Type of High Secondary School (Governmental Vs Private) and Type of High Secondary School Certificate (Sudanese Vs Arabian): Do They Affect Learning Style?

Background: People differ in the way they perceive, process, store, and recall what they are attempting to learn. This study aimed to assess the learning styles among preclinical 1st year medical students and the influence of the type of high secondary school (governmental vs. private) and type of high secondary school certificate (Sudanese vs. Arabian) on learning style.Materials and Methods: A cross sectional institutional-based study was conducted at Al Neelain University, Khartoum State, Sudan. First year students of Medicine, Dentistry and Physiotherapy Faculties were enrolled. The VARK (Visual, Auditory, Read and write, and Kinesthetic) learning style hard copy questionnaire, © Copyright Version 7.8 (2014) held by VARK Learn Limited, Christchurch, New Zealand was administered following permission. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.Results: Out of 320 students, 198 correctly completed VARK questionnaires, with mean age of 17.88 years (SD 1.52) and 74.2% were female students. About 59.6% were from governmental schools and 79.4% of the studied students had Sudanese High Secondary Certificates. About 64.1% demonstrated singular mode preference. Inferential statistics showed statistically significant difference between the learning styles and the type of secondary school whether governmental or private (P-value 0.005) while no statistically significant difference in relation to the type of high school certificate of the studied group (P-value 0.225).Conclusion: The type of secondary school whether governmental or private may affect learning style of medical students while student's gender, type of college, or type of high school certificate (whether Sudanese or Arabian) do not. More andlarger studies are encouraged.Key word: Learning modalities, VARK questionnaire, Unimodal preference, Medicaleducation, Sudan

Urinary iodine level assessment during third trimester in a sample of Egyptian pregnant women and its relation to thyroid function

Background: Inadequate intakes of iodine during pregnancy may cause thyroid dysfunctions that adversely affect pregnancy outcomes. Aim of the work was to evaluate the urinary iodine level as a marker of iodine status in a sample of Egyptian pregnant women during 3rd trimester and assess its relation to thyroid functions.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 pregnant females at their 3rd trimester aged (18-35) years. They were divided according to their urinary iodine concentration into 3 groups; Group (I): Pregnant females with deficient iodine (<150 μg/l), Group (II): Pregnant females with adequate iodine (150-249) μg/l, Group (III): pregnant females including who have above requirements (250-499 μg/l), and excessive (≥500 μg/l). TSH, free t4, free t3, Anti-Thyroglobulin (TgAb) and anti-thyroid perioxidase (TPOAb), medium urinary Iodine concentration (UIC) by ELISA and neck U/S were performed to all participants.Results: 18% of the pregnant women in our study had iodine deficiency during 3rd trimester (UIC<150 ug/l) whereas 55% of pregnant women had excess iodine level, and adequate iodine level was observed in 27%.  Serum TSH was significantly higher in group I with deficient iodine level (p value<0.01). All pregnant women included at group I were suffering from subclinical hypothyroidism. Serum TSH and thyroid volume were inversely correlated with urinary iodine among pregnant females at 3rd trimester (p value<0.01).Conclusions: Serum TSH and thyroid volume were inversely correlated with urinary iodine level among pregnant females at 3rd trimester

Three-Dimensional Power Doppler Evaluation of Adnexal Masses. Which Parameter Performs Best?

