Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de santé de la Méditerranée orientale = al-Majallah al-ṣiḥḥīyah li-sharq al-mutawassiṭ
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We determined the prevalence of antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in 44 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 44 healthy blood donors matched for sex and age as controls. Of the cases, 39 were women; mean age was 33 years. ⋯ The mean immunity ratio for this antibody was 2.341 in cases and 1.873 in controls (P = 0.068). Forty (91%) cases were positive for IgG anti-EBNA1 (EB nuclear antigen1) compared with 42 (95%) controls (P = 0.6).
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East. Mediterr. Health J. · May 2009
Publications indexed in Medline and Embase originating from the Syrian Arab Republic: a survey.
Health research in the Syrian Arab Republic faces many difficulties, including limited funds, infrastructure and means of dissemination. In a search of Medline and Embase databases in March 2006 we extracted data on 386 biomedical papers originating from the Syrian Arab Republic. Embase had the superior coverage. ⋯ The topics of 57% of papers were biomedical, with the remainder being pure science or agricultural/veterinarian issues. Dentistry, public health and surgery were the commonest subjects of the biomedical papers. Funding was largely from government.
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The World Health Organization gives special attention to developing and training human resources and improving their accessibility to reliable and updated scientific resources. This study aims to determine the ability of students in Damascus University Medical School to benefit from English sources of information: they study medical sciences in Arabic but 4 hours per week are allocated for the study of English. ⋯ This makes it essential to modify the English classes. It is important to determine the role of medical sciences teachers and to qualify students to be able to pass international examinations.
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East. Mediterr. Health J. · Mar 2009
Which patients wait longer to be seen and when? A waiting time study in the emergency department.
We investigated the waiting time for patients before seeing a physician in the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Bi- and multivariate analyses of routine data for 2187 patients determined the association between selected patient characteristics and waiting time. ⋯ Older patients and those arriving on Sundays and Wednesdays waited longer. Variability in waiting times could be addressed by more standardized triage policies, but may also be influenced by other clinical or non-clinical factors that required further investigation.
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East. Mediterr. Health J. · Mar 2009
Efficacy of diphtheria and tetanus vaccination in Gaza, Palestine.
This study evaluated the effectiveness and usefulness of vaccination against diphtheria and tetanus in different age groups in Gaza, Palestine. Blood samples were collected from 180 children aged <12 years, 90 males and 90 females. ⋯ Mean serum titres varied significantly by age group: for diphtheria 0.24 IU/mL at age 2-4 years, 0.63 IU/mL at 7-8 years and 0.46 IU/mL at 11-12 years, and for tetanus 1.01 IU/mL, 2.63 IU/mL and 1.20 IU/mL respectively. The relatively low antibody titres, especially for diphtheria, suggest the need for a booster dose.