REVIEW ARTICLE | July 26, 2026
Chemotherapy-Induced Oral Mucosal Changes: Pathogenesis, Clinical Manifestations, and Management Strategies
Dr Shruti Mahto, Dr Siddharth Saurabh, Dr Rashmi Kiran Ekka, Amjathkunhumohammed
Page no 301-308 |
https://doi.org/10.36348/sjodr.2026.v11i07.004
Chemotherapy remains a cornerstone in cancer management; however, its non-selective cytotoxic effects frequently result in significant oral mucosal complications that adversely affect patient wellbeing and treatment outcomes. The oral mucosa is particularly susceptible to injury because of its rapid epithelial turnover, rich vascularity, and constant exposure to mechanical and microbial insults. Chemotherapy-induced oral changes commonly include oral mucositis, xerostomia, opportunistic infections, dysgeusia, ulcerative lesions, mucosal pigmentation, and bleeding manifestations. Among these, oral mucositis is the most common and debilitating complication, often leading to pain, dysphagia, impaired nutrition, reduced quality of life, and interruption of cancer therapy. The pathogenesis involves direct epithelial toxicity, oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokine activation, and breakdown of the mucosal barrier, predisposing patients to secondary infections and delayed healing. Early diagnosis, preventive oral care, and multidisciplinary management are essential for minimizing morbidity and improving therapeutic outcomes. This review summarizes the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, prevention, and management of chemotherapy-induced oral mucosal changes.
REVIEW ARTICLE | July 25, 2026
Micro and Nanoplastics in Biological Systems: A One Health Review of Environmental Toxicity, Microbial Dysbiosis, and Human Health Risks
Mudassar Akbar, Abuzar Mehdi Khan, Bismma Shahid, Muhammad Akash Khalid, Muhammad Irfan, Shumail Shamsher, Safia Abdul Ghafoor, Rohma Tahir, Ammara Khalid
Page no 364-408 |
https://doi.org/10.36348/sjls.2026.v11i07.004
Micro- and nanoplastics have emerged as biologically active contaminants that connect environmental pollution with ecosystem dysfunction, microbial imbalance, animal toxicity, and human health uncertainty. This One Health review critically synthesizes current evidence on the sources, physicochemical characteristics, environmental fate, biological toxicity, microbial interactions, and medical relevance of micro- and nanoplastics in biological systems. These particles originate from primary manufactured materials and secondary fragmentation of plastic waste, synthetic textiles, agricultural plastics, tyre wear, packaging, wastewater, and atmospheric deposition. Their toxicity is strongly influenced by particle size, shape, polymer type, surface chemistry, aging, biofilm formation, and contaminant adsorption. In plants and ecosystems, micro- and nanoplastics can impair seed germination, root architecture, photosynthesis, nutrient cycling, soil microbial activity, crop productivity, and ecological stability. Animal studies further demonstrate oxidative stress, inflammation, neurotoxicity, reproductive injury, developmental disruption, gut damage, and metabolic disturbance, although many experiments still rely on high doses and pristine laboratory particles. Microplastics also create plastisphere biofilms that alter soil, aquatic, and gut microbiomes and may facilitate pathogen survival and antimicrobial resistance gene dissemination. Human exposure occurs through food, drinking water, air, dust, and consumer products, with increasing detection in blood, lung, placenta, breast milk, vascular tissues, and other biological samples. However, causal links with chronic disease remain uncertain due to limitations in detection, dose standardization, contamination control, and long-term epidemiological evidence. Overall, micro- and nanoplastics represent an emerging cross-sectoral biological threat requiring standardized monitoring, realistic toxicology, biosensor development, biotechnology-based remediation, safer material design, and integrated One Health risk assessment.
