Prevalence and Correlates of Depressive Symptoms among Medical Students: a Cross-sectional Single-centre Study.

BACKGROUND: Depressive symptoms are common among medical students. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of depressive symptoms among medical students in Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted among a random sample selected from 1041 medical students at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to screen for depressive symptoms. A logistic regression model was used to determine risk factors for depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Of 197 medical students selected, 189 (61 men and 128 women) responded. The PHQ-9 results showed that the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 41.3%. In multivariate analysis, female students were more likely than male students to develop depression (adjusted odds ratio = 2.866, p = 0.004). Medical students with a family history of depression were more likely to develop depression than those without a family history of depression (adjusted odds ratio = 4.150, p = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptoms are common among medical students in Sultan Qaboos University. Risk factors for depressive symptoms are female sex and family history of depression.

Developing patient safety system using WHO tool in hospitals in Oman.

OBJECTIVE: Oman is progressively implementing the Patient Safety Friendly Hospital Initiative (PSFHI), a tool formulated by the World Health Organization (WHO) to achieve optimal patient safety in hospitals. This paper describes its implementation in selected government and private hospitals in Oman and analyses the performance of four hospitals whose implementations of PSFHI were assessed by WHO. DESIGN: The PSFHI initiative was launched in 11 hospitals in Oman during 2016. The enrolled hospitals implemented a 1-year plan composed of several steps such as formation of steering committees, working groups, full orientation about the standards, training of staff, documents development and community involvement. One year later, four hospitals which were the earliest to join the initiative were subjected to WHO assessment. SETTING: Secondary level government and private hospitals. INTERVENTION(S): The WHO-PSFHI standards. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Hospitals' adherence to the standards. RESULTS: Three of the four hospitals (one government and two private) scored level two. One government hospital scored level three, earning it the distinction of being the first hospital in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to reach level three in the very first assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of PSFHI in selected hospitals of Oman had successful outcomes in improving patient's safety.

Nutritional status, assessment, requirements and adequacy of traumatic brain injury patients.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) has been considered as a serious public health problem. Each year, traumatic brain injuries are contributing to a substantial number of cases of permanent disability and deaths and it can be classified according to the severity into penetrating and closed head injury. Symptoms, beside to be unconscious can be defined as vomiting, nausea, headache, dizziness, lack of motor coordination, difficulty in balancing, blurred vision and lightheadedness, bad taste in the mouth, ringing in the ears, fatigue and lethargy as well as changes in sleep patterns. The brain is known to be the functional regulator for all the metabolic activities inside the body and TBI patients mostly have a complex metabolic alterations including aberrant cellular metabolism, abnormal metabolic processes, changes in hormones functions and inflammatory cascade. The TBI patient's status needed to be assessed medically and nutritionally since the medical status of the patients can affect the nutrition part. Data from the four assessment tools are needed to be correctly used and interpreted in order to make a proper nutritional diagnosis, clinical assessment, biochemistry as well as anthropometric measurements. Regardless the methods used for assessing TBI patients, having adequate intake and medical care can lead to a reduction in hospital costs, numbers of day hospitalized, numbers of hours of mechanical ventilation and in the overall infection rates.

Nutritional status and cognitive impairment in elderly.

The elderly population is increasing worldwide and it has been suggested that senior citizens will continue to constitute the bulk of the population in many countries. Nutritional status of senior citizens are adversely affected by their frailty, chronic condition and declining cognitive functioning. Conversely, malnourished elderly further deteriorate their frailty, chronic disease and cognitive functioning. The aim of this review article is to recognize the importance of nutritional assessment of elderly population particularly those with cognitive impairment. First part is to highlight characteristic cognitive impairment among senior citizens and the second one highlight t he background in which malnutrition is a factor that leads to increased risk of morbidity and mortality in the elderly. This review also highlight salgorithms for safeguarding nutritional status among senior citizen and focuses on importance of nutritional screening, assessment and early intervention for safeguarding further deterioration of elderly who are likely to prone to cognitive impairment.

Neuroprotective Effects of a Variety of Pomegranate Juice Extracts (PJE) Against the Excitotoxin Quinolinic Acid in Human Primary Neurons.

BACKGROUND: Quinolinic acid (QUIN) excitotoxicity is mediated by elevated intracellular Ca2+ levels, and nitric oxide (NO•) mediated oxidative stress leading to DNA damage, and cell death due to energy restriction. METHODS: We evaluated the effect of a series of pomegranate juice extracts (PJE), Helow, Malasi, Qusum, and Hamedh, with antioxidant properties on QUIN induced excitotoxicity on primary cultures of human neurons. RESULTS: We showed that Helow and Malasi can attenuate QUIN-induced excitotoxicity to a greater extent than Qusum and Hamedh from Oman. Similarly, both Helow and Malasi were able to attenuate QUIN-induced Ca2+ influx and nNOS activity to a greater extent compared to Qusum, and Hamedh. All extracts reduced the oxidative effects of increased NO• production, and hence preventing NAD+ depletion and cell death. CONCLUSION: In addition to the well-known antioxidant properties of these natural phytochemicals, the inhibitory effect of some of these compounds on specific excitotoxic processes such as calcium influx provides additional evidence for the beneficial health effects of PJE in excitable tissue, particularly within the CNS.

