Infectious diseases in Afghanistan: Strategies for health system improvement.

Background And Aim: Afghanistan is grappling with a severe health crisis marked by a high prevalence of infectious diseases, particularly tuberculosis, malaria, HIV, and the added strain of the COVID-19 pandemic. The nation's healthcare system, already fragile, faces formidable challenges. Socioeconomic constraints, including limited resources and financial barriers, hinder healthcare accessibility, leading to delayed or inadequate care.

Oral Health Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior Among Health Professions' Students at Kabul University of Medical Sciences.

Background: Numerous investigations have revealed that oral issues are quite common among young Afghans. Knowledge, attitudes, and behavior are the three oral health-related population dimensions that need to be assessed in order to design effective public health awareness programs.

Objective: The study's goal was to find out how much health professions' students at Kabul University of Medical Sciences knew about oral health, as well as their attitudes and behaviors toward dental health and oral hygiene routines.

The Impact of Negative Moral Character on Health and the Role of Spirituality: A Narrative Literature Review.

Although negative moral character is highly prevalent, it is not included in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Along with the modification of WHO ICD-11, spirituality should be acknowledged for its potetnial role in the prevention of negative moral traits. This study aimed to explore the effects of negative moral character on health and determine the role of spirituality in improving negative moral traits.

The Coronavirus Anxiety Scale: Cross-national measurement invariance and convergent validity evidence.

Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) is a widely used measure that captures somatic symptoms of coronavirus-related anxiety. In a large-scale collaboration spanning 60 countries ( = 21,513), we examined the CAS's measurement invariance and assessed the convergent validity of CAS scores in relation to the fear of COVID-19 (FCV-19S) and the satisfaction with life (SWLS-3) scales. We utilized both conventional exact invariance tests and alignment procedures, with results revealing that the single-factor model fit the data well in almost all countries.

Congenital duodenal web causing partial obstruction with recurrent vomiting and abdominal distention in a toddler boy: a case report.

Background: The duodenal web is a thin, elongated, web-like structure that is one of the factors contributing to duodenal obstruction. Only 100 cases have been reported in the literature. We present a 2.

Assessing the multitargeted antidiabetic potential of three pomegranate peel-specific metabolites: An in silico and pharmacokinetics study.

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder that occurs due to impaired secretion of insulin, insulin resistance, or both. Recent studies show that the antidiabetic drugs used to control hyperglycemic levels are associated with undesirable adverse effects. Therefore, developing a safe and effective medicine with antidiabetic potential is needed.

Investigation of TG-43 Dosimetric Parameters for Ir Brachytherapy Source Using GATE Monte Carlo Code.

Purpose: According to the revised Task Group number 43 recommendations, a brachytherapy source must be validated against a similar or identical source before its clinical application. The purpose of this investigation is to verify the dosimetric data of the high dose rate (HDR) BEBIG Ir source (Ir2.A85-2).

Prevalence of pediatric sepsis in hospitalized children of Maiwand Teaching Hospital, Kabul, Afghanistan.

Background: Sepsis is a clinical syndrome associated with a systemic reaction to infection that is seen as a bacteremia with systemic symptoms. Sepsis is one of the most important problems in children and is associated with many deaths, so recognizing this disease and it's causing factors and identifying the predisposing factors for it is of great importance. Globally, the prevalence and occurrences of sepsis and septic shock are increasing, while the incidence of deaths from them has decreased with the improvement of diagnostic and treatment facilities.

Dietary linoleic acid intake in relation to breast cancer: A case-control study.

Background: The present study aimed to investigate the association between dietary linoleic acid (LA) intake and breast cancer in women.

Methods: In this population-based case-control study, we enrolled 350 pathologically confirmed breast cancer cases and 700 controls which were matched with cases in terms of age and socioeconomic status. Dietary intakes were assessed using a 106-item Willett-format semi-quantitative dish-based food frequency questionnaire (DS-FFQ).

ViSHWaS: Violence Study of Healthcare Workers and Systems-a global survey.

