Body Mass Index as a Predictor of COVID-19 Severity in ICU Patients in Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Analysis.

Introduction The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has prompted research into various risk factors, including the role of body mass index (BMI) in disease severity. This study specifically examines the correlation between BMI and the severity of COVID-19 among intensive care unit (ICU) patients in Saudi Arabia, addressing a gap in region-specific data. The study aims to assess the impact of BMI on the severity of COVID-19 in a Saudi Arabian ICU patient cohort, providing insights into how this relationship varies in different demographic contexts.

Exploring the Factors behind Nurses' Decision to Leave Clinical Practice: Revealing Causes for Leaving and Approaches for Enhanced Retention.

Nursing turnover has emerged as an urgent concern with a substantial influence on the financial efficiency and quality of care in healthcare frameworks worldwide. This study determined important factors associated with nurses' intentions to leave and what would bring them back. This was a cross-sectional, multisite study of nurses in three public hospitals.

Level of knowledge and quality of life among Saudi caregivers of Parkinson's disease patients: A study from a tertiary hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Purpose: We aimed to assess the family caregivers' level of knowledge and attitudes about Parkison's disease (PD), identify factors affecting their knowledge, evaluate their quality of life (QoL) and factors influencing it and to define the effect of PD on activities of daily living (ADLs) of PD patients.

Method: We developed and validated a questionnaire to assess the level of knowledge and attitudes of family caregivers toward PD, effects of PD on caregivers' QoL as well as its effects on activities of daily living (ADLs) of patients from the caregivers' perspective. A scoring system was utilized and SPSS was used to evaluate the differences in responses between the groups; p < 0.

Efficacy and safety of tenecteplase in comparison to alteplase in acute ischemic stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Alteplase is the standard medical therapy for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients who present within 4.5 h of symptom onset. Tenecteplase is a modified alteplase variant with pharmacological and practical advantages over alteplase.

Combined immobilized lipases for effective biodiesel production from spent coffee grounds.

This work describes the enzymatic transesterification of the oil extracted from SCGs for synthesis of biodiesel as a promising alternative to diesel fuels based on petroleum. Biocatalysts from various sources were tested for biodiesel synthesis using coffee oil among which CaCO- immobilized and showed the highest conversion yields (61 ± 2.64% and 64.

The Efficacy and Safety of Intra-articular Low Molecular Weight Fraction of Human Serum Albumin for the Management of Moderate to Moderately Severe Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative joint disease that affects weight-bearing joints. Low molecular weight fraction of 5% (LMWF-5A) human serum albumin is an intra-articular injection that emerged for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. The aim of this review is to assess the efficacy and safety of LMWF-5A versus placebo through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The efficacy and safety of varenicline nasal spray for the management of dry eye signs: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Dry eye disease (DED) is caused by a persistently unstable tear film leading to ocular discomfort and is treated mainly with tear supplementation. There is emerging evidence that nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) agonists (e.g.

The Efficacy and Safety of Subcutaneous Ixekizumab for the Treatment of Axial Spondylarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Axial spondylarthritis (axSpA) is a progressive inflammatory condition that is treated with various management options. Interleukin-17A (IL-17A) inhibitors are a novel therapeutic option that demonstrates both efficacy and safety. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of ixekizumab and its safety compared to a placebo.

Acceptance, Advocacy, and Perception of Health Care Providers on COVID-19 Vaccine: Comparing Early Stage of COVID-19 Vaccination with Latter Stage in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia.

Vaccination of healthcare providers has recently gained focused attention of public health officials. As HCPs have direct contact with the population, and HCPs significantly influence the population, this study aimed to compare the acceptance rate, advocacy rate, and beliefs about the COVID-19 vaccine among HCPs in two time periods. In this repeated cross-sectional study, different HCPs were assessed in two periods ten months apart, i.

Efficacy and Safety of Tofacitinib in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): A Retrospective Study From Two Centers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Tofacitinib is the first Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor approved for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Several clinical trials have evaluated the safety and effectiveness of tofacitinib in adult patients with moderately to severely active RA. Real-world studies provide invaluable insights into routine clinical practice.

Buccal Mucosa Vaginoplasty Through an Anterior Sagittal Transrectal Approach (ASTRA) for Management of Yolk Sac Tumor in a 3-Year-Old Girl.

Vaginal yolk sac tumors are rare pediatric malignant tumors and the most common form of vaginal germ-cell tumors in children. They are almost exclusively found in females under 3 years of age. Treatment involves local excision either with or without chemotherapy.

