Pak J Med Sci
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Learning is an interplay between cognition and environmental factors. Any learning environment, that fulfills the intrinsic and extrinsic needs of the students will probably lead to better and more promising learning outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the student perceptions of Learning Environment (LE) in four health schools of a large university and compare between schools, years of study, and gender. ⋯ The LE significantly differed by year and gender. The students from non-integrated curricula (nursing and AMS) perceived the LE less positively than their integrated curriculum counterparts (medicine and dentistry). A qualitative study is needed to investigate the variation in the perception of LE among these groups.
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Is there a relationship between serum vaspin levels and insulin resistance in chronic renal failure?
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients have insulin secretion disorders and resistance to insulin effects, that is responsible for the development of cardiovascular events. Vaspin is an adipocytokine that regulates glucose and lipid metabolism. We aimed to determine the serum vaspin levels and its relationship with insulin resistance in CKD patients. ⋯ Insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia contribute to the development of cardiovascular complications in CKD. We consider that the increase in the serum vaspin level is a consequence of the reduced renal excretion in the CKD and increases in response to insulin resistance.
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To determine the frequency of mycobacterium tuberculosis detection, in bronchial washing in sputum-scarce cases of suspected pulmonary tuberculosis. ⋯ Bronchial washing Gene Xpert has an excellent diagnostic yield for detection of mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum-scarce cases of suspected pulmonary tuberculosis.
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Brucellosis is an important zoonotic disease and a major public health problem in the Middle East countries including Saudi Arabia. This study has evaluated the seroprevalence of human brucellosis in Wadi Al Dawaser region of Central Saudi Arabia. ⋯ A seroprevalence of 8.6% of human brucellosis was documented from this rural region. This is the first report from Wadi Al Dawaser. Frequent surveillance among risk group, vaccination of livestock, creating awareness and health education among the public and school children are recommended.
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To investigate the correlations of levels of serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) with cytokines including interleukin (IL)-18, IL-6 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and bone material density in patients with osteoporosis d. ⋯ Patients with osteoporosis have decreased level of IGF-1 but increased level of ET-1, and they are closely related to cytokines and bone mineral density and may participate in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis.