Construction of a Virtual Simulation Practice Teaching System of the Chemical Industry Under the Background of Integration of Production and Education

With the development of the integration of production and education,chemical engineering and technology education is facing many new challenges and opportunities.The construction of a chemical virtual simulation practice teaching system under the background of integration of production and education aims to improve students’learning efficiency and innovation ability with the help of virtual simulation technology,so as to meet the needs of future industrial development.This paper discusses the significance of the construction of the system,analyzes the difficulties and challenges that may be encountered in the construction process,and evaluates the effective strategies to strengthen the construction of the system.Through the introduction of virtual simulation technology,students can improve their practical skills and innovation ability,and better adapt to the development needs of industrialization and informatization.

Small Ruminant Production and Marketing Practices in Harawa, Somali Region, Ethiopia

Small ruminant production is an essential component of agricultural activity for smallholder farmers. The aim of this study was to assess small ruminant production and marketing practices in the Harawa district of Somali Region, Ethiopia. For the study 90 households owning small ruminant were selected from three different towns of Harawa district. Information on sheep and goat ownership patterns, production objectives, and management and production constraints were collected from 90 households using semi structured questionnaires. The available feed resources are grass species, crop aftermath and legumes species are the common ones. The average family size was 5.78 ± 0.235 persons per household. Crop-livestock farming was the commonly used farming system with (62.75%) extensive and (27.25%) semi-intensive production system. The mean total land holding was 6.08 ± 0.24 ha per HH and was significantly (P < 0.05) varied across production systems. On average, the sample households owned 46.32 ± 1.22 sheep, 38.28 ± 1.40 goat, 4.85 ± 0.43 cattle, 4.15 ± 0.54 camel, 2.18 ± 0.19 donkey and 0.53 ± 0.20 poultry. The finding shows most of the respondents kept sheep and goats for insurance as ranked first. Feed shortage was ranked first as the main constraint hindering sheep and shortage of veterinary service, drought, disease, water shortage and poor infrastructure were the other major constraints of sheep and goat production in the study area. The major production and marketing constraints in small ruminant production in the area are disease and parasite (cadho), feed and grazing land shortage, low productivity, poor veterinary service and poor of infrastructure. Therefore, it is important to use modern production systems with improved technology in the area and improve traditional system through feed supplementation and better health care. As well as improving marketing efficiency through appropriate policy and provision of information is important.

Single-base editing in IGF2 improves meat production and intramuscular fat deposition in Liang Guang Small Spotted pigs

Background Chinese indigenous pigs are popular with consumers for their juiciness,flavour and meat quality,but they have lower meat production.Insulin-like growth factor 2(IGF2) is a maternally imprinted growth factor that promotes skeletal muscle growth by regulating cell proliferation and differentiation.A single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) within intron 3 of porcine IGF2 disrupts a binding site for the repressor,zinc finger BED-type containing 6(ZBED6),leading to up-regulation of IGF2 and causing major effects on muscle growth,heart size,and backfat thickness.This favorable mutation is common in Western commercial pig populations,but absent in most Chinese indigenous pig breeds.To improve meat production of Chinese indigenous pigs,we used cytosine base editor 3(CBE3)to introduce IGF2 intron3-C3071T mutation into porcine embryonic fibroblasts(PEFs) isolated from a male Liang Guang Small Spotted pig(LGSS),and single-cell clones harboring the desired mutation were selected for somatic cell nuclear transfer(SCNT) to generate the founder line of IGF2^(T/T) pigs.Results We found the heterozygous progeny IGF2^(C/T) pigs exhibited enhanced expression of IGF2,increased lean meat by 18%-36%,enlarged loin muscle area by 3%-17%,improved intramuscular fat(IMF) content by 18%-39%,marbling score by 0.75-1,meat color score by 0.53-1.25,and reduced backfat thickness by 5%-16%.The enhanced accumulation of intramuscular fat in IGF2^(C/T) pigs was identified to be regulated by the PI3K-AKT/AMPK pathway,which activated SREBP1 to promote adipogenesis.Conclusions We demonstrated the introduction of IGF2-intron3-C3071T in Chinese LGSS can improve both meat production and quality,and first identified the regulation of IMF deposition by IGF2 through SREBP1 via the PI3KAKT/AMPK signaling pathways.Our study provides a further understanding of the biological functions of IGF2and an example for improving porcine economic traits through precise base editing.