Martial arts as sport and therapy.

The term Martial Arts is often used as general phrase to describe many of the combat arts, which have developed in eastern cultures over the past millennium. This paper reviews the Martial Arts from the original context of a trio of life skills. This trio includes the healing arts such as acupuncture, the self-exploration arts such as yoga, and the vital life skills such as meditation. As Martial Arts suggests the waging of combat, the origins of the most common combat arts are reviewed, with an overview of the difference between the hard and the soft styles. The arts developed not only in the eastern, but also in all parts of the world, with references of these types of combats arts in the writings of the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. In modern times, the combat arts are performed for both exercise and sport. A review of the injuries that occur, and the health benefits that might be expected are discussed. A review of the medical literature that demonstrates some of these health benefits is included, with Tai Chi Chuan as the most studied of these. The health benefits discussed include strengthen and self-efficacy of the elderly, reduced falls, increased exercise capacity, and benefits to the immune system and autonomic nervous system. The paper emphasized the breadth of the Martial Arts and the import of these to the sports and health community.

Knowledge of tuberculosis among medical professionals and university students in Oman.

This study in Oman investigated knowledge about tuberculosis among 142 medics (medical students, paramedics) and 133 non-medics (arts and social science students). Knowledge was assessed using a validated questionnaire with 28 statements on general knowledge, risk factors and diagnosis of tuberculosis. As expected, tuberculosis knowledge was significantly higher among medics but there was no significant difference between men and women. Although medics had better knowledge in general, some of the technical statements were answered correctly by higher proportions of non-medics.

Knowledge of tuberculosis among medical professionals and university students in Oman

This study in Oman investigated knowledge about tuberculosis among 142 medics [medical students, paramedics] and 133 non-medics [arts and social science students]. Knowledge was assessed using a validated questionnaire with 28 statements on general knowledge, risk factors and diagnosis of tuberculosis. As expected, tuberculosis knowledge was significantly higher among medics but there was no significant difference between men and women. Although medics had better knowledge in general, some of the technical statements were answered correctly by higher proportions of non-medics

DAT1 VNTR allele frequencies in the Omani population.

To determine the genetic variability at the human DAT1 VNTR locus, we screened 110 healthy Omani blood donors using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and agarose gel electrophoresis. Two common alleles (DAT1*9 and DAT1*10) were observed with a frequency of 0.332 and 0.609, respectively. There were also five rare alleles (*3, *6, *7, *8, and *11). The frequency of the observed genotypes was not significantly different from the expected Hardy-Weinberg distribution. We compared the Omani DAT1 alleles with similar data from other populations.

Rehabilitation outcomes of cardiac and non-cardiac anoxic brain injury: a single institution experience.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the functional outcomes of patients with anoxic brain injury (ABI) due to cardiac and non-cardiac aetiologies. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review over 4 years. SETTING: Freestanding rehabilitation hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Thirteen patients with cardiac ABI and 13 patients with non-cardiac ABI. INTERVENTION: Comprehensive, multi-disciplinary inpatient rehabilitation services. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rehabilitation hospital length of stay (LOS) and cost; Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores and its various sub-sets on admission and discharge; FIM efficiency and change; and discharge disposition. RESULTS: Patients with cardiac ABI were similar in gender and ethnicity when compared to patients with non-cardiac ABI but were older (average age 52 vs 42) with a higher percentage of cardiac patients married (77% vs 39%). No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups on all sub-sets of the FIM on admission and discharge as well as the different FIM efficiencies. However, there was a trend for the cardiac ABI patients to have a greater efficiency in improving mobility during rehabilitation when compared to non-cardiac ABI patients. The rehabilitation hospital LOS was approximately 28 days less for patients with cardiac ABI (41.49 vs 69.84 days), but this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.26). The mean rehabilitation cost for patients with cardiac ABI was approximately $14,000 less than that for those with non-cardiac ABI ($44,181 vs $58,187). This difference was not statistically significant (p=0.15). Cardiac ABI patients were more likely to be discharged directly to home from rehabilitation when compared to non-cardiac ABI patients (p=0.06). CONCLUSION: This pilot study demonstrates some differences in the recovery patterns of patients with ABI who had a cardiac aetiology and those who had non-cardiac aetiologies. While both groups experienced similar progress during rehabilitation, those with cardiac ABI made gains with a shorter LOS and less rehabilitation costs when compared to non-cardiac ABI patients. These data suggest a trend towards greater cost and length of stay for patients with ABI who had non-cardiac aetiologies.