Objective:To evaluate the role of 3D power Doppler in assessment of adnexal masses vascularity, its ability to discriminate benign from malignant adnexal masses. Then, to determine which one of the 3D power Doppler parameters has the highest reliability for detection of adnexal malignancy.Materials and Methods:A cross sectional prospective study was conducted on patients scheduled for surgery due to presence of adnexal masses at Woman’s Health Center, Assiut University, Egypt between October 2012 and October 2013. All patients were evaluated by 3-DPD ultrasound for assessement of tumor vascularization with calculation of vascular indices using Virtual organ computer-aided analysis program. A definitive histopathological diagnosis was obtained in every case to be used as a gold standard.Results:One hundred sixty-one patients were recruited, 115 with benign masses, 46 with malignant masses. The mean vascularization index (16.36 versus 10.98; p<0.05), and the mean vascularization-flow index (3.91 versus 2.13; p<0.01) were significantly higher in malignant tumors. No significant difference was found in the mean flow index. Chaotic architecture of vessels was significantly associated with malignancy (80.4% versus 6.1%; p<0.001) than benign possibility of masses. Also, complex branching pattern of vessels was more significantly present in malignant masses than benign ones (47.8% versus 4.3%; p<0.001). 3D power Doppler had a sensitivity of 80%, specificity of 94%, PPV of 84% and NPV of 92% in detection of malignant adnexal masses.Conclusion:Careful evaluation of the architectiure of vessels was the best parameter in evaluation of the masses with 3D power Doppler. Evaluation of branching pattern had a low sensitivity and specificity in detection of malignancy. In spite of no clear cut-off values for vascular indices to be accurate in differentiation of adnexal masses, higher values of vascularization index and vascularization-flow index were strongly associated with adnexal malignancy

Evaluation of adnexal masses by Three-Dimensional ultrasound multi-slice view: Do we really need it?

Objective:The purpose of this study is to evaluate the benefit of use of three-dimensional ultrasound multi-slice view in detailed assessment of adnexal masses morphology. Methods:Two-hundred thirty one patients with adnexal masses elected for surgery at Woman’s Health Center, Assiut, Egypt between October 2012 and October 2013 were recruited for the study. Each patient had 2D ultrasound and detailed morphological evaluation was reported. Then, 3D ultrasound volumes were obtained. The stored 3D volumes were then digitally analyzed using 3D ultrasound multi-slice view. The results of 2D, 3D ultrasound multi-slice were compared to the postoperative histopathological findings.Results:The mean age of included patients was 30.2 ± 12.7 years. Overall, 189 patients (81.8%) confirmed to have benign masses, and 42 patients (18.2%) with malignant masses according to their final histopathological analysis. Subjective assessment by 2D ultrasound correctly classified 95.6% of benign masses and 87% of malignant masses. On detailed assessment of the masses by 3D ultrasound multi-slice view, there was agreement in morphological assessment of all masses except in 3 cases in which 3D ultrasound multi-slice view permitted better description of their morphological criteria and hence changing the presumed diagnosis and management.Conclusions: The ability of detailed analysis of the volumes taken during 3D ultrasound using multi-slice view can aid in better morphological assessment of adnexal masses especially in detection of papillary projections in adnexal cysts. This information is valuable in deciding the optimal management of adnexal masses in some cases

Effect of Low Level Laser Therapy on Gingival Inflammation in Patients undergoing Fixed Orthodontic Treatment: A Randomized Clinical Trial

AIM: The aim of this study was to compare the effect of low level laser therapy (LLLT) with non-LLLT as an adjunct to mechanical debridement in patients who develop gingival inflammation during fixed orthodontic treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty subjects undergoing comprehensive fixed orthodontic treatment were randomly allocated. Split mouth design was applied for each patient, where the four quadrants were randomly allocated to receive full mouth debridement. The test group (quadrant) received three laser sessions (days 1, 3, and 5) besides debridement while the control group (quadrant) received debridement only. Both bleeding index (BI) and plaque index (PI) were measured after 1 and 3 months, while the total colony forming units (CFU) were measured after 2 and 6 weeks. RESULTS: Clinical assessments (BI and PI) showed a statistically significant decrease at the first follow-up (after 1 month) and a slight increase in the second (after 3 months) that did not reach the base line. While, the total CFU showed a significant decrease in both follow-ups. CONCLUSION: Laser showed superior results in the treatment of gingival inflammation induced by fixed orthodontic appliances other than debridement only

