Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Breast Cancer Screening and Mammograms Among Women Aged 40 Years and Older in the United Arab Emirates.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the knowledge and attitude regarding breast cancer screening and mammograms among 40 years and older females in the United Arab Emirates. METHODS:  A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted on women faculty, staff, and female patients attending our hospital. The inclusion criteria were women ≥ 40 years old who agreed to participate. The exclusion criteria were women < 40 and those ≥ 40 years who refused to participate. A signed informed consent was taken. A p-value of < 0.5 was considered significant. RESULTS:  Among the 460 women enrolled, 420 completed the survey (response rate 91%). The mean age was 48.4 ± 8.2 years. A total of 63.4% of the participants were < 50 years of age. A total of 53.3% were never screened before. About 98% believed that screening is beneficial in early detection. Social media (52.2%) and health professionals (46%) played a vital role in creating awareness. The majority of women were aware of self-breast examinations (73.3%), followed by mammography (68.6%). About 84% and 68.3%, of the participants had incorrect knowledge of the timing and frequency of mammograms, respectively. Only 16.3% of the participants were recommended by their physician, while the rest (83.7%) performed screening based on their awareness. No significant association was found between nutritional status (p=0.252), age at first pregnancy (p=0.409), or having children (p= 0.377) with mammogram uptake. There was a significant association between the perceived benefit of screening and mammogram uptake (p=0.033). There was a positive association between radiation therapy to the chest area and mammogram uptake (p<0.024). A statistically significant association was found between the correct timing of mammograms with family history of cancer (p = 0.037) and previous exposure to radiation therapy to the chest (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: There is a need to increase knowledge and awareness regarding breast cancer screening and mammograms among women in UAE. Specifically, breast self-examination should be encouraged and recommended.

Respiratory perspective of COVID-19 in pregnancy.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was declared a global pandemic in March 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO). By February 2022, the disease had infected more than 500 million people globally. COVID-19 frequently manifests as pneumonia and mortality is mainly caused by acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Previous studies have reported that pregnant women are at a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and complications can happen due to alterations in the immune response, respiratory physiology, hypercoagulable state, and placental pathology. Clinicians face the challenge of selecting the proper treatment for pregnant patients with different physiological characteristics compared with the non-pregnant population. Furthermore, drug safety for both the patient and the fetus should also be considered. Efforts to prevent COVID-19, including prioritizing vaccination for pregnant women, are essential to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission in the pregnant population. This review aims to summarize the current literature regarding the effect of COVID-19 in pregnant women, its clinical manifestations, treatment, complications, and prevention.

Brief psychotic disorder in COVID-19 patient with no history of mental illness.

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 pandemic affects mental health globally. Reports showed the increase of mental illness as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the correlation between the COVID-19 and mental illness is not fully understood yet. METHODOLOGY: We reported a brief psychotic disorder in a COVID-19 patient with no history of mental illness who was hospitalized in Persahabatan Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia. RESULTS: Psychotic symptoms appeared five days after COVID-19 onset and laboratory tests showed elevated levels of d-dimer and fibrinogen. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated levels of d-dimer and fibrinogen suggest an ongoing COVID-19-associated coagulopathy that might cause a microdamage in the central nervous system. It might contribute to the manifestation of psychotic symptoms. The correlation between brief psychotic disorder and COVID-19 requires further investigation.