Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards COVID-19 among students in Kirkuk Medical College, Iraq

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the new coronavirus COVID-19 to be epidemic. Adherence to infection control methods is strongly affected by an individual's knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP). The study aimed to evaluate medical students' understanding, and attitudes toward COVID-19 at the Kirkuk Medical College in Iraq. From October 16 to October 26, 2020, a cross-sectional online study was conducted, among a sample of students in Kirkuk Medical College, one of the Iraqi governorates. A total of 214 students were included in this research, and the age varied between 20-25 years. The questionnaire was divided into demographic data, knowledge, attitudes, and practices, modified from an online questionnaire regarding COVID-19 previously used. Descriptive statistics and t-tests were conducted. Among the study sample (n=214), age ranged between 20-25 years, 72.9% were females, and 86.9% resided in urban areas. The learning questionnaire's total accuracy rate was 96.3%. 98.1% of the students know that the virus is spreading by respiratory droplets from infected individuals, 30.4% have a good attitude towards COVID-19, and 100% have good practice dodging crowded places and practicing appropriate hand hygiene. The majority of students are knowledgeable of disease transference prevention and good practices. Female gender and urban residency play a positive role in knowledge and practice in respect to COVID-19 but not in what concerns the attitude. It is recommended to continue health education programs to correct the negative attitude among students, especially those who reside in rural areas.Copyright © 2023, Codon Publications. All rights reserved.

Overview of COVID-19 mortality in Zoram Medical College, Mizoram: A hospital-based study.

Background: Mizoram is a small state in the northeastern part of India and recorded its first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on March 24, 2020. The first registered death because of COVID-19 in the state was on October 28, 2020 at Zoram Medical College (ZMC), which is a dedicated COVID hospital in Mizoram. COVID-19 cases from different districts in the state were referred to ZMC according to severity of symptoms. NCDIR-ICMR e-Mortality Cell was first started as a project at ZMC in 2019. Since then, all hospital deaths are recorded using a structured questionnaire developed by NCDIR which has also strengthened the data for COVID-19 mortality statistics in the state. The objective of this study is to determine the association of in-hospital COVID-19 mortality in relation to age, sex, vaccine status, and underlying co-morbidities and highlight the utility of ICMR-NCDIR e-Mortality software in the hospital. Methods: Data on COVID-19-associated deaths from October 2020 to October 2021 at ZMC were collected from the hospital e-Mortality software and Medical Records Department (MRD). This includes patients' demographic characteristics including age, sex, vaccination status, and underlying co-morbidities if any. Appropriate statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the correlation between variables. Results: From October 2020 to October 2021, a total of 324 deaths related to COVID-19 was recorded at ZMC, Mizoram. The majority of the deaths were distributed in the age group 65 years and above and accounts for 49.1% in all age groups. Out of the total deaths, 64.2% (208) were males and 81.48% had an associated underlying co-morbidity besides COVID-19. The most common co-morbidities were hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. More than half, 59.6%, had no vaccination history, and all the cases had no history of taking a booster vaccination dose. A statistically significant correlation between delay in time to admission and length of hospital stay (p = 0.017) was also seen. Conclusions: COVID-19 is more severe in the older age group above 65 years of age and in males, particularly in the presence of underlying co-morbidities. Mortality was also higher in patients with no history of vaccination as compared with patients vaccinated. Also, delay in hospital admission increases the length of hospital stay and mortality.

Adapting the OSCE to the times of the COVID-19 pandemic. A look at the e-OSCE from the students' perspective.

