Search

Objectives Kidney diseases are considered silent killers due to the lack of well-defined symptoms. Public knowledge about chronic kidney disease (CKD) management has been shown to decrease the risk of CKD onset and progression to end-stage renal disease and renal failure. The main objective of this study was to assess the knowledge of kidney function, CKD symptoms, etiology, prevention and treatment in the general population.Methods A cross-sectional study using a validated questionnaire was conducted in Jordan to assess public knowledge of CKD. Public knowledge of CKD was assessed using a questionnaire consisting of 32 knowledge questions, including risk factors, symptoms, treatment, protective measures and kidney function. The knowledge level was classified according to the total score: poor (0–50%), intermediate (51–70%) and good/high (71–100%). Multiple regression analysis was performed to compare knowledge scores (KS) and predict associations with the participants’ baseline characteristics.Results The level of knowledge about CKD among the 2181 participants was intermediate. The KS was significantly higher among participants with health issues such as hypertension, diabetes and heart problems, first-degree relatives working in the medical field, majors relevant to health, married, employed, highly educated, high-income and smokers. The main sources of knowledge about CKD were health professionals, TV shows, books and magazines. Multiple regression analysis showed an association between KS and age, sex, functional status, educational level and field, income, smoking status, having a family member/spouse work in the medical field, and knowledge source.Conclusions The public level of knowledge about CKD management is greatly influenced by participants’ health and social factors. Thus, improving public knowledge and perception through education and the media will significantly reduce CKD prevalence and incidence.

Illegal harvesting negatively affects the forest tree populations, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, but little is known how fruit production and seedling recruitment are impacted. We assessed recruitment parameters of Balanites aegyptiaca trees in the Dinder Biosphere Reserve (DBR) across 100 sample plots of 25 m x 40 m in both human-impacted (disturbed) and undisturbed sites. We found that the average number of fruiting branches of B. aegyptiaca in the undisturbed sites were three times as high as those in the disturbed sites (F1,98 = 139, P

Karim Eldin M A Salih,1– 3 El-Fatih Z El-Samani4 ,† Jalal Ali Bilal,5 Emtinan K Hamid,6 Omer Abdelgadir Elfaki,7 Muawia EA Idris,1 Hind A Elsiddig,8 Maha M Salim,8 Hashim Missawi,9 Mohammed Abass,10 Walyeldin Elfakey1 1Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bahri, Khartoum, Sudan; 2Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Bisha, Bisha, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Medical Education, College of Medicine, University of Bisha, Bisha, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Ahfad University for Women, Khartoum, Sudan; 5Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Shaqra University, Shaqra, Saudi Arabia; 6Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan; 7Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Education Unit, Al-Rayan Medical Colleges, Medina Munawara, Saudi Arabia; 8Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bahri, Khartoum, Sudan; 9Department of Pathology, Maternity and Children Hospital, Medina Munawara, Saudi Arabia; 10Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain†El-Fatih Z. El-Samani passed away on 23.12.2020Correspondence: Walyeldin ElfakeyDepartment of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bahri, Po Box: 1660, Khartoum, SudanTel +249912364272Fax +249 155 888 406Email Walyeldina@aol.co.ukAim: Students’ performance in TBL compared to LBL needs to be evaluated. This study aimed to compare students’ performance in team-based learning and traditional lectures.Methods: A total of 176 class 4 and 202 class 6 medical students from University of Bahri, Khartoum, Sudan, participated in the study during 2018. Experienced staff were selected to conduct the teaching and assessment of the two groups, using the standard team-based learning procedure (iRAT, gRAT and AppT) in the first topic and the lecture-based learning procedure in the second, within the same time limit for the two methods.Results: The two classes overall mean score has a significant 5.1 points difference (p< 0.001; 95% CI: 3.5, 6.0). Separate analysis showed consistency of superiority of TBL to LBL in either gender. A remarkable difference was observed when we compared the two methods in class 6 separately from class 4. Class 6 mean score was high for both TBL and LBL (77.2 and 70.2, respectively), with a significant mean difference of 7.0 (p< 0.001; 95% CI: 5.1, 8.9). In class 4, the score was lower for both methods (mean of 62.8 for TBL and 59.9 for LBL). The mean difference of 2.95 points was still significant (p< 0.05; 95% CI: 0.46, 5.43). Separate multivariate linear regression for TBL and LBL showed no significant difference in performance of males and females in either method. Controlling for gender in TBL, class 4 had a mean of − 14.26 points, (p< 0.001; 95% CI: − 12.54, − 15.98) less than class 6. Similarly, in LBL, class 4 had a mean of − 10.18 points (p< 0.001, 95% CI: − 7.02, − 13.35), less than class 6.Conclusion: Students’ performance using team-based learning was superior to lecture-based learning, irrespective of students’ gender, noticeable among senior students.Keywords: team-based learning, lecture-based curriculum, medical education, curriculum, assessment