Reducing the levels of indoxyl sulfate in patients undergoing dialysis: a promising approach to managing inflammation and the redox state of human serum albumin.

Indoxyl sulfate (IS) is one of the most potent uraemic toxins involved in the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) through the induction of inflammation and oxidative stress. This study assessed the potential benefits of reducing IS concentrations through dialysis treatment to improve renal function, inflammation, and oxidative stress. A prospective, observational cohort study of 50 patients with CKD undergoing dialysis treatment was conducted.

Prevalence of Depression Among the Adult Population in Southwestern Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional, Community-Based Study.

Background Depression is one of the most common mental disorders, which is increasing globally with higher prevalence among women. Many factors contribute to the etiology and risk factors for depression, including biological and psychosocial factors. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depression among the adult population in Al-Qunfudah governorate, southwestern Saudi Arabia (SA).

Correction: Mohammed et al. Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice towards Tuberculosis among Taif University Students. 2023, , 2807.

In the original publication [...

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice towards Tuberculosis among Taif University Students.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant public health concern worldwide. Given the dense living and interactive nature of university environments, students may be at higher risk. This cross-sectional study assessed tuberculosis-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) among students at Taif University (TU) from November 2022 to May 2023.

Public perspective toward extended community pharmacy services in sub-national Saudi Arabia: An online cross-sectional study.

Background: In many developed countries, the scope of community pharmacy services has extended to include advanced applications. Unlike traditional practices that focus on pharmaceutical sales, extended community pharmacy services (ECPSs) are patient-centred and typically offered by specialised healthcare centres, which improve public health, reduce pressure imposed on healthcare professionals, and rationalise health system expenditures. However, based on the findings of several studies, community pharmacies (CPs) only provide marginalised services.

The role of blood groups, vaccine type and gender in predicting the severity of side effects among university students receiving COVID-19 vaccines.

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic. To control the pandemic, billions of vaccine doses have been administered worldwide. Predictors of COVID-19 vaccine-related side effects are inconsistently described in the literature.

Patient Satisfaction and Its Predictors With Perioperative Anesthesia Care at Two General Hospitals in Southwestern Saudi Arabia.

Introduction  Patient satisfaction is one of the most crucial quality assessment and improvement indicators in anesthesia. Different factors reflect satisfaction such as postoperative pain, procedure duration, patient-physician relationship, inpatient services, and waiting time. A high level of satisfaction can lead to better outcomes in many ways, such as decreasing future surgeries fear and strengthening the healthcare system trust among the population.

Assessment of Glycemic Control in Patients With Diabetes in Northern Sudan Using Calculated HbA1c.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) significantly burdens health services worldwide. As a simple and cost-effective method, the mathematical calculation of HbA1c is coming to be of value in areas with scarce resources. This study aimed to use calculated HbA1c to ascertain the prevalence of uncontrolled DM and correlate it with the risk factors for DM.

Correlation between the severity of COVID-19 vaccine-related adverse events and the blood group of the vaccinees in Saudi Arabia: A web-based survey.

Recent epidemiological studies have reported an association between the ABO blood group and the acquisition, symptom severity, and mortality rate of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the association between the ABO blood group antigens and the type and severity of COVID-19 vaccine-related adverse reactions has not been elucidated. We conducted a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study in Saudi Arabia from February to April 2022.

High Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG and RNA among Asymptomatic Blood Donors in Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia.

The gold-standard approach for diagnosing and confirming Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). This method, however, is inefficient in detecting previous or dormant viral infections. The presence of antigen-specific antibodies is the fingerprint and cardinal sign for diagnosis and determination of exposure to infectious agents including Corona virus disease-2019 (COVID-19).

Chronic exposure to nitrate in drinking water and the risk of bladder cancer: a meta-analysis of epidemiological evidence.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the association between chronic exposure to nitrate in drinking water and the risk of bladder cancer.

Study Design: Meta-analysis.

Methods: After a systematic retrieval of eligible epidemiological studies, pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of bladder cancer for people in the highest vs the lowest categories of nitrate exposure were calculated using the fixed- or random-effects model.

Prevalence of Gastroesophageal Disease and Associated Risk Factors Among the Population in Al-Qunfudah.

Background and objective Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most common gastrointestinal diseases worldwide. It causes an unpleasant effect on patients' lives and may lead to serious complications resulting in a significant burden on healthcare systems. Despite being a common gastrointestinal disease, very few studies have been conducted on the condition in Saudi Arabia; and there has never been a study to estimate the prevalence of GERD in the Al-Qunfudah Governorate.

Psychological problems among the university students in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is a public health emergency that represents a challenge to psychological health. This study aimed to assess the psychological conditions among university students in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: During the period between the 4th and 18th of June 2020, the students of Umm AlQura University in Saudi Arabia were invited to complete an online survey.

The COVID-19 pandemic: prediction study based on machine learning models.

COVID-19 was first discovered in Wuhan, China in December 2019. It is one of the worst pandemics in human history. Recent studies reported that COVID-19 is transmitted among humans by droplet infection or direct contact.