2-Phenyl­anilinium dihydrogen phosphate

In the crystal structure of the title compound, C12H12N+·H2PO4 −, the dihydrogen phosphate anions and the 2-phenyl­anilinium cations are associated via O—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds so as to build inorganic layers around the x = 1/2 plane. The organic entities are anchored between these layers through C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional infinite network. The dihedral angle between the aromatic rings is 44.7 (4)°

Parasitic Contamination of Commonly Consumed Fresh Leafy Vegetables in Benha, Egypt

This study evaluated the degree of parasitic contamination of vegetables which are commercialized and consumed fresh in Benha, Egypt. It included 530 vegetables: lettuce, watercress, parsley, green onion, and leek. Vegetables were collected randomly from markets within Benha. Samples were washed in saline, and the resulting washing solution was filtered and centrifuged to concentrate the parasitic stages. Sediments and supernatants were examined by iodine and modified Ziehl-Neelsen stained smears. Intestinal parasites were detected in 157/530 (29.6%) samples. Giardia lamblia cysts were the most prevalent parasite (8.8%) followed by Entamoeba spp. cysts (6.8%), Enterobius vermicularis eggs (4.9%), various helminth larvae (3.6%), Hymenolepis nana eggs (2.8%), Hymenolepis diminuta eggs (2.1%), and Ascaris lumbricoides eggs (0.6%). The highest contaminated vegetable was lettuce (45.5%) followed by watercress (41.3%), parsley (34.3%), green onion (16.5%), and leek (10.7%). These results indicate a significant seasonal variation ( &lt; 0.05), with highest prevalence in summer (49%) and the lowest in winter (10.8%). These findings provide evidence for the high risk of acquiring parasitic infection from the consumption of raw vegetables in Benha, Egypt. Effective measures are necessary to reduce parasitic contamination of vegetables

Improving the mechanical behavior of pervious concrete using polypropylene and waste rope fibers

Urbanization has led to the damage of infrastructure due to floods and water accumulation on roads and sidewalks. To address this problem, pervious concrete was designed to drain water smoothly. However, pervious concrete has certain drawbacks, such as brittleness and poor tensile strength. To overcome these shortcomings, it is reinforced with fiber. Polypropylene fibers are commonly used for this purpose. On the other hand, managing waste plastic is a major problem as it has a significant environmental impact and requires large areas for landfills. Waste rope fibers (WRF) are among these wastes. There have been very limited investigations on the use of WRF in pervious concrete. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of polypropylene (PP) fibers and waste rope fibers (WRF) on the mechanical and structural properties of pervious concrete. PP and WRF fibers were added in proportions of 0.25%, 0.5%, and 0.75% by volume of concrete. A range of tests (compressive strength, tensile strength, density, permeability, load-deflection behavior, and ductility) were conducted to evaluate the resulting concrete. The results indicated that although the permeability was decreased by adding fibers, the fibers significantly improved the mechanical and structural properties of pervious concrete. The highest values for compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and ultimate load were 83.4%, 72.4%, and 89.62% for PP fibers-based mixtures, while they were 49.9%, 41.9%, and 102.83% for mixtures made with WRF at an addition rate of 0.5% for both types of fibers. The results also demonstrated that the existence of fibers improved the ductility of the concrete, which means that WRF can be used successfully in producing eco-friendly pervious concrete with better performance than the control specimen.</jats:p

Fabrication of Tm2O3/Al2O3-silica preform by improved MCVD-chelate delivery system

The fabrication of Tm/Al-doped silica preforms by an improved MCVD method with metal chelate precursors is discussed. Two fabrication techniques are employed, namely; simultaneous soot-dopant deposition (or standard MCVD) and stepwise soot-dopant deposition. The preforms are characterized by refractive index profiler and EPMA. The results show that the stepwise soot-dopant technique has a higher incorporation of Al2O3 and Tm2O3 as compared to the simultaneous soot-dopant method. This is due to the drawbacks of our chelate delivery system such as the temperature gradient and flow design. For the stepwise technique, the measured index difference of the preform is 0.006 with 0.8 wt% (maximum) Tm incorporated in the core