Stress among medical Saudi students at College of Medicine, King Faisal University.

BACKGROUND: Sources of student stress can be academic pressures, social or personal issues and medical students have to face the challenge of rigorous curriculum and also have to learn how to deal with emotionally difficult experiences. AIM OF WORK: Determination of the prevalence of stress and to identify the risk factors of stress among Saudi medical students at Faculty of Medicine, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A survey study design was conducted among medical students at Faculty of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Ahsaa Governorate, Eastern Province from February-May, 2013. Both male and female students were invited to participate in our study. The total number of students was 650 Saudi medical students, out of them 244 medical students were participated in the current study. All participants were provided a self administered questionnaire. A likert scale with 3 points for responses was used. Questionnaires were given to participants 2 month before end-semester examinations, to minimize the extra stress symptoms A score of stress was calculated. RESULTS: Prevalence of stress was 53% among Saudi students. Gender has no role in stress among medical students (p > 0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed the most important risk factors of stress, having places for recreation at the University showed a relationship with stress among medical students with a p value = 0.000, there is a statistically significant relationship between stress and having optimal place for studying outside the university p = 0.001, while, comparing number of sleeping hours with stress, we could not find a statistically significant relationship among medical students, p = 0.744. Medical students who had close friends to share with them their stresses and concerns showed a highly statistically significant relationship between stressed and unstressed students p = 0.001. CONCLUSION: Medical students reported high levels of stress. The most frequently occurring stressors among the students were related to academic and psychosocial domains. The associations between stressed cases and gender, occurrence of academic and psychosocial stressors need to be further tested by prospective studies.

Concerns, perceived impacts and preparedness of health care workers in a referral hospital in Egypt in facing influenza (H1N1) epidemic.

OBJECTIVE: In Egypt, influenza A (H1N1) cases have been detected and deaths have been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate concerns, perceived impacts and preparedness of Physicians and Nurses of Chest Specialty Hospital in Cairo (Egypt) concerning Influenza A (H1N1). METHODS: A questionnaire was applied to a total of 72 Physicians and 41 Nurses from Chest Specialty Hospital in Cairo (Egypt). RESULTS: More than half of physicians (55.6%) were men, while most of nurses (92.7%) were women. The mean age in years of physicians was 36.6 +/- 11.3 compared to 26.5 +/- 8 in nurses. Physicians feel that they are at greater risk by their job to the pandemic 100% compared to 87.6% among nurses and the difference is highly significant. More than one third of the studied physicians reported that they are not ready to face H1N1 pandemic. Residents feel less ready to face the danger of lnfluenza A(H1N1) compared with Consultants and Specialists/Assistant Specialists, with no statistical significant difference. In concordance, Residents reported less Personal Protective Equipment training compared with Consultants and Specialists/Assistant Specialists, with no statistical significant difference. All Consultants received Seasonal Influenza Vaccine compared with Specialists/Assistant Specialists (68.2%) and Residents (44.7%). CONCLUSION: Higher work related and non work related stress was found among physicians compared to nurses, which reflects the demand of more information and training courses for physicians about the pandemic nature and its consequences, complications, and methods infection prevention.

Prevalence and risk factors for hearing disorders in secondary school students in Ismailia, Egypt.

This study estimated the prevalence of hearing disorders and associated risk factors in a 10% sample of all secondary-school students in Ismailia city, Egypt. All participants were given a questionnaire and Weber and Rinne tests for hearing disabilities. Among 2633 students, the prevalence of hearing loss was 22.2%, mostly sensorineural hearing loss. More students at technical schools had mixed sensorineural and conductive hearing loss (46.2%) than students at general (28.6%) or commercial (25.3%) schools. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the number of attacks of otitis media, history of ear disease treatment, history of admission to fever hospital and history of ear surgery as independent risk factors for sensorineural hearing loss.

Prevalence and risk factors for hearing disorders in secondary school students in Ismailia, Egypt

This study estimated the prevalence of hearing disorders and associated risk factors in a 10% sample of all secondary-school students in Ismailia city, Egypt. All participants were given a questionnaire and Weber and Rinne tests for hearing disabilities. Among 2633 students, the prevalence of hearing loss was 22.2%, mostly sensorineural hearing loss. More students at technical schools had mixed sensorineural and conductive hearing loss [46.2%] than students at general [28.6%] or commercial [25.3%] schools. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the number of attacks of otitis media, history of ear disease treatment, history of admission to fever hospital and history of ear surgery as independent risk factors for sensorineural hearing loss

PAH-DNA adducts in a petrol refinery in Egypt.

Epidemiological surveys in occupationally exposed populations postulate that long-term exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is carcinogenic. We studied the ability of PAHs to induce the formation of adducts in the DNA of white blood cells of petrol refinery workers exposed at the workplace. Our study included a random sample of 56 workers exposed to PAHs and 37 non-exposed workers. In the univariate analysis, the DNA adduct level of PAH-exposed workers (42.22 +/- 45.11) was significantly increased (P < 0.05) compared with that in the non-exposed group (20.90 +/- 22.56). However, we could not identify either current smoking or absence of glutathione S-transferase class Mu as possible risk factors for DNA adducts. Linear regression analysis identified degree of exposure to PAHs as the only DNA adducts risk factor. Further research with a larger sample size is under investigation to identify the DNA adduct levels and relationship between the different types of PAHs.