Genetic Diversity and Evolutionary Kinetics of Influenza A Virus H3N2 Subtypes Circulating in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Presence of a large foreign workforce and the annual gathering of people for pilgrimage from around the globe have significantly contributed to the emergence and diversity of respiratory viruses in Saudi Arabia. Here, we report the sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the H3N2 subtype of influenza A virus (IAV) in clinical samples collected from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Based on RT-PCR, IAV was found in 88 (28.

ON-1 and BA-IX Are the Dominant Sub-Genotypes of Human Orthopneumovirus A&B in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

(HOPV) is the major viral pathogen responsible for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in infants and young children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Yet, predominant HOPV subtypes circulating in this region and their molecular and epidemiological characteristics are not fully ascertained. A total of 300 clinical samples involving nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs), throat swabs, and sputum were collected during winter seasons of 2019/2020 and 2021/2022 for HOPV subtyping and genotyping.

Severe asthma in children: An official statement from Saudi Pediatric Pulmonology Association.

In Saudi Arabia, the prevalence of pediatric asthma ranges between 8% and 25%. However, there are no sufficient data regarding severe asthma in childhood in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, a task force has been formed by the Saudi Pediatric Pulmonology Association which is a subsidiary group of the Saudi Thoracic Society and consists of Saudi experts with well-respected academic and clinical backgrounds in the fields of pediatric asthma as well as other respiratory diseases to write a consensus on definitions, phenotypes, and pathophysiology, evaluation, and management.

Application of aerosol therapy in respiratory diseases in children: A Saudi expert consensus.

The Saudi Pediatric Pulmonology Association (SPPA) is a subsidiary of the Saudi Thoracic Society (STS), which consists of a group of Saudi experts with well-respected academic and clinical backgrounds in the fields of asthma and other respiratory diseases. The SPPA Expert Panel realized the need to draw up a clear, simple to understand, and easy to use guidance regarding the application of different aerosol therapies in respiratory diseases in children, due to the high prevalence and high economic burden of these diseases in Saudi Arabia. This statement was developed based on the available literature, new evidence, and experts' practice to come up with such consensuses about the usage of different aerosol therapies for the management of respiratory diseases in children (asthma and nonasthma) in different patient settings, including outpatient, emergency room, intensive care unit, and inpatient settings.

Sleep quality and insomnia during the COVID-19 lockdown among the Saudi public: A cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To measure the Saudi population's sleep quality during the lockdown of COVID-19.

Methods: An internet-based questionnaire that was performed during the lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic among the Saudi population over 2 weeks from April 1 to April 15, 2020. We used the instant messaging application WhatsApp and Twitter to reach the targeted population.

Parental attitude and knowledge towards asthma care measures for their children in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Appropriate asthma management in children reduces emergency department visits, hospitalization, and improves the quality of life. We aim to assess the level of children asthma control and its association with parental knowledge.

Methods: A prospective study conducted to measure childhood asthma control with a validated childhood asthma control test (C-ACT), and to assess asthma knowledge among the parents of children aged 4-11 years and their parents upon asthma clinic visits.

Screening for obesity in the offspring of first-cousin consanguineous couples: A Phase-I study in Saudi Arabia.

Consanguineous or cousin marriages are very common in Saudi Arabia. However, owing to limited studies and insufficient knowledge about genetic diseases/disorders, many couples are unaware of the increased health risks for their offspring. Among the inherited and complex diseases from parents' consanguinity, obesity is common; therefore, we examined the prevalence of obesity in the offspring of first-cousin consanguineous couples in Saudi Arabia.

Evolutionary analysis of the ON1 genotype of subtype a respiratory syncytial virus in Riyadh during 2008-16.

Respiratory syncytial virus is a leading cause of acute respiratory tract infection (ARI) in children worldwide. Limited information is available on molecular epidemiology of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) from Saudi Arabia. An attempt was made to identify and characterize RSV strains in nasopharyngeal aspirates collected from hospitalized symptomatic ARI pediatric patients with <5 years of age from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during 2016.

Vaccine hesitancy among Saudi parents and its determinants. Result from the WHO SAGE working group on vaccine hesitancy survey tool.

To assess the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy and its determinants among Saudi parents. In addition, we explored the relationship between vaccine hesitancy and child's immunization status. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using interviews with parents visiting outpatient clinics at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, between July 2017 and October 2018.

Narcolepsy in Saudi patients before and after the 2009 H1N1 vaccination. The experience of 2 referral centers.

To assess the number of Saudi patients diagnosed with narcolepsy in 2 tertiary centers before and after the introduction of the 2009 A(H1N1)pdm09 vaccine.  Methods: We started collecting data after the first international report of an association between the A(H1N1)pdm09 vaccine and narcolepsy between January 2010 and December 2016. All patients diagnosed with narcolepsy after 2009 were included and data were collected for 7 years to account for any possible delays in the diagnosis of narcolepsy.

associated mucositis syndrome: A rare and clinically challenging disease in a Saudi child.

-associated mucositis (MPAM) is an extra-pulmonary manifestation of infection and may present as isolated mucosal lesions (e.g., ocular, oral, and urogenital) or as a combination of mucosal and minimal cutaneous lesions.

