Khartoum Research Articles

Association of Serum Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Levels with Nephropathy and Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Introduction: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), protein originally referred to as vascular permeability factor, maybe a signal protein produced by cells that stimulate the formation of blood vessels and a sub-family of growth factors. They are important signaling proteins engaged in both vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. It is a part of the system that restores the oxygen supply to tissues when blood circulation is insufficient like in hypoxic conditions. The serum concentration of VEGF is high in asthma and DM. The aim of this study to explore the relevance of VEGF level with the complication of diabetes mellitus (diabetic retinopathy [DR] and diabetic nephropathy (DN)). Methodology: Case–control study carried out in Khartoum–Sudan from August 2018 to August 2020. One hundred and four patients divided into four groups, 3 ml of blood were collected from each subject in sterile plain vacationer tube (3 ml) then was centrifuged, and the serum was stored at −20°C to measure VEGF level by using ELISA kits (E-EL-H0111, 96T). Results: We have confirmed previous observations of increased plasma VEGF Levels in patients with DR and DN. A total of 103 quality controls divided into four groups (diabetics with DR, diabetics with DN diabetics without DR or DN, and health individuals) were observed to determine the relationship between serum of VEGF levels and diabetes complication DR and DN. Conclusions: High level of VEGF plays a major role in the pathogenesis of DR and DN.

DETERMINATION OF ATTITUDE OF COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS TO MEDICINE INVENTORY MANAGEMENT IN DELTA STATE, NIGERIA

Background: The current global economic recession and harsh practice environment have imposed a demand on community pharmacy to ensure efficient and effective drug stock (inventory) management to enhance cost savings for valuable professional profit advantage.
 Objective: This study presents the determination of the attitude of community pharmacists on medicine inventory management.
 Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive survey of 125 community pharmacists selected using a simple random sampling method. The primary data were collected with the aid of a pretested semi-structured questionnaire. The sample size was determined using the Taro Yamane’s formula for a finite population. The questionnaire comprises three main sections to study the attitude of community pharmacists to medicine inventory management and are designed using simple statements on a Likert-type scale with five alternative responses having weights scores of 0-4. The collected data were subjected to descriptive and inferential analysis with a significance level of 5% using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 for Windows (SPSS, Chicago, IL).
 Results: The response rate was 125 (96.2%) and the questionnaire reliability was 0.97. Most respondents were located in Warri 69 (75.2%), with almost evenly split sex categories with the male 70 (56.0%) being slightly more, age distribution almost bell-shaped with the 30-39 years range being the modal range. Most of the survey respondents were superintendents 98 (78.4%), computer 79 (63.2%) usage in their premises with 67(84.8%) being used for inventory management purposes. Community pharmacists showed a negative attitude (MWA=2.46) towards inventory management with a significant association with the gender respondents (x2=9.32, p=0.01) however, males being more negative than females. The result shows that the community pharmacists in Delta State had a negative attitude towards inventory management. Adequate training through self-development is highly advocated.
 
 Peer Review History: 
 Received: 28 October 2021; Revised: 10 August 2022; Accepted: 6 September, Available online: 15 September 2022
 Academic Editor: Dr. Asia Selman Abdullah, Pharmacy institute, University of Basrah, Iraq, asia_abdullah65@yahoo.com
 UJPR follows the most transparent and toughest ‘Advanced OPEN peer review’ system. The identity of the authors and, reviewers will be known to each other. This transparent process will help to eradicate any possible malicious/purposeful interference by any person (publishing staff, reviewer, editor, author, etc) during peer review. As a result of this unique system, all reviewers will get their due recognition and respect, once their names are published in the papers. We expect that, by publishing peer review reports with published papers, will be helpful to many authors for drafting their article according to the specifications. Auhors will remove any error of their article and they will improve their article(s) according to the previous reports displayed with published article(s). The main purpose of it is ‘to improve the quality of a candidate manuscript’. Our reviewers check the ‘strength and weakness of a manuscript honestly’. There will increase in the perfection, and transparency. 
 Received file: Reviewer's Comments:
 Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 6.0/10
 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 7.0/10
 Reviewers:
 Rusmir Baljic, Clinic for infectious diseases, Clinical center University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. rusmir.baljic@gmail.com
 Dr. Govind Vyas, Compliance & Regulatory Officer Inva-Tech Pharmaceuticals LLC, New-Jersey, USA, govindvyas03@gmail.com
 Prof. Dr. Hassan A.H. Al-Shamahy, Sana'a University, Yemen, shmahe@yemen.net.ye
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 ASSESSMENT OF THE ROLE OF COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS IN MANAGEMENT OF HIV-POSITIVE INDIVIDUALS IN THE SOUTHERN REGION OF NIGERIA 
 AWARENESS OF PHARMACISTS TOWARDS ASPARTAME SIDE EFFECTS IN KHARTOUM CITY, SUDAN

