Publications by authors named "Salameh P"

Background: Lebanon's economic and financial crises have affected the quality-of-life, including food safety and food security.

Aim: To assess food safety knowledge and practices among a sample Lebanese population and the association with the sociodemographic and economic characteristics of participants.

Methods: This cross-sectional study collected data online from 412 Lebanese adults aged ≥ 18 years [mostly female (77.

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Background: Lung cancer is a significant contributor to mortality worldwide. The aim of this study was to assess the level of lung cancer awareness among the Lebanese general population.

Methods: An online-based questionnaire was completed by 410 participants all over Lebanon.

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Background: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) help to assess disease control and quality of life (QoL) in chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and recurrent angioedema (RA). This study aimed to assess the correlation between two different concepts: disease control and QoL, using disease-specific PROMs.

Methods: We analyzed data from 445 CSU and 330 RA patients who completed both a disease control and QoL PROM as part of the clinical routine.

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Purpose: Children with epilepsy are at an increased risk of developing psychiatric comorbidities, which exacerbate the overall disease burden. However, these disorders are often underreported in developing countries. This study, conducted in a developing country, aims to evaluate the frequency of psychiatric disorders and associated factors in a large cohort of children with epilepsy.

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HFC-23 (trifluoromethane) is a potent greenhouse gas released to the atmosphere primarily as a by-product of HCFC-22 (chlorodifluoromethane) synthesis. Since 2020, the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol has required Parties to destroy their HFC-23 emissions to the extent possible. Here, we present updated HFC-23 emissions estimated from atmospheric observations.

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Background: University students, often unemployed and reliant on low-nutrition foods, are susceptible to food insecurity (FI) with potential physical and mental health challenges. This study explores FI and its impact on lifestyle behaviours among university students.

Methods: A cross-sectional web-based study was performed by sending an online questionnaire to university students in Lebanon, Cyprus, and Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Background: Burnout is a pervasively increasing threat to personal and professional wellbeing and performance. It is yet understudied in relation to basic psychological needs (BPN), especially in at-risk population such as medical residents. This study intends to explore the differential relationship between various aspects of burnout including depersonalization (DP), emotional exhaustion (EE) and lack of personal achievement (PA) and subsets of BPN satisfaction or frustration namely autonomy, relatedness, and competence, with the framework of the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) in healthcare.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the link between metabolic drugs (like those for diabetes and cholesterol) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the Lebanese population, utilizing data from a nationwide survey of 2048 participants.
  • Key findings indicate that factors such as higher adherence to the Lebanese Mediterranean Diet, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, family history of CVD, and smoking habits are associated with an increased risk of CVD, while higher income levels appear to lower this risk.
  • Interestingly, the study found that neither hypoglycemic nor lipid-lowering medications had a significant impact on CVD risk, though lifestyle and socio-economic status played notable roles in different patient subgroups.
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Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive degenerative neurological disorder that negatively affects the quality of life of affected individuals as well as their care givers. There is limited information in both epidemiological data and awareness level on PD in the Middle East. Considering the increasing prevalence of PD, the lack of awareness and negative attitudes toward PD pose a barrier in the provision of appropriate care for individuals with PD.

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Background: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder. Public knowledge of ADHD plays a crucial role in shaping attitudes, reducing stigma, and fostering a supportive environment for individuals with this disease. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge and stigma of the general Lebanese population regarding ADHD and identify potential factors associated with these variables.

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Objective: This study aimed to assess the public's knowledge of stroke before and after viewing an educational video about stroke risk factors, preventive measures, and alarming signs.

Methods: A single-arm interventional study was conducted in Lebanon using a 3-minute video-based education about stroke. A pre- and post-structured questionnaire compared the level of knowledge about stroke.

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Background: Disparities in health outcomes among persons with disabilities (PWD) are influenced by preventable factors including negative attitudes and discriminatory practices of healthcare professionals and the limited training of medical students in working with PWD.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to validate the "Medical Students' Attitudes Towards Patients with Disabilities" (MSA-PWD) scale among Lebanese medical students and identify associated factors.

Method: A scale validation study was conducted as part of the standard internal evaluation process at the medical school, using a cross-sectional design based on a qualitative content validity process, involving students from years 1 to 4.