Study of Harmful Vaginal Practices of Women in the Municipality of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Introduction: Vaginal practices include washing, altering, cutting, cleaning, enhancing, drying, tightening, lubricating, or loosening of the vagina, labia, clitoris, or hymen. This study aimed to investigate the different vaginal practices of women using non-pharmaceutical products. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study with descriptive and analytical purposes that took place from January 15 to April 23, 2023, in the four largest markets in the municipality of Ouagadougou. This was performed using the data collection sheet in the KoboCollect application. Epi info 7.2.5.0. software was used for data analysis. For the analysis of associated factors, a p-value Results: In total, 977 women were surveyed. Among them, 43.19% underwent vaginal procedures using non-pharmaceutical products. The female practitioners were 34.34 ± 7.44 years old. The products used included plants, mineral substances, ointments, tablets, and solutions. Among the practicing women, 40.99% were looking for vaginal tightening. The main purpose was to maintain their partners (45.97%). Three-point thirty-two percent (3.32%) of the women who underwent vaginal procedures had reported adverse events. Conclusion: Raising awareness of the consequences of vaginal practices and encouraging women to go to a health center for any gynecological problem could significantly reduce the prevalence of vaginal practices.

Production characteristics and displacement mechanisms of infilling polymer-surfactant-preformed particle gel flooding in post-polymer flooding reservoirs:A review of practice in Ng3 block of Gudao Oilfield

The pilot test of infilling polymer-surfactant-preformed particle gel(PPG)flooding has been successfully implemented after polymer flooding in Ng3 block of Gudao Oilfield in China.However,the production characteristics and displacement mechanisms are still unclear,which restricts its further popularization and application.Aiming at this problem,this paper firstly analyzes the production performance of the pilot test and proposed four response types according to the change of water cut curves,including W-type,U-type,V-type response,and no response.Furthermore,the underlying reasons of these four types are analyzed from the aspects of seepage resistance and sweep efficiency.The overall sweep efficiency of gradual-rising W-type,gradual-decreasing W-type,and early V-type response increases from 0.81 to 0.93,0.55 to 0.89,and 0.94 to 1,respectively.And the sum of seepage resistance along the connection line between production well and injection well for U-type and delayed V-type response increases from 0.0994 to 0.2425,and 0.0677 to 0.1654,respectively.Then,the remaining oil distribution after polymer flooding is summarized into four types on the basis of production and geological characteristics,namely disconnected remaining oil,streamline unswept remaining oil,rhythm remaining oil,and interlayer-controlled remaining oil.Furthermore,the main displacement mechanisms for each type are clarified based on the dimensionless seepage resistance and water absorption profile.Generally,improving connectivity by well pattern infilling is the most important for producing disconnected remaining oil.The synergistic effect of well pattern infilling and polymer-surfactant-PPG flooding increases the dimensionless seepage resistance of water channeling regions and forces the subsequent injected water to turn to regions with streamline unswept remaining oil.The improvement of the water absorption profile by polymer-surfactant-PPG flooding and separated layer water injection contributes to displacing rhythm remaining oil and interlayer-controlled remaining oil.Finally,the paper analyzes the relationships between the remaining oil distribution after polymer flooding and production characteristics of infilling polymer-surfactant-PPG flooding.The study helps to deepen the understanding of infilling polymer-surfactant-PPG flooding and has reference significance for more commercial implementations in the future.

Discussion on Construction and Mechanism of Practice Bases for Professional Degree Postgraduates Based on the Integration of Production and Education in Local Universities

Under the background of emerging agricultural education,practice bases are an important place to train profession talented person that match social needs,so it is very important to build stable and long-term practice bases.At present,the main problems in the construction of practice bases for postgraduates in local colleges and universities are mainly focusing on construction and neglecting management,imperfect cooperation mechanism and lack of teaching management effectively.It is of great significance to build a long-term management mechanism to ensure the education quality of practice bases.Therefore,constructing the mode of"double integration and double promotion of production and education"with practice bases as the carrier and realizing the organic combination of industrial needs and postgraduate projects is an important idea for local colleges and universities to train professional degree postgraduates to"know agriculture,love agriculture,strengthen agriculture and promote agriculture",and it also provides a reference for the mechanism construction of postgraduate bases.