Blood biochemical measurements of homeless adolescent sniffing lead-containing substances in Khartoum City rehabilitation centers, Sudan

Blood biochemical measurements of homeless adolescent sniffing lead-containing substances in Khartoum City rehabilitation centers, Sudan

The Social and Cultural Dimensions Associated with Death in Muslim Communities, a Case Study Khartoum City

In Arab universities, sociologists rarely discuss the sociology of death. By studying social and cultural variables along with subjective and objective meanings of death, this paper contributes to filling this gap in research on death in a Sudanese urban area. Furthermore, the study examines the relationship between the burial of the dead and the time and place of their burial, social status, relatives, and religious affiliation as they relate to their burial. A major objective of the research is to explore the social and cultural dimensions of death in Sudanese communities. Data were collected using interviews and observations in the field using the descriptive method. Death is more of a social than a biological fact; therefore, the general findings of this research are about declaration of death, and what it implies about social cohesion. Burial and social acts following death are acts that express social meanings, and further, indicate how biological death has occurred. Based on variables such as social status, family relationship, and religious affiliation, it can be seen that the deceased person and/or family holds these beliefs.

Fecal Carriage of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci among Hospitalized Patients in Khartoum Sudan

<p><strong>Background:</strong> Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci have emerged as important nosocomial pathogens worldwide. These organisms are often resistant to multiple antimicrobial agents limiting the number of antimicrobial treatment options.</p> <p><strong>Aim</strong>: This study aimed to isolate and identify the vancomycin-resistant enterococci from fecal specimens of hospitalized patients in Soba hospitals- in Khartoum, Sudan.</p> <p><strong>Methods</strong>: The current is a descriptive cross-sectional laboratory-based study. 100 hospitalized patients were selected randomly. A fecal specimen was collected from each participant and inoculated on Kanamycin esculin azide agar and incubated at 37<sup>O</sup>C overnight. Isolated colonies were identified using conventional microbiological methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was determined by using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Vancomycin resistance was detected by using vancomycin screening agar. Collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science, version 22, <em>P. value</em> <0.05 was considered statistically significant</p> <p><strong>Results: </strong>Out of 100 fecal specimens, 89 <em>Enterococcus</em> <em>spp</em>. were isolated. 1 out of 89 Enterococci 1.1%) were found vancomycin resistance. Resistant to Ceftriaxone was 100%, Rifampicin was 98.9% and streptomycin was 89.9%.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> There was a low prevalence of a vancomycin-resistant and wide range of other antimicrobial agents' resistance with an increase in multi-drug resistant strains of enterococci.</p>

Site Selection for Solid Waste (New landfill) using GIS-based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) Khartoum state, Sudan

Solid waste management is becoming a serious problem, especially in developing countries. It has become a growing problem in Khartoum city because it is randomly disposed of and is the main source of environmental pollution coupled with traditional management practices such as burning and uncovered dunghills. This study aims to use suitable sites for solid Waste Collection in Khartoum State using the integration of multi-criteria for decision analysis (MCDA) in Geographic Information System (GIS) in addition to building geographic data base for waste management for future monitoring program. Multi criteria are used including the distance from settlements, rural and industrial areas, distance from roads, railway, drainage, land slope, and land uses. The distances from these features was ranked and weighted. By superimposing these weights, the Model Builder has been built, deriving a map representing the most suitable locations for landfill in Khartoum. The results indicate that the most suitable sites will cause minimum impacts to the environment, society and economy as well as conforming with the regulations and generally accepted by the public.

