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Objectives: We aimed to assess undergraduate medical students' knowledge, attitude, and perception regarding artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine. Methods: A multi-national, multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2022, targeting undergraduate medical students in nine Arab countries. The study utilized a web-based questionnaire, with data collection carried out with the help of national leaders and local collaborators. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of knowledge, attitude, and perception among the participants. Additionally, cluster analysis was employed to identify shared patterns within their responses. Results: Of the 4492 students surveyed, 92.4% had not received formal AI training. Regarding AI and deep learning (DL), 87.1% exhibited a low level of knowledge. Most students (84.9%) believed AI would revolutionize medicine and radiology, with 48.9% agreeing that it could reduce the need for radiologists. Students with high/moderate AI knowledge and training had higher odds of agreeing to endorse AI replacing radiologists, reducing their numbers, and being less likely to consider radiology as a career compared to those with low knowledge/no AI training. Additionally, the majority agreed that AI would aid in the automated detection and diagnosis of pathologies. Conclusions: Arab medical students exhibit a notable deficit in their knowledge and training pertaining to AI. Despite this, they hold a positive perception of AI implementation in medicine and radiology, demonstrating a clear understanding of its significance for the healthcare system and medical curriculum. Clinical relevance statement: This study highlights the need for widespread education and training in artificial intelligence for Arab medical students, indicating its significance for healthcare systems and medical curricula. Key Points: • Arab medical students demonstrate a significant knowledge and training gap when it comes to using AI in the fields of medicine and radiology. • Arab medical students recognize the importance of integrating AI into the medical curriculum. Students with a deeper understanding of AI were more likely to agree that all medical students should receive AI education. However, those with previous AI training were less supportive of this idea. • Students with moderate/high AI knowledge and training displayed increased odds of agreeing that AI has the potential to replace radiologists, reduce the demand for their services, and were less inclined to pursue a career in radiology, when compared to students with low knowledge/no AI training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep-related breathing disorder that affects almost one billion individuals worldwide. An estimated 16.8% of adults in Jordan have been diagnosed with OSA. Given the importance of management of OSA by otolaryngologists, we assessed the knowledge and attitudes of Jordanian otolaryngologists in managing OSA in adult and pediatric patients. A survey, conducted anonymously online, was sent present otolaryngology residents and specialist in Jordan, in the English language. The participants were given the OSA Knowledge and Attitude questionnaire (OSAKA, OSAKA-KIDS), which have been previously validated. Data were obtained and then analyzed via SPSS software. A total of 140 residents and specialist of otolaryngology were selected. A significant difference in OSAKA scores were found between otolaryngologists under 30 years of age and those above, with higher scores for the older age group. The proportion of specialists who 'agreed' or 'strongly agreed' they are confident in their ability to manage patients with OSA was significantly higher that junior residents (73.8% vs 33.3%; p = 0.008). More than 10 years at practice was associated with statistically significant higher levels of knowledge towards OSAKA scale (AOR = 0.09; p = 0.044). Additionally, being a senior resident was significantly associated with more knowledge towards OSAKA-KIDS scale (AOR = 0.19; p = 0.03). Otolaryngology residents and specialists' knowledge of OSA was very good. Further improving in the level of the knowledge toward OSA among the otolaryngology resident doctors should be implemented as possible by following the updated guidelines for the diagnosis and management OSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The awareness of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) contributes to the complications and fatality rates from these diseases among individuals; however, no previous study in Syria was conducted on this topic; thus, this study aims to assess Syrians' awareness of CVDs warning symptoms and risk factors. This online cross-sectional study was performed in Syria between the 1st and 25th of August 2022. The inclusion criteria for the sample were citizens of Syria over 18 who currently reside in Syria. The questionnaire included open- and closed-ended questions to assess the awareness of CVDs. A total of 1201 participants enrolled in the study with a response rate of 97.2%; more than half of the participants (61.4%) were aged 18–24. The most recognizable risk factors and warning signs when asking close-ended and open-ended questions were smoking (95.2%, 37.1%) and chest pain (87.8%, 24.8%), respectively. Overall knowledge scores for risk factors and warning signs were (61.5%). Regarding knowledge score of CVDs risk factors and warning signs, participants aged 45–54 scored higher than other age groups, and respondents with a university education level had a higher score than other educational levels (15.7 ± 0.3), (14.5 ± 0.1), respectively. Participants aged 45–54 have a higher probability of good knowledge of CVDs risk factors and warning signs than participants aged 18–24 (OR = 4.8, P value < 0.001), while participants living in the countryside were less likely to have good knowledge of CVDs risk factors and warning signs than city residents (OR = 0.6, P value < 0.05). According