Medical Students’ Attitudes and Influential Factors Towards Conducting Medical Research

Background: Medical research is becoming an essential part of medical students’ curricula in several medical colleges around Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to assess medical students' attitudes towards conducting medical research and identify their motives.   Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted between December 2021 and April 2022 and used the Student Attitude Towards Research (SAR) scale and the students’ perceived influential factors toward participating in research activities questionnaire. A 5-Likert scale was used to assess the level of students’ agreement from ‘strongly disagree=1’, ‘disagree=2’, ‘neutral=3’, ‘agree=4’, to ‘strongly agree=5’. Demographic information such as gender, year of study, and previously published research was collected. The survey was distributed among medical students in the college of medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) in Jeddah and Riyadh campuses, Saudi Arabia. The chi-square test was used to compare categorical values and report any differences. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.   Results: A total of 500 responses were collected from the students (67.2% males and 32.8% females). Most students agreed with the following statements ‘Research is important for identifying and investigating problems in a subject matter’ (N=399, 79.8%) and ‘I am much interested in participating in research activities at the undergraduate level’ (N=318, 63.6%). There was a significant difference among students in responses to following statement: ‘I am always getting the chance to discuss about the scientific/academic research in my class) (P=0.022). Female students agreed more than male students that ‘faculty have adequate skills to handle research methodology’ (3.93±1.01 vs. 3.7±1.06, P=0.014). Furthermore, a significant difference was found in the following statement: ‘faculty members use research findings as a part of their teaching material’ (P <.001). The students agreed that their college has adequate infrastructure to organize research programs (N=321, 64.2%, P=0.005). The top four influential factors towards conducting medical research were ‘to facilitate entry into competitive residency programs’ (4.248) followed by ‘having an interest in specific research field or medical topic’ (4.226) and ‘to improve curriculum vitae (CV)’ (4.202) then ‘it is a necessary competency for future clinical work’ (4.164). A 5-Likert scale was used to calculate the average of the students’ responses where 5 indicates ‘strongly agree’ and 1 indicate ‘strongly disagree’.   Conclusion: The students showed a positive attitude towards conducting medical research at the undergraduate level. The influential factors highlighted how students conduct research to advance their careers and explore their interest in a specific field or medical topic. This study is important for decision-makers, residency program directors, and research center directors to reconsider published research & research activities as a prerequisite for acceptance into competitive programs. Future studies ought to investigate if medical students pursue research activities after college, their attitudes, and influential factors as well as to investigate the research skills they have and how they acquired them

Medical Students’ Attitudes and Influential Factors Towards Conducting Medical Research

Background: Medical research has become an essential part of medical students’ curricula at several medical colleges in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to assess medical students' attitudes and identify factors influencing their willingness to conduct medical research. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2021 and April 2022 using the students' attitudes towards research and the students’ perceived influential factors toward participating in research activities questionnaires. A 5-Likert scale to calculate the average of the students’ responses, where 5 indicated ‘strongly agree’ and 1 indicated ‘strongly disagree’.  The survey was distributed to medical students at the College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Saudi Arabia. Results: A total of 500 responses were collected from the students (67.2% male and 32.8% female). Most students agreed with the following statement: ‘Research is important for identifying and investigating problems in a subject matter’ (N=399, 79.8%). More than half of the students agreed with the following statement: ‘I am very interested in participating in research activities at the undergraduate level’ (N=318, 63.6%). The top three influential factors for conducting medical research were ‘to facilitate entry into competitive residency programs’, followed by ‘interest in specific research fields or medical topics’ and ‘to improve curriculum vitae (CV).’ Conclusion: The majority of the surveyed students showed a positive attitude towards conducting medical research in King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia. Most students conduct research to gain a competitive edge and explore specialties of interest

Community pharmacists’ perspectives on cardiovascular disease pharmaceutical care in the United Arab Emirates: a questionnaire survey-based analysis

