An explanatory mixed methods study on the validity and validation of students' assessment results in the undergraduate surgery course.

Background/purpose: There is inadequate evidence of reported validity of the results of assessment instruments used to assess clinical competence. This study aimed at combining multiple lines of quantitative and qualitative evidence to support interpretation and use of assessment results.

Method: This study is a mixed methods explanatory research set in two stages of data collection and analysis (QUAN : qual).

Religiosity and Telomere Length in Colorectal Cancer Patients in Saudi Arabia.

Numerous studies have reported a significant relationship between psychological stress, depression, and telomere length (TL), an indicator of cellular lifespan. Religious involvement, which is associated with lower levels of stress and depression, has also recently been related to TL. To our knowledge, this relationship has not yet been examined in Muslims, colorectal cancer patients, cancer patients more generally, or any population outside the USA.

Health rights knowledge among medical school students at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Health care is a basic human right, and Saudi Arabia affirms these rights for all its citizens.

Objectives: To assess the knowledge of medical students regarding health rights in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) from September 2015 through November 2015.

Development of natural sorbent based micro-solid-phase extraction for determination of phthalate esters in milk samples.

In the present study, a natural sorbent based micro-solid phase extraction (μ-SPE) was developed for determination of phthalate esters in milk samples. For the first time, an efficient and cost effective natural material (seed powder of Moringa oleifera) was employed as sorbent in μ-SPE. The sorbent was found to be naturally enriched with variety of functional groups and having a network of interconnected fibers.

Clinical significance of frequent somatic mutations detected by high-throughput targeted sequencing in archived colorectal cancer samples.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease with different molecular characteristics associated with many variables such as the sites from which the tumors originate or the presence or absence of chromosomal instability. Identification of such variables, particularly mutational hotspots, often carries a significant diagnostic and/or prognostic value that could ultimately affect the therapeutic outcome.

Methods: High-throughput mutational analysis of 99 CRC formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) cases was performed using the Cancer Hotspots Panel (CHP) v2 on the Ion Torrent™ platform.

Impact of Physiological Symptoms and Complications of Colorectal Cancer on the Quality of Life of Patients at King Abdulaziz University Hospital.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is common worldwide. The high prevalence of the disease raises concerns about how CRC influences the health-related quality of life (QoL). To explore the impact of physiological symptoms and complications of CRC on patients' QoL, we conducted a cross-sectional survey using the FACT-C self-report instrument.

Depression in patients with colorectal cancer.

Patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) experience psychological stress due to the diagnosis and the physical and social changes brought on by the illness, increasing the risk of depressive disorder. Depression causes tremendous disability and adds to the suffering that patients must already endure. It is known to alter immune and endocrine functions that affect vulnerability to CRC, its course over time, and its response to treatment.

First national survival data for colorectal cancer among Saudis between 1994 and 2004: what's next?

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common malignancy in the Saudi population. This study aimed to review CRC data from the Saudi Cancer Registry (SCR) in order to evaluate the prognostic factors for CRC survival in Saudi patients.

Methods: This study was a retrospective censored overall survival (OS) analysis of CRC data for the period 1994-2004 obtained from the SCR.

Current state of psychiatry in Saudi Arabia.

Background: In 1983, an article and accompanying editorial was published on the state of psychiatry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), which was described as "a mental health system in statu nascendi."

Methods: We provide a 30-year update on advances in mental health care in KSA. Data are reported from a wide range of sources, including the 2007 Saudi Arabian Mental and Social Health Atlas, which compares services in KSA with the rest of the world.

Colorectal cancer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: need for screening.

Background And Objectives: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major health problem in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Our aim was to characterize the epidemiology of CRC in the Saudi population.

Design And Setting: Retrospective analysis of all cases of CRC recorded in the Saudi Cancer Registry (SCR) between January 2001 and December 2006 amongst Saudi citizens in KSA.

Methylation of the polycomb group target genes is a possible biomarker for favorable prognosis in colorectal cancer.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cancer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with ever increasing incidence rates. DNA methylation is a common event in CRC where it is now considered an important phenomenon in CRC carcinogenesis and useful for the classification and prognosis of CRC.

Methods: To gain insight into the molecular mechanisms underpinning CRC in Saudi Arabian patients, we profiled the DNA methylation frequency of key genes (MLH1, MSH2, RASSF1A, SLIT2, HIC1, MGMT, SFRP1, MYOD1, APC, CDKN2A, as well as five CIMP markers) in 120 sporadic CRC cases.

Chemotherapy and fingerprint loss: beyond cosmetic.

Hand-foot syndrome (HFS) is a common adverse reaction to several chemotherapy drugs. Focus has been on the clinically relevant sequelae associated with this condition, with fingerprint loss receiving little attention. We report the case of a 53-year old male patient with terminal metastatic adenocarcinoma of the rectum involving the liver and lungs who developed grade 3 HFS while on capecitabine therapy.

Does the increasing trend of colorectal cancer incidence in jeddah reflect a rise in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia?

Background: The aim of this study was to outline the trend in the incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the city of Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), for comparison with previously published national CRC data.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective data analysis was performed on all cases of CRC diagnosed between January 2000 and December 2006 amongst Saudi patients in Jeddah using data retrieved from the Saudi Cancer Registry (SCR). Descriptive analysis was performed and results were compared to national CRC data from the SCR.

HER-2 positivity and correlations with other histopathologic features in breast cancer patients--hospital based study.

Objective: To review HER-2 status and its correlation with all other prognostic histopathological features of all Breast Cancer (BC) patients diagnosed between January 2000 and December 2004 at King Abdul Aziz University Hospital (KAUH) in the western region of Saudi Arabia.

Methods: Histopathology specimens were examined by Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and labeled as HER-2/neu positive when Hercep Test score was three plus (3+).

Results: HER-2/neu was reported only in 145 patients out of 260.

Pattern of colorectal cancer at two hospitals in the western region of Saudi Arabia.

Patients And Methods: Data of all patients with CRC treated at two hospitals in the Western region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), between 1993 and 2002, were collected and analyzed.

Results: Out of the 121 patients evaluated, ten were excluded because of incomplete data. Out of 111 patients, 59 (53.

Malignant eccrine poroma.

Benign eccrine poroma arises from the intraepidermal portion of the eccrine gland duct. Malignant transformation is rare and should be suspected when these lesions present with pain, bleeding or itching. We report a 44-year-old male patient who presented primarily with a lesion diagnostic of benign eccrine poroma of the right foot sole with no clear evidence of malignancy, which was incompletely excised, followed 5 months later by local recurrence, ulceration, occasional bleeding and right inguinal lymphadenopathy.

Effect of pegylated interferon on non-responders and relapsers with interferon.

Objectives: To assess whether a combination of pegylated interferon (interferon conjugated with polyethylene glycol) and ribavirin can improve the response rate in patients with chronic hepatitis C who either did not respond to (Non-responders), or had relapsed after responding to (Relapsers) standard interferon and ribavirin combination therapy.

Patients And Methods: In this prospective study, 20 chronic hepatitis C patients (comprising 16 Non-responders and 4 Relapsers to previous treatment with alpha interferon and ribavirin), were treated with pegylated interferon-2b weekly and ribavirin daily for one year. Eleven patients had genotype 4, eight were of genotype 1 and one patient had genotype 3.

Chemoembolization in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Full text is available as a scanned copy of the original print version.