Aim Voluntary dehydration, or lack of fluid intake despite water availability, is common in otherwise healthy children, and can lead to adverse effects. Most dehydration biomarkers are impractical for routine assessment in paediatric populations. This study aimed to assess two non‐invasive hydration assessment tools, urine specific gravity (USG) and a novel point‐of‐care (POC) salivary osmolarity (SOSM) sensor, in healthy children. Methods Volunteers were tested by colorimetric USG and a handheld SOSM system. Observed values were compared against previous studies to determine hydration status, as was the concordance between parameters. Results At the common USG threshold of 1.020, 42.4% of the 139 healthy children were dehydrated. The same prevalence was found using the 70‐mOSM cut‐off value. Comparative analysis of SOSM at varying USG thresholds demonstrated significantly higher SOSM in dehydrated children with a USG ≥ 1.030 (P = 0.002). Conclusion At the USG threshold of 1.020 and SOSM threshold of 70 mOSM, 42.4% of healthy children were found to be voluntarily dehydrated. Significantly higher SOSM was observed in dehydrated children (USG ≥ 1.030). As the first study on the utility of POC SOSM measurements for detecting dehydration, these results provide a foundation for future POC characterisation of SOSM in other populations and clinical contexts.

The COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on the education process in higher education institutions. The medical faculty is forced to adapt by implementing distance learning. The entire face-to-face learning is replaced with virtual meetings to prevent transmission of the COVID-19 virus. Problem-based learning (PBL) is carried out online. This study aimed to analyse students' performance during an online PBL in terms of their content knowledge about the modules. The study was conducted in the 2019/2020 academic year with 92 respondents enrolled in the Neuropsychiatry course. The students’ performance was measured by direct observation using a rubric filled out by the tutor during the session. Content knowledge about the module was measured by test, before and after the PBL. A cross-sectional study design was used in this study. The results showed a statistically significant increased score between pre and post-test (with p-value < 0.000, Wilcoxon signed-rank test) with an overall better performance of the students during the online PBL. Students showed good participation and communication skills, even though the discussions were done synchronously via teleconferencing. They had the ability to apply and link concepts to problems and draw valid conclusions. As a conclusion, there was a weak association between students’ performance and their knowledge of the module contents shown by the increasing score in the test. The limitations or obstacles during online PBL can be overcome with better preparation from the students with sufficient digital literacy, self-regulation, and adequate internet network support.

Hypercoagulation in the alveoli of the lungs is one of the causes of death in SARS-CoV2 virus infection. Hypercoagulation is defined by an elevation in D-Dimer, which typically rises on the fifth day of therapy. This parameter is not available in all hospitals and is still relatively expensive in preventing premature death. Platelets count and indices are suggested to describe the thromboinflammatory condition in COVID-19 patients. This research is an observational analytic study with a cross-sectional study design in 59 COVID-19 patients treated at Hassanuddin University Hospital. The patients who are declared COVID-19 based on the results of radiological examinations and PCR swabs underwent routine blood tests and D-Dimer before undergoing therapy. Data were analyzed using the Spearmen test in SPSS version 26 to reveal the correlation between platelet count, platelet indices, and D Dimer in COVID-19 patients with severe and non-severe conditions.  Platelet count, platelet indices, especially MPV, and D-Dimer values were found to correlate in both groups COVID-19 using the Spearman rho correlation test (p 0.000) with strengths correlation between -44.6 and 60.5. There was a significant association between platelet count and MPV value with D-Dimer in COVID-19 patients.