Does a program-based cognitive behavioral therapy affect insomnia and depression in menopausal women? A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Menopausal women often complain of a range of physical and psychological symptoms known as menopausal syndrome. These symptoms are associated with fluctuating hormone levels, sleep disturbances, and mood swings. AIM: This study aimed to examine the efficacy of a program-based cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBT) for insomnia and depression among women experiencing menopause. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial of 88 women experiencing menopause was conducted in Egypt from June to September 2022 in outpatient clinics at Mansoura University Hospitals in Egypt. Participants were randomly assigned to a control group (45 women) and an intervention group (43 women). The intervention group received 7 weeks of CBT sessions. Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Beck Depression Inventory 2nd Edition (BDI-II) were administered before and after the intervention. RESULTS: In the intervention group, there was a significant difference in scores of the subdomains of PSQI, including sleep efficiency, daytime dysfunction, subjective sleep quality, and sleep disturbance (t = 8.911, 11.77, 7.638, and 11.054, respectively), while no significant difference in domains of using sleep medication, sleep duration, and sleep latency. Significant improvements were observed between pre-and-post-intervention in the intervention group for the total scores of PSQI, ISI, and BDII-II (t = 12.711, 16.272, and 12.384, respectively), indicating a large effect size for the three studied variables (r = .81, .87, .8, respectively). LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: This study demonstrated the efficacy of group CBT for lowering insomnia and depression in women experiencing menopause. Thus, results indicated the need of considering prompt and appropriate interventions such as CBT as a safe treatment option to prevent the aggravation of sleep and emotional problems for menopausal women. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05920460.

University students under lockdown, the psychosocial effects and coping strategies during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross sectional study in Egypt.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the psychosocial effects and coping strategies of university students during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Between 30 May and 6 June 2020, an online cross-sectional survey was fulfilled by 612 university students. The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale, version 3, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), and the Brief COPE scale were used. Results: Different degrees of depression, anxiety, and stress were reported by 74.5%, 47.1%, and 40.5% of the surveyed students, respectively. Dysfunctional coping strategies including venting, denial, and substance use had the lowest scores on Brief COPE while problem-focused coping strategies including planning and active coping strategies had the highest scores on Brief COPE. Conclusion: Undergraduate university students are very prone to experience psychosocial problems during the current pandemic. Educational institutions should work together with the authorities to promote measures to improve mental health and academic performance of their students.

Nurses' knowledge, concerns, perceived impact and preparedness toward COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey.

AIM: This study aimed to assess the nurses' knowledge, concerns, perceived impact and preparedness toward the COVID-19 pandemic. BACKGROUND: As COVID-19 is a new disease, its spread and emergence cause fear, anxiety and confusion among the general population. Nurses are in close contact with infected persons, and their knowledge plays an important role in preventing the transmission chain. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 207 nurses were selected using convenience sampling from 29 March to 19 April 2020. The study used a questionnaire assessing the nurses' baseline characteristics, their source of information, knowledge, concerns, the perceived impact and their preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: Around half of the surveyed nurses (51.2%) reported that the Ministry of Health's and World Health Organization's websites and official pages were their main sources of information. The majority of nurses (81.6%) knew the nature of the virus, 83.6% agreed that their job puts them at risk of infection with COVID-19 and 72% felt personally prepared for the pandemic. CONCLUSION: The majority of nurses had an acceptable level of knowledge regarding COVID-19. However, psychological interventions are needed to be addressed in the planning stage before any pandemic.

Determinación de aflatoxinas en maní y productos de maní en Sudán usando aflatest® y HPLC / Determination of aflatoxins in groundnut and groundnut products in Sudan using aflatest® and HPLC

Esta encuesta examinó 30 muestras de maní y 15 productos de maní de tres estados (Khartoum, Kordofan y Gadarif) de Sudán para determinar AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2 usando cromatografía líquida de alta performance (HPLC) con detección de fluorescencia. La frecuencia de muestras de maní contaminadas con AFB1 de Khartoum, Gadarif y Kordofan fue 58,3%, 57,1%, y 66,7%, respectivamente. Ninguna muestra de maní o producto de maní estaba contaminado con AFG1 o AFG2. El límite de detecciones (LDD) y el límite de cuantificaciones (LDC) estuvieron en un rango de 0,01-0,02 ng g-1 y 0,03-0,05 ng g-1, respectivamente. Algunas muestras de maní contenían concentraciones de AFB1 por encima de los límites regulatorios UE. Las muestras más contaminadas con aflatoxinas fueron las del estado de Kordofan.

This survey examined 30 samples of groundnut and 15 groundnut products from threestates (Khartoum, Kordofan and Gadarif) of Sudan for AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2 using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with fluorescence detection. The frequency of contaminated groundnut samples with AFB1 from Khartoum, Gadarif and Kordofan state was 58.3%, 57.1%, and 66.7%, respectively. No sample of groundnut orground nut product was contaminated with AFG1 or AFG2. The limit of detections (LODs)and limit of quantifications (LOQs) were found to be in a range between 0.01–0.02 ng g−1and 0.03–0.05 ng g−1, respectively. Some groundnut samples contained AFB1concentrations above the EU regulatory limits. The highest contaminated samples with aflatoxins were found in Kordofan state.