{"title":"Assessment of the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of <i>Opuntia ficus indica</i> L. Cladodes extract.","authors":"Abdelkader Ammam, Hafidh Zemour, M'hamed Kaid, Didier Villemin, Walid Soufan, Fathi Abdellatif Belhouadjeb","doi":"10.1080/19932820.2023.2275417","DOIUrl":"10.1080/19932820.2023.2275417","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties of the methanolic extract of <i>Opuntia ficus indica</i> L. in small animal (rats and mice model). The current treatment for febrile conditions often involves the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which can have adverse effects, particularly gastrointestinal ulcers. Therefore, there is a growing need to explore natural alternatives with fewer side effects. The study utilized various experimental models to assess the effects of the extract. The results demonstrated a significant analgesic effect of the extract, as evidenced by a reduction in pain induced by acetic acid and hot plate tests. Additionally, the extract exhibited anti-inflammatory effects, as indicated by a decrease in carrageenan-induced paw edema and dextran-induced inflammation. To gain insights into the chemical composition of the extract, HPLC analysis was conducted. The analysis successfully identified and quantified 20 compounds, including luteolin, galangin, catechin, thymol, methylated quercetin, quercetin, rutin, acacetin, hesperidin, apigenin, kaempferol, pinocembrin, chrysin, gallic acid, caffeic acid, ascorbic acid, ferulic acid, m-coumaric acid, rosmarinic acid, and trans-cinnamic acid.The findings suggest that <i>Opuntia ficus indica</i> L. extract holds promise as an effective and reasonably priced natural remedy for pain and inflammation in rats and mice model. The comprehensive chemical composition analysis provided valuable insights into the presence of various bioactive compounds, which may contribute to the observed therapeutic effects. Further research and exploration of the extract's mechanisms of action are warranted to fully understand its potential in small animal healthcare.</p>","PeriodicalId":49910,"journal":{"name":"Libyan Journal of Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11018314/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71415028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ghassan M Khairallah, Nisrine N Makarem, Diana V Rahme, Mahmoud A El Jaouni, Dayana Brome
{"title":"The effect of workplace bullying on fatigue in school teachers: the moderating roles of gender and spirituality.","authors":"Ghassan M Khairallah, Nisrine N Makarem, Diana V Rahme, Mahmoud A El Jaouni, Dayana Brome","doi":"10.1080/19932820.2023.2266239","DOIUrl":"10.1080/19932820.2023.2266239","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Workplace bullying is quite prevalent and has been linked to many health complaints. The relationship between workplace bullying and fatigue was documented in previous studies. However, knowledge on how this relationship develops with the interplaying factors of spirituality and gender was not investigated before especially among schoolteachers. The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between workplace bullying and fatigue as moderated by spirituality and gender among schoolteachers in Lebanon. This is a cross-sectional study, where 215 schoolteachers aged 18 till 64 and employed for a minimum of 6 months were recruited through systematic sampling. Six private and six public schools in Beirut participated in the study. Online questionnaires using validated scales were used. Both simple and multiple ordinal logistic regression were performed for the statistical analysis. Results showed that workplace bullying is a predictor of fatigue with an odds ratio of 2.74 and p-value 0.008. Gender was found to be an effect modifier for this relationship, mainly among females (OR 2.66, p-value 0.047) but not among males. Anxiety and depression also predicted higher levels of fatigue (OR 5.75, p-value 0.017). Spirituality did not moderate this relationship.</p>","PeriodicalId":49910,"journal":{"name":"Libyan Journal of Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/30/0e/ZLJM_18_2266239.PMC10586066.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49684261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Donia Elsaid Fathi Zaghamir, Ateya Megahed Ibrahim
{"title":"Efficiency of an intervention study on nursing students' knowledge and practices regarding nutrition and dietary habits.","authors":"Donia Elsaid Fathi Zaghamir, Ateya Megahed Ibrahim","doi":"10.1080/19932820.2023.2281121","DOIUrl":"10.1080/19932820.2023.2281121","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Poor eating habits and hazardous weight-control measures are prevalent among university students. Hence, practical and efficient intervention programs are necessary to enhance nutritional awareness and promote healthy dietary practices encompassing food choices and diet quality. This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of an intervention study on nursing students' knowledge and practices regarding nutrition and dietary habits. A quasi-experimental research design with pre-post phases