BACKGROUND: At the Department of Medical Education, Centre for Innovative Medical Education at Jagiellonian University Medical College, a completely remote OSCE (e-OSCE) was con- ducted for the first time using the Microsoft Teams platform. 255 test takers were tasked with presenting their communication and clinical skills in order to assess clinical reasoning. A i m: Analysis of the assessment of the OSCE adaptation to the requirements of the COVID-19 pandemic at the Department of Medical Educations in the form of the e-OSCE from the students' perspective. M e t h o d s: Discussion of the OSCE modification was carried out among 6th-year medical students and graduates undergoing validation of their foreign medical degrees. In order to assess students' opinions of the e-OSCE, we used questionnaires. The Statistica 12.0 program was used to analyse the results. R e s u l t s: According to 91.57% of respondents, the e-OSCE was well-prepared. 60% of students strongly agree and 29.47% rather agree that the order of the stations was appropriate and clear. A majority of respondents rated the e-OSCE as fair. 66.32% of respondents strongly agree and rather agree that the proportions of communication and clinical skills were appropriate. The vast majority of the participants of the exam (81.05%) had enough time for individual stations. A statistically significant (p <0.0001) correlation was found between the type of classes and preparation for the e-OSCE. For 61.05% of respondents, the Laboratory Training of Clinical Skills course was the best preparation for students taking the e-OSCE. Taking into account the stressfulness of the OSCE, only 15.96% of students found the online form more stressful than the traditional (in-person) exam. C o n c l u s i o n s: The e-OSCE in students' opinions was well-organized. Informing test-takers prior to the e-OSCE about the role of invigilators assessing individual stations should be improved. The e-OSCE has been proven to be suitable for assessing a wide range of material and validating communication and clinical skills in appropriate proportions. The e-OSCE is fair according to examinees' opinion. The study proves that even in a pandemic, it is possible to prepare an online exam without exposing examiners and examinees to the dangers posed by COVID-19.

A Decade of Scientific and Technological Innovation at Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College: Retrospect and Prospect.

Focusing on the reform initiatives of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) & Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) in medical scientific and technological innovation from perspectives of deepening the reform and optimizing the ecosystem of science and technology innovation, this article summarizes the highlights of CAMS & PUMC's efforts in safeguarding people's health and promoting the Healthy China 2030 strategy through scientific and technological innovation in the fields including basic research, disease prevention and treatment, and medical technology in the past ten years. These achievements embody the endeavors and responsibility of CAMS & PUMC in realizing self-reliance and self-improvement of Chinese medical science and technology and highlight its contributions to the development of medical science and technology of China.

of the 2nd dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine administration which was given to the medical college students at Diyala University

Background: Fighting the Covid-19 pandemic is one of the global priorities now, and the most important type of pandemic control is vaccination. Pfizer-Biotech is considered one of the most important vaccines currently because of its high effectiveness in stimulating the immune system, despite limited data regarding the duration of the response and its side effects. The goal of this study is to assess the response ofSARS CoV-2 S1-RBD IgG andInterleukin-15 after 30 and 120days fromthe 2nd dose ofPfizer-BioNTech vaccine which applied on themedical college students at Diyala university. Methodology: This study began after the obtainment of the Medical College of the University of Diyala, the Medical College of Al-IraqiaUniversity, and the Iraqi Ministry of Health approvals . It continued from October 2021 until March 2022.A total of45 male and femaleparticipants from the College of Medicine( DiyalaUniversity)students who took thetwo doses of Pfizer-BioNTech and were divided into two groups: 1 month (30 days) and 4 months (120 days) after the full vaccination (two doses).A 5 ml of their blood was taken two times (30 days and 120 days after the 2nd dose of thePfizer-BioNTech vaccine) in the postgraduate laboratories inside the Diyala Medical College. A serological analysis to quantify IL-15 and SARS CoV-2 S1-RBD IgG has been done using BT LAB/ Bioassay Technology Laboratory/ Human Interleukin 15 ELISA Kit from CHINA andDiasino/ SARS CoV-2 S1-RBD IgG ELISA Kit/ CHINA respectively. All the lab work happened in the postgraduate laboratories inside the Diyala Medical College. Demographic information (Age and Gender) has been collected from the participants. These participants were split into two groups depending on the time after the 2nd of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine dose (1 month and 4 months, respectively). STATISTICA (version 12 )and SPSS (version 26 ) were used to input, review and data analysis. Essential approaches of percentages and frequencies were used for qualitative variables, while, average and standard deviation were used for quantitative variables. For both IL-15 and SARS CoV-2 S1-RBD IgG, less than 0.05 of a P-value was considered considerable. Result(s): The ratio, according to gender, was (17.8: 82.2) while the age Average was (20.9 years old). The serum data of IL-15 and SARS-CoV-2 S1-RBD IgG levels after 1 month (30 days) and 4 months (120 days) were statistically non-parametric. Mann-Whitney test (Independent two samples), showeda considerabledrop(P<0.05) of IL-15as well as SARS CoV-2 S1-RBD IgGserum levels in the 4th-monthsgroup compared to the 1-monthgroup. Conclusion(s): Interleukin-15 and SARS CoV-2 S1-RBD IgG serum levels significantly droped after 120days of the 2nd dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Copyright © 2022, Anka Publishers. All rights reserved.

