Aim: To examine changes in antipsychotic medication adherence and relapse warning signs after an intervention combining video-based psychoeducation with a mobile reminder application in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: This one-group pretest–posttest study included 55 adults with schizophrenia and baseline medication non-adherence recruited by convenience sampling from an outpatient mental health clinic in Amman, Jordan. Participants viewed a psychoeducational video and used the MyTherapy medication reminder application. Medication adherence was assessed using the Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS), and early warning signs using the patient-rated 10-item Early Warning Signs Questionnaire (EWSQ-10P), at baseline, two weeks, and three months. Changes were evaluated using repeated-measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA) with Bonferroni-adjusted pairwise comparisons. Results are reported as mean ± standard deviation. Results: RM-ANOVA showed that mean MARS score increased from 3.49 ± 1.44 at baseline to 8.67 ± 1.14 at two weeks and 8.91 ± 0.67 at three months (F = 385.48; p < 0.001; partial η² = 0.877). Mean EWSQ-10P score decreased from 29.96 ± 3.64 to 14.92 ± 2.58 and 11.85 ± 2.04, respectively (F = 707.62; p < 0.001; partial η² = 0.929). Conclusion: The combined intervention was associated with higher MARS and lower EWSQ-10P scores over three months. Because the study lacked a control group and used convenience sampling, the findings should be interpreted as preliminary and do not establish causality.
Aim: To compare changes in thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), and thyrotropin receptor antibodies (TRAb) after antithyroid drugs, radioactive iodine, or total thyroidectomy in patients with Graves' disease. Methods: This retrospective comparative cohort study included 60 adults treated at the University Clinical Centre Tuzla between 2021 and 2025, with 20 patients in each treatment group. Laboratory values obtained before treatment and at the first documented follow-up were analysed. The primary analysis compared change scores among treatment groups; within-group changes and correlations were secondary analyses. Results: Baseline FT4 and TRAb differed among the treatment groups (p = 0.022 and p = 0.005, respectively). After thyroidectomy, FT3 and TRAb changed significantly (p = 0.004 and p < 0.001), whereas TSH and FT3 changed significantly within the radioactive iodine group (p = 0.014 and p = 0.027). No significant within-group changes were observed after antithyroid drug treatment. Change scores did not differ significantly among the groups for TSH, FT3, FT4, or TRAb. Changes in FT3 and FT4 were positively correlated (ρ = 0.649; p < 0.001), whereas changes in TSH were negatively correlated with FT3 and FT4. Conclusion: Selected laboratory parameters changed within the thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine groups, but change scores did not differ significantly among the three treatment groups. These comparisons should be interpreted in view of baseline imbalance, small group sizes, non-consecutive sampling, and non-standardised follow-up.
Aim: To assess perceived research knowledge, attitudes, barriers, and factors associated with participation in scientific events among medical sciences students in Albania. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 721 Bachelor’s and Master’s students at Albanian universities. A pilot-tested 20-item online questionnaire was used. Associations were evaluated using chi-square tests, Welch’s analysis of variance, and fully adjusted multivariable binary logistic regression, with adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Mean perceived knowledge and attitude scores were 25.7 (range 6–30) and 4.0 (range 0–7), respectively. The most frequent single barriers were limited access to information resources (103; 14.3%) and insufficient interaction with institutional staff (100; 13.9%); 286 (39.7%) selected all listed barriers. University was associated overall with participation (p = 0.012); relative to Fan Noli, the odds were higher at Aleksandër Xhuvani (aOR = 2.38, 95% CI 1.26–4.49) and the University of Medicine, Tirana (aOR = 4.16, 95% CI 1.83–9.46). Lack of institutional motivation (aOR = 0.31, 95% CI 0.20–0.48), insufficient literature (aOR = 0.30, 95% CI 0.21–0.42), and perceived knowledge (aOR = 1.13 per point, 95% CI 1.07–1.19) were also associated with participation (all p < 0.001). Conclusion: Participation in scientific events was associated with university, institutional motivation, access to scientific literature, and perceived knowledge. Structured research training, mentorship, and access to scholarly resources may support participation, but longitudinal studies are needed to assess causal effects.
Aim: To compare complete blood count and leucocyte differential results from the Yumizen H2500 and Sysmex XN-3000 in paediatric leukaemia samples and assess Yumizen H2500 differential counts against manual blood smear evaluation. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 101 paediatric leukaemia blood samples. Samples were analysed on both automated haematology analysers within one hour of collection, followed by a 200-cell manual differential count. Passing–Bablok regression assessed constant and proportional bias, Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) agreement, and Spearman’s correlation associations between Yumizen H2500 differential parameters and microscopy. Results: Among 101 leukaemia samples, white blood cells showed the highest concordance (CCC = 0.999), followed by neutrophils (CCC = 0.985), lymphocytes (CCC = 0.982), eosinophils (CCC = 0.977) and platelets (CCC = 0.967), whereas nucleated red blood cells and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration showed low concordance (CCC = 0.279 and 0.170, respectively). No constant or proportional bias was detected for 11 parameters. Mean corpuscular volume and platelet distribution width showed proportional bias, eosinophils, monocytes and immature granulocytes constant bias, and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, red cell distribution width standard deviation and platelets both types of bias. Manual counts correlated strongly with eosinophils (ρ = 0.716), segmented neutrophils (ρ = 0.853) and lymphocytes (ρ = 0.724) (all p < 0.001). Conclusion: The analysers showed high concordance for several routine haematological parameters but were not universally interchangeable, supporting manual smear review for discordant or immature-cell findings.
Aim: To identify clinical and inflammatory factors associated with adequate haemoglobin control among patients receiving maintenance haemodialysis and erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) therapy. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study included 100 adults receiving maintenance haemodialysis. Among 80 patients receiving ESA therapy, adequate haemoglobin control was defined as haemoglobin ≥ 100 g/L and inadequate control as haemoglobin < 100 g/L at the cross-sectional assessment; 20 patients not receiving ESA therapy were described separately. Clinical characteristics and laboratory measurements, including C-reactive protein (CRP), were recorded. The erythropoietin resistance index (ERI) was calculated from weekly ESA dose, body weight, and haemoglobin concentration. Results: Eighty patients (80.0%) received ESA therapy, while 20 (20.0%) did not. Among ESA-treated patients, longer haemodialysis vintage was associated with higher odds of adequate haemoglobin control (OR = 1.02, 95% CI 1.01–1.04), whereas higher CRP was associated with lower odds (OR = 0.90, 95% CI 0.83–0.99). ERI was inversely associated with adequate control (OR = 0.004, 95% CI 0.001–0.066), although this finding is mathematically coupled to the haemoglobin-based outcome. The exploratory model was statistically significant (χ² = 45.4; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Longer haemodialysis vintage and lower CRP were associated with adequate haemoglobin control during ESA therapy. ERI findings require cautious interpretation because haemoglobin is included in the ERI denominator and was also used to define the outcome.
