Bullying victimization among school- going adolescents in Iraq

Background: Bullying victimization is a major public health problem. Interest in bullying in Arab world is a recent phenomenon. Publication on victimization in Iraq is scares. Therefore this study was conducted to report bullying among students of Iraqi schools. Methods: A total of 302 students from Baghdad was selected by a cluster random sample to include in this study. An Arabic version of standardized questionnaire was obtained from the International (ISPCAN). Identification of bullying (bullies, victims and sexual victims) was done by using a cutoff for the scoring of bullying manifestation in the questionnaire depending on three repeated action at least to consider as bullies. P value less than 0.05 was considered significant for meeting the criteria of bullying. Results: Out of the total 39.1% were bullied pupils (victims) there was a significant association between bullying and victim with sex (P=0.001). Bullying and victimization was significantly associated with smoking, drug abuse, and failure in school (P=0.001 for each). Conclusion: High prevalence of victimization (bully, victims and sexual victim was revealed among students in schools as a predictor for smoking and drug abuse

Self-medication with antibiotics among non-medical university students of Karachi: a cross-sectional study

Background: The prevalence of self -medication with antibiotics is quite high in developing countries as opposed to developed countries. Antibiotics are often taken erroneously for certain ailments, without having the appropriate knowledge of their use. This carries potential risks for the individual as well as the community, in form of several side effects such as antibiotic resistance. Therefore the prevalence of self-medicated antibiotics in developing countries needs to be studied.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at six different non-medical universities of Karachi. 431 students were included in the study. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS version 19.Results: 50.1% students reported having self-medicated themselves in the past 6months and 205 (47.6%) reported self-medication with antibiotics. Amoxicillin was the most self-prescribed antibiotic (41.4%). Awareness of the adverse effects of antibiotics was demonstrated by 77.3% of the students and sleep disturbance was the most commonly known (46.5%) side effect. 63.1% denied having any knowledge about antibiotic resistance and only 19.9% correctly knew that indiscriminate use of antibiotics can lead to increased antibiotic resistance.CONCLUSION: The prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics among the non-medical university students was high despite the awareness of adverse effects. Antibiotic resistance was a relatively unknown terminology

Assessment of sublethal and transgenerational effects of spirotetramat, on population growth of cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae L. (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

The cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae L.) is a devastating pest of cruciferous crops causing economic damage worldwide and notably owing to its increasing resistance to commonly used pesticides. Such resistance prompts the development of integrated pest management (IPM) programs that include novel pesticides being effective against the aphids. Spirotetramat is a novel insecticide used against sap-sucking insect pests, particularly aphids. This study evaluated the toxicity of spirotetramat to adult apterous B. brassicae after 72 h using the leaf dipping method. According to the toxicity bioassay results, the LC50 value of spirotetramat to B. brassicae was 1.304 mgL−1. However, the sublethal concentrations (LC5 and LC15) and transgenerational effects of this novel insecticide on population growth parameters were estimated using the age-stage, two-sex life table theory method. The sublethal concentrations (LC5; 0.125 mgL−1 and LC15; 0.298 mgL−1) of spirotetramat reduced the adult longevity and fecundity of the parent generation (F0). These concentrations prolonged the preadult developmental duration while decreasing preadult survival, adult longevity and reproduction of the F1 generation. The adult pre-reproductive period was also extended by spirotetramat treatment groups. Subsequently, the population growth parameters such as the intrinsic rate of increase r, finite rate of increase λ and net reproductive rate R0 of the F1 generation were decreased in spirotetramat treatment groups whereas, the mean generation time T of the F1 generation was not affected when compared to the control. These results indicated the negative effect of sublethal concentrations of spirotetramat on the performance of B. brassicae by reducing its nymphal survival, extending the duration of some immature stages and suppressing the population growth of B. brassicae. Overall, we demonstrated that spirotetramat is a pesticide showing both sublethal activities, and transgenerational effects on cabbage aphid; it may be useful for implementation in IPM programs against this aphid pest

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

Germanium growth in low dimensions based on relaxed-porous silicon by using a simple way of electrochemical deposition

Porous silicon (PS) technology was used to grow Ge micro-flower on the surface of Si substrates with rough morphology. Low dimensions nanorods were also fabricated directly on the Si substrates through Ge deposition using a simple and low-cost of electrodeposition method for comparison. The characteristics of low dimensions nanorods were investigated for both substrates PS and Si using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), EDX, grazing-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectra measurements of nanostructures grown on both PS and Si substrate. The texture obtained from SEM images showed thatthe nanorods were covered by micro-flowers and highly oriented on the porous silicon substrate. Furthermore, the length of nanorods on porous silicon decreased from 10μm to 200 nm and the diameter from 500-200 nm to100 nm. Ge lattice parameters and crystallite size grown on PS and Si were calculated from X-ray diffractograms. It was found that the Ge structures for PS and Si were polycrystalline with a cubic system, whilst the elastic strain on PS was lower than Si substrate. This indicates that Ge on porous lattice is more relax than on silicon. The Raman spectra showed that Ge structure shifted slightly towards to the upper frequency compared with bulk Ge

