Assisting the integration of social media in problem-based learning sessions in the Faculty of Medicine at King Abdulaziz University.

Purpose: Issues related to traditional Problem-Based Learning (PBL) at King Abdulaziz University Faculty of Medicine (KAU-FOM), including lack of student interaction between sessions and outdated instructional materials have led to the examining the use of social media. This study examines factors affecting the implementation of social media into PBL sessions Methods: Mentored social media activities were incorporated between PBL sessions to third year medical students. Ground rules were set, and students were kept on track with learning objectives and authentic references.

The relationship among breakfast time, morningness-eveningness preference and body mass index in Type 2 diabetes.

Aims: Obesity is prevalent and related to poor outcomes in Type 2 diabetes. Evening preference and late meal times have been shown to be associated with obesity, but data are lacking in people with Type 2 diabetes. This study examined the relationship among meal timing, morningness-eveningness preference and BMI in Type 2 diabetes, using a mediation analysis.

Safety and feasibility of transcranial direct current stimulation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - a pilot study with a single subject experimental design.

Introduction: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been explored as a neuromodulatory tool to prime motor function in several neurological disorders. Studies using tDCS in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are limited. We investigated the safety, feasibility and effects of long-term tDCS in an individual with ALS.

JAK2 Inhibitor SAR302503 Abrogates PD-L1 Expression and Targets Therapy-Resistant Non-small Cell Lung Cancers.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Approximately 85% of all lung cancers are non-small cell histology [non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)]. Modern treatment strategies for NSCLC target driver oncogenes and immune checkpoints.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy in Gestational Diabetes With Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Study Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). This study assessed the effects of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in obese pregnant females with GDM and OSA.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted (April 2014 - June 2016).

Native-Joint Septic Arthritis: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

is a skin commensal classified as a coagulase-negative (CoNS). Though CoNS is typically associated with less aggressive clinical disease than , there is growing awareness that may be as virulent as . The association between and infective endocarditis is well known, but few reports of native-joint disease with this organism exist.

Testosterone Pathway Genetic Polymorphisms in Relation to Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: An Analysis in Two Large Datasets.

Purpose: Sex hormones may be associated with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), although the mechanisms are unclear. We previously observed that gene variants involved with estrogen metabolism were collectively associated with POAG in women but not men; here we assessed gene variants related to testosterone metabolism collectively and POAG risk.

Methods: We used two datasets: one from the United States (3853 cases and 33,480 controls) and another from Australia (1155 cases and 1992 controls).

Enhanced Redox State and Efficiency of Glucose Oxidation With miR Based Suppression of Maladaptive NADPH-Dependent Malic Enzyme 1 Expression in Hypertrophied Hearts.

Rationale: Metabolic remodeling in hypertrophic hearts includes inefficient glucose oxidation via increased anaplerosis fueled by pyruvate carboxylation. Pyruvate carboxylation to malate through elevated ME1 (malic enzyme 1) consumes NADPH necessary for reduction of glutathione and maintenance of intracellular redox state.

Objective: To elucidate upregulated ME1 as a potential maladaptive mechanism for inefficient glucose oxidation and compromised redox state in hypertrophied hearts.

SBM recommends policy support to reduce smoking disparities for sexual and gender minorities.

The Society of Behavioral Medicine supports the inclusion of gender and sexual minorities in all local, state, and national tobacco prevention and control activities. These activities include surveillance of tobacco use and cessation activities, targeted outreach and awareness campaigns, increasing access to culturally appropriate tobacco use dependence treatments, and restricting disproportionate marketing to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities by the tobacco industry, especially for mentholated tobacco products.

Withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy.

Purpose Of Review: The aim of this review is to examine literature relating to the withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy (WLST).

Recent Findings: Discussions regarding end-of-life issues in adults and children are not occurring comprehensively. Discussions relating to the WLST in the pediatric population varies by institution and may vary by race, age, health insurance, diagnosis, and severity of illness.

The rocky road to personalized medicine in acute myeloid leukaemia.

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a malignant disorder of the myeloid blood lineage characterized by impaired differentiation and increased proliferation of hematopoietic precursor cells. Recent technological advances have led to an improved understanding of AML biology but also uncovered the enormous cytogenetic and molecular heterogeneity of the disease. Despite this heterogeneity, AML is mostly managed by a 'one-size-fits-all' approach consisting of intensive, highly toxic induction and consolidation chemotherapy.

Development and Evaluation of a Student-Initiated Test Preparation Program for the USMLE Step 1 Examination.

Problem: Studies have documented performance on the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE) Step 1 exam as an important factor that residency program directors consider when deciding which applicants to interview and rank. Therefore, success on this exam, though only one aspect of applicant evaluation, is important in determining future career prospects for medical students. Unfortunately, mean test scores at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago (UIC) have historically been below the national average.