Prevalence of COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects among Early-Vaccinated Healthcare Workers in Eastern Ethiopia.

Background: The Ministry of Health of Ethiopia launched the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in March 2021, with frontline healthcare workers as first-round recipients and a goal of vaccinating 20% of the population by the end of 2021. The study aims to estimate the prevalence of COVID-19 vaccination side effects among early vaccinated healthcare workers in Adama hospital medical college. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out between March and June 2021, following the vaccination of COVID-19 vaccine among healthcare workers in Adama hospital medical college. The study used a structured self-administered questionnaire and additional telephone surveys on items covering the participants' demographic data, local and systemic manifestations after vaccination. Results: A total of 540 health care workers and supportive staff were enrolled in this study. The overall any-symptom report after the first dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV- 19 vaccine was 84.3%. The majority (39.6%) of participants had both systemic and local symptoms and 25.7% had only local and 18.9% had only systemic symptoms. Injection site pain was the most prevalent side effect symptom (64.1%), followed by fatigue (35.7%), headache (28.9%), joint pain (26.5%), and muscle pain (21.5%). Conclusion: Vaccine side effects were common and found to be well-tolerated among the recipients of the first dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 at Adama hospital medical college healthcare workers. The side effects were mainly mild to moderate. More side-effect profiles should be studied and disseminated to detect rare adverse reactions.

Bronchial carcinoid tumor in the era of covid-19 pandemic: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Bronchial carcinoid tumors are rare, slow growing, malignant neuroendocrine tumors which arise from Enterochromaffin (Kulchitsky) cells. Early diagnosis is extremely important as the main stay of treatment is surgical excision. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We present a rare case of bronchial typical carcinoid tumor in a 27-year-old male who presented with a complaint of intermittent dry cough of 2 weeks' duration associated with shortness of breath and low grade fever. He was initially misdiagnosed as covid-19 pneumonia and was admitted to covid-19 treatment center. Right lung bi-lobectomy with regional lymph node resection was done and he was discharged home in good condition. DISCUSSION: Majority of typical carcinoids are located in the central airways leading to bronchial obstruction with recurrent pneumonia, chest pain and wheezing. In the era of covid-19 pandemic, lung cancer patients are at higher risk of being affected by covid-19 and, early identification and differential diagnosis is extremely difficult in the absence of comprehensive evaluation and work up as the clinical and imaging findings of covid-19 may resemble lung cancer. Although hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes are the most common metastatic sites for typical carcinoids most lymphadenopathies are caused by a reactive inflammatory reaction. CONCLUSION: Bronchial carcinoids are rare, malignant neuroendocrine tumors with complete surgical resection being the only curative management. During the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, diagnosing rare lung diseases like carcinoid tumor is real challenge especially in resource limited set up and needs high index of suspicion with meticulous diagnostic work up. The outcome of typical carcinoids with lymph node metastasis is excellent with complete resection.