Impact of socio-demographic factors on knowledge, attitude and practices toward scabies among syrian refugees in Jordan: A prospective cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Scabies is one of the prevalent dermatological conditions, accounting for a substantial proportion of skin diseases in developing countries. It represents a significant health challenge when an outbreak appears in homecare and refugee camps as it may lead to enormous morbidity and high treatment costs. Because Scabies can be easily prevented through education, the purpose of this study was to assess the impact of socio-demographic factors on the level of knowledge, attitude, and practices among Syrian refugees in Jordan's northern region. METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted among Syrian refugees attending primary health centers in northern Jordan, Ramtha, Mafraq, and Irbid, from February 2021 to May 2021. The targeted population was adult Syrian refugees above the age of 18. Two thousand participants were included in this study using simple random selection. The study questionnaire included socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge questions such as hearing about Scabies, causes of Scabies, signs and symptoms of Scabies, and its way of transmission. The data was analyzed using (SPSS) version 25. RESULTS: Females with a mean age of 37.9 years old comprised the majority of the participants. The majority of the participants were married and had intermediate levels of education. The knowledge about Scabies lacked among the majority of the respondents (N = 1259); 321 respondents had moderate knowledge, while only 650 had good knowledge. A statistically significant association was found between knowledge scores and all demographic characteristics, including gender, marital status, income, and educational level. CONCLUSION: The general knowledge about Scabies among Syrian refugees is relatively low, with 1259 out of 2000 participants having a bad knowledge score. Moreover, the level of knowledge, attitude, and practices toward Scabies is highly affected by the demographic factors of the Syrian refugees' Health education for refugees is needed to improve their knowledge and help implement prevention programs.

Role of dexamethasone in reducing pain after endoscopic sinus surgery in adults: a double-blind prospective randomized trial.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to study postoperative pain after endoscopic sinus surgery and to evaluate the efficacy of dexamethasone sodium phosphate in reducing pain and rescue analgesic requirements. METHODS: In a prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 62 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis who were undergoing general anesthesia for endoscopic sinus surgery were randomized to receive either 8 mg (2 mL) of intravenous dexamethasone sodium phosphate or 2 mL of saline solution at the time of induction of anesthesia. After surgery, the patients were observed for 24 hours and were given 1 g of acetaminophen every 6 hours. Pain severity was reported immediately and 6 and 24 hours after surgery on a 10-cm visual analog scale. The need for rescue analgesia with tramadol hydrochloride was recorded and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The two groups were matched by demographic data, clinical indications, and intraoperative details. The average postoperative pain severity scores at the 3 time intervals were 3.6, 2, and 1 in the dexamethasone group and 3.6, 2.5, and 1.6 in the saline solution group. These differences were not statistically significant. Ten patients in the dexamethasone group required rescue analgesia, compared to 12 in the saline solution group. The average patient required 0.53 doses of rescue analgesic in the dexamethasone group, versus 0.67 doses in the saline solution group. Again, these differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Dexamethasone injection at the time of induction of general anesthesia is not superior to placebo in controlling early postoperative pain in patients who undergo endoscopic sinus surgery.

Jejunal disorders: potentially lethal causes of acute abdomen are still overlooked.

OBJECTIVE: To highlight the importance of considering jejunal disorders in the differential diagnosis of acute abdomen. Although these conditions are relatively uncommon, we should keep in mind that jejunum still occurs, and deserves consideration. METHOD: This study was carried out at King Abdullah University Hospital, Jordan. Medical records of 7 patients with uncommon jejunal disorders that were encountered between 2001 and 2007 were retrospectively evaluated. We had 1 patient with jejunal diverticulitis, 1 with jejunal intussusception, 2 with jejuno-ileal tuberculosis complicated by intestinal obstruction, and 3 with acute mesenteric ischemia. All of these patients presented with acute abdominal pain of nonspecific features. Radiologic workup, along with surgical intervention, was necessary to reach a final diagnosis. RESULTS: Only 1 patient matched preoperative diagnosis, in which computed tomography scan revealed the presence of intussusception. The remaining patients were diagnosed intraoperatively. Laparoscopy and/or laparotomy with resection were performed. Morbidity was within acceptable range. There was no mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Jejunal disorders are potentially serious, and are underestimated. They are considered important causes of acute abdomen. Although they should not be at the top of a differential diagnostic list, they should always be ruled out when there is no apparent cause.