In response to the Saudi healthcare reform: a cross-sectional study of awareness of and attitudes toward the public health model among health students.

Background: Saudi Arabia's health sector is experiencing a significant transformation toward an emphasis on the public health model. This model is a population-based approach to preventing and controlling disease, and its importance becomes evident during infectious outbreaks and pandemics, such as COVID-19. This study aimed to assess the awareness and attitudes of health students in Jazan toward the public health model.

Multi-speed transformer network for neurodegenerative disease assessment and activity recognition.

Background And Objective: Neurodegenerative diseases are the most frequent age-related diseases. This type of disease, if not discovered in the initial stage, will compromise the quality of life of the affected subject. Thus, a timely diagnosis is of paramount importance.

Assessing the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of graduating medical students towards sexual health in Lebanon.

Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of graduating medical students in Lebanon regarding sexual health, as well as their readiness to learn about it, and to determine the demographic and educational factors that influence our findings.

Methods: Cross-sectional study. A self-designed questionnaire exploring various components of sexual health was sent to 578 graduating medical students in Lebanon.

ASSESSMENT OF THE OXIDATIVE AND NITROSATIVE STRESS IN THE SERUM OF SAUDI PATIENTS WITH CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS BEFORE AND AFTER TREATMENT.

Macrophages, within which Leishmania species replicate, generate large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) to kill these parasites. The present study assessed the oxidative and nitrosative stress, and specific immune enzymes in the serum of patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis (Cl) before and after treatment and in the control individuals. Serum activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), L-arginase, myeloperoxidase (MPO), and adenosine deaminase (ADA) and the levels of reduced glutathione, malondialdehyde (MDA), and nitric oxide (NO) were studied.

Author Correction: Carbon dioxide stimulates lake primary production.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Molecular Detection of spp. in Skin and Blood of Stray Dogs from Endemic Areas of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Dogs can act as reservoirs of canine leishmaniasis, caused by species. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of canine leishmaniasis using a PCR technique among stray dogs living in three provinces of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Al-Ahsa Oasis and Al-Qaseem, where the disease is endemic; and to identify and document different to species levels.

Methods: This cross-sectional investigation was conducted, from Mar 2016 to Apr 2018, in three parts of Saudi Arabia: Central province (Riyadh), Eastern province (Al-Ahsa Oasis) and Al-Qaseem province.

Three wound-dressing strategies to reduce surgical site infection after abdominal surgery: the Bluebelle feasibility study and pilot RCT.

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) affects up to 20% of people with a primary closed wound after surgery. Wound dressings may reduce SSI.

Objective: To assess the feasibility of a multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of dressing types or no dressing to reduce SSI in primary surgical wounds.

Species Diversity and Seasonal Distribution of Hard Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Infesting Mammalian Hosts in Various Districts of Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia.

Hard ticks are among the most important blood sucking arthropods that transmit pathogens to humans and animals. This study was designed to determine prevalence, mapping, geographical distribution, and seasonal activity of hard tick species infesting the most common domestic and wild mammals in various districts of Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia, during the period January to December 2017. In total, 10,832 adult hard ticks were collected from the bodies of 8,435 animals belonging to 18 different mammalian species.

Carbon dioxide stimulates lake primary production.

Gross primary production (GPP) is a fundamental ecosystem process that sequesters carbon dioxide (CO) and forms the resource base for higher trophic levels. Still, the relative contribution of different controls on GPP at the whole-ecosystem scale is far from resolved. Here we show, by manipulating CO concentrations in large-scale experimental pond ecosystems, that CO availability is a key driver of whole-ecosystem GPP.

A field study on the anthelmintic resistance of Parascaris spp. in Arab foals in the Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia.

Background: In the last decade, Parascaris spp. resistance to anthelmintics has been recorded in many countries. In Saudi Arabia, there are limited data available on Parascaris spp.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis in Al Hassa, Saudi Arabia: epidemiological trends from 2000 to 2010.

Objective: To study epidemiological trends related to cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Al Hassa, an endemic area in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: This retrospective study included the spatial/temporal analysis of the reported cases of CL using the available surveillance database for the disease at the regional Vector Control Unit, from 2000 to 2010.

Results: The incidence of CL was declining at a stable rate especially during the last 3 years of the study (2008-2010).

Parasitic infestation in pediatric and adolescent appendicitis: a local experience.

Objective: The relationship between parasites and pediatric appendicitis is a highly debatable issue. This study aims to investigate the role of parasitic infestation in the etiology of acute pediatric appendicitis.

Methods: A retrospective study including 1600 pediatric and adolescent patients who had undergone surgical therapy for a diagnosis of acute appendicitis over a period of ten years from Jan 2001 to Dec 2010.

Laparoscopic versus open distal pancreatectomy: a clinical and cost-effectiveness study.

Background: Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP) is being increasingly performed with some concerns regarding the cost of the minimally invasive approach. The purpose of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of LDP versus open distal pancreatectomy (ODP).

