There is a strong and increased worldwide interest on the aspects of prevention of oral disease and oral health promotion in dental education. However, some studies imply that dental students are not knowledgeable enough in this issue. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of, attitude towards and practice on preventive dentistry among senior dental students in Yemen. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed among senior dental students in six dental schools in Yemen. The questionnaire obtained personal information, and questions about knowledge on preventive dental care, attitudes towards and practice on preventive dentistry. Among 346 students who filled the questionnaire, a total of 91.6% has good knowledge about fissure sealant effectiveness, only 34.7% knows about the importance of fluoride toothpaste compared to brushing technique in preventing caries, with significant gender difference (p=0.005). Odds of good knowledge among non-Qat chewers was 1.9 (95%CI: 1.26-4.42). Multivariable regression analysis indicated that female gender was associated with higher positive attitudes (OR: 2.03, 95%CI:1.21-3.36,p=0.007). Attitudes were significantly associated with Qat chewing (OR = 1.95, 95%CI: 1.04-3.66, p=0.03), type of university (OR = 0.59, 95%CI: 0.36-0.94, p=0.02), and mothers' level of education (OR = 1.91, 95%CI: 1.05-3.47, p=0.03). There was a high percentage of competency in practicing preventive measures among students (80.9%). Dental education should emphasize the overall aspects of preventive dentistry with early exposure of preventive dental training in order to improve students' knowledge and attitudes and consequently practice on preventive care.​

It is possible that different techniques used to measure axial length (AL) and anterior chamber depth (ACD) is the cause of discrepancy in refractive outcomes of cataract surgery. This study evaluated the agreement and repeatability of AL and ACD measurements using immersion and contact A-scan biometry techniques and compared the refractive outcomes from both techniques. Twenty four patients were evaluated for agreement and repeatability of AL and ACD measurements using the two different methods. The results were analyzed using Bland and Altman plots. Another 60 patients with age-related cataract were selected to compare the refractive outcomes between both methods. The IOL power was calculated using Sanders- Retzlaff- Kraff- Theoretical (SRK-T) equation. Refraction was determined between four to six weeks postoperatively and the results were analyzed using paired t-test. The results of this study showed good agreement between both techniques was noted with no significant difference detected between measurements (p > 0.05). Significant correlation was found in all parameters (AL: r = 0.99; p < 0.01, r = 0.99; p < 0.01) ACD: r = 0.91; p < 0.01, r = 0.97; p < 0.01). No significant difference in refractive outcomes of post cataract surgery was detected between the two techniques (p = 0.07). This study concludes that contact A-scan biometry and immersion techniques provide reliable results and should not be the cause of discrepancy in the refractive planned and outcome of cataract surgery.

Introduction: The ever-increasing technological advances of Western medicine have created new ethical issues awaiting answers and response. The use of genetic therapy, organ transplant, milk-banking, end-of-life care and euthanasia are of paramount importance to the medical students and need to be addressed. Methods: A series of searches were conducted of Medline databases published in English between January 2000 and January 2017 with the following keywords: medical ethics, syllabus, Islam, jurisprudence. Results: Islamic medical jurisprudence is gaining more attention in some medical schools. However, there is still lack of an organised syllabus in many medical colleges. Conclusion: The outlines of a syllabus in Islamic medical jurisprudence including Islamic values and moral principles related to both the practice and research of medicine are explored.
Students, Medical ; Schools, Medical ; Jurisprudence

Objective: To investigate the antimicrobial activity of volatile constituents of fruit peels of Citrus reticulata Blanco on clinically isolated pathogenic microorganisms. Methods: Extraction of volatile oil was carried out by Clevenger’s apparatus. Volatile chemical components were measured by GC-MS. Antimicrobial activity was carried by Agar well diffusion assay with reference to standard fluconazole and tetracycline. Results: The chemical composition of volatile oil of the fruit peels of Citrus reticulata Blanco (Rutaceae) of Delhi Region was composed mainly monoterpenes (99.1 %) constituting l-limonene (92.4 %), γ-terpene (2.6 %) andβ-phellandrene (1.8 %). The volatile oil showed antibacterial and antifungal activities against the clinically isolated pathogenic microbial strains Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans under in vitro condition. Conclusions: The potential antimicrobial activity of volatile oil present in fruit peels of C. reticulata can be useful for treatment of skin disorder and/or in aroma. Therapy, it can be incorporated into cosmetic formulations.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and severity of dental erosion in 12-15-year-old schoolchildren and to compare prevalence between public and private school boys. This cross-sectional study was carried out on 1000, 12-15-year-old school boys in Abha, Saudi Arabia. Dental erosion index proposed by O‘Sullivan was used for the four maxillary incisors. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, location, distribution, and extension of affected area and severity of dental erosion. The prevalence of dental erosion was 25.60% with no significant difference between private and public school students. Matt appearance of the enamel was the most prevalent type of dental erosion (63.63%). In most of the involved cases, more than half of their surfaces were diagnosed as affected by erosion (78.49%). Labial surfaces were the most affected (80.90%), while incisal surfaces were least affected (0.22%). Thus it can be concluded that dental erosion among Saudi school boys is becoming a significant problem, hence it is essential to provide adequate preventive care, and healthier dietary habits campaign for Saudi children.

The purpose of the study was to determine the level of knowledge and beliefs about female breast cancer among male students. A cross-sectional study involving 460 male students of a private university selected by convenient sampling was conducted using self-administered questionnaires that consists of socio-demographic details as well as knowledge and beliefs about female breast cancer. The prevalence of good knowledge was only 45.2%, there was a significant association between level of knowledge and age, course of study (p=0.02 and < 0.001, respectively). The prevalence of poor belief was 72.6% and the main source of information was the media (84.1 %). There was no significant association between beliefs about female breast cancer and family income, mother’s education and race. However, there was a significant association between beliefs about female breast cancer and age, course of study and father’s education. As a conclusion, the knowledge and beliefs about female breast cancer among the male students was very poor. More education and awareness need to be emphasized; especially the media was the most common source of information in our study.