Mechanical Modeling and Analysis of Stability Deterioration of Production Well During Marine Hydrate Depressurization Production

Different from oil and gas production,hydrate reservoirs are shallow and unconsolidated,whose mechanical properties deteriorate with hydrate decomposition.Therefore,the formations will undergo significant subsidence during depressurization,which will destroy the original force state of the production well.However,existing research on the stability of oil and gas production wells assumes the formation to be stable,and lacks consideration of the force exerted on the hydrate production well by formation subsidence caused by hydrate decomposition during production.To fill this gap,this paper proposes an analytical method for the dynamic evolution of the stability of hydrate production well considering the effects of hydrate decomposition.Based on the mechanical model of the production well,the basis for stability analysis has been proposed.A multi-field coupling model of the force state of the production well considering the effect of hydrate decomposition and formation subsidence is established,and a solver is developed.The analytical approach is verified by its good agreement with the results from the numerical method.A case study found that the decomposition of hydrate will increase the pulling-down force and reduce the supporting force,which is the main reason for the stability deterioration.The higher the initial hydrate saturation,the larger the reservoir thickness,and the lower the production pressure,the worse the stability or even instability.This work can provide a theoretical reference for the stability maintaining of the production well.

Global systematic review and meta-analysis of knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards dengue fever among the general population

Objective:To determine the global level of knowledge,attitudes,and practices towards dengue fever among the general population.Methods:To complete this systematic review and meta-analysis,a thorough search for pertinent English-language literature was undertaken during the study's extension until October 2023.The search used Google Scholar,Scopus,PubMed/MEDLINE,Science Direct,Web of Science,EMBASE,Springer,and ProQuest.A quality assessment checklist developed using a modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for the cross-sectional study was used to evaluate the risk of bias in the included papers.Inverse variance and Cochran Q statistics were employed in the STATA software version 14 to assess study heterogeneity.When there was heterogeneity,the Dersimonian and Liard random-effects models were used.Results:59 Studies totaling 87353 participants were included in this meta-analysis.These investigations included 86278 participants in 55 studies on knowledge,20196 in 33 studies on attitudes,and 74881 in 29 studies on practices.The pooled estimates for sufficient knowledge,positive attitudes,and dengue fever preventive behaviors among the general population were determined as 40.1%(95%CI 33.8%-46.5%),46.8%(95%CI 35.8%-58.9%),and 38.3%(95%CI 28.4%-48.2%),respectively.Europe exhibits the highest knowledge level at 63.5%,and Africa shows the lowest at 20.3%.Positive attitudes are most prevalent in the Eastern Mediterranean(54.1%)and Southeast Asia(53.6%),contrasting sharply with the Americas,where attitudes are notably lower at 9.05%.Regarding preventive behaviors,the Americas demonstrate a prevalence of 12.1%,Southeast Asia at 28.1%,Western Pacific at 49.6%,Eastern Mediterranean at 44.8%,and Africa at 47.4%.Conclusions:Regional disparities about the knowledge,attitude and preventive bahaviors are evident with Europe exhibiting the highest knowledge level while Africa has the lowest.These findings emphasize the importance of targeted public health interventions tailored to regional contexts,highlighting the need for region-specific strategies to enhance dengue-related knowledge and encourage positive attitudes and preventive behaviors.

Optimization of Gas Production from Hydrate-Bearing Sediments with Fluctuation Characteristics

