Objectives Team-based learning (TBL) represents a new and interesting educational strategy. It helps to enhance students' professional competencies and ideally works to prepare them in their pursuit of lifelong learning. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of TBL as an educational strategy on medical students' performance in a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted through a self-designed questionnaire. It was constructed to examine several aspects of TBL, including cognition, social skills, high school educational system, and personal development. A total of 112 students were invited to participate in the study and 100 completed the survey. Individual-readiness assurance test (IRAT) and group-readiness assurance test (GRAT) scores were collected and the data were analysed and compared to the results of the final assessment using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Results A total of 52 students (52%) described TBL as fostering a cooperative learning environment and 64 students (64%) found the materials to be easier to understand when discussed among themselves as a group. Compared to final examination results, there was a significant correlation ( p = 0.0001) between IRAT performance and final exam score. In addition, there was a significant correlation between high school education system and IRAT score, where the best performance was observed among students coming from schools using the British curriculum. Conclusions The overall perception and attitude of students toward the TBL system was positive and promising. Nevertheless, there are some notes and areas of concern that must be re-examined and remedied to improve TBL as an educational tool.

Background: Health authorities in United Arab Emirates passed a law giving all the mothers the right to breastfeed their children even during the working hours. The objective of this study is designed to explore the degree of awareness among mothers in childbearing period on breastfeeding importance and practices.Methods: A cross sectional explorative questionnaire-based survey included 400 mothers from multi health centres in 3 emirates of United Arab Emirates as follows: Abu Dhabi 100 samples, Dubai 100 samples and Sharjah 200 samples, who were in their childbearing period and had a minimum of one child during the study period between July 2016 and November 2016.Results: Total 54.5% of mothers were above 30 years of age. 48% were local and 52% were non-local. 80% were familiar with the advantages of breastfeeding. 84.8% believed that exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months is important and 41% had breastfed their children exclusively. 76% had the skin-to-skin contact with their baby and 43.5% had started breastfeeding within the first hour after birth, of them, 10% had delivered by caesarean section.  82% were roaming in with their baby during hospital stay and 81% had practiced demand breastfeeding. 89.9% of mothers had received the support they needed for breastfeeding from hospital staff. 56% had not used pacifier during the hospital stay and 56% had used bottle-feeding. 55% of mothers were employed, 72% of them had the intention to continue exclusive breastfeeding for a minimum of 6-month period.Conclusions: Attitude and awareness on breastfeeding are encouraging. Educational efforts, workshops and public awareness should be enhanced and maximized.

Background: This study looks at weight perception among parents and health care providers in Sharjah, UAE. Methods: This study was done through reviewing 1000 patients files who visited the paediatric OPD in university hospital Sharjah (UHS) during 2015. The files were reviewed for the cause of the visit, the diagnosis of weight status and weight counselling. Results: 18% of study patients were either overweight or obese. In children with abnormal weight status, the cause of the visits was weight related in 3.3% of patients, while it was due to weight unrelated causes in 96.7%. Weight counselling in obese individuals were reported in 35.5% of obese patients. While in overweight group, weight counselling was found in 5% of the patients and in patients with normal BMI, counselling was done in 0.2% of patients. Conclusions: This study shows clear defects in weight awareness and perception in parents and health care providers. Most parents are either not aware about the weight status of their kids or they don't consider overweight or obesity as medical issues that require medical advice. The very low percentage of specific weight counselling shows weight counselling is not practiced if these patients are evaluated for other complaints. Weight misperception among parents and health care providers can be genuine barriers for prevention of childhood obesity.

Background: This research looks at weight bias among healthcare providers for children in UAE.Methods: This study was done through self-administered questionnaire. Our targets were health care providers for children working in both governmental and private hospitals in UAE. 198 participants were enrolled in the study after exclusion of invalid questionnaires.Results: While 15.4% of healthcare professions in our study acknowledged practice of weight bias during care of obese children, 52.5% denied and 32.1% are not sure about it. 149 participants (76%) believed that failure of obesity management in children is attributed to their weak willpower and poor commitment. Compared with normal children, overweight/obese children are considered less complaint by 59% of our participants, less active by 78.2%, less willpower by 59.5%, less confident by 73.2% and less intelligent by 17.7%. Finally, 10% of our participants consider treatment of overweight/obesity is a waste of time.Conclusions: This study shows significant weight bias among healthcare profession which can occur unintentionally. Weight bias among health care providers affects the quality of medical care of obese children. Education, training and increasing awareness of weight bias among health care providers in UAE is an initial and essential step to decrease the risk of weight bias which is a significant barrier in management of childhood obesity.

We have reported a rare case of DVT in a 25-year-old patient with a known case of Protein S deficiency with INR within therapeutic index. He was seen in the ED and transferred to the Medical ward after diagnosis in the ED using doppler US. The patient was successfully treated with heparin and warfarin with a higher than usual optimal INR. This case adds to the growing evidence that PS deficiency is one of the rare causes of DVT, and also raises awareness that thrombosis can still occur in the current optimal INR for such patients. This case report necessitates the revision of what should be the optimal INR for patients with Protein S deficiency who develop thrombosis in the current optimal INR.