Curriculum Development of the Faculties of the Health and Agricultural Sectors University of Gezira 15.12.2011 to 15.6.2012

The University of Gezira adopts nobel goals, community orientation and community development- and it set curricula capable of achieving those goals which are essential for sustainability of its excellence. Periodic development, upgrading and modernization of curricula is a fundamental requirement for all universities; knowledge is growing and changing very fast, also there are rapid changes in community needs and expectations and hence  graduates should be equipped with competencies which enable them to contribute significantly and efficiently in the total development of their societies. The University has a wealth of experience in development of its curricula since its foundation and hence it included it as one of the main four components of the University Development Project. The project is sponsored by the Islamic Bank for Development-Jeddah and the Ministry of Finance Sudan and has been launched in December 2011. The Project aimed to develop the Faculties of agricultural and health sectors- curricula, manpower and infrastructure. Those sectors were chosen to be sectors of excellence for students in the Islamic countries. The Vice Chancellor of the University of Gezira formed a committee to manage the whole task of development of all the curricula of the faculties in the health and agricultural sectors; Medicine, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Animal Production, Veterinary Medicine, Applied Medical Sciences, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Health and Environmental Sciences, Agricultural Sciences. The committee set the justifications, determined its strategies and designed the process of its work. The whole task was accomplished in the stipulated time - 4 months

Critical questions in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: Integrating emerging clinical evidence and guideline recommendations

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) typically confers a poor prognosis, however, novel advances in treatment options, as well as biomarkers for monitoring disease response and progression, have recently helped improve survival rates. Additionally, new guidelines provide some direction on incorporating these new treatments but some confusion still exists among clinicians about best methods for initiating treatment and the optimal sequencing of agents to prolong survival. In this article, we review the literature and answer some frequently asked questions about treating men with metastatic CRPC, including choosing a first-line treatment, monitoring treatment response, and proceeding to additional lines of therapy.</p

EPIC: phase III trial of cetuximab plus irinotecan after fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin failure in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

International audiencePURPOSE: To determine whether adding cetuximab to irinotecan prolongs survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) previously treated with fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This multicenter, open-label, phase III study randomly assigned 1,298 patients with epidermal growth factor receptor-expressing mCRC who had experienced first-line fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin treatment failure to cetuximab (400 mg/m(2) day 1 followed by 250 mg/m(2) weekly) plus irinotecan (350 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks) or irinotecan alone. Primary end point was overall survival (OS); secondary end points included progression-free survival (PFS), response rate (RR), and quality of life (QOL). RESULTS: Median OS was comparable between treatments: 10.7 months (95% CI, 9.6 to 11.3) with cetuximab/irinotecan and 10.0 months (95% CI, 9.1 to 11.3) with irinotecan alone (hazard ratio [HR], 0.975; 95% CI, 0.854 to 1.114; P = .71). This lack of difference may have been due to post-trial therapy: 46.9% of patients assigned to irinotecan eventually received cetuximab (87.2% of those who did, received it with irinotecan). Cetuximab added to irinotecan significantly improved PFS (median, 4.0 v 2.6 months; HR, 0.692; 95% CI, 0.617 to 0.776;

A multinational cross-sectional study on the awareness and concerns of healthcare providers toward monkeypox and the promotion of the monkeypox vaccination

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to explore potential healthcare workers' (HCWs) concerns about the monkeypox virus in order to create practical solutions to manage this disease.MethodsOnline cross-sectional research was conducted in 11 Arabic countries (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Iraq, Palestine, Jordan, and Sudan) from 2 August 2022 to 28 December 2022.ResultsApproximately 82% of respondents felt the need to acquire further information. The acceptability of the vaccine against monkeypox has been indicated by more than half of the participants (54.5%). Furthermore, we state that 45% of the participants are knowledgeable about the monkeypox virus, and 53.1% of the participants have never been affected with COVID-19 before are more worried about COVID-19 than about monkeypox. Participants diagnosed with COVID-19 were 0.63 times less likely to worry about monkeypox than those who were not diagnosed with COVID-19. A greater willingness to get the monkeypox vaccination was seen among the age group 21–30 years (42.4%) compared to the other age groups.ConclusionMost healthcare professionals have a moderate knowledge of the monkeypox virus. Furthermore, they demonstrated a low willingness to get the vaccination against the monkeypox virus