Addressing Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Awareness and Knowledge Gaps Among Lebanese Medical Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: In Lebanon, HIV prevalence among key populations such as men who have sex with men is high at 12%, warranting a need for targeted healthcare efforts. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective prevention measure, yet global challenges persist, including limited awareness of PrEP among healthcare professionals. This study investigates PrEP awareness within the Lebanese medical community.

Handling and decontamination of live medications: What challenges for hospital pharmacies in France?

Objectives: To review the literature and national practices concerning the handling and decontamination of live medications, in order to revise our local practices.

Methods: Literature searches and questionnaire sent to establishments handling live medications on several themes, including: preparation activity, circuits, preparation equipment, decontamination techniques and agents, personal protective equipment, viruses and genetically modified organisms.

Results: Twenty establishments responded to the questionnaire (response rate: 66%) with 16 responses usable.

Waterpipe Smoking and Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: A Pilot Study.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the association of waterpipe smoking with lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD).

Methods: This is a retrospective chart review study.

Tumor evolution metrics predict recurrence beyond 10 years in locally advanced prostate cancer.

Cancer evolution lays the groundwork for predictive oncology. Testing evolutionary metrics requires quantitative measurements in controlled clinical trials. We mapped genomic intratumor heterogeneity in locally advanced prostate cancer using 642 samples from 114 individuals enrolled in clinical trials with a 12-year median follow-up.

Hospitals' Collaborations Strengthen Pandemic Preparedness: Lessons Learnt from COVID-19.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic strained healthcare systems around the world. This study aims to understand the preparedness of private remote hospitals in Lebanon to respond to the pandemic and evaluate the impact of inter-hospital collaborations on the hospitals' readiness.

Methods: A multi-centered study was conducted between August 2020 and June 2021 in ten Lebanese private remote hospitals based on a mixed-methods embedded approach where the quantitative supported the qualitative.

Risk Factors for SARS-CoV-2 Among a Cohort of Healthcare Workers in Lebanon.

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) faced substantial risk of infection during the COVID-19 outbreak. This study aims to determine the prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in a cross-sectional sample of HCWs as well as risk factors associated with exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: The study was conducted between March and May 2021 at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), a tertiary hospital located in Lebanon.

Volunteers, religious communities and users representatives as an alternative for visiting hospitalized patients: The importance of an infection control training.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the suspension of relatives' visits was a common measure in healthcare facilities to prevent the spread of the virus among patients. This measure caused significant adverse consequences for hospitalized patients. Volunteers' intervention was an alternative but could also lead to cross transmission events.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Health and Wellness Programs for Arab Hospitals' Employees: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Compared to the general workforce, hospital staff has a greater incidence of chronic diseases and mental health illnesses. Wellness programs have been shown to improve the health and well-being of hospital employees by reducing risk factors and promoting healthy behaviors. In the Arab World, there are no available studies on the number, nature, or impact of wellness services provided to healthcare workers.

COVID-19 Infections and Predictors of Sickness Related Absences Among Healthcare Workers: The Experience of a Tertiary Care Center With the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Little has been published on predictors of prolonged sick leaves during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to determine the rate of COVID-19 infections among healthcare workers (HCWs) and to identify the predictors of longer sick leave days.

Methods: We identified predictors of longer sick leave using linear regression analysis in a cross-sectional study design.

Using Social Marketing to Promote COVID-19 Vaccination Uptake: A Case Study from the "AUBe Vaccinated" Campaign.

The availability of and access to COVID-19 vaccines has been challenging in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), coupled with mistrust in public health organizations instigated by misinformation and disinformation diffused by traditional and social media. In the Spring of 2021, the American University of Beirut (AUB) in Lebanon spearheaded a nationwide vaccination drive with the ambitious goal of vaccinating its entire community by the beginning of the academic year 2021-2022, as the campus was due to be opened only to vaccinated individuals. This case study outlines the development, implementation, and evaluation of a social marketing campaign to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations among members of the AUB community, comprising students, faculty, staff, and dependents.

Can interprofessional education change students' attitudes? A case study from Lebanon.

Background: Interprofessional collaboration is key to improving the health of individuals and communities. It is supported by provision of Interprofessional education (IPE) which has recently emerged in the Middle East region. This study investigated changes in healthcare students' attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration after undertaking the Interprofessional Education and Collaboration (IPEC) course.

Unique orientation of 1D and 2D nanoparticle assemblies confined in smectic topological defects.

New collective optical properties have emerged recently from organized and oriented arrays of closely packed semiconducting and metallic nanoparticles (NPs). However, it is still challenging to obtain NP assemblies which are similar everywhere on a given sample and, most importantly, share a unique common orientation that would guarantee a unique behavior everywhere on the sample. In this context, by combining optical microscopy, fluorescence microscopy and synchrotron-based grazing incidence X-ray scattering (GISAXS) of assemblies of gold nanospheres and of fluorescent nanorods, we study the interactions between NPs and liquid crystal smectic topological defects that can ultimately lead to unique NP orientations.

Consumer knowledge and awareness of the toxicity and handling of household products at a tertiary care center in Beirut, Lebanon.

Household products intoxication is a common and preventable problem. Household product hazard awareness is lacking among consumers in Lebanon, posing a public health hazard. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted at the American University of Beirut Medical Center by administering surveys to 176 adult participants.

Anxiety Among Healthcare Workers During COVID-19 Pandemic in Lebanon: The Importance of the Work Environment and Personal Resilience.

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to their risk of direct exposure to the virus, they were subjected to long working hours, scarcity of PPE, and additional stressors that impacted their psychological wellbeing. The purpose of this study was to assess anxiety and its predictors among a sample of HCWs at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) and to evaluate the association between resilience and anxiety.

The Role of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 1 Insertion/Deletion Genetic Polymorphism in the Risk and Severity of COVID-19 Infection.

Individuals infected with the COVID-19 virus present with different symptoms of varying severity. In addition, not all individuals are infected despite exposure. Risk factors such as age, sex, and comorbidities play a major role in this variability; however, genetics may also be important in driving the differences in the incidence and prognosis of the disease.

The role of double-guidewire technique in preventing postendoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis.

Background And Study Aims: Postendoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) complications increase with repeated cannulation attempts. We evaluated several advanced biliary cannulation techniques, which have been used when the standard approach fails, to increase the success rate and decrease post-ERCP complications. We aimed to evaluate the use of double-wire technique in terms of success rates and effects on post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) and to assess the value of pancreatic duct stenting following needle-knife sphincterotomy in difficult biliary cannulation.

Occupational Exposure to Blood-Borne Pathogens among Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Care Center in Lebanon.

Objectives: Despite numerous initiatives, occupational exposure to blood-borne pathogens (BBP) caused by percutaneous injuries or mucosal contamination remain common among healthcare workers (HCWs). These exposures were decreasing at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) in the previous decades. Recently, the medical center activity has been increasing with higher number of interventions performed and shorter hospital stay.

Telephone Consultation and Prescription in Pediatrics: Contributing Factors and Impact on Clinical Outcomes.

To evaluate phone-based consultation practices and drug prescription profiles in pediatrics and to highlight their possible uses, contributing factors, and effects on clinical outcomes. The ownership and everyday use of cell phones are increasing worldwide. Telehealth is gaining the support of health professionals for the delivery of simple healthcare measures to more complex management decisions.

Risk of Injury by Unionization: Survival Analysis of a Large Industrial Cohort.

Objective: To investigate the effect of union status on injury risk among a large industrial cohort.

Methods: The cohort included hourly employees at 19 US plants between 2000 and 2007. Plants were classified by union status, and injuries were classified by severity.