Objective:The antimicrobial activity of the ethanol extract of the Auklandia (Saussurea lappa) root plant was investigated to verify its medicinal use in the treatment of microbial infections. Methods:The antimicrobial activity of the ethanol extract was tested against clinical isolates of some multidrug-resistant bacteria using the agar well diffusion method. Commercial antibiotics were used as positive reference standards to determine the sensitivity of the clinical isolates. Results:The extracts showed significant inhibitory activity against clinical isolates of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactemase, Acinetobacter baumannii. The minimum inhibitory concentration values obtained using the agar dilution test ranged from 2.0 μg/μL-12.0 μg/μL. In the contrary the water extract showed no activity at all against the tested isolates. Furthermore, the results obtained by examining anti-resistant activity of the plant ethanolic extract showed that at higher concentration of the plant extract (12 μg) all tested bacteria isolates were inhibited with variable inhibition zones similar to those obtained when we applied lower extract concentration using the well diffusion assay. Conclusion:The results demonstrated that the crude ethanolic extract of the Auklandia (Saussurea lappa) root plant has a wide spectrum of activity suggesting that it may be useful in the treatment of infections caused by the above clinical isolates (human pathogens).

PURPOSETension band wiring is commonly used for fixation of simple transverse fractures. The popular configuration is parallel Kirschner wires (K-wires) and a stainless steel wire loop placed in a vertically oriented figure-of-8.

METHODSWe used a wooden model of a patella with a midway transverse fracture and compared four different types of fixation. The first construct had a vertical figure-of-8 with one twist of wire. The second contained a vertical figure-of-8 with two twists of wire. The third was a vertical figure-of-8 with two twists of wire placed at adjacent corners while the last one had a horizontal figure-of-8 with two twists of wire placed at adjacent corners. Interfragmentary compression at the point of wire breakage was measured for each construct as well as permanent displacement on cyclic loading.

RESULTSPlacement of the figure-of-eight in a horizontal orientation with two wire twists at the corner improved interfragmentary compression by 63% (p < 0.05, Tukey post hoc test). On cyclic loading, all the constructs with vertical figure-of-eight but none with a horizontal construct failed (p=0.01; Fisher's exact test). Permanent fracture displacement after cyclic loading was 67% lower with horizontal figure- of-eight constructs (p < 0.05; t test).

CONCLUSIONPlacing wire twists at the corner and a horizontal placement of figure-of-8 improves stability of the construct.

Biomechanical Phenomena ; Bone Wires ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; methods ; Fractures, Bone ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Patella ; injuries ; Stainless Steel

PURPOSE: This intervention was aimed to analyse the effect of academic writing and journal critiquing as educational approaches in improving critical thinking and collaborative learning among undergraduate medical students. METHODS: A research proposal writing format was created for the 4th year medical students of Melaka Manipal Medical College, Malaysia during their ophthalmology clinical postings. The students worked in small groups and developed research protocols through an evidence based approach. This was followed by writing reflective summaries in academic portfolios about the activity undertaken. A mixed methods study was designed to explore the possible role of collaborative research proposal writing in enhancing critical thinking and collaborative learning. RESULTS: Analysis of reflections submitted by 188 medical students after the intervention indicate that majority of them found an improvement in their skills of critical thinking and collaborative learning as a result of research protocol writing. All participants agreed that the model helped in applying concepts to new situations in the form of designing their own study, which reflected in enhanced higher order cognitive skills. CONCLUSION: This study shows that the introduction of a structured module in the core medical curriculum that focuses on research writing skills embedded with collaborative and reflective practices can enhance collaborative learning, critical thinking, and reasoning among medical students.
Curriculum* ; Foster Home Care* ; Humans ; Learning* ; Malaysia ; Ophthalmology ; Research Design ; Students, Medical* ; Thinking* ; Writing*

Background: Antibiotic resistance is a rising problem in Malaysia. For instance, high antibiotic prescribing rate for upper respiratory tract infection and inappropriate choice of antibiotic is a significant healthcare concern in Malaysia. Our main objective was to study knowledge, attitude and practice of antibiotic prescribing among medical officers in Kedah, Malaysia. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in outpatient departments of health clinics and hospitals in Kedah from June 2013 until December 2013. Sample size was 118 and systematic sampling was conducted. Research tool used was a validated questionnaire from studies conducted in Congo and Peru. Results: Response rate was 84.8%. Majority of our respondents were female doctors (71.0%), local graduates (63.0%), and practiced for 4 years or less (61.0%). 52.0% of the respondents prescribed antibiotics more than once daily. Mean knowledge score on antibiotics was 5.31 ±1.19 (95% CI: 5.06; 5.54). More than half (62.0%) of our respondents were confident in antibiotic prescribing and there were merely 18.0% of them consulted any colleagues prior to prescription. There was a significant difference in frequency of antibiotic prescribing between junior doctors and senior doctors (P-value: 0.036). In addition, there was also a significant association between frequency of antibiotic prescribing and awareness of antibiotic resistance in their daily practice. (P-value: 0.002). Conclusion: Knowledge on antibiotic was moderate among our medical officers and antibiotic prescribing was frequent. Training and courses on appropriate antibiotic prescribing should be emphasized to ensure the best practice in antibiotic prescription.
Drug Prescriptions ; Drug Resistance, Microbial