Psychological impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on the university students in Egypt.

University students are at elevated risk for mental health problems. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent public health measures taken to combat it burdened the students' life with additional dramatic psychological impacts. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychological impacts that affected the university students in Egypt during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ARIMA models for predicting the end of COVID-19 pandemic and the risk of second rebound.

Globally, many research works are going on to study the infectious nature of COVID-19 and every day we learn something new about it through the flooding of the huge data that are accumulating hourly rather than daily which instantly opens hot research avenues for artificial intelligence researchers. However, the public's concern by now is to find answers for two questions; (1) When this COVID-19 pandemic will be over? and (2) After coming to its end, will COVID-19 return again in what is known as a second rebound of the pandemic? In this work, we developed a predictive model that can estimate the expected period that the virus can be stopped and the risk of the second rebound of COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we have considered the SARIMA model to predict the spread of the virus on several selected countries and used it for predicting the COVID-19 pandemic life cycle and its end.

Depressed, anxious, and stressed: What have healthcare workers on the frontlines in Egypt and Saudi Arabia experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Introduction: As the Novel Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) was declared by the world health organization a pandemic in March 2020, thousands of healthcare workers (HCWs) worldwide were on the frontlines fighting against the pandemic. Herein, we selected two Middle East countries; Egypt and Saudi Arabia to investigate the psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on their HCWs.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a Google survey was used to access HCWs in many hospitals in Egypt and Saudi Arabia between the 14th and 24th of April 2020.

Dietary Factors Associated with Pancreatic Cancer Risk in Minia, Egypt: Principal Component Analysis.

Background: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a serious and rapidly progressing malignancy. Identifying risk factors including dietary elements is important to develop preventive strategies. This study focused on possible links between diet and PC.

Anomalous Separation of Small Y-Chromosomal DNA Fragments on Microchip Electrophoresis.

We investigated an anomalous DNA separation where two DNA fragments from the human Y-chromosome sY638 (64 bp) and sY592 (65 bp), with only one base pair difference, were separated. This result is abnormal since in a previous study, we found that 5 bp was the minimum difference between two DNA fragments that the microchip electrophoresis system can separate. The formation of a mini-loop in the structure of the DNA fragment of sY638 (64 bp) was strongly expected to be the reason.

Child labor in a rural Egyptian community: an epidemiological study.

Objectives: Estimating the burden of child labor in a rural community of El-Minia governorate, Egypt and exploring its determinants and health impact.

Methods: One hundred and ninety nine children randomly participated from a randomly selected village; 147 (73.9%) males and 52 (26.

An epidemiological study of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Al-jabal Al-gharbi, Libya.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an endemic parasitic infection in the Mediterranean region, including Libya and its Al-jabal Al-gharbi province. We aimed at studying the occupational relevance as well as other epidemiological aspects of CL. We investigated 140 CL cases who attended at Gharyan outpatient polyclinic during a period of 6 months in 2009.

Climatic influence on the reproductive characteristics of Japanese males.

We previously performed a survey of the sperm characteristics of the partners of pregnant women in four cities in Japan. In the present study, we analyzed the sperm characteristics of these subjects and the correlations between these sperm characteristics and climatic changes or Y chromosome haplogroups. Our results showed that more haplogroup D2a1 males than O2b1 males were born in the first half of the year (January to June), whereas more O2b1 males were born in the last half of the year (July to December) (P<0.

Talus measurements as a diagnostic tool for sexual dimorphism in Egyptian population.

Measurements of talus have been shown to be sexually dimorphic in South African blacks and whites and Prehistoric New Zealand Polynesians. Since several studies have demonstrated that discriminant function equations used to determine the sex of a skeleton are population specific, the purpose of the present study was to derive similar equation for the tali of Egyptians. The sample consisted of 110 tali (67 male & 43 female) whose age at death ranged between 20 and 60 years.

Pleural plaque profiles on the chest radiographs and CT scans of asbestos-exposed Japanese construction workers.

Pleural plaques are asymptomatic focal thickenings of the pleura and considered the hallmark of asbestos exposure. However, it is often difficult to detect pleural plaques on chest x-rays (CXR). In a retrospective study, using chest CT scans of 140 Japanese asbestos-exposed construction workers who have probable or definite findings of pleural plaque on CXR; firstly, we proposed plaque morphology-based classification for CXR findings, and then we examined if those classified findings could be confirmed as pleural plaques on CT scans.

SRY interacts with ribosomal proteins S7 and L13a in nuclear speckles.

The SRY (sex-determining region on the Y chromosome) is essential for male development; however, the molecular mechanism by which the SRY induces testis development is still unclear. To elucidate the mechanism of testis development, we identified SRY-interacting proteins using a yeast two-hybrid system. We found two ribosomal proteins, RPS7 (ribosomal protein S7) and RPL13a (ribosomal protein L13a) that interact with the HMG (high-mobility group) box domain of SRY.