A Recurrence of Bilateral Diffuse Sclerosing Lobular Hyperplasia of Breast: A Case Report.

Mammary sclerosing lobular hyperplasia is an uncommon benign fibroproliferative lesion of adolescent and young women, often of African American heritage with an incidence of ~3%. Patients generally complain of a palpable, painless, or slightly tender and well-defined lump in breast. Very rarely, this lesion may be bilateral and diffuse.

Consensus Statement on Perioperative Use of Neuromuscular Monitoring.

A panel of clinician scientists with expertise in neuromuscular blockade (NMB) monitoring was convened with a charge to prepare a consensus statement on indications for and proper use of such monitors. The aims of this article are to: (a) provide the rationale and scientific basis for the use of quantitative NMB monitoring; (b) offer a set of recommendations for quantitative NMB monitoring standards; (c) specify educational goals; and (d) propose training recommendations to ensure proper neuromuscular monitoring and management. The panel believes that whenever a neuromuscular blocker is administered, neuromuscular function must be monitored by observing the evoked muscular response to peripheral nerve stimulation.

MicroRNAs in glioblastoma pathogenesis and therapy: A comprehensive review.

Glioblastoma (GBM), also known as grade IV astrocytoma, is the most aggressive primary intracranial tumor of the adult brain. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small non-coding RNA species, have critical functions across various biological processes. A great deal of progress has been made recently in dissecting miRNA pathways associated with the pathogenesis of GBM.

Validation of telephone-based behavioral assessments in aging services clients.

Background: The Behavioral Health Laboratory (BHL), a telephone-based mental health assessment, is a cost-effective approach that can improve mental illness identification and management. The individual BHL instruments, which were originally designed to be administered in-person, have not yet been validated with an in-person BHL assessment. This study therefore aims to characterize the concordance between the BHL data gathered by telephone and in-person interviews.

Orbital Implants in Enucleation Surgery: A Report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Purpose: To compare the motility and complication rates of porous and nonporous implants after enucleation surgery.

Methods: Literature searches of the PubMed and Cochrane Library databases were last performed in February 2017 to identify studies published between 2003 and 2017 on outcomes after enucleation surgeries in which a variety implants were used. The searches were limited to the English language with abstracts and yielded 43 articles, which the Ophthalmic Technology Assessment Committee Oculoplastics and Orbit Panel reviewed for relevancy.

Eliminating Undesirable Variation in Neonatal Practice: Balancing Standardization and Customization.

Consistency of care and elimination of unnecessary and harmful variation are underemphasized aspects of health care quality. This article describes the prevalence and patterns of practice variation in health care and neonatology; discusses the potential role of standardization as a solution to eliminating wasteful and harmful practice variation, particularly when it is founded on principles of evidence-based medicine; and proposes ways to balance standardization and customization of practice to ultimately improve the quality of neonatal care.

Effects of test item disclosure on medical licensing examination.

In 2012, the National Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board of Korea decided to publicly disclose all test items and answers to satisfy the test takers' right to know and enhance the transparency of tests administered by the government. This study investigated the effects of item disclosure on the medical licensing examination (MLE), examining test taker performance, psychometric characteristics, and factors affecting pass rates. This paper analyzed examinee performance data (n = 20,455) from 41 medical schools who took the MLE before (2009-2011) and after (2012-2014) the item disclosure policy (5548 total items).

Abdominal-pelvic scanning parameters revisited: a case for Z-axis reduction in patients with clinical suspicion for acute appendicitis.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if CT for appendicitis can be abbreviated to begin at the top of the L2 vertebral body level and still maintain the detection rate of appendicitis and other symptomatic pathology without omitting significant incidental findings.

Methods: Retrospective review of CT abdomen-pelvis exams for suspected appendicitis over a 5-month period was performed. The Z-axis scan length of the original full scans and theoretical limited scans from the top of L2 were recorded and calculated.

Mitochondria targeting by environmental stressors: Implications for redox cellular signaling.

Mitochondria are cellular powerhouses as well as metabolic and signaling hubs regulating diverse cellular functions, from basic physiology to phenotypic fate determination. It is widely accepted that reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in mitochondria participate in the regulation of cellular signaling, and that some mitochondria chronically operate at a high ROS baseline. However, it is not completely understood how mitochondria adapt to persistently high ROS states and to environmental stressors that disturb the redox balance.

An unusual association between hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, mixed connective tissue disease, and autoimmune hemolytic anemia: A case report.

Rationale: In the adult patient, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is uncommon and frequently difficult to diagnose due to its nonspecific presentation and numerous complications.

Patient Concerns: Herein, we present the case of a 25-year-old female who initially presented for evaluation of persistent fevers and fatigue. She was found to have splenomegaly, generalized lymphadenopathy, pancytopenia, and acute hepatic failure.