REVIEW ARTICLE | July 25, 2026
AI-Guided Single-Atom Electrocatalysts for Carbon-Neutral Chemical Manufacturing: from CO₂ Conversion to Green Ammonia Synthesis
Swaira Anjum, Amir Sohail, Muhammad Ibrahim, Shah Faisal, Noman Hassan, Muhammad Umer Farooq, Muhammad Tariq, Waqar Yousaf, Umar Farooq, Waheed Zaman Khan
Page no 291-317 |
https://doi.org/10.36348/sijcms.2026.v09i04.004
The transition toward carbon-neutral chemical manufacturing requires catalytic systems that can convert abundant waste molecules into value-added chemicals under mild, renewable-energy-driven conditions. Single-atom electrocatalysts (SAECs), featuring isolated metal centers anchored on tailored supports, offer maximum atom utilization, tunable coordination environments, and well-defined active sites for complex multielectron reactions. This review critically examines the emerging role of artificial intelligence in accelerating the discovery, optimization, and mechanistic understanding of SAECs for carbon dioxide electroreduction and green ammonia synthesis through nitrate conversion. First, fundamental design principles are discussed, including metal–support interactions, coordination engineering, electronic-structure modulation, and stability limitations. Next, machine learning, density functional theory integration, high-throughput screening, explainable descriptors, and self-driving laboratory concepts are evaluated as tools for rational catalyst development. Particular emphasis is placed on CO₂ valorization pathways toward CO, formate, hydrocarbons, and alcohols, together with nitrate-to-ammonia conversion as a sustainable nitrogen-recycling strategy. Advanced in situ/operando characterization, performance benchmarking, selectivity control, and degradation mechanisms are also assessed. Finally, this review highlights current barriers related to data quality, catalyst durability, reactor design, product separation, techno-economic feasibility, and industrial scale-up. The article provides a forward-looking framework for integrating AI, atomically precise catalysis, and renewable electrosynthesis in future sustainable chemical manufacturing.
This article examines Ling Ma’s short story “G” from Bliss Montage by focusing on invisibility as a literary device through which female bodily freedom, friendship, and self-erasure are simultaneously imagined. In the story, G is a drug that makes its users invisible. At first, invisibility appears as a fantasy of bodily release: the narrator feels light, unburdened, and temporarily free from the visual discipline attached to femininity. Yet the story gradually complicates this fantasy. The ritual of taking G requires the removal of makeup, clothing, and personal objects, revealing how the female body is normally organized through visibility, surfaces, and social evaluation. As the narrator and Bonnie move through restaurants, streets, stores, and Central Park, invisibility allows them to disturb consumer spaces and ordinary social order, but it also produces anxiety about disconnection and disappearance. Their need to hold hands shows that the invisible body still requires relational anchoring. The final movement from “gravity” to “ghost” transforms G from a tool of escape into a sign of self-erasure. Through close reading informed by feminist theories of the body and visibility, this article argues that “G” presents invisibility as an ambivalent condition: it grants a temporary freedom from being seen, but also exposes the risk of becoming socially, physically, and affectively ungraspable.
REVIEW ARTICLE | July 25, 2026
Medicinal Plants in Veterinary and Wildlife Health: Therapeutic Applications, Disease Management and Conservation Perspectives
Iram Hassan, Usman Naveed, Bushra Mumtaz, Muhammad Athar Tahir, Nida Zulafiqar, Maheen Sattar, Saira, Rimsha Latif, Atifa Farooq
Page no 409-428 |
https://doi.org/10.36348/sjls.2026.v11i07.005
Antimicrobial resistance, strict regulations on the use of antibiotics in livestock and consumer preference for sustainable livestock products have once again drawn attention to the role of medicinal plants as complementary or alternate means of treatment in the veterinary field. This review consolidates evidence from 151 peer-reviewed articles in order to critically analyze the possibilities in the use of phytomedicines in the context of One Health through an analysis of its therapeutic possibilities, disease management roles and even the conservation aspect. The history and ethnobotany behind the use of plants in animal therapy is explored, along with the pharmacology behind the major bioactive principles alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, essential oils and tannins discussing their mode of action that include cell membrane disruption, efflux-pump inhibitors, quorum-sensing inhibitors and immune modulation. Specific examples exist from studies involving species across livestock, companion and aquatic animals as well as captive and free-ranging wildlife that show antimicrobial, antiparasitic anti-inflammatory and wound healing properties, among others, with multi-target effects suggesting a possible approach for minimizing resistance development. The review highlights the trade-offs associated with the exploitation of botanical resources, focusing on conservation practices through cultivation efforts and community management, as well as current barriers to the development of plant medicine, which include lack of standardization, pharmacokinetic information, clinical studies and regulation. The review highlights that for moving forward from using veterinary phytotherapeutics in an empirical way to applying them scientifically, there is a need for concerted efforts toward conducting proper clinical trials, pharmacology research on animals, toxicity testing and regulation of the use of medicinal plants.
REVIEW ARTICLE | July 25, 2026
Advanced Multifunctional Nanomaterials for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Applications: Green Synthesis, Surface Engineering, Catalysis, Energy Storage, Water Purification, and Chemical Sensing
Rida Tariq, Waqar Yousaf, Muhammad Abdullah, Usama Tahir, Muhammad Umer Farooq, Muhammad Salahuddin, Yasir khan, Muhammad Muneeb Gulzar, Faheem Ul Rehman, Waheed Zaman Khan
Page no 231-290 |
https://doi.org/10.36348/sijcms.2026.v09i04.003
Advanced multifunctional nanomaterials are emerging as versatile platforms for addressing interconnected energy and environmental challenges through tunable composition, high surface area, engineered interfaces, and nanoscale reactivity. This review critically examines the design, synthesis, functionalization, and application of metal, metal oxide, carbon-based, polymeric, porous, two-dimensional, and hybrid nanomaterials. Particular emphasis is placed on green synthesis, renewable precursors, low-impact fabrication, waste-derived feedstocks, scalability, and life-cycle sustainability. The role of surface functionalization, heteroatom doping, defect engineering, heterostructure formation, and interfacial charge transfer in controlling catalytic, optical, electrochemical, and adsorption properties is systematically discussed. Applications in heterogeneous catalysis, photocatalytic hydrogen production, carbon dioxide conversion, pollutant degradation, rechargeable batteries, supercapacitors, and emerging flexible storage devices are evaluated using structure–property–performance relationships. The review also explores nanomaterial-enabled water purification, membrane separation, antimicrobial treatment, and chemical, electrochemical, optical, and gas sensing, including integrated remediation–sensing platforms for real-time monitoring. Current barriers involving toxicity, agglomeration, instability, poor selectivity, recovery, reproducibility, standardization, and industrial scale-up are identified. Finally, future directions highlight artificial-intelligence-guided discovery, operando characterization, circular material design, self-healing systems, and safe, economical deployment, establishing a unified roadmap for sustainable multifunctional nanotechnology across energy conversion, storage, environmental remediation, and chemical detection under realistic operating conditions and across diverse environmental matrices worldwide.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | July 25, 2026
Inspiration of Transformational Leadership Style and Regulatory Policies on Banking Performance: A Survey of Cooperative Bank, Ecobank, and the National Bank of Egypt in South Sudan
Jacob Dut Chol Riak, Chol Gabriel Majer
Page no 253-260 |
https://doi.org/10.36348/sjbms.2026.v11i07.004
This study examines the influence of transformational leadership style and regulatory policies on banking performance in South Sudan, using Cooperative Bank, Ecobank, and the National Bank of Egypt in Juba as case studies. The study was motivated by persistent challenges affecting the banking sector, including macroeconomic instability, shortages of foreign and local currency, liquidity constraints, weak regulatory enforcement, inadequate corporate governance, and declining customer confidence. Specifically, the study sought to examine the influence of transformational leadership on banking performance, assess the effect of regulatory policies on commercial bank performance, and determine the relationship between transformational leadership, regulatory policies, and banking performance. Guided by transformational leadership and institutional theories, the study adopted a positivist paradigm and a quantitative cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected from a sample of 96 employees selected from a target population of 157 using structured questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 26 through descriptive statistics, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, and Multiple Linear Regression Analysis. The findings revealed strong, positive, and statistically significant relationships among transformational leadership, regulatory policies, and banking performance, with Pearson correlation coefficients ranging from 0.556 to 0.970 at p < 0.01. Transformational leadership practices, including strategic vision, employee motivation, innovation, and organizational commitment, significantly enhanced banking performance. Likewise, regulatory policies relating to Basel III compliance, corporate governance, risk management, and regulatory oversight significantly improved profitability, operational efficiency, institutional stability, and asset quality. The study concludes that transformational leadership and effective regulatory policies are complementary drivers of banking performance are critically required. It recommends strengthening leadership development, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, and risk management frameworks to enhance institutional resilience and promote sustainable banking sector growth in South Sudan.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | July 25, 2026