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Background: Environmental surroundings reduce the rate of several diseases, especially those related to stressful events. Ischemic stroke can be affected by such events, either directly or through its risk factors. Therefore, the present study evaluates the effects of green spaces and noise exposure on the risk of ischemic stroke.

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Article Synopsis
  • CRUSE® is an app designed for people with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) to track their symptoms using visual analogue scales (VASs), aiming to assess the app's effectiveness in measuring disease activity.
  • A study analyzed three VASs related to CSU impact on daily life, including one specifically for the severity of urticaria, one for productivity, and a general health measure (EQ-5D), using data from nearly 6,000 patients over many days.
  • The results showed that the CRUSE® app's VASs demonstrate strong validity and reliability, with the "VAS urticaria" being most effective in capturing symptom changes, while the minimal important difference (MID) values indicated meaningful changes
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Background: In cholinergic urticaria (CholU), itchy wheal and flare-type skin reactions are triggered by sweat-inducing activities. The CholU activity score (CholUAS) is used to assess disease activity but has not yet been validated. The aim of the study was to validate the CholUAS, develop an English version, and provide instructions for scoring.

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In Lebanon, the lack of quality data on road traffic injuries (RTIs) led to the implementation of a hospital-based RTI surveillance system by the Ministry of Health in in private and public-run hospitals in the Bekaa governorate. This paper aims to describe the characteristics and severity of RTIs recorded over two years during the pilot phase. It also assesses the strengths and challenges of the surveillance system, highlighting areas for enhancement.

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We aimed to evaluate ceramic-alloy interface and emphasize the alteration of alloy microstructure after ceramic layering. Thirty-two discs made from a ceramic-alloy combination of pre-sintered cobalt-chromium (CoCr), cast CoCr, cast nickel-chromium (NiCr), or pre-sintered zirconia were prepared with eight discs in each group. Four specimens were examined as manufactured and four were ceramic-layered.

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Background: Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is a major global contributor to death and disability. As part of its medical management, researchers have recognized the importance of promising neuroprotective strategies, where stem cell transplantation (SCT) is thought to confer advantages trophic and neuroprotective effects.

Aim: To evaluate the current state of research on SCT in patients with CVA, assess key trends and highlight literature gaps.

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Background: Hypertension is a major risk factor for ischemic stroke. An important strategy in controlling hypertension is dietary modification. The present study evaluates the effect of Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on the risk of ischemic stroke.

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Article Synopsis
  • Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is becoming essential in emergency medicine, providing quick imaging at the bedside.
  • A study in Lebanon found that a significant number of medical residents (58.3%) only have basic POCUS knowledge, while 19.6% lack any knowledge and only 21.6% are adequately proficient.
  • To improve POCUS education, residency programs should implement standardized training, simulation exercises, and enhance faculty development to equip residents with the skills needed for effective clinical use.
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  • * A survey was conducted online in 2021 with 1,094 healthcare workers across eight countries, revealing that high work fatigue lowers resilience, which in turn is linked to increased psychological distress.
  • * The findings suggest that resilience is a key factor in mitigating the mental health impacts of fatigue, indicating that strategies to enhance resilience could improve healthcare worker well-being.
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Objective: Previous studies assessing factors associated with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) were constrained by their amalgamation of all epilepsy syndromes in their analyses and the absence of uniform criteria for defining DRE. Our objective was to identify predictors of DRE among the four primary childhood epilepsy syndrome groups within a cohort of children with new onset seizures, using the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) definition of DRE and the recent classification of epilepsies.

Methods: This is a prospective study of 676 children with new onset seizures initiated on antiseizure medication.

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Article Synopsis
  • *Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 2048 participants, gathering data on their demographics and dietary habits through interviews and questionnaires, focusing on the links to diabetes, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease.
  • *Results: Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet was linked to factors like being older, female, married, and active, while it was negatively associated with being a smoker and experiencing high stress.
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Background: There is a lack information regarding risk factors associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the MENA region.

Methods: This is a multicenter, retrospective cohort study that included all MS patients with a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection using the MENACTRIMS registry. The association of demographics, disease characteristics, and use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) with outcomes and severity of COVID-19 were evaluated by multivariate logistic model.

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