As an important source of low-carbon,clean fossil energy,natural gas hydrate plays an important role in improving the global energy consumption structure.Developing the hydrate industry in the South China Sea is important to achieving‘carbon peak and carbon neutrality’goals as soon as possible.Deep-water areas subjected to the action of long-term stress and tectonic movement have developed complex and volatile terrains,and as such,the morphologies of hydrate-bearing sediments(HBSs)fluctuate correspondingly.The key to numerically simulating HBS morphologies is the establishment of the conceptual model,which represents the objective and real description of the actual geological body.However,current numerical simulation models have characterized HBSs into horizontal strata without considering the fluctuation characteristics.Simply representing the HBS as a horizontal element reduces simulation accuracy.Therefore,the commonly used horizontal HBS model and a model considering the HBS’s fluctuation characteristics with the data of the SH2 site in the Shenhu Sea area were first constructed in this paper.Then,their production behaviors were compared,and the huge impact of the fluctuation characteristics on HBS production was determined.On this basis,the key parameters affecting the depressurization production of the fluctuating HBSs were studied and optimized.The research results show that the fluctuation characteristics have an obvious influence on the hydrate production of HBSs by affecting their temperatures and pressure distributions,as well as the transmission of the pressure drop and methane gas discharge.Furthermore,the results show that the gas productivity of fluctuating HBSs was about 5%less than that of horizontal HBSs.By optimizing the depressurization amplitude,well length,and layout location of vertical wells,the productivity of fluctuating HBSs increased by about 56.6%.

Influence of Production Factors on the Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Fermented Cassava Dough and Sensory Evaluation of Attieke

Attieke is an Ivorian semolina which obtained by fermenting, pressing and steaming cassava dough. Attieke production remains a traditional activity carried out by less literate women. However, perceived differences in measurable factors and attieke qualities require an investigation of their influence on the characteristics of the pressed dough and attieke. The aim of this study is to improve the quality of the dough in relation to that of the attieke produced. The experiment was carried out on 4 production factors, namely the type of boiled or braised ferment, the incorporation rate of the ferment between 8 and 10%, the addition of oil from 0.1 to 1% and the fermentation time from 12 to 15 hours applied to the Improved African Cassava (IAC) variety. A complete experiment design of 16 samples of fermented dough and attieke was employed. These samples underwent physic-chemical analyses for the fermented dough and sensory evaluation for the attieke. It was found that, except for titratable acidity, reducing sugar content and ash content, the physico-chemical characteristics of the dough of IAC variety were significantly influenced by all production factors and their interaction. Fermentation time significantly influences 60% of the physico-chemical characteristics of the fermented dough. The type of ferment, the oil addition and the ferment rate have a significant influence at 40% of these characteristics. At the sensory level, color, acidity and grain binding with an explained variance of 34.60% were essential for the appreciation of the attieke samples. Thus, these production factors could be considered for the improvement of the fermented dough and attieke production process.

A cross-sectional study to assess medication safety,knowledge,attitude,and practices regarding nutrition and medication among pregnant women

Objective:To assess pregnant women's knowledge,attitude,and practice regarding nutrition and medication usage,analyse the prescribing pattern,and categorize them based on the Food and Drug Administration(FDA)guidelines.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted with 264 pregnant women in the obstetrics and gynaecology department of a tertiary care hospital from October 2022 to August 2023.A knowledge,attitude,and practice(KAP)questionnaire was prepared in English language by the researchers and validated by an expert panel consisting of 12 members.The validated questionnaire was then translated into regional languages,Kannada and Malayalam.The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed with test-retest method with a representative sample population of 30 subjects(10 subjects for each language).The subjects'knowledge,attitude,and practice were evaluated using the validated KAP questionnaire.The safety of the medication was assessed using the FDA drug safety classification for pregnancy.Results:The mean scores for nutritional and medication usage knowledge,attitude,and practice were 4.14±1.15,4.50±1.09,and 3.00±1.47,respectively.Among 30 prescribed medications,3 belong to category A(no risk in human studies),8 belong to category B(no risk in animal studies),18 belong to category C(risk cannot be ruled out)and 1 drug is not classified.A significant association was observed between medication knowledge and practice(r=0.159,P=0.010).Conclusions:Most of the study population knows the need to maintain good dietary and medication practices during pregnancy.Counselling pregnant women regarding diet and medication usage is crucial in maternal care.

Practice of Infection Prevention and Control Strategies in Risk Departments during the COVID-19 Epidemic

Objective: To explore the practice and application of infection prevention and control strategies in risk departments during the COVID-19 epidemic, and to formulate the infection prevention and control measures to provide advice and guidance in risk departments. Methods: According to the latest plan of diagnosis and treatment, prevention and control issued by the National Health Commission, expert advice and consensus, combined with the actual situation in our hospital, a series of infection prevention and control measures of COVID-19 in risk department was formulated. Results: During the epidemic period, the prevention and control measures of nine risk departments including emergency operation, anesthesiology, endoscopy center, blood purification center, otolaryngology, stomatology, medical imaging department, medical cosmetology department and pulmonary function room were established from six aspects, including pre-examination and screening, medical technology control, personnel management, personal protection, environmental disinfection, medical waste disposal, etc. Conclusion: During the epidemic period, the infection prevention and control strategy of risk departments is one of the key links to control the spread of the epidemic, and risk departments must pay attention to and strictly implement various infection prevention and control measures.