Impact of Migration on the Global Economy: A Comparative Analysis of Rural Employment Trends in Nigeria and India
Ibrahim Sahabi Muhammad
Page no 258-266 |
https://doi.org/10.36348/sjef.2026.v10i07.002
This study compares the impact of migration on rural employment in Nigeria and India from 2005 to 2023, exploring its impact on the global economy. Using a dynamic panel Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) model with the Arellano-Bond estimator, the analysis covers 34 observations across two countries, sourced from the World Bank, Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics, and India’s Periodic Labour Force Survey. Rural employment rate is the dependent variable, with migration rate as the key independent variable, alongside controls for rural population, foreign direct investment (FDI), and agricultural output. Findings indicate that, a 1% increase in migration reduces rural employment by 1.5% (p < 0.05), driven by labor supply declines in Nigeria (1.2% to 1.6%) and India (0.4% to 0.55%). Rural population and agricultural output positively influence employment, while FDI shows a negative effect due to urban bias. Globally, Nigeria’s remittances (6% of GDP) and India’s urban productivity enhance international labor markets and supply chains, contributing to a $2 trillion economy. Policy recommendations include rural job creation through agricultural technology, economic zones in India, remittance-funded entrepreneurship in Nigeria, and FDI targeting rural development.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | July 25, 2026
Adverse Drug Reactions and Short-Term Clinical Outcomes in Preterm Neonates Treated for Seizures Following Perinatal Asphyxia
Farida Yeasmin, Mohammad Monir Hossain, Jonaki Khatun, Joyosree Karmokar
Page no 469-474 |
https://doi.org/10.36348/sjmps.2026.v12i07.006
Background: Preterm neonates with perinatal asphyxia are at high risk of seizures, yet optimal first-line anticonvulsant therapy remains uncertain. Phenobarbitone has traditionally been used but carries significant adverse effects, while levetiracetam offers a potentially safer alternative. This study compared the efficacy and safety of levetiracetam versus phenobarbitone in preterm neonates with post-asphyxial seizures. Methods: This open-label randomized controlled trial enrolled 72 preterm neonates (31 to <37 weeks gestation) with convulsions due to perinatal asphyxia (HIE stage II/III). Neonates were randomized to receive either intravenous levetiracetam (20 mg/kg loading, 10 mg/kg/dose 12 hourly maintenance) or phenobarbitone (20-40 mg/kg loading, 5 mg/kg/day maintenance). Primary outcomes included seizure control, time to seizure cessation and adverse effects. Results: Seizure control with monotherapy was significantly higher in the levetiracetam group (72.22%) compared to phenobarbitone (44.44%) (p=0.004). The need for additional anticonvulsants was substantially lower in the levetiracetam group (27.78% vs. 55.6%, p=0.004). Seizure control within 12 hours was achieved in 83.33% of levetiracetam-treated neonates versus 50.0% in the phenobarbitone group (p=0.039). Adverse effects occurred significantly less frequently with levetiracetam (5.56% vs. 27.78%, p=0.024), with somnolence being the most common adverse effect in both groups. Conclusion: Levetiracetam demonstrated superior efficacy with more rapid seizure control and a significantly better safety profile compared to phenobarbitone in preterm neonates with post-asphyxial seizures. These findings support levetiracetam as a favorable first-line agent in this vulnerable population.
CASE REPORT | July 24, 2026
Low National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) Strokes with Large Vessel Occlusion (LVO): A Case Report and Literature Review
Ismail Kassraoui, Wadii Bnouhanna, Najoua Maarad, Mounia Rahmani, Maria Benabdejlil, Sadia Aïdi
Page no 297-303 |
https://doi.org/10.36348/sjm.2026.v11i07.005
Background and Clinical Significance: Low NIHSS strokes with large vessel occlusion (LVO) may initially appear benign despite a substantial risk of early neurological deterioration (END). Nearly one-quarter of patients with mild ischemic stroke have underlying LVO. The role of reperfusion therapies in this setting remains controversial, making therapeutic decision making particularly challenging. Case Presentation: A 41-year-old woman presented with acute left hemiparesis upon awakening. Initial neurological examination revealed a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of 6. CT angiography demonstrated M1 occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery (MCA). However, complete spontaneous resolution of the neurological deficits occurred within minutes, resulting in an NIHSS score of 0. MRI performed 6.5 hours after symptom discovery revealed a small right insular infarction with persistent distal M1 occlusion. Cardiac investigations revealed atrial fibrillation associated with severe rheumatic mitral stenosis. Considering the complete clinical recovery and uncertain benefit-risk balance of reperfusion therapy, conservative management with early anticoagulation was chosen. The patient was discharged with a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1, which remained stable at 3-month follow-up. Conclusion: Minor strokes associated with LVO remain a major therapeutic dilemma because the indication for reperfusion therapy remains debated. Current evidence suggests that management should be individualized and guided by clinical presentation, advanced imaging findings, and predictive markers of early neurological deterioration.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | July 24, 2026