was used to study 250 nursing students at the College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The sample was non-randomized and taken from March 2023 until the end of May of the same year. The closed-ended questionnaire focused on participant demographics, knowledge, and practices relating to nutrition and eating habits. The survey was divided into three main sections. Technical terms were consistently defined throughout the questionnaire, and the language used was clear and objective. The research adhered to conventional academic structure and formatting, following the guidelines of the relevant style manual. Grammatical correctness and precise word choice were ensured, and filler words were avoided. The participants in the study displayed an increase in knowledge scores from 33.7 ± 4.6 in the pre-test to 52.6 ± 7.2 in the post-test. Moreover, prior to program implementation, their overall nutrition practice scores stood at 64 ± 9.5, but after the program, the score had risen to 107.7 ± 4.22. A significant difference in the total knowledge and practice scores was identified between the pre- and post-test phases, with an a p-value of 0.001. The nursing students' scores for both knowledge and practical application of nutrition and eating habits showed a significant increase following the implementation of the program. Therefore, it is imperative to introduce well-structured training programs on nutrition and promote healthy diet habits for all medical faculties, paramedics, and applied health institutions across Saudi Arabia.</p>","PeriodicalId":49910,"journal":{"name":"Libyan Journal of Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11018315/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136400056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ismail Dergaa, Muneer Abubaker, Amine Souissi, Abdul Rafi Mohammed, Amit Varma, Sarah Musa, Abdullah Al Naama, Bessem Mkaouer, Helmi Ben Saad
{"title":"Age and clinical signs as predictors of COVID-19 symptoms and cycle threshold value.","authors":"Ismail Dergaa, Muneer Abubaker, Amine Souissi, Abdul Rafi Mohammed, Amit Varma, Sarah Musa, Abdullah Al Naama, Bessem Mkaouer, Helmi Ben Saad","doi":"10.1080/19932820.2021.2010337","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19932820.2021.2010337","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Many COVID-19 infected people remain asymptomatic, and hence the diagnosis at first presentation remains a challenge. Assessment at a presentation in primary care settings is usually done by visual triaging and basic clinical examination. This retrospective study involved investigating the medical e-records of COVID-19 positive patients who presented to a COVID-19 centre in Qatar for July 2020. The presence (symptomatic group) or the absence (asymptomatic group) of symptoms along with objective vital examination (<b><i>ie</i></b>; heart-rate (HR), temperature, haemoglobin saturation (SpO<sub>2</sub>)) were analysed and linked to the viral load (<b><i>ie</i></b>; cycle threshold (Ct)) of COVID-19 positive patients. Four hundred eighty-one symptomatic (230 males) and 216 asymptomatic (101 males) patients were included. Compared to the asymptomatic male group, the symptomatic male group was older, had lower Ct value and SpO<sub>2</sub>, and higher temperature and HR. Compared to the females asymptomatic group, the symptomatic females group had lower Ct value, and higher temperature. Compared to the asymptomatic group, the symptomatic group had lower Ct value and SpO<sub>2</sub>, and higher temperature and HR. Compared to the asymptomatic group, the symptomatic group had lower Ct values (age groups [21-30], [31-40], [41-50] and [51-60]), higher temperature (age groups [21-30] and [31-40], Ct ranges [20.01-25.00] and [25.01-30.00]), higher HR (age groups [21-30] and [31-40], Ct range [15.01-20.00]); and lower SpO<sub>2</sub> (age groups [41-50] and [51-60], Ct ranges [15.01-20.00] and [35.01-40.00]). Compared with asymptomatic patients, symptomatic patients with COVID-19 are most likely to be febrile, tachycardic, hypoxic and having higher viral load. Higher viral load was associated with higher HR, higher temperature, lower SpO<sub>2</sub>, but there was no relation between viral load and age.</p>","PeriodicalId":49910,"journal":{"name":"Libyan Journal of Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2022-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/f4/3a/ZLJM_17_2010337.PMC8667934.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39716333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mohamed Azzaza, Ghofrane Ben Mabrouk, Dhekra Chebil, Sarra Nouira, Sarra Melki, Nihel El Haddad, Ahmed Ben Abdelaziz
