Knowledge, attitude, and practice among medical students in gaza strip towards voluntary blood donation: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: A major component of emergency medical care is blood. The Gaza Strip has faced repeated wars over the last few years, emphasizing the importance of blood donation even more. This study aims to assess medical students' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding voluntary blood donation in Gaza (VBD). METHODS: This cross-sectional study used stratified sampling method to survey medical students at Gaza's two medical schools, Al-Azhar and Islamic Universities, between March and April 2022. A 35-item self-administered questionnaire with four sections: demographics, knowledge, attitude, and practice, was used. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 25. RESULTS: A total of 329 students were surveyed (response rate of 89.6%). The median age was 20 (IQR = 3). Males made up 44.7% of the sample. Overall, 54.7% were found to have good knowledge about VBD, 68.1% did not know the time-to-wait between each whole blood donation, and in terms of blood donation criteria, only 30.7%, 25.2% were aware of the appropriate age and weight for donating. Moreover, school was the source of most information (66.6%). Meanwhile, 73.3% of participants expressed a positive attitude toward VBD. Only (17,6%) did not show a willingness to donate blood regardless of their relationship with the recipient. The vast majority (83.3%) had never donated blood before, and 12.5% had no plans to do so in the future. The two most common reasons for this were the lack of opportunity and health issues (31.0%, 11.9%, respectively). CONCLUSION: The sampled medical students had a positive attitude toward VBD, but there were deficiencies in their knowledge of blood donation criteria, and most had not donated blood. Adequate awareness campaigns are required to increase awareness about this universally and locally important subject.

Redefining cerebellar assessment: A comprehensive review of the cerebellum's cognitive and affective roles and the efficacy of CCAS scales.

Background: Emerging research expands our understanding of the cerebellum beyond motor control to include cognitive, emotional, and autonomic functions. This review examines the cerebellum's complex role, spotlighting Schmahmann's syndrome, or cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome (CCAS), which impairs executive functions, language, and spatial processing. It emphasizes advancements in diagnosing CCAS and the imperative of developing superior diagnostic tools for managing cerebellar pathologies effectively. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed using databases such as PubMed, OVID Embase, and OVID Medline. Using the keywords "cerebellar cognitive, affective syndrome" and "Schmahmann syndrome," the search was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines for systemic review, in which the selection process narrowed down an initial set of 54 articles to 12, focusing on the impact of the CCAS scale on diagnosing and understanding Schmahmann's syndrome. Results: The review's analysis confirms the cerebellum's roles in motor and cognitive functions and underscores the CCAS scale as a significant advancement in detecting cerebellar deficits, surpassing traditional assessments such as the mini-mental state examination and Montreal cognitive assessment. Conclusion: This review emphasizes the importance of understanding the cerebellum's involvement in cognition and emotion and the crucial role of the CCAS scale for identifying cerebellar impairments. It calls for better diagnostic tools to assess CCAS accurately and suggests enhancing the CCAS Scale to reflect cultural and educational diversity. This will improve the diagnosis and treatment of cerebellar disorders, promoting a comprehensive neurological perspective on the cerebellum's functions.

Neuromodulation and the Gut-Brain Axis: Therapeutic Mechanisms and Implications for Gastrointestinal and Neurological Disorders.

The gut-brain axis (GBA) represents a complex, bidirectional communication network that intricately connects the gastrointestinal tract with the central nervous system (CNS). Understanding and intervening in this axis opens a pathway for therapeutic advancements for neurological and gastrointestinal diseases where the GBA has been proposed to play a role in the pathophysiology. In light of this, the current review assesses the effectiveness of neuromodulation techniques in treating neurological and gastrointestinal disorders by modulating the GBA, involving key elements such as gut microbiota, neurotrophic factors, and proinflammatory cytokines. Through a comprehensive literature review encompassing PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library, this research highlights the role played by the GBA in neurological and gastrointestinal diseases, in addition to the impact of neuromodulation on the management of these conditions which include both gastrointestinal (irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)) and neurological disorders (Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and neuropsychiatric disorders). Despite existing challenges, the ability of neuromodulation to adjust disrupted neural pathways, alleviate pain, and mitigate inflammation is significant in improving the quality of life for patients, thereby offering exciting prospects for future advancements in patient care.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Among Palestinian Healthcare Workers in the Gaza Strip Towards Hepatitis B: Cross-sectional survey.

Objectives: Healthcare workers are at high risk of contracting hepatitis B virus (HBV). This survey aimed to identify the gaps and strengths in the knowledge, attitudes and practices of healthcare workers towards HBV to drive appropriate health interventions. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between March and April 2022. A convenience sample of three at-risk healthcare professions from the major health facilities in Gaza was surveyed. A 40-item self-administered questionnaire was used. Statistical data analysis was conducted using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25 to obtain descriptive and inferential statistics via various nonparametric, correlation and regression tests (with P <0.05). Results: A total of 447 healthcare workers participated in the study. Overall, 105 of the participants (23.5%) demonstrated poor knowledge (below 14/20 points) of HBV, 284 (63.5%) had moderate knowledge (14-17 points) and 58 (13%) showed good knowledge. The majority (n = 367, 82.1%) expressed an excellent attitude. Finally, 287 (64.2%) demonstrated a good level of practice regarding HBV infection. A history of needlestick injury was reported by 233 (52.1%) participants, 170 (73.3%) of whom reported taking appropriate preventive actions after exposure. Conclusion: The majority of the participants demonstrated overall good knowledge regarding HBV infection. Nonetheless, significant gaps remain in the different aspects of the knowledge, attitude and practice construct that require appropriate awareness campaigns to further limit the spread of this preventable viral infection.