The Effects of Different Feeding Practices on the Nutritional Status of Infants below 12 Months Old in the Kumba 1 Sub-Division

Appropriate feeding practices are important during infancy for good health, growth and development of infants and children. WHO revised its earlier recommendation of Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF) of infants from 4 to 6 months of age to EBF until about 6 months of age, with the addition of complementary foods thereafter. This recommendation confirms that breast milk alone is sufficient to meet infants’ nutritional requirements for the first 6 months of life. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of various feeding practices on the Nutritional status of infants 0 - 12-month-old in the Kumba 1 Sub-Division. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2019 to August 2020. A total of 341 nursing mothers and their infants 0 - 12 months of age were recruited. Socio-demographic factors and the different feeding habits of the children were assessed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Nutritional status was assessed using anthropometric measurements. The overall proportion of infants who exclusively breastfed for 6 months was 69.2% and those who were mix-fed were 30.8% in the study area. The overall prevalence of malnutrition in the population was 61.0%. Among the malnourished children, 53.1% were underweight, 19.6% were wasted and 10.0% were stunted. Though not significant, the prevalence of wasting (21.0%) and underweight (58.3%) was higher among Mix-Fed (MF) children when compared to their EBF counterparts. Feeding practices affected the nutritional status of the infants. Underweight and wasting were observed among infants on Complementary Feeding (CF), although some exclusively breast-fed infants were stunted. Hence, nursing mothers should try as much as possible to practice EBF as recommended by WHO and can practice CF when the child is above six months.

Assessment of Breast Cancer Prevention Practices among Women Attending Primary Health Care in Abha City, Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, with breast cancer being the most common (2.26 million new cases and 685,000 deaths). In Saudi Arabia, breast cancer ranked the first among females in 2014, accounting for 15.9% of all cancers reported among Saudi nationals and 28.7% of all cancers reported among females of all ages. Early detection of breast cancer could decrease the risks, have a better prognosis, and have better outcomes/more successful treatments. Prevalence of breast cancer reached more than 25% of all diagnosed cancer in the kingdom among women. Aim: This study aims to assess the knowledge and performance of women attending primary care centers about breast self-examination and mammogram screening for prevention and early detection of breast cancer in Abha city primary healthcare centers, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Research Method: cross sectional design was conducted by using questionnaire, which was distributed to primary care center nurses. The collected data was statistically analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 25. Results: The study found that participants had poor awareness and knowledge about breast self-examination, risk factors for breast cancer, and trends and practices in early diagnosis of breast cancer. Conclusion and Recommendations: It recommends increasing awareness campaigns and providing educational programs to improve knowledge and practices.

Study of Factors Associated with Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Regarding Rabies in the Commune of Niakhéne in Senegal, in 2022

Introduction: Rabies is a serious disease, as it is always fatal, but it can be prevented by sero-vaccination. It is a neglected tropical disease endemic in Asia and Africa. The aim of this study was to assess knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding rabies and to determine the factors associated with them among people aged 18 and over in the commune of Niakhène. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical survey of subjects aged 18 and over living in the commune of Niakhène. A sample of 300 individuals was drawn from a two-stage cluster survey stratified by age and sex. Bivariate analysis was performed using association tests. Results: The mean age of respondents was 35.3 ± 16.9 years. It was noted that 67% (201) of respondents had a good knowledge of rabies. The results showed that 7.3% (22) of respondents owned a dog. Of the 278 people who did not own a dog, 78.4% (218) said they would have vaccinated their dog if they had had one. It should be noted that 83.7% (251) of respondents said they would go to a health facility if an animal bit them. None of the dog owners had vaccinated their dogs against rabies. Of the 41 people exposed to rabies, 39% went to a health facility. The age and education of the respondents had statistically significant associations with knowledge of rabies. Respondents’ age and education were statistically significantly related to whether they had vaccinated a domestic dog. The age, education and economic well-being quintile of respondents’ households had statistically significant associations with the use of a health facility in the event of being bitten or scratched by an animal vector. The education of respondents who had been bitten by an animal vector was statistically significantly associated with the use of a health facility. Conclusion: It would be imperative for human and animal health authorities to collaborate in a “One Health” approach in order to increase knowledge and promote the adoption of good practices in rabies prevention.