RF performance evaluation of the nRF24L01+ based wireless water quality monitoring sensor node: Khartoum city propagation scenario

Recently, and to cater to increased needs of Drinking Water Quality Monitoring (DWQM) and data management, there has been a growing interest in the marketplace as well as in the research community to develop advanced water quality monitoring systems utilizing modern information and communications technologies (ICT) such as wireless sensor networks (WSN) and Internet of Things (IoT). The application of the wireless-sensing paradigm is becoming a common trend in water quality monitoring systems. In fact, a growing body of the literature has focused on developing wireless sensing-enabled water quality monitoring systems. However, previous studies have not dealt with the radio performance evaluation of modern wireless water quality monitoring systems deployed in urban city scenarios. The present paper seeks to address the radio frequency (RF) performance evaluation for a developed modern wireless Drinking Water Quality Monitoring System (DWQMS) based on the commercial nRF24L01+ RF module. This research study is based on three city propagation scenarios as case studies. The obtained experimental data suggested that the nRF24L01+ module can provide relatively acceptable RF performance under less favorable and hostile city propagation environments.

Campus Close-Down Came in Handy: Depression, Anxiety and Stress Among Sudanese Medical Students and Their Association With Brief and Extended Closure Periods

AimsTo estimate the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among Sudanese medical students and investigate the relationship and impact of closure periods on depression.MethodsA cross-sectional analytical study was conducted. Data were collected from 1676 enrolled students from 10 medical schools in the capital of Sudan - Khartoum- who faced complete lockdown and agreed to participate in online google form. A self-administered questionnaire containing depression anxiety and stress scale (DASS-42) and socio-demographic inquires was used.ResultsThe chief responders were females 1158 (69.1%) while males were 518 (30.9%). The prevalence of stress symptoms was the highest (51.9%), followed by depression symptoms (49.8%) and anxiety symptoms (28.8%). 96 students attempted suicide (6%) and about 5 folds have suicidal ideation (27%). According to multiple binary logistic analyses, college closure time was significantly associated with decreasing chances of getting depression symptoms (OR: 0.39, 95% C.I: 0.21–0.70, p = 0.002), while being a female, COVID-19 patient or having a family history of depression appeared to elevate depression, anxiety and stress levels. The impact of university closure on stress and anxiety is non-significant.ConclusionDepression, stress, and to a lesser extent anxiety are widespread among Sudanese medical students and suicidal ideation is noteworthy. All of these require serious and expeditious interventions. Controversially, our findings suggest that university closure serves as a protective factor, relieving depression in medical students but not exaggerating it.

Assessment of Water Handling Practices and Prevalence of Water Borne Diseases, East Nile Locality, Khartoum State

Water is one of the important requirements for human health and life. However, it is also the most effective carrier of pathogens causing a number of infectious diseases. Water borne diseases are the most common prevalent infectious diseases in developing countries especially in rural areas, and is still a major public health and environmental concern. The living conditions in rural areas are poor, which makes rural populations more vulnerable to inaccessibility to safe drinking water and high risk of water borne diseases .Water safety in a community depends on a range of factors, from the quality of source water to storage and handling in the domestic setting. This is a descriptive cross sectional community based study conducted in East Nile locality in the capital state of Khartoum in Sudan among 384 households from April to June 2019, to assess water handling practices on a household level and the factors associated with the prevalence of water borne diseases. A questionnaire was used to collect data and the data was analysed by using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS). The result revealed that artesian wells were the commonest source of drinking water used by 81% of participants. The majority of the respondents (80.2%) didn’t treat their water at household level and only 3% used boiling. 2.9% of the respondents washed their hands before collecting water, 3.4% of the respondents cleaned their water container regularly and 91.7% covered their water collection container. The prevalence of water borne diseases was 79% and diarrhoeal disease were the most prevalent water borne diseases among households in all the selected villages accounting for 52.1% of the total followed by typhoid fever at 38%. The study concluded that the practice of hygienic water handling practices among participants was poor. Source of drinking water, socioeconomic status as well as the adoption of measures to treat water were the major factors responsible for the occurrence ....

Effects of a Health Education Program on Water Treatment and Safe Storage, East Nile Locality, Khartoum State