Association Between Vitamin D, Zinc, and Thyroid Biomarker Levels With Vitiligo Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study in a Tertiary Care Center.

Objectives Vitiligo is a dermatological autoimmune disease that has been linked with numerous risk factors. There is an elevated level of evidence suggesting a linkage between vitiligo disease and zinc, vitamin D (Vit-D), thyroid hormones, and thyroid antibody levels. Methods This retrospective cohort study included patients of all age groups of both sexes.

Diabetic Hearts Exhibit Global DNA Hypermethylation That Alter the Mitochondrial Functional Genes to Enhance the Sensitivity of the Heart to Ischemia Reperfusion Injury.

A recent study has shown that DNA hypermethylation can promote ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury by regulating the mitochondrial function. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is reported to induce DNA hypermethylation, but whether this prior DNA methylation in DM I/R heart inflicts a beneficial or detrimental effect is not known and is addressed in this study. DM was induced in 6-week-old male Wistar rats with streptozotocin (65 mg/kg b.

Knowledge and practice of depression management among primary healthcare physicians.

Background: Depression is a mood disease that affects the energy, behavior, and mood of individuals. Depression is associated with an increased risk of chronic disease. Primary healthcare physicians play an important role in the diagnosis and management of depression.

Clinically Amyopathic Dermatomyositis With Rapid Progressive Interstitial Lung Disease Diagnosed in a Patient on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM) is characterized by skin manifestations with minimal to no muscle involvement. It is a unique subset of dermatomyositis, which may create a diagnostic challenge due to its vague presentation. Establishing the diagnosis is crucial as CADM is highly associated with rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD), and patients who suffer from thereof have an abysmal prognosis.

Clinical characteristics and liver profiles of Dubin-Johnson syndrome in neonates: Multicenter retrospective study.

Objectives: Dubin-Johnson syndrome (DJS) is a rare benign autosomal recessive disorder characterized by cholestasis in neonates. The aim of the present study was to describe the clinical characteristics, hepatic profiles, histopathology, gene mutations, and treatment outcomes of neonatal DJS.

Material And Methods: A multicenter retrospective study was undertaken with patients who had DJS.

Expert recommendations on early diagnosis and referral of axial spondyloarthritis in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Axial spondyloarthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that primarily involves the axial skeleton (sacroiliac joints and spine), causing stiffness, severe pain and fatigue. In some patients, definitive structural damage of sacroiliac joints is visible on imaging and is known as radiographic axial spondyloarthritis. Some patients do not have a clear radiographic damage of the sacroiliac joints, and this subtype is known as non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis.

Consensus-based recommendations on the diagnosis, referral and clinical management of patients with psoriatic arthritis.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a highly heterogeneous disease with complex manifestations. Limited understanding of the disease and non-availability of local guidelines pose challenges in the management of PsA in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this expert consensus is aimed to provide recommendations on the management of patients with PsA, including referral pathway, definition of remission and treat-to-target (T2T) approach.

Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis Presenting as Refractory Chronic Cough, Manifesting by Massive Alveolar Haemorrhage - A Rare Case Report.

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis, or Wegener granulomatosis, is a rare systemic vasculitis that can affect any organ. The lungs and kidneys are almost always affected. We present a 36-year-old Saudi man who presented with chronic cough, haemoptysis and intermittent dyspnoea.

Electronic cigarettes consumption and associated factors among general population in Western Saudi Arabia.

Background: In recent years, consumption of E-cigarettes has increased dramatically. Several studies have focused on the prevalence of E-cigarettes among specific groups of people, using it as a substitute to traditional cigarettes, or the participant knowledge regarding risks. This research was aimed on E-cigarettes' prevalence and its association to several factors in the general population of Western Saudi Arabia.

Association of Rare Genetic Variants and Early-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in Ethnic Minority Individuals.

Importance: Although rare variants in cardiac ion channels, transcription factors, and myocardial structural proteins are associated with early-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) in White individuals of European descent, it remains unclear whether genetic variation also contributes to the cause of AF in those of minority ethnicity.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of rare and novel pathogenic variants in candidate genes in ethnic minority probands with early-onset AF and determine genotype-phenotype associations.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In this cohort, family-based study, probands of African and Hispanic descent with early-onset AF (defined as AF occurring in individuals aged ≤66 years) prospectively enrolled in a clinical and genetic biorepository underwent sequencing of 60 candidate genes.