{"title":"Forty-year Tunisian bibliometrics of general surgery theses in the four national faculties of medicine (1980-2019).","authors":"Mohamed Azzaza, Ghofrane Ben Mabrouk, Dhekra Chebil, Sarra Nouira, Sarra Melki, Nihel El Haddad, Ahmed Ben Abdelaziz","doi":"10.1080/19932820.2021.2009100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19932820.2021.2009100","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The objective of this work was to establish the bibliometric profile of Tunisian theses in 'general surgery' and to describe their themes, their study designs, and their writing quality. This is a retrospective descriptive bibliometric study, covering all the theses in medicine in the specialty of 'general surgery', defended in the four medical faculties of Tunisia, during the forty last years from 1980 to 2019. During the study period, 739 theses in 'general surgery' were discussed in Tunisia, with an average of 19 theses per year. The most studied research topic was emergencies (41%), followed by common surgical pathologies (26%) and digestive oncology (21.5%). Descriptive studies and case studies represented the majority of study designs with respective proportions of 56.9% and 40.6%. Only 20.7% of these theses had a scientific writing quality deemed satisfactory. The least respected elements in writing their summaries were statistical (confidence intervals and standard deviations) and documentary (keywords). Despite the plethora of themes of Tunisian theses in 'general surgery', their basic methodology and their editorial non conformity require the educational reform of the dissertations, both doctoral students and supervisors, by strengthening their skills in research methodology and scientific communication written.</p>","PeriodicalId":49910,"journal":{"name":"Libyan Journal of Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2022-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/99/b1/ZLJM_17_2009100.PMC8676683.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39716730","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Josephat M Chinawa, Awoere T Chinawa, Edmund N Ossai, Chika O Duru
{"title":"Predictors of pulmonary hypertension among children with atrial septal defects (ASD).","authors":"Josephat M Chinawa, Awoere T Chinawa, Edmund N Ossai, Chika O Duru","doi":"10.1080/19932820.2021.2007603","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19932820.2021.2007603","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Atrial septal defect (ASD) is a common congenital heart disease in children that uncommonly presents with pulmonary hypertension. Much is not known about the exact predictor of PAH in children with ASD.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study aimed to determine the predictors of pulmonary hypertension in children with ASD.</p><p><strong>Patients and methods: </strong>This was a descriptive analysis of children with ASD carried out in three different institutions over a five-year period. Data entry and analysis were done using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) statistical software, version 25.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The majority of the participants, 52.2%, had pulmonary hypertension and 62.5% of them occurred as mild pulmonary hypertension. There was a very weak positive correlation between pulmonary hypertension and the size of atrial septal defect, increases in size of atrial septal defect correlate with increases in pulmonary hypertension and this was found not to be statistically significant (n = 67, r = 0.193, p = 0.118). There was a positive correlation between the size of atrial septal defect and the age of participants in months, increases in age correlate with increases in size of atrial septal defect and this was found to be statistically significant (n = 67, r = 0.357, p = 0.003).The highest proportion of respondents who had pulmonary hypertension, 64.7%, was seen among children less than 1 year old while the least proportion, 27.3%, was within 1-5 years, and the difference in proportions was found to be statistically significant (χ<sup>2</sup> = 8.187, p = 0.017).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Pulmonary hypertension in children with ASD occur usually in the mild form. Age is the only strong predictor of PAH in children with isolated ASD.</p>","PeriodicalId":49910,"journal":{"name":"Libyan Journal of Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2022-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/ab/30/ZLJM_17_2007603.PMC8635614.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39739932","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Review of the current use of global lung function initiative norms for spirometry (GLI-2012) and static lung volumes (GLI-2021) in Great Arab Maghreb (GAM) countries and steps required to improve their utilization.","authors":"Helmi Ben Saad","doi":"10.1080/19932820.2022.2031596","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19932820.2022.2031596","url":null,"abstract":"The respiratory functional defects can be evaluated by some tests exploring the ventilatory mechanics, such as spirometry and plethysmography, which determine airflows, dynamic lung volumes, and static lung volumes (SLVs) [1–4] (Figure 1). Indeed, the decrease in some spirometric [e.g.; ratio between the forced expiratory volume in the first second and the forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC)] or SLV [e.g.; total lung capacity (TLC)] parameters allow to diagnose, respectively, obstructive ventilatory (OVD) and restrictive ventilatory (RVD) defects, and to assess their severities [1–4]. Inversely, the increase of other parameters [e.g.; residual volume (RV), functional residual capacity (FRC)] retains the diagnosis of lung-hyperinflation [1–3]. According to some scholarly societies [1–5], the interpretation of the spirometric/SLV parameters requires a series of four steps [6]. The first is a comparison of the parameters measured/calculated with these of reference predicted using norms (i.e.; reference equations) [1,2]. These norms are derived from tests carried out within a representative sample of the general population (i.e.; “healthy/normal’ subjects), having similar anthropometric, ethnic, socio-economic and environmental characteristics as the patient tested [1–3]. According to the American thoracic society (ATS), a ‘healthy’ person is defined as one in whom there is: i) no presence of acute and no past chronic condition of the pulmonary system; ii) no major pulmonary condition in past medical history; iii) no systemic condition which may impact the pulmonary system and general state of well-being; iv) no history of upper respiratory tract infection during three weeks prior to exploration, and v) normal body composition taking into account ethnic group, vi) no more than incidental smoking experience (in children), vii) gestational age at least 37 weeks, and birthweight at least 2.5 kg (in infants), viii) no history of other than transient respiratory problems during the neonatal period (in infants), and ix) lifelong nonsmokers, or no more than incidental smoking experience (in adults) [7]. Some authors have suggested more stringent criteria for defining ‘health’ [8]. In the absence of specific intra-individual norms, the interpretation of spirometric/SLV parameters often encounters difficulties [6]. Indeed, trustworthy interpretation of spirometric/plethysmographic results relies on the availability of appropriate norms to help differentiate between ‘health’ and ‘disease’ and to evaluate the severity and nature of any ventilatory defect [4,5,9]. Among the five countries of the GAM (namely Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Mauritania), only Mauritania has not established any spirometric/SLVs norms. Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, and Morocco has some spirometric and/or SLVs norms [10–21]. The second step is a comparison of the determined parameter’ value with the distinctive thresholds of the main ventilatory defects (VDs) noted during chronic diseas","PeriodicalId":49910,"journal":{"name":"Libyan Journal of Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2022-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/4c/42/ZLJM_17_2031596.PMC8794060.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39860577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sarra Melki, Ghodhbani Mizouni, Dhekra Chebil, Ahmed Ben Abdelaziz
{"title":"Tuberculosis epidemiological trend in Sousse, Tunisia during twenty years (2000-2019).","authors":"Sarra Melki, Ghodhbani Mizouni, Dhekra Chebil, Ahmed Ben Abdelaziz","doi":"10.1080/19932820.2021.2003968","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19932820.2021.2003968","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Describe the epidemiology of tuberculosis in the last two decades (2000-2019) in the East region of Tunisia (city of Sousse). This was a descriptive retrospective analysis of notified incident cases of tuberculosis from 2000 to 2019 in Sousse Governorate, Tunisia. The data collection was done via the regional registry of tuberculosis. Stata software was used to characterize the socio-demographic and clinical profile of tuberculosis, to calculate its incidence, mortality and fatality rates and to determine predictive factors of mortality. R software was used to analyze the chronological trend of tuberculosis incidence and mortality. A total of 2606 incident cases of tuberculosis were declared from 2000 to 2019 in Sousse. The mean age was 39 ± 19 years with a sex ratio (male/female) of 1.19. Only one case was HIV positive among the total 2606 incident cases. Extra-pulmonary tuberculosis was the most recorded (1,534 cases, 58.9%). The mean annual case notification and deaths were 130 and four respectively. After adjusting for confounders, individuals with pulmonary tuberculosis were 1.9 significantly more likely to die from tuberculosis compared to those suffering from extra-pulmonary tuberculosis. There was a trend of increasing mortality with increasing age. The association was statistically significant only for those above 60 years' old who had 12.5 times higher odds of dying compared to those below 60 years. After adjusting for age and gender, with every year there was an increase in the total incidence rate (+0.35 per 100,000) with p = 0.005 and in the extra-pulmonary incidence (+0.27 per 100,000), with p = 0.001. This study demonstrated the increasing trend of tuberculosis in Sousse, Tunisia from 2000 to 2019. The national program against tuberculosis should enhance community knowledge and centralize the national and regional epidemiological information for better epidemiological surveillance.</p>","PeriodicalId":49910,"journal":{"name":"Libyan Journal of Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2022-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/09/f8/ZLJM_17_2003968.PMC8635596.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10324772","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Saad Syed, Mohammed Nagdi Zaki, Jeyaseelan Lakshmanan, Rik Kundra