Objective: To provide insights into the nature, risk factors, impact and existing measures for reporting and preventing violence in the healthcare system. The under-reporting of violence against healthcare workers (HCWs) globally highlights the need for increased public awareness and education.

Methods: The Violence Study of Healthcare Workers and Systems study used a survey questionnaire created using Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) forms and distributed from 6 June to 9 August 2022.

Efficacy of ablation therapy on clinical outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Optimal treatment regimen for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) remains unclear. Therefore, the authors sought to compare the outcomes of ablation therapy versus pharmacological regimens in patients with AF.

Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Central databases were searched for randomized controlled trials and observational studies comparing clinical outcomes between of ablation and pharmacological therapy in patients with AF.

Prosthodontic Management of a Patient with Ectodermal Dysplasia: Case Report.

Ectodermal dysplasia (ED) is an inherited disorder that affects the ectoderm of a developing embryo and impacts structures that originate from it. It typically presents as a triad of missing teeth (anodontia/hypodontia), sparse hair (atrichosis/hypotrichosis), and lack of sweat glands (hypohidrosis), often accompanied by nail dystrophy and palmoplantar hyperkeratosis. There are two main types of this condition: X-linked anhidrotic or hypohidrotic and hidrotic (autosomal type).

Arterial thoracic outlet syndrome by a commonly overlooked anomaly, the cervical rib: A case report.

Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is a constellation of symptoms that occur due to the compression of neurovascular structures traversing the thoracic outlet. TOS manifests in 3 distinct forms: neurogenic, venous, and arterial. Among these, arterial TOS is the rarest.

Knowledge, Beliefs, and Practices Related to Menstruation Among Female Students in Afghanistan.

Background: Menstruation is a universal, natural, unique, and physiological phenomenon. Despite the fact that menstruation is a natural fact of life, it is still considered taboo in Afghanistan and other developing countries.

Objective: To assess knowledge, beliefs, and practices related to menstruation among female students of Kabul University of Medical Sciences (KUMS).

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Toward Tuberculosis Among Health Faculty and Non-Health Faculty Students of Kabul University and Kabul University of Medical Sciences, Kabul, Afghanistan.

Introduction: Afghanistan ranks 24th among the countries with a high TB death rate. The number of TB patients has unfortunately increased by 3% during 2022 compared to 2021. University students are among the high-risk groups for TB.

Geostatistical analysis for spatial distribution of anemia (Hb level) among women of reproductive age and determinant factors.

The study was designed to assess the geostatistical spatial distribution of anemia and determinant factors among the women of reproductive age group (RAG) in Gilgit district, Pakistan. The Hb levels for 15-25 RAG, 26-35 RAG, and 36-45 group showed 10.22 g/dL, 10.

Better understanding extrapulmonary tuberculosis: A scoping review of public health impact in Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and Bangladesh.

Background And Aims: South Asian countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and Bangladesh, have a high prevalence of pulmonary and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB). This prevalence is influenced by various risk factors such as ethnicity, nutrition, socioeconomic disparities, high out-of-pocket healthcare expenses, and specific Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (TB) lineages. The COVID-19 pandemic has likely hindered access to healthcare and led to under-reporting of EPTB cases nationally and internationally.

Oral myiasis: A known case of scar epilepsy in a 45-year-old.

Key Clinical Message: Oral myiasis (OM) is brought on by parasitic larvae that consume both living and dead tissue. Our study aims to present the possible circumstances under which people suffer from this deteriorating condition in juxtaposition to scar epilepsy.

Abstract: A uncommon disease known as oral myiasis (OM) is brought on by parasitic larvae that consume both living and dead tissue.

Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics of 30 Fatal Cases of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in Kabul, Afghanistan: A Retrospective Observational Study.

Objective: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a zoonotic disease associated with a high fatality rate. CCHF is endemic in Afghanistan, and its morbidity and mortality have increased recently but there is limited data about the characteristics of fatal cases. We aimed to report the clinical and epidemiological features of fatal CCHF cases who were admitted to Kabul Referral Infectious Diseases (Antani) Hospital.