Background: Community pharmacists play an intermediary role between prescribing physicians and patients in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and thus are responsible for ensuring that patients receive optimal cardiovascular disease (CVD) pharmaceutical care.Methods: we used a cross-sectional design to assess the perceptions and practices of community pharmacists concerning pharmaceutical care for patients with CVD. A trained researcher visited randomly selected community pharmacies and used a structured questionnaire to conduct in-person interviews with pharmacists. The questionnaire collected demographic data and information on perceptions and practices regarding CVD pharmaceutical care.Results: Five hundred and fifty-one participants were recruited. The average participant age (mean ± SD) was 35 ± 2.7 years. The average perception score regarding CVD prevention and management was 75.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 77.1%–74.2%), and the average practice score for CVD prevention and management was 87.1% (95% CI 76.5%–79.6%). Bivariate analysis revealed that gender (p = 0.001), education level (p < 0.001), pharmacy position (p = 0.004), work experience (p < 0.001), number of patients served per day (p < 0.001) and being trained on CVD prevention and management (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with perceptions about the prevention and management of CVD. Better practice scores were seen among older participants (OR 1.01; 95% CI 1–1.019), postgraduates (OR 1.77; 95% CI 1.66–1.89), workers at chain pharmacies (OR 1.24; 95% CI 1.11–1.39), pharmacists in charge (OR 1.22; 95% CI 1.01–1.47), pharmacists with >10 years of experience (OR 11.3; 95% CI 6.01–15.62), pharmacists with 6–10 years of experience (OR 4.42; 95% CI 3.90–5) and pharmacists trained on CVD prevention and management (OR 1.29; 95% CI 1.15–1.46).Conclusion: Pharmacy practitioners working in community pharmacies in the UAE actively engage in delivering pharmaceutical care to patients, playing a role in CVD management and prevention. However, they showed low levels of involvement in other healthcare services, specifically in screening and measuring patients’ weight, glucose levels, and blood pressure, monitoring treatment responses, maintaining medical records, and reviewing medication refill histories. Activities such as educating patients, providing medication counseling, offering support for treatment adherence, and fostering collaborative relationships with other healthcare providers should be encouraged among UAE community pharmacists to ensure the provision of high-quality patient care

Effects of amoxicillin and Augmentin on cystine-glutamate exchanger and glutamate transporter 1 isoforms as well as ethanol intake in alcohol-preferring rats

Alcohol dependence is associated with alteration of glutamate transport and glutamate neurotransmission. Glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1) is a major transporter that regulates the majority of extracellular glutamate concentration, which is also regulated by cystine-glutamate exchanger (xCT). Importantly, we recently reported that amoxicillin and Augmentin (amoxicillin/clavulanate) upreglulated GLT-1 expression in nucleus accumbens (NAc) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) as well as reduced ethanol consumption in male P rats. In this study, we examined the effects of amoxicillin and Augmentin on GLT-1 isoforms (GLT-1a and GLT-1b), xCT and glutamate/aspartate transporter (GLAST) expression in NAc and PFC as well as ethanol intake in male P rats. We found that both compounds significantly reduced ethanol intake, and increased GLT-1a, GLT-1b and xCT expression in NAc. However, only Augmentin increased GLT-1a, GLT-1b and xCT expression in PFC. There were no effects of these compounds on GLAST expression in NAc and PFC. These findings demonstrated that Augmentin and amoxicillin have the potential to upregulate GLT-1 isoforms and xCT expression, and consequently attenuate ethanol dependence

Melatonin attenuates morphine‐induced conditioned place preference in Wistar rats

