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Upon faculty request, information literacy instruction was fully integrated into an English for Academic Purposes course for non-native English speaking students pursuing a medical degree at a U.S. institution in the Gulf State of Qatar. Adopting the flipped classroom modality, librarians designed modules to meet the students' information literacy needs while adapting the content to the course syllabus. Content was uploaded to the learning management system, Canvas. Readings, online tutorials, quizzes and assignments were created to achieve the outcomes of each session. Completion of information literacy modules is factored in the overall grades of students in the English for Academic Purposes course. This paper will outline the design, implementation, and assessment of information literacy sessions and will highlight the importance of collaboration between faculty and librarians to set a common ground and reach expected outcomes. It will also share the students' perceptions of the effectiveness of integrating information literacy in an English for Academic Purposes course.

BackgroundOne in 10 adults suffer from type 2 diabetes (T2D). The role of the gut microbiome, its homeostasis, and dysbiosis has been investigated with success in the pathogenesis as well as treatment of T2D. There is an increasing volume of literature reporting interventions of pro-, pre-, and synbiotics on T2D patients.MethodsStudies investigating the effect of pro-, pre-, and synbiotics on biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in T2D populations were extracted from databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane from inception to January 2022.ResultsFrom an initial screening of 5,984 hits, 47 clinical studies were included. Both statistically significant and non-significant results have been compiled, analyzed, and discussed. We have found various promising pro-, pre-, and synbiotic formulations. Of these, multistrain/multispecies probiotics are found to be more effective than monostrain interventions. Additionally, our findings show resistant dextrin to be the most promising prebiotic, followed closely by inulin and oligosaccharides. Finally, we report that synbiotics have shown excellent effect on markers of oxidative stress and antioxidant enzymes. We further discuss the role of metabolites in the resulting effects in biomarkers and ultimately pathogenesis of T2D, bring attention toward the ability of such nutraceuticals to have significant role in COVID-19 therapy, and finally discuss few ongoing clinical trials and prospects.ConclusionCurrent literature of pro-, pre- and synbiotic administration for T2D therapy is promising and shows many significant results with respect to most markers of inflammation and oxidative stress.

This study describes the implementation of information literacy (IL) skills through the use of the project-based learning (PjBL) method in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course. Participants were Arabic speaking students enrolled in the Foundation Program that prepared them for the pre-medical curriculum in a U.S. medical college in the State of Qatar. A mixed methods approach consisting of a survey, three focus groups, and instructors' observations was used to gather the needed data. The results showed a significant increase in students' advanced research skills. This study emphasizes the benefit of using the PjBL method to develop students' IL skills. It also reinforces the vital role of faculty-librarian partnership in designing learning activities that engage students, foster their critical thinking, and develop their metacognitive skills.

The present document presents 13 commentaries that address the broad topic of the special issue-Technology and educational 'pivoting' in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic-and, in some cases, specific articles from the issue itself. Since the launch