to our results, there is inadequate knowledge of the risk factors and warning signs of CVDs. Consequently, there is a greater need to raise CVD awareness and learning initiatives on the disease's risk factors and symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature regarding recent trends, mortality outcomes of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in cardiac amyloidosis (CA) patients is limited. To study coronary interventions, and trends in prevalence and mortality outcomes among CA patients with STEMI. Data from the national readmissions database (NRD) sample that constitutes 49.1% of the stratified sample of all hospitals in the USA, representing more than 95% of the national population, were analyzed for hospitalizations associated with CA with STEMI. A linear p-trend was used to assess the trends. Out of the total 4252 adult patients (mean age 73.3 ± 11.7 years, 40.2% females) with diagnosis of CA, 439 (10.3%) had STEMI while 3813 (89.7%) had no STEMI. STEMI-CA patients had higher rates of multi-organ manifestations including VT/VF (12% vs 8.5%; p-value < 0.001), cardiogenic shock (12.7% vs 7.3%; p < 0.001), AKI requiring dialysis (5.3% vs 4%; p < 0.001), and ICU admissions (25.2% vs 15.3%; p < 0.001) compared to CA without STEMI. CA-STEMI had increased mortality rates (23.7% vs 16.1%, p < 0.001) compared to CA without STEMI. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, coronary interventions including PCI (OR 0.6, CI 0.4–1.1; p = 0.3) and CABG (OR 0.7, CI 0.3–1.8; p = 0.2) had no association with mortality among CA patients. The absolute yearly trends for prevalence and mortality associated with STEMI in CA patients remained steady over the study years (linear p-trends 0.2 and 0.6, respectively). CA-STEMI is associated with significant complications and mortality. Coronary interventions may not have significant mortality benefits. Thus, more research will be needed to improve mortality rates among these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) is a common disorder with a high prevalence and a very high incidence of recurrence. Management includes surgery and medical treatment in the form of local and/or systemic steroids. However, some cases are resistant to the action of steroids and further treatment is warranted. Being an immune-mediated disorder, targeting IgE seems a logical step. Immunotherapy drugs acting on the IgE (e.g. omalizumab) can modify the clinical course of the disease. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of omalizumab on the clinical course of patients undergoing surgery for AFRS. Materials and methods: This is a two-arm prospective, randomized, single blind clinical trial among patients with AFRS. Twenty patients were included and randomly divided into two groups: Group A; 10 patients received a single subcutaneous injection of omalizumab (Xolair ' Novartis) (150 mg) 2 weeks postoperatively. Group B: 10 patients received local steroids nasal sprays (budesonide or mometasone furoate, 100 μg twice daily for 6 months, starting 2 weeks postoperatively. All patients underwent history, examination, CT scan and IgE level estimation and were submitted to endoscopic sinus surgery. They were evaluated at 4 weeks interval for 6 months. Results: In both groups there were highly significant differences between pre/post-operative SNOT-20 scores, TNSS scores, total IgE level and Philpott–Javer staging scores. Comparison between the two study groups at 24 weeks showed a highly significant difference (p = 0.001) between post-operative SNOT 20 and TNSS scores in favour of group A. There was no statistically significant difference between the two study groups as regarding postoperative total IgE or Philpott–Javer scores. There were two recurrences in both arms, but no significant side effects. Discussion: We compared a single post operative injection of omalizumab with twice daily intranasal steroid spray for 6 months. Both treatments were effective, but the omalizumab group showed a more significant clinical and endoscopic response. There were no significant side effects in both arms. This novel approach used a single low dose injection of omalizumab increased the compliance of the patients with minimal complications. Longer follow-up of the patients is ongoing to determine the optimal time for re-injection. The only downside was the higher cost of omalizumab compared to that of local steroids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Table 4 The Difference between the sub-groups of knowledge toward risk factors, and warning signs of CVDs among the study sample. [Extracted from the article]

MYD88 is an adaptor protein known to involve in activation of NF-κB through IL-1 receptor and TLR stimulation. It consists of N-terminal death domain and C-terminal Toll/IL-R homology domain that mediates its interaction with IL-1R associated kinase and IL-1R/TLR, respectively. MYD88 contributes to various types of carcinogenesis due to its involvement in oncogene induced inflammation. In the present study, we have recognized two new alternatively spliced variants of MyD88 gene in mouse using bioinformatics tools and molecular biology techniques in combination. The newly identified non-coding exon (NE-1) from 5′ upstream region alternatively splices with either exon E-2 or exon E-5 to produce two novel transcript variants MyD88N1 and MyD88N2 respectively. The transcript variant MyD88N1 was expressed in several tissues studied while the variant MyD88N2 was found to be expressed only in the brain. The analysis of the upstream region of novel exon by in silico approach revealed new promoter region PN, which possess potential signature sequences for diverse transcription factors, suggesting complex gene regulation. Studies of post translational modifications of conceptualized amino acid sequences of these isoforms revealed diversity in properties. Western blot analysis further confirmed the expression of protein isoform MYD88N1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]