Synthesis of Ge nanostructures on Si substrate by a convenient electrochemical technique at room temperature for different durations

The electrochemical deposition technique at room temperature was used to study the synthesis of Ge like-cubic nanorods grown on n-type Si (100) wafer. The effect of deposition time on the morphological, structural and optical properties of nanostructures was investigated. Different Ge morphologies of as-grown on Si were shown by FESEM images. The shape and the dimensions of the structures showed dependence on the deposition time and the film thickness increases with increasing the deposition time. The lattice constants, crystallite size of c-Ge crystal and the strains were calculated. The Raman spectra exhibited slightly downward sift and broader band width in comparison with the bulk-Ge

Ethics teaching in a medical education environment: preferences for diversity of learning and assessment methods

Background: Ethics and professionalism are an integral part of medical school curricula; however, medical students’ views on these topics have not been assessed in many countries. Objective: The study aimed to examine medical students’ perceptions toward ethics and professionalism teaching, and its learning and assessment methods. Design: A self-administered questionnaire eliciting views on professionalism and ethics education was distributed to a total of 128 final-year medical students. Results: A total of 108 students completed the survey, with an 84% response rate. Medical students reported frequently encountering ethical conflicts during training but stated only a moderate level of ethics training at medical school (mean = 5.14 ± 1.8). They noted that their education had helped somewhat to deal with ethical conflicts (mean = 5.39 ± 2.0). Students strongly affirmed the importance of ethics education (mean = 7.63 ± 1.03) and endorsed the value of positive role models (mean = 7.45 ± 1.5) as the preferred learning method. The cohort voiced interest in direct faculty supervision as an approach to assessment of knowledge and skills (mean = 7.62 ± 1.26). Female students perceived greater need for more ethics education compared to males (p = < 0.05). Students who claimed that they had experienced some unprofessional treatment had a more limited view of the importance of ethics as a subject (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Medical students viewed ethics education positively and preferred clinically attuned methods for learning

Informed consent learning: Needs and preferences in medical clerkship environments.

PURPOSE:Limited information exists regarding students' routine educational needs in support of ethics and professionalism practices faced in real clinical practice. As such the authors aimed to explore medical students learning needs and preferences for informed consent and relevant ethical issues in the clerkship environments. MATERIALS AND METHODS:A cross-sectional study using a self-administered, printed survey distributed to final year clinical clerks. RESULTS:84% completed the survey. Students indicated the need for more attention to all topics related to informed consent (mean = 7.1 on a scale of 0 to 9; ±1.2). Most additional instructional attention was requested for topics raised in discussions with patients concerning the risks, benefits and alternatives to recommended treatments (7.3 ±1.4). The cohort expressed the need for education in the care of vulnerable patients (7.2 ±1.2) with a maximum score for the care of abused children. Women perceived greater need for education concerning informed consent than male respondents (p>0.05). There were significant differences between students who scored high or low on the item "being treated in professional manner" and "endorsement of educational needs for care of adolescents" (p = 0.05). CONCLUSION:There was heightened perception among final year medical students of the need for greater attention to be paid to informed consent education

Comprehensive review of data exchange in vehicle-to-pedestrian communications: State of the art

Pedestrian safety is a serious problem in transportation systems because pedestrian and vehicle crashes often result in fatalities amongst vulnerable road users. A vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication system allows data exchange between pedestrians and vehicles to prevent or minimise potential dangers of accidents from happening. This work aimed to analyse and review the previous work associated with information exchange in the V2P communication system and classify the existing technology utilized for this purpose. Motivation, accessible problems confronting researchers, and suggestions posed to researchers to develop this critical area of study have been among the reasons considered to enhance awareness of the field's numerous qualitative facets in reported investigations and properties. All of the papers have been divided into four categories: growth, analysis, and survey, FRAMEWORK, and data exchange in the V2P communication system. V2P communication is an area that necessitates automated solutions, instruments, and techniques that allow pedestrian detection and prediction. Pedestrian identification and data sharing on V2P have been the subject of several experiments in order to support pedestrian protection techniques. The reasons, open barriers that hinder the technology's usefulness, and authors' suggestions have been used to identify the essential characteristics of this evolving sector. This study is intended to provide researchers with new resources and enable them to focus on the holes that have been found