Methods: A retrospective clinical and cost-comparison analysis was performed for patients who underwent LDP vs.

Laparoscopic liver resection for hepatocellular adenoma.

Aim: To investigate the role of laparoscopy in the surgical management of hepatocellular adenoma (HA).

Methods: We reviewed a prospectively collected database of consecutive patients undergoing laparoscopic liver resection for HA.

Results: Thirteen patients underwent fifteen pure laparoscopic liver resections for HA (male/female: 3/10; median age 42 years, range 22-72 years).

Efficacy of two rodenticides against Leishmania reservoir host rat (Psammomys obesus) in the rural area of Al-Ahsa Oasis, Saudi Arabia.

Zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) is a serious and increasing public health problem in many parts of Saudi Arabia. Rodent control operations are effective in destroying rodents and reducing the incidence of disease. This study tested the efficacy of zinc phosphide and fenacoum against the reservoir host Psammomys obesus rat.

Genotypes of Giardia intestinalis clinical isolates of gastrointestinal symptomatic and asymptomatic Saudi children.

Giardiasis is the most worldwide parasitic disease with the major clinical impact on infant and children. Two genotypes were reported commonly among humans (assemblage A and B). In this study, genotypes of Giardia intestinalis clinical isolates obtaining from 24 gastrointestinal symptomatic Saudi primary school children and 16 asymptomatic ones were explored by real-time polymerase chain reaction using the high resolution melting curve analysis targeting intergenic spacer (IGS) region rDNA of G.

Immunosuppressant effects of Leishmania infection in Psammomys obesus trapped in Saudi Arabia.

This study was conducted to investigate the immune status of Psammomys obesus (P. obesus) most implicated as a reservoir host of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) in the Al-Ahsa area, Saudi Arabia. Based on the presence of amastigotes in the characteristic lesions and, rodents were divided into two groups.

Genetic diversity of Dientamoeba fragilis isolates of irritable bowel syndrome patients by high-resolution melting-curve (HRM) analysis.

Dientamoeba fragilis is a parasite that has been recognized as a causative agent of gastrointestinal symptoms. The search for genetic variation in D. fragilis based on the small-subunit (SSU) rRNA gene using restriction fragment length polymorphism was found not useful for molecular epidemiology.

Description of Nematotaenia dispar from gray monitor (Varanus griseus) a new record in Saudi Arabia.

Due to the increasing information on the reptile fauna in Saudi Arabia and the importance of this group of vertebrate animals, it is of great interest to study the parasites that can infect them. Out of total ten gray monitor Varanus griseus of both sex, only three were found to be infected (representing an infection rate of 30%) with parasitic worms. The parasitic burden index was 20.

Taxonomical studies of ticks infesting wild rodents from Asir Province in Saudi Arabia.

Ticks infesting rodents in Asir Province, which is about 3000 meter above sea level, were surveyed in Wadi Dalaghan and Wadi Bin Hachbal. They were examined from September to December 2006, where ten local life baited traps were distributed for 3 days each month. The rodents were Acomys c.

Comparison between secretory leukocytic protease inhibitor and reactive nitrogen intermediates levels in cervicovaginal secretions from symptomatic and asymptomatic trichomoniasis Egyptians patients.

Although trichomoniasis is one of the most widespread sexually transmitted diseases, limited information is known about the host and parasite factors which cause symptomatic versus asymptomatic infections. Both of Secretory Leukocytic Protease Inhibitor (SLPI) and Reactive Nitrogen Intermediates (RNI) are major effectors in the innate immune response against infection. This study aimed to compare the level of SLPI and RNI in relation to the vaginal complains among trichomoniasis Egyptian patients.

Parasitological and immunological studies on rats experimental infected with Saudi Arabian strain of Trypanosoma evansi.

Surra, an enzootic disease caused by Trypanosona evansi, is one of the most important trypanosomiasis in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The state of parasitaemia in relation to the corresponding humoral response in experimentally infected Wister rats for 15 days were investigated. The prepatent period was found to be 5 days.

The presence of Aplectana nematode in the alimentary canal of Uromastyx aegyptius microlepis (Blanford, 1874) from the eastern province of Saudi Arabia.

Fifteen dabb-lizard, Uromastyx aegyptius microlepis of both sexes were caught from the arid area of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The alimentary canal was found to be infected with helminthes nematode at rate of 86%, 9% and 5% for the stomach, the small intestine and the large intestine respectively. The nematodes were identified as Aplectana species.

Production and characterization of stable amphotericin-resistant amastigotes and promastigotes of Leishmania mexicana.

The sensitivities of Leishmania mexicana amastigote and promastigote forms to amphotericin B were investigated in vitro and found to be strongly influenced by the culture media used. When differences in culture media were minimized, there was no significant difference in the 50% inhibitory concentration values between the two life cycle stages. Stable amphotericin B-resistant amastigote and promastigote lines were produced by the application of increasing drug pressure to long-term cultures.