{"title":"Knee meniscal retears after repair: A systematic review comparing diagnostic imaging modalities.","authors":"Saad Syed, Mohammed Nagdi Zaki, Jeyaseelan Lakshmanan, Rik Kundra","doi":"10.1080/19932820.2022.2030024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19932820.2022.2030024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The meniscus is a relatively avascular fibrocartilaginous structure that provides a key role in shock absorption and load transmission. However, accurate diagnosis of meniscal retear can present a clinical challenge. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review on the available literature, which compare the sensitivities, specificities, and accuracies of different diagnostic modalities of diagnosing knee meniscal retears in patients who have undergone surgical meniscal repair, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Magnetic Resonance Arthrography with intraarticular contrast (direct MRA), and a combination of MRI and direct MRA. Two authors independently searched two databases (PubMed and Scopus) for literature related to knee meniscus retear according to the PRISMA guidelines. Four studies were found, which resulted in 291 patients with 293 menisci. All studies were published in 2008 and 2014. In our analysis, we calculated sensitivity to be 78.79% (95% CI, 64.07-93.51), specificity to be 56.58% (95% CI, 20.21-92.94), and overall accuracy to be 66.25% (95% CI, 54.29-78.22) for MRI and sensitivity to be 87.84% (95% CI, 83.93-91.74), specificity to be 88.68% (95% CI, 81.93-95.43), and overall accuracy to be 87.22% (95% CI, 82.22-91.62) for direct MRA. We recommend the use of direct MRA for the diagnosis of meniscal retears due to its higher sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy as compared to MRI and its reduced cost and invasive nature as compared to second-look arthroscopy. However, our review is limited by the number of studies available on this topic. More studies using study designs such as randomized controlled trials, involving MRI, direct MRA, and combinations of such techniques, should be performed to accurately assess the different techniques and aid in designing guidelines to guide the diagnosis of meniscal retears following meniscal repair.</p>","PeriodicalId":49910,"journal":{"name":"Libyan Journal of Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2022-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/ca/ea/ZLJM_17_2030024.PMC8786236.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39835530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dorra Ben Cherifa, Bochra Nourhene Saguem, Souad Chelbi, Amel Braham, Selma Ben Nasr, Helmi Ben Saad
{"title":"Predictors of assertive behaviors among a sample of first-year Tunisian medical students.","authors":"Dorra Ben Cherifa, Bochra Nourhene Saguem, Souad Chelbi, Amel Braham, Selma Ben Nasr, Helmi Ben Saad","doi":"10.1080/19932820.2022.2095727","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19932820.2022.2095727","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Assertiveness is a constructive interpersonal behavior alternative to manipulation and aggression. Medical students (MSs) have daily interpersonal interactions with colleagues, patients and families. Yet, communication deficiencies due to hesitancy to speak-up assertively lead to adverse patient outcomes. This study aimed to assess levels of assertive behaviors (ABs), and to determine its predictors within a sample of first-year Tunisian MSs. This was a cross-sectional survey including 125 first-year MSs from Tunisia. ABs were measured by the Rathus assertiveness scale. Potential independent predictors of AB were evaluated using the following questionnaires: Rosenberg self-esteem scale, interpersonal communication skills inventory short-form-36quality of life questionnaire, and general health questionnaire. In addition, some MSs' characteristics were considered (<b><i>eg</i></b>; age, sex, living with family, assertiveness training, community work, personal medical field choice, smoking, and alcohol use). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Among the 309 MSs, 125 (40.45%) responded to the survey. AB were found in 36.8% of MSs. Multiple linear regression models revealed that self-esteem global scores, sending clear messages, anxiety/depression and male sex were accountable for 31% in AB scores variance. Targeting self-esteem and interpersonal communication skills (sending clear messages) and identifying subgroups of students with anxiety/depression state would influence ABs.</p>","PeriodicalId":49910,"journal":{"name":"Libyan Journal of Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2022-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/2c/f1/ZLJM_17_2095727.PMC9255220.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40563175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}