Water is one of the important requirements for human health and life. Safe and adequate water supply is a vital element to preserve human health, however access to clean water is limited in many developing countries. Household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) provides a solution, when employed correctly and consistently, for managing water safety at home, have been shown to be effective in improving the microbiological quality of drinking water. This is a pre- post quasi experimental community based study conducted in East Nile locality in the capital state of Khartoum in Sudan among 384 households from May 2018 to June 2020, to evaluate the effects of a health education program on water treatment and safe storage. A questionnaire was used to collect data pre and post health education, the data was analysed by using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS). The result revealed that artesian well was the commonest source of drinking water used by 81% of participants. Nearly all of households 99.5% transported the water from points of sources to their houses using barrels carried by donkeys while only small portion 0.5% used buckets. The proportion of households who stored drinking water containers close to potential source of contamination was significant decrease from (96.9 %) before health education to (1.8%) after health education, and cleaned the water containers with water and soap before storing water, was improved from (4.3%) before health education to (98.4%) after health education. Households who stored drinking water in a covered containers were high before health education (91.7%) and remained high after health education (99.0%). Before health education, 19.8% of households practiced home-based water treatment. Conversely 99.7% of the households practiced home-based water treatment at the end line of the programme which showed significant change compared with the baseline (P < .001). Overall, households’ drinking water handling practice .....

An Assessment of Authorized Car Wash Site Suitability Using a GIS-Based Modeling in Khartoum City, Sudan

The goal of this study is to assess the ability of existing car washing stations in Khartoum City using an ArcMap suitability modeling tool. Methods: In Khartoum, an increasing number of vehicle wash stations were opened every day. The main criteria are street, the slope, the hospitals, the police station, and the school, which have been used to build a model of suitability based on weight overlay in ArcGIS 10.4. The findings revealed two evaluation tendencies. One tendency involves business centers that are located on main roads but are adjacent to residential areas, while another involves business centers that have rezoned residential plots without consideration for ideal site requirements for the environment. There are locations that would be appropriate for vehicle wash centers, according to the final suitability map. On a scale of 1 to 5, less than 30% of the study area is considered suitable for a new car wash regarding class 5. On the other hand, significant areas are available for car wash development in the second value of suitability 4, but as second-ranked suitability. The assessment was accomplished by comparing the final suitability map of car washing centers to the layers which represented them.

Molecular Detection of Carbapenemase Genes in Extensive Drug Resistant <i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i> Clinical Isolates from ICU Patients, Khartoum

Background: The emergence of carbapenemase producing Acinetobacter baumannii is increasingly reported nowadays and constitutes a major problem to the intensive care unit (ICU) patients with notable extensive-drug resistance ability. The study investigates carbapenemase producing A. baumannii strains exhibiting an extensively drug-resistant (XDR) phenotype, isolated from ICU patients in Khartoum. Methods: A total of 100 nonduplicate Gram-negative coccobacilli strains were obtained from microbiology laboratory of ICU patients’ clinical isolates. Molecular identification of A. baumannii was performed by targeting 16S rRNA gene using specifically designed primers. Then, XDR strains were determined by susceptibility testing (disc diffusion). For detection of carbapenemase genes Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was carried out. Result: Of 100 ICU clinical isolates, 38 (38.0%) was confirmed A. baumannii strains, those strains showed 100% carbapenem resistance and 60.5% extensive drug resistance to the antibiotics tested. The frequency of carbapenemase producer was 57.9% (22/38) of carbapenem resistance A. baumannii (CRAB). The most common carbapenemase associated with resistance was blaOXA gene followed by blaNDM and blaGES A. baumannii isolates. The co-occurrence of blaOXA-48-like and blaNDM, blaOXA-23-like and blaOXA-51, and blaNDM-1 and blaOXA-51 was detected in 22.7%, 18.2% strains and 4.5% respectively. A unique characteristic of our findings was the coharbouring of the genes blaNDM-1, blaOXA-23-like, blaOXA-51 and blaOXA-143 in 9.1% strains (2/22), and this was the first report in the Khartoum city, Sudan. Conclusion: We have demonstrated for the first time a high prevalence of XDR-carbapenemase producing A. baumannii clinical isolates from ICU patients in Khartoum. Also an emergent blaOXA-143 was reported as High-Risk Clones. This highlights the routine mentoring of XDR-carbapenemase producing A. baumannii to avoid clone dissemination in our region hospitals.

