The objective of this study was to assess the impact of social media integration in teaching methods on exam outcomes. Methods: This study was conducted at Poonch Medical College, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan from November 2018 to January 2019. All 125 students of 4th year MBBS were included in the study. The mean age of all respondents was 22.96 ± 3.25 years. One unit of special pathology was taught using traditional teaching methods and a second unit was taught using traditional teaching methods supplemented by social media. One exam was taken before the integration of social media and a second exam after its integration. Written informed consent was secured from all the participants before starting the project. Results: The mean difference in examination score after social media integration was 8.97 ± 5.23 which was statistically significant (95% CI −7.954-9.988, p <0.001). However, classroom attendance was significantly higher before social media integration (95% CI 0.668-0.197, p <0.001). Social media integration provided better examination outcomes for the students and gave voice or space to those who never previously asked questions or participated in the class. Conclusion: Social media broke down the barriers and students communicated with confidence. Educationists may work together to create a guideline on how social media can be efficiently incorporated in the education system.
To determine the frequency and determinants of dental caries among children with special health care needs in the special needs schools of Karachi, Pakistan METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 196 children (aged 6-18 years) attending the public and private sector special-needs schools of Karachi, Pakistan. Children with mental and/or physical disability were included in the study. Prevalence of dental caries determined oral examination using the Decayed Missing Filled Teeth and Decayed Filled Teeth (DMFT/dft) index. Parental education level, oral health knowledge and household level socioeconomic status were measured through a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 20. RESULTS: The overall frequency of dental caries was 58.2% with 70.3% and 55.3% prevalence in the public and private special needs schools. The mean DMFT/dft value was 1.85±2.28. The Down syndrome group had the highest mean (DMFT/dft=2.45±2.65), followed by the group including vision impairment, autistic and cerebral palsy children. (DMFT/dft=2.05±2.51), Intellectual disability (DMFT/dft=1.70±2.01) and the deaf or hard of hearing group (DMFT/dft =1.49±2.27). Caries status was not significantly associated with gender (p=.518), socioeconomic status (p=.067), father education (p=.158) and mother education (p=.758). CONCLUSION: The frequency of dental caries was high among children with disabilities in the Karachi district of Pakistan. The most important factor in improving the oral health status of these children is the awareness of their families by continuous community oriented medical and dental education programs.
IntroductionRegulatory compliance in the retail environment is integral to the success of tobacco control. We assessed compliance among naswar (smokeless tobacco product widely used in South Asia) vendors with tobacco control laws. We also assessed their awareness of tobacco-related harms and policies and perceived effect of policies on their sales.MethodsWe surveyed 286 naswar vendors in three districts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. We recruited general and specialty vendors from urban and rural areas through multistage cluster sampling. Compliance was measured for promotion, sale to/by minors and tax paid on naswar. We used logistic regression analyses for assessing the association between the outcome variables (awareness of tobacco harms and laws, perceptions about the effect of policies on business and compliance with laws) and their predictors.ResultsMost vendors (70%) were aware of tobacco-related harms of naswar. Although educated vendors were more aware of tobacco control policies, the greatest awareness was for a ban on sales to/by minors (21% overall). The majority of vendors (76%) violated this policy (measured by self-report), and violations were more common among rural than urban vendors (OR 2.27, 95% CI 1.05 to 4.96). Most vendors (71%) violated a ban on promotion of naswar. Vendors perceived tax increases and sales ban to/by minors as most detrimental for business.ConclusionsThere was poor awareness and compliance among naswar vendors in Pakistan with tobacco control laws. This study finds potential areas for policy interventions that can reduce urban/rural disparities in implementation of and compliance with tobacco control laws.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection continues to be a major global challenge. All patients with pulmonary tuberculosis are treated with a standard 6-month treatment regimen. Historical data suggest that even with shortened treatment, most patients achieve long-term remission. Risk stratification is a goal for reducing potentially toxic prolonged treatment. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with the early clearance of sputum acid-fast bacilli (AFB). A total of 297 freshly diagnosed patients with pulmonary tuberculosis were included and enrolled in this study. Information related to their ethno-demographic and anthropometric characteristics was collected. We also assessed their complete blood counts, and blood iron, folate, and vitamin B12 levels. We found that the presence of higher levels of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) in diagnostic sputum microscopy was the single most significant prognostic factor associated with early clearance of sputum AFB after 2 months of treatment. All of our patients achieved treatment success after 6 months of treatment and were disease free. Our results support the data obtained from previous studies indicating that AFB clearance at 2 months is unlikely to be a clinically useful biomarker or indicator for therapeutic stratification. Furthermore, demographic, anthropometric, and nutritional factors are not clinically useful biomarkers.
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