Clinical Spectrum of Madhyama Rogamarga: A Cross-Sectional Study Analysing Predominant Manifestations
Shihabudheen Gurukkal C H, Arun Vaidya, Hemant D Toshikhane
Page no 96-100 |
https://doi.org/10.36348/sijtcm.2026.v09i07.001
Background: Rogamarga is one of the fundamental principles in Ayurveda that describes the pathway or site of disease manifestation. Madhyama Rogamarga comprises of Marma, Asthi, and Sandhi. It encompasses a wide spectrum of clinical conditions mainly involving vital structures, bones, joints, movement, and functional activity. Although classical texts describes diseases associated with Madhyama Rogamarga, clinical evidences regarding the predominance of individual symptoms/manifestations remains limited. Objective: To identify and assess the most predominant clinical manifestations in participants affected with Madhyama Rogamarga diseases. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among patients attending the OP, IP & Medical camps of Sri Sri College of Ayurvedic Science and Research Hospital, Cuttack, Odisha. Eligible participants were assessed using structured questionnaire developed following an extensive review of Ayurvedic literature and validated by experts of Ayurveda Siddhanta and Samhita. A total of 511 participants were screened, out of which 320 were identified with Madhyama Rogamarga involvement. Clinical manifestations were analysed using descriptive statistics, and frequencies and the percentages were calculated. Results: Among the 320 participants with Madhyama Rogamarga involvement, Sthambha was observed as predominant manifestation (61.3%), followed by Cheshtanasha (42.8%), Shotha (26.3%), Janusandhi Shula (25.6%), and Katishula (23.1%). Sthambha was seen a nearly comparable distribution between mild (31.6%) and moderate (29.7%) grades. Conclusion: Sthambha was the most predominant clinical manifestation among participants affected with Madhyama Rogamarga, followed by Cheshtanasha, Shotha, Janusandhi Shula, and Katishula. Systematic assessment of these clinical manifestations helps for a clearer clinical understanding and characterization of Madhyama Rogamarga.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | July 23, 2026
Effects of Exercise Order in a Resistance Training Exercise Session on Selected Speed Related Variables among Women Athletes
S. Sathyaganthi, I. John Parthiban
Page no 198-202 |
https://doi.org/10.36348/jaspe.2026.v09i07.005
The Purpose of the study was to find out the effects of exercise order in a resistance training exercise session on selected speed related variables among women athletes. For this purpose, forty-five (N=45) women athletes who were participated in the inter collegiate athletic meet in Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India during the year 2025-2026 were randomly selected as subjects. The age of the subjects was ranged from 18 and 21 years. The subjects were divided into three groups of fifteen in each (n=15). Group-I underwent Large and Progressed toward Small Muscle group Exercises (LG-SM) and Group-II underwent Small and Advanced to Large Muscle group Exercises (SM-LG) and group –III was act as the Control group (CG). Experimental groups underwent their training programme for 12 weeks in addition to the training program designed by the college curriculum. The control group was no underwent any specific training. Speed, Stride Length and Acceleration Speed were selected as dependent variables. Speed and Stride Length were assessed by 50 Meters Sprint Test; and Acceleration Speed was measured by 30 Meters Acceleration Sprint Test. The data collected data from the three groups prior to and immediately after the training programme on the selected criterion variables were statistically analyzed with dependent ‘t’ test and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). Whenever the ‘F’ ratio for adjusted posttest means was found to be significant, Scheffe’s test was followed as a post hoc test to determine which of the paired mean differences were significant. In all the cases 0.05 level of confidence was fixed as a level of confidence to test the hypotheses. The results of the study showed that there was a significant difference was found among the experimental groups. Small and advanced to large muscle group exercises (SM-LG) group is found to be better than other groups in developing Speed, Stride Length and Acceleration Speed.