Knowledge of ICU Nurses Regarding the Ongoing Nursing Assessment of ICU Patients in Khartoum City, 2020

Background: An ongoing nursing assessment is the most significant point in the nursing process to be executed in the beginning of every shift which can be accomplished by using different approaches. It needs to be conducted accurately to guide professional nurses’ decision-making ability to further provide holistic nursing care to patients in the intensive care units (ICUs). This study was aimed to assess the ICU nurses’ knowledge regarding ongoing nursing assessment of ICU patients.
 Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional hospital-based study was conducted in Khartoum city, and included 86 out of the 135 participants working in the critical care units of the main governmental hospitals in Khartoum city. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire after being tested for validity and then analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and correlation. Data were then presented as frequencies and percentages.
 Results: The study participants were aged between 20 and 40 years with a female to male ratio of 3:1, and varied levels of experience. Overall, 71.7% of the studied participants scored good on the standardized knowledge classification tool used, with few areas of knowledge gap, impacted by increased experience. Moreover, 36% of the participants used the ABCDE approach for ongoing nursing assessment, followed by the head-to-toe assessment approach (21%).
 Conclusion: The nurses’ knowledge regarding ongoing nursing assessment was good with a few areas of weakness raising the need for continuous educational and training programs.

Evaluation: Screening, Analysis, and Countermeasures for Bridge Scour for AL-Manshia Bridge

This paper aims to study scouring and the recommended countermeasures for Al Manshiya Bridge, which is located in the Blue Nile in Khartoum city. The bridge was constructed in the year 2006, but in 2015; the east embankment approach of the bridge was exposed to scour causing failure of the approach deck slab. The paper follows the general procedure outlined by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for stream stability, evaluating scour at bridges and countermeasures in order to have hydraulically safe bridge. Geomorphic and hydraulic factors affect the stream were studied; a scour analysis was made using Hydrologic Engineering Center - River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) software. To account for long-term, contraction, and local scour potential for the Peak flow event, HEC RAS model was used to construct quasi- unsteady sediment model. In order to protect the bridge, countermeasures for the bridge east abutment and channel adjacent to the bridge are studied, riprap around abutment and spur dikes were considered as the most suitable countermeasures.

Assessment of the Dietitian Experts’ Role in Khartoum State Hospitals-Sudan

Background: Nutrition is a major lifestyle factor in health promotion, prevention and treatment of several population health issues [1]. There are some published studies that show the benefits associated with nutrition interventions provided by dietitians but there is still a need for studies that go beyond the intervention approach to explore these roles teams [2]. In this study out of a total of 227 dietitians in Khartoum state government hospitals, only 42 participated in the electronic questionnaire. The majority (31.0%) of these dietitians were aged between 40-49 years with 93.10% experienced between 6-10 years, Also, most of them (52.4%) have post-graduate studies and have a good awareness of their field of specialization. However, they pointed out that there are some obstacles to work, such as working components (31.1%).
 Objectives: The main ejective of this study was to assess the dietitian experts’ role in Khartoum hospital state, The specific objectives was to assess the dietitians role, services provided, dietitian knowledge in Khartoum hospitals state, to assess the level of performance of dietitian experts and their specializations, and whether there are any impediments to doing so.
 Study design (method used): The researcher(s) adopted a cross-sectional descriptive analytical study. An online electronic questionnaire was sent to a dietitians in government hospitals in Khartoum state in the period from September 18 to October 18, 2021, as a data collection tool to identify the participants’ socio-demographic characteristics, services provided, and Knowledge assessment After the approval of the head of the department at the Ministry of Health, the electronic questionnaire was sent to the dietitians in hospitals through Google, then the data was analyzed using the SPSS program and placed in the tables.
 Sampling: The questionnaire targeted all dietitians experts in government hospitals in Khartoum state (227) but the number that completed the questionnaire was 42.
 Problem Statement: There are not many studies that explain the role and importance of dietitian in hospitals and some performance problems, so I wanted to shed light on these aspects.
 Hypotheses: Due to my work for several years in Khartoum state hospitals, I expect that the nutritionist will have the scientific information that would enable them to perform, but they lack the possibility of having work tools to help that.
 Setting: The research was conducted in the state of Khartoum, which is the capital of Sudan and inhabited by about 8 million people, representing the various cultures and races in Sudan. The nutrition departments are affiliated to the Hospital Administration at the Ministry of Health, which has close to 54 of government hospitals, which providing service for 24 hours, including general and specialized hospitals [3,4].
 Participants: The number of dietitians in government hospitals was approximately 227, and only 42 of them participated in completing the questionnaire.

