Palestinian EFL University Students’ Problems with the Reading Sections of the TOEFL Internet-based Test and the Revised TOEFL paper-delivered Test

Despite Palestinian university students’ problems with the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based Test, no researchers approached this research area in the Palestinian English as a Foreign Language context. The present study attempted to answer a question focusing on Palestinian university students’ problems with the reading sections of the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based Test and the revised Test of English as a Foreign Language paper-delivered test. The participants were 65 fourth-year students studying English at Al-Aqsa University. The researcher employed four instruments: a test, a group semi-structured interview, and two individual semi-structured interviews. Results showed the students’ problems with the reading sections of the two types of tests, such as the irrelevance of the topics of the tests to the students’ content background knowledge, students’ lack of exposure to lengthy passages, students’ slow reading speed, and the students’ lack of linguistic proficiency. Additionally, the study offered many recommendations for Educational Testing Service experts and Al-Aqsa university students and instructors.

Palestinian EFL University Students’ Problems with the Reading Sections of the TOEFL Internet-based Test and the Revised TOEFL paper-delivered Test

Despite Palestinian university students’ problems with the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based Test, no researchers approached this research area in the Palestinian English as a Foreign Language context. The present study attempted to answer a question focusing on Palestinian university students’ problems with the reading sections of the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based Test and the revised Test of English as a Foreign Language paper-delivered test. The participants were 65 fourth-year students studying English at Al-Aqsa University. The researcher employed four instruments: a test, a group semi-structured interview, and two individual semi-structured interviews. Results showed the students’ problems with the reading sections of the two types of tests, such as the irrelevance of the topics of the tests to the students’ content background knowledge, students’ lack of exposure to lengthy passages, students’ slow reading speed, and the students’ lack of linguistic proficiency. Additionally, the study offered many recommendations for Educational Testing Service experts and Al-Aqsa university students and instructors.

Utilization of Family Planning And Volunteer Counseling And Testing Service And Associated Factors Among Preparatory School Students In Arba Minch Town, Southern Ethiopia: A Cross- Sectional Study Design

Background: The utilization of reproductive health service plays important role in preventing youths from different reproductive related health problems. Adolescents in Ethiopia have inadequate access to information and services.Objective: To evaluate utilization of reproductive health service and determinant factors among preparatory school students in Arba Minch town.Method: Institutional based cross sectional study was conducted among randomly selected 541 regular preparatory students in Arba Minch Town. Data was entered and clean into Epidata-4.6 templates then transferred to SPSS-25 statistical software for and analysis. A bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify statistically significant variables of the independent variable. Variables with P-value <0.05, CI 95% in the final model were considered significant determinant variables.Result: Out of those who had sexual intercourse 78.6% and 29.3% of them used family planning and voluntary counseling and testing service respectively. Married adolescents were 4.236 times more likely utilized F/P service than their counterparts (AOR=4.236, 95% CI: 1.182-15.183). The study participants living with both parents were about 1.6 times (AOR=1.645, CI: 1.077-2.513 more likely to use voluntary counseling and testing service compared to those who living with others.Conclusions and Recommendations: Majority (more than three fourth) of adolescents used family planning, but voluntary counseling and testing service utilization were low. The reasons for not utilizing family planning and voluntary counseling and testing service were felt ashamed from friends and unfriendly approach of health workers during service provision. Encourage adolescents open discussion about reproductive health service utilization with different peoples, open discussion within couples and encourage to increase female education are important steps to improve adolescent’s reproductive service utilization.

Effect of HIV-related knowledge on utilisation of voluntary HIV testing service among university students in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

IntroductionVoluntary HIV testing is a vital preventive measure to reduce HIV transmission. Existing evidence on the association between HIV-related knowledge and HIV testing service utilisation shows inconsistent findings. Therefore, the aim of this review is to assess whether knowledge of HIV is related to improvement in voluntary HIV testing service utilisation among university students in Sub-Saharan Africa.Methods and analysisA systematic review of studies on the association of HIV-related knowledge and voluntary HIV testing service utilisation among university students will be conducted. We will search several electronic databases, including PubMed/MEDLINE, African Journals Online, Web of Science and Cochrane Library, for all study types looking at the association between HIV-related knowledge and voluntary HIV testing service utilisation. Two reviewers will independently screen all retrieved records and full-text articles and extract data. The Higgins I2 test will be used to assess heterogeneity between studies. Random-effects meta-analysis will be conducted, if feasible and appropriate. Additional analyses will be performed to explore potential sources of heterogeneity. Stata statistical software (V.14) will be used to analyse the data.Ethics and disseminationFormal ethical approval is not required because the systematic review relies on primary studies. The results will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication, conference presentation and the popular press.

Feasibility of implementing a pharmacist-led DPYD gene testing service for patients commencing 5-fluorouracil (5FU) or capecitabine.

e18644 Background: Polymorphisms in the DPYD gene, which encodes for dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), may impair DPD metabolism of fluoropyrimidines (FP) and cause life-threatening toxicities. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommend testing for DPD activity before FP therapy, but the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration and the US Food and Drug Administration do not currently recommend this. At our hospital, pre-emptive DPYD gene screening was established in response to 7 cases of severe FP-toxicity and significant challenges for timely access to the life-saving antidote, uridine triacetate (UT), in the preceding 3 years. This study assessed the feasibility of a pharmacist-led DPYD gene testing service in an Australian cancer centre. Methods: Patients planned for FP therapy, without previous FP exposure, were referred to the Clinical Pharmacogenetics (CPGx) pharmacist for consenting, before a blood or buccal swab sample was taken. An external genomics company screened for the five Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) recommended gene variants (c.1905+1G > A, c.1679T > G, c.2846A > T, c.1236G > A and c.557A > G). Dose recommendations based on CPIC guidelines and phenotype were made to the treating clinician. Patients were followed-up for toxicity (graded according to CTCAE v5.0) at 3-5 days post first FP exposure and pre-cycle 2. Results: Between 16 December 2019 and 11 December 2020, 311 patients were planned for FP therapy. Genetic testing did not occur for 13 patients, in the first two months of program implementation mostly due to unfamiliarity with procedures. Of the 298 genotyped patients (median age 59.5 years, 52.7% female, 67.8% Upper and Lower Gastrointestinal, 18.1% Breast), 274 (91.9%) were seen by the CPGx pharmacist within 1 day of referral. Median time from samples being taken to result availability was 6 days. 286 patient (96.0%) results were reported and acted upon prior to the planned cycle 1 FP commencement date. Overall, 1 patient (0.3%, 95%CI 0.1-1.9) was identified as a poor metaboliser and avoided FP therapy. Ten patients (3.4%, 95%CI 1.8-6.0) were identified as intermediate metabolisers, of which 2 patients did not receive chemotherapy due to changes in goals of care, 1 patient received only one cycle at 100% of the full dose but passed away due to disease progression, 1 patient required UT administration after cycle 2 despite 50% dose reductions for both cycles and 6 patients received an initial 50% dose reduction, where for subsequent cycles, 3 continued at this dose level, 2 had dose increases and 1 had a further dose reduction. 17 patients experienced at least one grade 3/4 toxicity pre-cycle 2; all had normal metaboliser phenotypes. Conclusions: A pharmacist-led DPYD gene testing service is feasible, with acceptable test result turnaround times and phenotype identification rates similar to that reported by the EMA.