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Relating to HIV among Motorbike Taxi Drivers in Parakou, Benin, in 2021

Background and Objective: HIV infection is a major global Public Health threat worldwide, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa of which Benin. The level of knowledge determines the attitudes and behaviors of the populations towards this infection. The study objective was to assess knowledge, attitudes and practices related to HIV infection among motorbike taxi drivers (MTD) in Parakou in 2021. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study targeting MTD in Parakou in 2021. Participants were selected by cluster sampling. Pretested Digitized questionnaire using KoboCollect@ applicationserved as a data collection tool. Knowledge, attitudes and practices variable were treated on a score scale. A knowledge score was considered to reflect a good knowledge of HIV if at least two-thirds of the knowledge statements had been correctly answered provided the subject recognized the sexual route as one of modes of HIV transmission, identified at least one preventive measure and meant the incurability of the disease. Quantitative and qualitative variables were appropriately described using the EPI Info 7.1.3.3 software. The participant was classified at positive attitude/practice for HIV prevention, when it has a score of at least 80% and suggests a good preventive measure face a risk of exposure to HIV. Results: A total of 374 subjects were recruited into the study. The mean age was 31.51 ± 7.76 years. Most participants (86.06%) had good knowledge of condom use as an HIV prevention method. The sources of information mentioned were mainly the media (77.07%), relatives or friends (63.38%), and field-workers from non-governmental organizations (37.26%). Routine HIV testing was 50.53%. Among participants, 76.10% reported at least two different sexual partners. Condom use was 59.18 % during the casual sexual intercourse. Within the client-provider relationship with female sex workers, 33.17% had had sexual intercourse with them. The sexual route was the most cited (92.99%), and 90.23% stated that HIV infection can be stabilized by medication in a health structure. Conclusion: The level of knowledge of motorbike taxi drivers in Parakou does not match their behavior with regard to HIV prevention. Appropriate strategies are needed to develop prevention skills in this population. To effectively comb at HIV, it will be necessary to strengthen the targeted HIV preventive interventions at key and bridge populations including motorbike taxi drivers in Benin.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Regarding Diabetic Eye Disease among General Population in Medina City, Saudi Arabia

Background: Diabetic eye disease is known as a group of eye problems that diabetic patients may develop as a complication of diabetes and can lead to blindness. They may include Diabetic retinopathy (DR), Cataracts, and Glaucoma. Objectives: This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) around diabetic eye disease in the general population including patients with DM and non-diabetic people in Medina City, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving 385 participants via a self-administered online Questionnaire started in January 2023 in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Results: In total, 339 participants with ages ranged from 18 to more than 60 years with a mean age of 26.8 ± 12.6 years old completed the questionnaire. The majority were females (74.6%), singles (67.8%), and had a university level of education (54.6%). Most of the study participants were found to have poor knowledge levels (67%) in comparison to 33% who had an overall good knowledge of diabetic eye diseases. Knowledge level was found to be higher among old-aged participants and those with a family history of DM (P = 0.001, P = 0.049) respectively. Regarding participants’ attitudes and practices, the study showed good attitudes toward eye care practice for diabetics with half of the participants (50%) reporting self-awareness as a reason that made them undergo the first eye screening. Conclusion: Participants in the present study have poor knowledge and awareness level of diabetic eye disease. Furthermore, positive attitudes and perceptions have been revealed by the participants toward the practice of providing eye care for diabetics. .