Indicators for measuring Performance of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Khartoum State

Population and urbanization growth caused an increase in the amount of solid waste generated. The 7- cleaning projects responsible for the collection and transport of Solid Waste (SW) for Khartoum State are currently unableto perform their duties to the level expected with the result that the city is unclean and there is considerable impact on the environment and health of the citizens. There is a need to quantify these general observations. This isdone by the use of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). This paper aims to identify a set of KPIs for measuring the performance of Solid Waste Management (SWM) system at the collection and transport level. The study targetedthe 7-cleaning projects -in particular, the operation department responsible for collection and transport of SW for each cleaning project together with the operation department at the Supervisory Authority of Cleaning Khartoum (SACKH) which supervises their work. List of 28 potential performance indicators have been identifed through the literature review. A surveyquestionnaire was conducted on a randomly selected sample of the operation departments . The statistical analysis of the collected responses was provided in 11 signifcant KPIs. It is hoped that the results of this study will becomethe frst step in developing Integrated KPIs for enhancing the performance of SWM of Khartoum state- the capital of Sudan.

Determination of Piles Bearing Capacity using Empirical Methods and (AllPile 6) Software -Cases studies Portsudan and Khartoum Cities

Different methods have been used to determine the pile bearing capacity such as static equations, dynamic equations, empirical methods (EMs), numerical methods, computer software programs, and the pile static load test, these methods were giving different values for pile bearing capacity. In this paper, three empirical methods (Ems) have been selected (Brinch-Hansen, Chin-Kondner, and Decourt) and (AllPile 6) software (AP) has been applied to determine the capacity load of piles for six cases study of drilled concrete piles with a diameter ranging from 800 mm to 1500mm and embedded length ranged 10.5m to 26m. Four of those six piles are located at Portsudan city near the red seacoast and two piles are located in Khartoum city. The results of the pile bearing capacity (PC) calculations obtained using the above-mentioned different methods were compared with results produced by the pile load test. In all six cases study, the settlement of piles was limited, settlement failure was not reached. The results show that the AllPile 6 (AP) and the three mentioned empirical methods (Ems) gave reasonable piles bearing capacity, the (AP) and (BHM) gave the better result than the CKM and DM. While (DM) gave results similar to results determined using the (CKM). However, it was not preferred to use the (CKM) and (DM), unless the failure settlement has occurred in the pile load test.

APPLICATION OF SCORING AND DECISION MODELS TO EVALUATE PROCUREMENT DETERMINANTS IN COMMUNITY PHARMACY PRACTICE IN NIGERIA

Objectives: There is a need to evaluate the key factors influencing the choice of supply channels used by community pharmacists (CPs). The objectives of the study were to evaluate and score the determinant factors influencing CPs’ procurement decisions from supply channels (pharmaceutical companies-PC, Wholesaler-LW, and Open-Market-OM). Secondly, to evaluate preference decisions based on relative odds ratios using regression models. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study that used structured questionnaires based on World Health Organization’s recommendations for effective procurement decisions. A mixed-sampling method was used to administer the questionnaire to 393 community pharmacists in Southwest, Nigeria. Descriptive and inferential statistics such as Friedman’s test, chi-square, Henry Garrett’s scoring and, multinomial regression (MNL) models were used for data analysis, using SPSS-25. The significance level was set at p<0.05. Results: Results showed that 59.8% (235) of respondents operated as retail practice, 14.8% (62) Wholesale, and 24.4% (96) combined practice. Mean Garrett’s score was highest with ‘quality-assurance (63.36), while ‘Value-added service’ had the least score (38.88) among 10 decision-factors. The median score was 52.82. Individual effects of ‘quality-assurance, competitive-pricing, access-to-credit facilities, flexible payment schedule, range of products, the potential-for-profit, trade-discounts, and value-added service’ were significant determinants of preference decisions (p<0.01; 95% CI) in the MNL model. Interaction effects of competitive pricing and access-to-credit facilities from suppliers had a significant effect on the MNL model (chi-square=493.411; p<0.01; 95% CI). Conclusion: The model predicted preference for supply channels (PC, LW, and OM) at various significance levels of the predictors. The study provided a scoring template for evaluating buying decision parameters. The study provided information that is useful to improve our understanding of buying behavior among CPs in pharmacy practice research Peer Review History: Received: 15 July 2021; Revised: 14 August; Accepted: 7 September, Available online: 15 September 2021 Academic Editor: Dr. Asia Selman Abdullah, Al-Razi university, Department of Pharmacy, Yemen, asia_abdullah65@yahoo.com UJPR follows the most transparent and toughest ‘Advanced OPEN peer review’ system. The identity of the authors and, reviewers will be known to each other. This transparent process will help to eradicate any possible malicious/purposeful interference by any person (publishing staff, reviewer, editor, author, etc) during peer review. As a result of this unique system, all reviewers will get their due recognition and respect, once their names are published in the papers. We expect that, by publishing peer review reports with published papers, will be helpful to many authors for drafting their article according to the specifications. Auhors will remove any error of their article and they will improve their article(s) according to the previous reports displayed with published article(s). The main purpose of it is ‘to improve the quality of a candidate manuscript’. Our reviewers check the ‘strength and weakness of a manuscript honestly’. There will increase in the perfection, and transparency. Received file: Reviewer's Comments: Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 5.0/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 7.0/10 Reviewers: Dr. Vanina Doris Edo’o, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroun, vanina_edoo@yahoo.com Dr. Muhammad Zahid Iqbal, AIMST University, Malaysia, drmmziqbal@gmail.com Similar Articles: AWARENESS OF PHARMACISTS TOWARDS ASPARTAME SIDE EFFECTS IN KHARTOUM CITY, SUDAN