Co-Circulation of 72bp Duplication Group A and 60bp Duplication Group B Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Strains in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during 2014.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important viral pathogen of acute respiratory tract infection (ARI). Limited data are available on molecular epidemiology of RSV from Saudi Arabia. A total of 130 nasopharyngeal aspirates were collected from children less than 5 years of age with ARI symptoms attending the Emergency Department at King Khalid University Hospital and King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between October and December, 2014.

Epidemiology of 11 respiratory RNA viruses in a cohort of hospitalized children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Respiratory tract infections are a principal cause of illness and mortality in children worldwide and mostly caused by viruses. In this study, the epidemiology of 11 respiratory RNA viruses was investigated in a cohort of hospitalized children at a tertiary referral center in Riyadh from February 2008 to March 2009 using conventional and real-time monoplex RT-PCR assays. Among 174 nasopharyngeal aspirates, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was detected in 39 samples (22.

Proxy molecular diagnosis from whole-exome sequencing reveals Papillon-Lefevre syndrome caused by a missense mutation in CTSC.

Papillon-Lefevre syndrome (PLS) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterised by severe early onset periodontitis and palmoplantar hyperkeratosis. A previously reported missense mutation in the CTSC gene (NM_001814.4:c.

Nonsense mutation in coiled-coil domain containing 151 gene (CCDC151) causes primary ciliary dyskinesia.

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is an autosomal-recessive disorder characterized by impaired ciliary function that leads to subsequent clinical phenotypes such as chronic sinopulmonary disease. PCD is also a genetically heterogeneous disorder with many single gene mutations leading to similar clinical phenotypes. Here, we present a novel PCD causal gene, coiled-coil domain containing 151 (CCDC151), which has been shown to be essential in motile cilia of many animals and other vertebrates but its effects in humans was not observed until currently.

Fast food intake and prevalence of obesity in school children in Riyadh City.

Childhood obesity has become a new challenge for healthcare providers. The issue is not limited to certain parts of the world; its prevalence is increasing worldwide. The causes of obesity are poorly understood and continue to be debated and studied.

Determinants of asthma control among children in Saudi Arabia.

Objective: Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children. Uncontrolled asthma may considerably decrease the quality of life for patients and their families. Our objective was to identify possible risk factors for poor asthma control in children.

Introducing integrated laboratory classes in a PBL curriculum: impact on student's learning and satisfaction.

Background: With the introduction of integrated problem-based learning (PBL) program in the medical curriculum, there is a need to create laboratory classes that suit students' learning needs and the changes introduced to the curriculum. This paper outlines the development and implementation of four integrated laboratory classes (ILCs) at King Saud University College of Medicine. It also examines whether core concepts addressed in these classes were learned and retained and how the students perceived the ILCs.

Evaluation of internet use for health information by parents of asthmatic children attending pediatric clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Background And Objectives: Internet use by patients raises awareness about their conditions, while its use by physicians assists their ability to make evidence-based decisions. This study aimed at assessing the extent, sources and effects of Internet use by parents of asthmatic children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Design And Setting: A cross-sectional design to collect data from two pediatric pulmonology clinics (public, private) for asthma management in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the period of January to May 2011.

Significance of fractional exhaled nitric oxide measurements in detecting primary ciliary dyskinesia in Saudi children.

Objective: To examine the usefulness of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) measurements in detecting primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) in children.

Methods: This observational study was conducted at the Department of Pediatrics and Physiology, College of Medicine, King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from January 2011 to December 2011. The study population consisted of 22 children with symptoms suggestive of PCD and the diagnosis was confirmed by ciliary biopsy.

Effects of inhaled fluticasone on intraocular pressure and central corneal thickness in asthmatic children without a family history of glaucoma.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to report the effects of fluticasone-inhaled corticosteroid on intraocular pressure (IOP) and central corneal thickness (CCT) of asthmatic children without a family history of glaucoma.

Materials And Methods: In this prospective study, 93 children were divided into two groups: 69 asthmatic children with no family history of glaucoma who were taking inhaled fluticasone propionate 250 μg daily for at least 6 months (Group 1) and 24 age-matched control subjects without asthma (Group 2). Three measurements each, of IOP and CCT, were performed with a hand-held noncontact tonometer and a noncontact specular microscope, respectively, over a 12-week period.

Experience and attitude of interns to pelvic and sensitive area examinations during their undergraduate medical course.

Objective: To explore the experience of interns in sensitive area examination during their undergraduate medical course and identify factors interfering with such examinations.

Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out from May to June 2010. Interns (n=315) at King Saud University College of Medicine were invited via email to complete a web-based questionnaire developed using surveymonkey.

Sleep-disordered breathing in children with Chiari malformation type II and myelomeningocele.

Background: The prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in children with Chiari malformation type II (CM-II), a known association of neural tube defects (NTD), has not been well documented. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence and possible predictive factors of SDB in patients with CM-II.

Methods: The study included all patients with documented CM-II who were routinely referred from the Neurosurgery Clinic to the University Sleep Disorders Centre at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between January 2002 and July 2009.

Sleep-disordered breathing in children with craniosynostosis.

Background: Syndromic craniosynostosis (SC) is associated with a high prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). However, it remains unclear whether non-syndromic craniosynostosis (NSC) is associated with an increased risk for SDB.

Setting: This study was conducted at a tertiary referral pediatric medical center.