Fasting and Cancer: Practice and Patients’ Quality of Life during Ramadan

Introduction: Ramadan is the ninth lunar month of the Muslim calendar, and fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslim cancer patients and health professionals are faced with a dilemma between the necessity of fasting and its possible adverse effects during Ramadan on the health status of cancer patients. We believe that addressing the issue of fasting in cancer patients is of global interest. Objectives: Prevalence of fasting in cancer patients during Ramadan;Predictive factors of Ramadan fasting in cancer patients;The effect of fasting during Ramadan on the quality of life of cancer patients. Materials and Methods: A structured questionnaire was used to interview adult cancer patients who received chemotherapy IV—or oral treatment at the medical oncology department at the Hassan II University Hospital in Fez during the month of Ramadan 1443 Hijri (April to May 2022). The quality of cancer patients’ lives during their fasting practice in Ramadan was evaluated via the QLQ-C30 questionnaires. Results: 48% of patients did not fast during Ramadan, 22% and 30% were partial and complete fasters respectively. Patients, with OMS 0 to 1, who receive outpatient treatment, non-metastatic patients and patients on oral treatment were more frequent in the completely fasted group. All these factors showed statistically significant values (p < 0.05). 44% of patients sought advice from the treating oncologist if they could fast, while only 15% of patients during Ramadan asked an imam if they could be excused from fasting. A comparison of the QLQ-C30 data showed a significant improvement in emotional functioning with fasting, however, patients had clinically more but not significantly fatigue after fasting. Conclusion: Female gender, good WHO, non-metastatic disease, and oral or outpatient treatment were more likely to be fasting. This study argues that fasting did not influence the quality of life, and appears to significantly improve emotional functioning in cancer patients during Ramadan.

Practice of Barrier Measures against COVID-19 Among Diabetic People Followed at Departmental University Hospital Center Ouémé-Plateau, Benin, in 2021

Introduction: COVID-19 is a pandemic disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-COV2 appeared in China in 2019. The aim of the study was to evaluate the practice of barrier measures against COVID-19 and to identify associated factors among diabetics followed at Departmental University Hospital Center Ouémé-Plateau, Benin, in 2021. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted from June to August 2021, including diabetics aged 18 and over, hospitalized or received for medical visits in the department of medicine at the target hospital. Data were collected during an interview with each participant thanks to a questionnaire. “Good practice” was defined as regular practice of at least two of three barrier measures: hand washing, physical distancing and mask-wearing. Results: A total of 110 diabetics were included with a female predominance (55.5%) and a mean age of 57 ± 11.3 years. Among them, 89.1% washed their hands, 41.8% respected physical distancing and 12.7% wore a mask. The proportion of good practice was 47.3%. Only 5 practiced the three barrier measures. Only age group was associated with good practice. Conclusion: The study showed a low proportion of good practice of barrier measures against COVID-19 among diabetic people surveyed. It is important to continue the action for COVID-19 prevention among diabetic people in the targeted hospital and in other hospitals in Benin.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding Covid-19 and their relationship with Covid-19 booster vaccination status among women with infertility

Objective:To elucidate the relationship among knowledge,attitudes,and practices regarding Covid-19 and their relationship with booster vaccination status among women with infertility.Methods:This questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was performed online and offline among women with infertility who visited an infertility clinic in Jakarta,Indonesia.We assessed the patient’s knowledge,attitudes,and practices regarding Covid-19 and their relationship with booster vaccination status and sociodemographic profile.Results:A total of 178 subjects participated in this study,and most participants(92.6%)had received booster Covid-19 vaccines.From the questionnaire,74.2%had good knowledge,and 99.4%had good attitudes regarding Covid-19;however,only 57.9%of patients had good practices.A weak positive correlation existed between knowledge and attitudes(r=0.11,P=0.13)and a moderate negative correlation between attitudes and practices(r=-0.44,P=0.56).Participants’knowledge about vaccines and infertility was correlated with booster vaccination status(P=0.04).Academic background(P=0.01)and attitudes(P=0.01)were also correlated with booster vaccination status.The significant determinants of hesitance of receiving Covid-19 booster vaccines were high school education or below(OR=0.08,95%CI 0.02-0.36)and poor practices(OR=0.21,95%CI 0.05-0.95).Conclusions:The majority of the participants had received the Covid-19 booster vaccine and had good knowledge and attitudes but poor practices regarding Covid-19.Most participants had poor knowledge about the relationship between infertility and the Covid-19 vaccine.The general population should be more informed and reminded about practices to prevent Covid-19 and the relationship between vaccination and fertility to increase the number of people who receive Covid-19 booster vaccines.