Demographic Characteristics and Causes of Low Vision in Children: A Hospital–Based Study from Khartoum, Sudan

Purpose: To determine the demographic characteristics and causes of low vision in children who attended Alfaisal eye center, Khartoum Sudan.
 Place and Duration of Study: Alfaisal eye Center, Khartoum, Sudan, from February 2018 to October 2020.
 Study Design: Cross sectional observational study.
 Methods: Clinical record of 105 patients who visited the low vision clinic were retrieved. Demographic features, history, ocular examination, cause of low vision, refractive state of the eye (by self-luminance streak retinoscope, and auto refractometer), and type of low vision devices used by the patients were noted. Data was analyzed by using SPSS software version 20.
 Results: Mean age was 11.70 ± 2.19. Seventy three percent patients had Visual Acuity(VA) less than 6/60. Majority (59%) were male patients. Commonest refractive error associated with low vision was myopia (65.71%). Retinitis Pigmentosa, congenital glaucoma, and albinism were other major causes of pediatric low vision (19.5%). Progressive Myopia was seen in 15%. About 9.5% of children presented with cataracts, nystagmus in 9.5%, and congenital refractive error in 9.5%.The cause of low vision among children was not statistically different between males and females P=0.890. More than half of the children 78.1% used glasses and about 21.9% were corrected by telescope.
 Conclusion: Retinitis pigmentosa, albinism, and congenital glaucoma were the most common causes of pediatric low vision. Common low vision devices prescribed to these children were glasses and telescopes.
 Key Words: Retinitis Pigmentosa, Congenital glaucoma, Albinism, Myopia, Cataract.

Early umbilical bacterial colonization in relation to blood culture in neonates admitted to two neonatal intensive care units in Khartoum City, Sudan

Background: Umbilical colonization has long been used as an indicator of early neonatal infections.Factors related to the mother, baby or the environment has been involved in the acquirement of colonizersand even developing neonatalsepsislater on. Thisstudy aimed to assessthe relation between early umbilicalbacterial colonization and blood culture in neonates admitted to two Neonatal Intensive Care Units inKhartoum City, Sudan.Materials and Methods: Eighty neonatessuspected to have sepsis were included in the study. Umbilicalswabs were taken in the first twelve hours of life and were sent for culture. The results were then comparedto the results of blood cultures to find if there was any matching between the grown organisms. Neonates’and mothers’ information were obtained by an interview and documented in data collection sheets.Results: Umbilical colonization was present in 20% (n=16) of the study population while 21.25% (n=17)had positive blood cultures. Of the colonized group, Staphylococcus aureus was the commonest organismisolated (n=6, 37.5%), followed by Pseudomonas spp. (n=3, 18.8%) and Klebsiella spp. (n=2, 12.5%).While in those with positive blood culture Pseudomonas spp. predominated (n=7, 41.2%).followed byklebsiella spp. (n=5, 29.4%) and Staphylococcus aureus (n=3, 17.6%); 58.8% (n=47) of the patients had nogrowth in swabs or blood cultures, while positive results showed no matching (p value=0.009).Conclusion: Umbilical swab culture had a negative predictive value of 81% for early neonatal (bloodculture positive) infection, 36% positive predictive value, specificity of 84% and sensitivity of 31%.Therefore, in this study umbilical swab culture was a poor indicator for bacteraemia (sepsis) in the newborn.