agreed virtual clinical teaching was less effective. A majority had increased caffeine intake and smoking habits, decreased time spent with family and sports activities and no impact on sleeping hours, alcohol and analgesic usage. During the examinations, most candidates felt disturbed by the COVID-19 safety protocol and worried about the risk of contracting the infections. Conclusion: The effect of this pandemic on the post-graduate Orthopaedics students teaching and learning is massive. Virtual teaching programmes or applications that can replace the traditional clinical teaching methods should be explored and developed for the benefit of our education system. © 2023 Authors. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Since the declaration of COVID-19 pandemic, several cases of demyelination of both peripheral and central nervous systems have been reported. The association of viral infection and the development of CNS demyelination has long been studied, and this link has recently been reported following SARS-CoV-2 infection as well. Case report: We report a case of a 36-year-old male who developed CNS demyelinating disease, that fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of multiple sclerosis (MS), 2 months after laboratory-confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2. Conclusion(s): To our knowledge, this is the second published case report of MS in association with COVID-19 infection, and the first case from Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, adding to the growing literature of a probable causal relationship between SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of MS.Copyright © 2021 The Author(s)
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Since the declaration of COVID-19 pandemic, several cases of demyelination of both peripheral and central nervous systems have been reported. The association of viral infection and the development of CNS demyelination has long been studied, and this link has recently been reported following SARS-CoV-2 infection as well. Material(s) and Method(s): We report a case of a 36-year-old male who developed CNS demyelinating disease, that fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of multiple sclerosis (MS), 2 months after laboratory-confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2. Result(s): A 36-year-old male developed CNS demyelination, 2-months following a laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, that fulfilled the revised 2017 McDonald diagnostic criteria for MS. He presented with ataxia, and MRI showed multiple demyelinating lesions in the brain, and positive oligoclonal bands in CSF. Conclusion(s): To our knowledge, this is the second case report of MS in association with COVID-19 infection, and the first case from Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This case report adds to the growing body of evidence of a probable causal relationship between SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and the development of MS. SARS-CoV-2 could potentially trigger a demyelinating process, through an acute or delayed immune-mediated CNS inflammatory response.