Effect of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Pediatric Bronchial Asthma Patients in Saudi Arabia: A Comparative Study.

Background: The lockdowns imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures may have decreased traffic and air pollution, which may contribute to reducing asthma exacerbation. However, there is not enough information about the relationship between asthma and COVID-19 lockdown, especially in children. Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on pediatric patients with moderate to severe bronchial asthma.

Assessing the chemical interactions and biological effects of a petrochemical and bio-based plastic with a common plastic flame retardant and solvent.

Microplastic pollution remains a persistent environmental challenge for aquatic environments. Yet, health impact assessments of microplastics focus largely on the polymers themselves. It is important to understand the chemical behaviour and biological effects of both plastics and chemicals associated with their production, such as additives and solvents.

Analysis of bamboo fibres and their associated dye on a freshwater fish host-parasite system.

With the growth of the fashion and textile industries into the twenty-first century, associated pollution has become pervasive. Fibre-based microplastics are the most common types of plastics recovered from aquatic ecosystems encouraging the move towards organic fibre usage. Often marketed as biodegradable and 'environmentally friendly', organic textile fibres are seen as less harmful, but their impacts are understudied.

Prevalence of Cigarette Smoking, E-cigarette Use, and Dual Use Among Urban and Rural Women During the Peripartum Period, PRAMS 2015-2020.

Objectives: Evidence has emerged on the health dangers of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among pregnant women and neonates. We examined whether rural residence is a risk factor for smoking and e-cigarette use among women during the peripartum period in the United States.

Methods: This study was based on pooled cross-sectional 2015-2020 data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System.

Symphony in the crowd: Key genetic alterations in prostate cancer.

Androgen receptor (AR) signaling have been frequently targeted for treating prostate cancer (PCa). Even though primarily patients receive a good therapeutic outcome by targeting AR signaling axis, eventually it emerges resistance by altering the genetic makeup of prostate cells. However, to develop an effective therapeutic regime, it is essential to recognize key genetic alterations in PCa.

The impacts of synthetic and cellulose-based fibres and their associated dyes on fish hosts and parasite health.

Plastic pollution is now a ubiquitous feature of freshwater systems and the majority of this is fibrous. Here, we test the effects of plastic and cellulose-based fibres (polyester, cotton, and bamboo from commercial clothing) on fish host-parasite interactions using a freshwater fish host-parasite model system (guppy Poecilia reticulata-Gyrodactylus turnbulli). For uninfected fish, polyester exposure was associated with significantly higher mortality rates compared with the other two fibre types.

Perinatal Smoking and E-cigarette Use and Their Relationship with Breastfeeding: PRAMS 2015-2020.

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use poses concerns among women of child-bearing age. We examined prevalence of breastfeeding among the U.S.

A class of their own? Water-soluble polymer pollution impacting a freshwater host-pathogen system.

While the inclusion of synthetic polymers such as primary microplastics within personal care products have been widely restricted under EU/UK Law, water-soluble polymers (WSPs) have so far slipped the net of global chemical regulation despite evidence that these could be polluting wastewater effluents at concentrations greatly exceeding those of microplastics. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) represent WSPs with common industry and household uses, down-the-drain disposal and a direct route to wastewater treatment plants, conveying high risk of environmental leaching into freshwater ecosystems. The current study is the first investigating the impacts of predicted environmental concentrations of these WSPs on life-history traits of two freshwater species also constituting a disease model (fish - Poecilia reticulata and parasite - Gyrodactylus turnbulli).

Clinical trial links oncolytic immunoactivation to survival in glioblastoma.

Immunotherapy failures can result from the highly suppressive tumour microenvironment that characterizes aggressive forms of cancer such as recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM). Here we report the results of a first-in-human phase I trial in 41 patients with rGBM who were injected with CAN-3110-an oncolytic herpes virus (oHSV). In contrast to other clinical oHSVs, CAN-3110 retains the viral neurovirulence ICP34.

Efficacy of Cricotracheal Stenosis Resection (CTSR) Among Children with Congenital vs. Acquired Sub-glottic Stenosis.

Sub-glottic Stenosis (SGS) treatment in children is challenging because there is no standard algorithm to follow; however, the use of endoscopic techniques in SGS treatment has emerged over the last decades and has advanced. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of Cricotracheal Stenosis Resection (CTSR) among children with congenital vs. acquired SGS.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome in Adults in a Decade: The Largest, Single-Center, Cross-Sectional Study From the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Background: Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is the most common cause of acute, usually post-infectious, peripheral neuropathy resulting in a symmetrical, ascending paralysis. We evaluated the clinical and neurophysiological features, treatment, and outcomes of patients with GBS in our center.

Methods: A retrospective chart review on patients with GBS admitted to King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from January 2011 to December 2020.

Immediate outcome assessment of the rapid response team of home health care services at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh.

Background: Paediatrics rapid response team (RRT) is a newly developed service under paediatrics home health care (HHC) programme which is a standby visiting team that responds to non-critical emergency calls. The current study aimed to compare the total emergency visits and hospital admissions before and after implementation of RRT project.

Method: A retrospective chart review was conducted from December 2018 to December 2020.

Knowledge, perception, and beliefs of Saudi physicians at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh related to medical cannabis: Literature review and a cross-sectional survey.

Unlabelled: Cannabis is an herbaceous flowering plant, originally an indigenous plant in Eastern Asia, which later spread globally due to widespread agricultural practices. Cannabis was used medicinally until the early twentieth century, but subsequently prohibited due to the psychoactive effects.

Aims: To explore the medical cannabis-related level of knowledge of physicians at King Abdulaziz Medical City, including patient needs, perceptions of therapeutic effects, potential harm, and the willingness to prescribe if legalized in future.

Unintentional Injuries Among Young Adolescents at a Level-One Trauma Center in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Unintentional injuries are the leading preventable cause of mortality across different demographics. This study aims to assess the prevalence, severity, contributing factors, and clinical outcomes of unintentional injuries among adolescent patients. Methods A retrospective study was conducted using the charts of patients admitted with unintentional injuries (motor vehicle accidents (MVA), falls, pedestrian injuries, burns, etc.

Assessment of attitudes towards the use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis in a single center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In this cross-sectional study, we assessed the attitudes of the general public in Saudi Arabia regarding both medical and non-medical applications of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). The study was conducted in King Abdullah Specialist Children's Hospital (KASCH) in Riyadh with a sample size of 377. Demographic information was collected, and attitudes towards applications of PGD were assessed using a pre-validated self-administered questionnaire.

Microplastic exposure and consumption increases susceptibility to gyrodactylosis and host mortality for a freshwater fish.

Microplastics have been found in all surveyed ecosystems and in the diet of multiple species. Detrimental health impacts of microplastic consumption include reduced growth and fecundity, metabolic stress and immune alterations for both invertebrates and vertebrates. Limited information exists, however, on how disease resistance may be affected by microplastic exposure and consumption.

Prevalence of Missed Injuries in Multiple Trauma Patients at a Level-1 Trauma Center in Saudi Arabia.

Background Missed injuries are defined as injuries neither detected in the emergency department (ED) nor after admission to the hospital. The objective of this research was to identify missed injury rates, contributing factors, and clinical outcomes. Methods A total of 657 trauma patients' records were retrospectively reviewed after admission to King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) during the period from January 2016 to December 2018.

Zinc finger protein‑like 1 is a novel neuroendocrine biomarker for prostate cancer.

Prostate‑derived calcitonin (CT) and its receptor induce tumorigenicity and increase metastatic potential of prostate cancer (PC). CT‑inducible genes in human prostate were identified by subtraction hybridization. Among these genes, zinc finger protein like 1 (ZFPL1) protein was interesting since it was abundantly expressed in malignant prostates but was almost absent in benign prostates.

Quality of Life of Saudi Women With Chronic Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms.

Background Chronic lower urinary symptoms (LUTS) are reported to affect more than half of women of all ages and have a significant impact on their quality of life (QoL). We aimed in this study to assess the QoL of adult Saudi women with chronic LUTS. Methods A cross-sectional study was done on 390 female patients diagnosed with LUTS at three tertiary care hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from October to December 2021.

Knowledge, perception and acceptability of breastfeeding and bottle feeding among Saudi population.

Despite the enormous benefits of breastfeeding (BF), its prevalence is suboptimal, with exclusive BF ranging between 7.3 % and 51% in the Saudi community. The aim of this study was to assess the Saudi community's knowledge regarding BF, exposure to BF promotional messages and formula milk advertisements and acceptability of BF in public places.

The Outcome of Immediate Administration of Dexamethasone in Children With Croup (Laryngotracheobronchitis) in King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital.

Background Croup is an inflammatory disease that affects the upper respiratory tract involving the upper airways of the lungs (bronchial tubes), vocal cords (larynx), and windpipe (trachea). In Canada, it is considered one of the major causes of respiratory diseases in the first 10 years of life. A wide range of viruses like common cold and flu (influenza) infections can cause croup (laryngotracheobronchitis).

Exploring the Attitudes and Perceptions of Master of Medical Education Graduates Towards Research Publication in Saudi Arabia.

Introduction: Evidence is lacking to identify what encourages students to conduct research and publish. This study aimed to understand the barriers and facilitators of research and publications from Master of Medical Education student research projects as 15-20% have published their research while 75-80% did not.

Methods: This study used qualitative in-depth interviews with 17 graduates from the previous 13 batches of the Master of Medical Education program, Saudi Arabia.

Differential effects of two prevalent environmental pollutants on host-pathogen dynamics.

Chemical pollutants are a major factor implicated in freshwater habitat degradation and species loss. Microplastics and glyphosate-based herbicides are prevalent pollutants with known detrimental effects on animal welfare but our understanding of their impacts on infection dynamics are limited. Within freshwater vertebrates, glyphosate formulations reduce fish tolerance to infections, but the effects of microplastic consumption on disease tolerance have thus far not been assessed.