This review synthesizes evidence on the effectiveness of the World Athletics Kids’ Athletics Programme in improving motor competence, physical fitness and psychosocial outcomes among school-aged children (typically aged 6–12 years). The results indicate consistent positive effects of the programme on running speed, agility and object control skills compared to standard physical education or no intervention, with small-to-medium effect sizes. Evidence for improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness and upper-body strength was less robust, with mixed findings. Psychosocially, the programme demonstrated moderate improvements in enjoyment of physical activity and perceived athletic competence, but no significant effects on long-term behavioural outcomes such as sustained participation. Heterogeneity in intervention duration (4–24 weeks), delivery agents (teachers vs. coaches), and outcome measures limited the comparability of some findings. Overall, the World Athletics Kids’ Athletics Programme appears effective for enhancing selected motor and physical fitness components and fostering positive attitudes towards running-based activities in the short term, though longer-term and psychosocial impacts remain less certain. High-quality, cluster-randomized trials with follow-up assessments are needed to strengthen the evidence base.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | July 22, 2026
Comparison of Anaemia Severity between Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Chronic Kidney Disease Patients Attending at a Tertiary Level Hospital in Bangladesh
Rahman MM, Kaiser AM, Feroz S, Mahfuz MM, Islam RN, Siddique MRU, Kamal S, Rahman AKMS
Page no 289-296 |
https://doi.org/10.36348/sjm.2026.v11i07.004
Background: Anaemia is a common and clinically significant complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD) that contributes to cardiovascular morbidity and accelerated disease progression. Diabetes mellitus (DM), a leading cause of CKD has been independently associated with a higher prevalence and greater severity of anaemia. Objective: To compare the prevalence and severity of anaemia between diabetic and non-diabetic CKD patients and to identify independent predictors of moderate-to-severe anaemia in this population. Methods: This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Nephrology, Tangail Medical College and Hospital, Tangail, Bangladesh, from June 2024 to May 2025. A total of 348 patients with CKD were enrolled, including 174 diabetic CKD patients and 174 age- and sex-comparable non-diabetic CKD patients. Anaemia was defined according to World Health Organization (WHO) sex-specific hemoglobin (Hb) cut-offs (<13 g/dL in males and <12 g/dL in females) and further classified as mild, moderate or severe. Data were analyzed and compared by statistical tests. Results: Diabetic CKD patients were significantly older (59.2±10.2 versus 55.8±11.7 years; p= 0.005) and had a more advanced CKD stage distribution (56.9% versus 42.5% in Stage 4-5; p<0.001). Mean hemoglobin was significantly lower in the diabetic group (10.04±1.89 versus 11.16±2.04 g/dL; p<0.001), and anaemia was significantly more prevalent (87.4% versus 71.3%; p<0.001), with a significant shift toward moderate-to-severe grades (48.9% versus 27.6%; p<0.001). Diabetic status remained an independent predictor of moderate-to-severe anaemia after adjustment for CKD stage, age and disease duration [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.24, 95% CI 1.36–3.68; p= 00.001], with CKD Stage 4-5 the strongest predictor (AOR 6.32, 95% CI 3.81–10.48; p<0.001). Conclusion: Diabetic CKD patients demonstrated significantly higher prevalence and severity of anaemia than non-diabetic CKD patients, which is independent of CKD stages. Routine, regular hemoglobin screening should be incorporated into the clinical management of diabetic CKD patients.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | July 22, 2026
Informal Spaces, Formal Needs: Exploring EFL Students’ Practices, Social Comparison, and Challenges in Academic Self-Assessment Through Social Media
Haytham Elaoufy
Page no 665-674 |
https://doi.org/10.36348/sjet.2026.v11i07.003
Social media has become deeply integrated into students’ daily lives, extending beyond social use into informal academic practices, including self-assessment. This study examines how EFL students at a university use social media to assess their own academic abilities, the extent to which they engage in academic social comparison through these platforms, and the difficulties they encounter in doing so. A mixed-methods approach was employed, using an online questionnaire comprising closed and open-ended questions administered to 133 students. Quantitative findings revealed that the majority of students used social media for academic self-assessment on a frequent basis, with YouTube and WhatsApp emerging as the most commonly used platforms. While social comparison was a common practice among students, it was not strongly associated with increased motivation or academic confidence. Qualitative findings further revealed that students primarily used social media for comprehension checks, language practice, and peer feedback, while also reporting challenges related to distraction, unreliable information, and negative social comparison. These findings suggest that social media functions as an informal, self-directed space for academic self-assessment, one that offers meaningful opportunities for reflection and feedback but also carries risks that may undermine effective learning if left unaddressed. The study is limited by its focus on EFL students at a single university and its reliance on self-reported data, and future research should extend to larger, more diverse samples across multiple institutions and disciplines. The findings nonetheless highlight the need for greater digital literacy support and suggest that educators consider ways to intentionally integrate informal social media practices into formal academic guidance.