Abstract Purpose Morphine is the predominantly used drug for postoperative and cancer pain management. However, the abuse potential of morphine is the primary disadvantage of using opioids in pain management. Melatonin is a neurohormone synthesized in the pineal gland and is involved in circadian rhythms in mammals, as well as other physiological functions. Melatonin provenly attenuates alcohol‐seeking and relapse behaviors in rats. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the involvement of the melatonergic system in attenuating morphine dependence. Materials and methods Male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: control, morphine, and morphine + melatonin. Animals were habituated for 3 days, and the initial preference was evaluated. Following the initial preference, the control group received the vehicle and was placed for a 45‐min session in the assigned chamber every day, alternating between the two chambers, for 8 days. The morphine group received a morphine injection (5 mg/kg, IP) and was placed for a 45‐min session in the white chamber, for a total of four sessions. The morphine + melatonin group received the morphine injection (5 mg/kg, IP) for a total of four sessions over an 8‐day period. In the posttest session, the control and morphine groups received a vehicle injection 30 min before placement in the conditioned place preference (CPP). The morphine + melatonin group received a single injection of melatonin (50 mg/kg, IP) 30 min before the preference test. Results Statistical analysis revealed that repeated administration of morphine for four sessions produced a significant increase in the CPP score in the morphine group compared to the control group. However, a single melatonin injection administered 30 min before the posttest attenuated morphine‐seeking behavior and reduced morphine‐induced place preference. Conclusion These findings provide novel evidence for the role of the melatonergic system as a potential target in modulating morphine‐seeking behavior

Table1_Factors influencing the mental health of caregivers of children with cerebral palsy.docx

ObjectivesCaregivers of children with cerebral palsy have a huge burden which might affect their mental health. This study aimed to determine the different factors affecting the mental health of caregivers of children with cerebral palsy and to raise awareness among healthcare providers.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among caregivers of children with cerebral palsy in National Guard Health Affairs-Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, which is a validated questionnaire that assesses: depression, anxiety, and stress. This questionnaire was used to assess the mental health of the caregivers. In addition, factors that reflected the child's health condition, such as visual impairment, number of emergency department visits, and number of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit admissions were also reported to investigate the impact on the caregiver's mental health.ResultsThe study sample consisted of 40 caregivers, of which 72.5% were mothers. According to the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 score, 12.5% (n = 5) of the caregivers had moderate depression scores, 10% (n = 4) revealed extremely severe depression, and 10% (n = 4) showed moderate anxiety. Furthermore, 12.5% (n = 5), 15% (n = 6), and 7.5% (n = 3) of the caregivers have scored as moderate, severe, and extremely severe stress levels, respectively. Caregivers’ depression, anxiety, and stress scores were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) associated with the impact of vision of their dependent children, frequent hospital admissions, and frequent emergency department visits. Increased Pediatric Intensive Care Unit admissions in the past year were also significantly associated with higher caregiver anxiety scores.ConclusionTo the best of our knowledge, the dimension of caregivers’ stress and anxiety and their association with the children's dependency level is not well documented in our region. Caregivers of children with cerebral palsy reported having mental health challenges associated with the children's visual impairment, frequent need for acute medical care, and hospital admissions. Healthcare workers should provide early and proactive planning of medical and social support for children with cerebral palsy and their families using a family-centered approach.</p

Altered Pharmacokinetics Parameters of Vancomycin in Patients with Hematological Malignancy with Febrile Neutropenia, a Bayesian Software Estimation

The pharmacokinetics of vancomycin vary significantly between specific groups of patients, such as critically ill patients and patients with hematological malignancy (HM) with febrile neutropenia (FN). Recent evidence suggests that the use of the usual standard dose of antibiotics in patients with FN may not offer adequate exposure due to pharmacokinetic variability (PK). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assess the effect of FN on AUC0–24 as a key parameter for vancomycin monitoring, as well as to determine which vancomycin PK parameters are affected by the presence of FN using Bayesian software PrecisePK in HM with FN. This study was carried out in King Abdulaziz Medical City. All adult patients who were admitted to the Princess Norah Oncology Center PNOC between 1 January and 2017 and 31 December 2020, hospitalized and received vancomycin with a steady-state trough concentration measured before the fourth dose, were included. During the trial period, 297 patients received vancomycin during their stay at the oncology center, 217 of them meeting the inclusion criteria. Pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated for the neutropenic and non-FN patients using the precise PK Bayesian platform. The result showed that there was a significant difference (p van, the volume of distribution at a steady-state Vdss, the volume of distribution for peripheral compartment Vdp, half-life for the elimination phase t½β, and the first-order rate constant for the elimination process β in FN compared to non-FN patients. Furthermore, AUC0–24 was lower for FN patients compared to non-FN patients, p 0–24, which may require specific consideration during the treatment initiation