Pharmacy and medical students' attitudes and perspectives on social media usage and e-professionalism in United Arab Emirates.

BACKGROUND: It is imperative to establish how students view and present themselves on social media and to assess level of awareness regarding the implications of their social media presence, e-professionalism, and accountability. The study objectives were to: 1) Determine the social media usage levels among medical and pharmacy students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE); 2) Characterize the students' views and perceptions, including their awareness of e-professionalism; and 3) Compare the responses in behavior between the two groups. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was performed on 575 undergraduate students from two study disciplines, pharmacy (n = 325) and medicine (n = 250). Minor revisions were made to previously validated assessment tools and pilot tested. The study sample included students from five different universities across the country. RESULTS: In comparison to medical students, pharmacy students were observed to use social media more for learning purposes (χ2 = 6.8, P < .05). However, medical students' opinions reflected more strongly on the context of accountability and e-professionalism (χ2 = 15.8, P < .05). A considerable proportion (89%) of students felt it was discriminatory for prospective employers to use their social media profile information for investigative purposes while hiring. One-third of respondents reported sharing information that they would not want their employers to view, and 67.1% reported the same for information relevant to patients. CONCLUSION: The research findings converge to address the need for educators and administrators in the UAE to develop guidelines concerning its safe use and proactively integrate e-professionalism into their respective curriculum.

Sleeping beauty syndrome presenting with insomnia.

A young man previously diagnosed with Kleine-Levin syndrome (KLS) presented with abnormal behaviour over the last 8 days. This included decreased sleeping hours and appetite, hypersexuality, aggressiveness and visual hallucinations. All blood tests and investigations in the emergency department yielded normal results. A preliminary diagnosis of a KLS episode with psychosis was made and the patient was started on a regimen of aripiprazole 10 mg once daily along with lorazepam 2 mg intravenously in two divided doses in the event of agitation or insomnia. On discharge 5 days later, the patient had returned to his premorbid level of functioning and was willing to follow up in the neurology clinic. He was discharged on aripiprazole 10 mg once daily and lorazepam 2 mg two times daily as needed for 2 weeks to help with his agitation and insomnia, as well as lithium carbonate 400 mg at night.

Pneumonia and bacteraemia caused by Gemella morbillorum in a previously healthy infant: first reported case in literature.

A 5-month-old baby presented with a low-grade fever and tachypnoea and was found to have right upper lobe consolidation on chest radiograph. He was admitted with the diagnosis of bronchopneumonia and the treatment protocol for pneumonia was initiated. Blood culture samples were collected, and he was started on a course of intravenous amoxicillin-clavulanate. Blood culture results displayed pansensitive Gemella morbillorum bacteraemia and he was continued on intravenous antibiotic to which he responded in a short period and was discharged in good condition on the fourth day.

A 'medical' diagnosis in the trauma clinic.

A previously healthy 27-year-old Nepalese man presented with a history of direct low-impact direct trauma to the left leg. An x-ray was performed in a private hospital and he was referred to our emergency department for the management of a possible foreign body in the left leg. X-ray of the left leg showed a single, small, 'cigar-shaped' calcified lesion in the posterior aspect of the left leg. There was an inconsistency between the injury and x-ray finding. As the patient originated from a region endemic in Taenia solium, a clinical suspicion for cysticercosis was raised. The patient was then sent for a skeletal survey which subsequently confirmed our diagnosis.

Transient cortical blindness as a manifestation of solitary cysticercus granuloma.

Neurocysticercosis is recognised as a significant cause of neurological morbidity in endemic regions. The wide range of pleomorphic and non-specific neurological manifestations of neurocysticercosis must be kept in mind by physicians, as the disease has shown resurgence in developed countries. When an atypical presentation of an unusual tropical disease occurs in non-endemic regions, the diagnosis is often missed. We describe a case of a 4-year-old girl who presented with a history of transient bilateral loss of vision with headache and vomiting. Brain MRI revealed the presence of a single cysticercus granuloma in the occipital lobe. A diagnosis of symptomatic occipital lobe seizure secondary to neurocysticercosis was made. She was given a course of albendazole. There was no recurrence of symptoms at 3 years follow-up. Occipital seizures that are associated with ictal amaurosis closely mimic basilar migraine. Such cases benefit from neuroimaging in order to rule out the underlying structural causes.

Investigate the Role of Glutathione S Transferase (GST) Polymorphism in Development of Hypertension in UAE Population.

BACKGROUND: GST is a family of enzymes that are important in protection of the body against oxidative stress. OBJECTIVES: Investigate the association between GSTT1 and GSTM1 polymorphism and hypertension. MATERIALS AND METHODS: GSTT1 and GSTM1 genotypes were detected by PCR. The fragments were then analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: There is no significant association between GSTT1 & GSTM1 polymorphism and hypertension (OR = 2.4, P > 0.05 and OR = 1.6, P > 0.05) CONCLUSIONS: GSTT1 & GSTM1 polymorphism can be considered a risk factor for hypertension.