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Abstract Background The definition of minor ischemic stroke (MIS) is a topic of debate, however, the most accepted definition is a stroke with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) ≤ 5. Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) is a crucial treatment option for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) including: alteplase, recombinant human tissue-type plasminogen activator (r-tPA), and the recently approved tenecteplase. However, there is a debate regarding its safety and efficacy. Therefore, our objective was to determine the safety and efficacy of IVT in treating minor stroke patients (NIHSS ≤ 5). Methods Using the search strategy assigned which was based on three keywords: “mild” or “minor”, “stroke”, and “intravenous thrombolysis”, we searched for eligible articles on PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus from inception till 10th January 2024. We conducted this meta-analysis using the random effect model to account for the heterogeneity among the studies. For the dichotomous variables, we calculated the odds ratio (OR) from the event and total of these variables. While for the continuous variables, we calculated the mean difference (MD) of these variables. Pooling of OR for the occurrence of events was also conducted. Results A total of 21 articles with 93,057 patients with MIS were included. The mean age of the participants ranged from 62.3 to 79.6. Most of the included patients had comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, previous stroke, smoking, atrial fibrillation, and hyperlipidemia. Of these, 10,850 received IVT while 82,207 did not. The use of IVT was statistically significant associated with 90-day modified Rankin score (mRs) 0–1 when compared with control with OR of 1.67 (95%CI: 1.46, 1.91, p

Abstract Background The transition to college life is a highly demanding period for all students, especially when enrolling into an academically-challenging field as that of medicine. First-generation medical students represent an overlooked demographic and are thought to be more vulnerable to the stressors of college. This study’s aim is to explore the differences between first and continuing-generation medical students in Egypt regarding their academic performance, extracurricular training opportunities and future expectations. Methods Two identical 24-item online questionnaires, in English and Arabic were distributed with five main themes: general demographics, academic performance, extracurricular training opportunities (outpatient clinics, hospitals and operating rooms), future expectations and if participants have relatives in the medical field. Results Responses from 1652 eligible respondents from all 36 medical universities in Egypt were received. Continuing-generation medical students achieved a higher cumulative grade, with 46.1% getting an “Excellent” grade compared to only 38.4% in the first-generation. The gap between the two groups was best noted in Year 1 (p-value