An exploration of factors influencing the selection of generic and innovator medicines in Saudi Arabia using an observational cross-sectional study.

Background And Objectives: Generic medications are cost-effective without compromising therapeutic outcomes. Therefore, the goal of this study was to investigate, using a cross-sectional study design, the factors influencing Saudi Arabian consumers' preferences between innovator and generic medications.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in Saudi Arabia using a Google survey form.

Use of potentially inappropriate medication for elderly patients in tertiary care hospital of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Background And Objectives: The elderly population is affected by chronic diseases and lifelong medication. The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Beers Criteria is a comprehensive approach to medication usage in the older population to reduce potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use. The purpose of this study was to assess the usage of PIMs in elderly patients upon discharge from tertiary care hospital settings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, using the AGS Beers Criteria 2019.

Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Among Adult Population in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Background Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a major health problem in Saudi Arabia. It is caused by the protozoa Leishmania. The vector is female sand flies.

The assessment of liver function test and fertility hormones in Saudi athletes using anabolic androgenic steroids.

Background: A growing number of athletes are using synthetic anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), comprised of testosterone and other derivatives, to enhance athletic performance and muscle mass. Over the years, numerous reports elucidated the side effects of the illegal use of AAS, such as infertility, and liver disorders. The effect of AAS on the hepatic and reproductive systems in Saudi athletes has not yet been studied.

Pediatric Burns: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Epidemiology, Gender Distribution, Risk Factors, Management, and Outcomes in Emergency Departments.

Pediatric burns pose a significant public health concern, ranking as the fifth most common nonfatal injury globally. This review consolidates data on the epidemiology, outcomes, and management of pediatric burns presenting to emergency departments. A systematic review was conducted across multiple databases, yielding 22 articles from 1992 to 2020.

An update on the prevalence of colistin and carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in aquaculture: an emerging threat to public health.

Aquaculture has been recognized as a hotspot for the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance genes conferring resistance to clinically important antibiotics. This review gives insights into studies investigating the prevalence of colistin and carbapenem resistance (CCR) among Gram-negative bacilli in aquaculture. Overall, a high incidence of CCR has been reported in aquatic farms in several countries, with CCR being more prevalent among opportunistic human pathogens such as Acinetobacter nosocomialis, Shewanella algae, Photobacterium damselae, Vibrio spp.

Potentially toxic metals in irrigation water, soil, and vegetables and their health risks using Monte Carlo models.

Food safety has become a serious global concern because of the accumulation of potentially toxic metals (PTMs) in crops cultivated on contaminated agricultural soils. Amongst these toxic elements, arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), and lead (Pb) receive worldwide attention because of their ability to cause deleterious health effects. Thus, an assessment of these toxic metals in the soils, irrigation waters, and the most widely consumed vegetables in Nigeria; Spinach (Amaranthushybridus), and Cabbage (Brassica oleracea) was evaluated using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES).

Single Versus Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting for Unprotected Left-Main Coronary Disease.

Background: The use of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after coronary revascularization for left-main disease is still debated. The study aimed to characterize patients who received dual versus single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for unprotected left-main disease and compare the outcomes of those patients.

Results: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 551 patients who were grouped into 2 groups: patients who received SAPT (n = 150) and those who received DAPT (n = 401).

Symptomatic MERS-CoV infection reduces the risk of future COVID-19 disease; a retrospective cohort study.

Background: The general human immune responses similarity against different coronaviruses may reflect some degree of cross-immunity, whereby exposure to one coronavirus may confer partial immunity to another. The aim was to determine whether previous MERS-CoV infection was associated with a lower risk of subsequent COVID-19 disease and its related outcomes.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study among all patients screened for MERS-CoV at a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia between 2012 and early 2020.

Interprofessional Education in Health Informatics (IPEHI) for Health Sciences Programs.

Background: Given the significant changes the healthcare system has undergone recently; information technology has become an indispensable tool. To properly train future healthcare providers, it is vital to introduce information technology courses in Health Sciences programs. The provision of healthcare services now requires teamwork, which has led to the need for interprofessional education in health sciences schools.

Regional anesthesia for geriatric population.

Advancements in modern health care over 20 years have substantially increased the average lifespan in developed countries, and the fastest growing population is the elderly population. The proportion of people in Saudi Arabia aged 60 or more is predicted to be 25 percent of the total population of 40 million by the end of 2050. Moreover, the number of people aged 80 or more is expected to reach 1.

Gene-editing technology, from macromolecule therapeutics to organ transplantation: Applications, limitations, and prospective uses.

Gene editing technologies (GETs) could induce gene knockdown or gene knockout for biomedical applications. The clinical success of gene silence by RNAi therapies pays attention to other GETs as therapeutic approaches. This review aims to highlight GETs, categories, mechanisms, challenges, current use, and prospective applications.

Coding Therapeutic Nucleic Acids from Recombinant Proteins to Next-Generation Vaccines: Current Uses, Limitations, and Future Horizons.

This study aims to highlight the potential use of cTNAs in therapeutic applications. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant use of coding therapeutic nucleic acids (cTNAs) in terms of DNA and mRNA in the development of vaccines. The use of cTNAs resulted in a paradigm shift in the therapeutic field.

Cardiovascular Disease in Saudi Arabia: Facts and the Way Forward.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain a major health concern globally. While some risk factors for CVDs are non-modifiable, other determinants like obesity, hypertension, type-2 diabetes and dyslipidemia can be mitigated by a wide plethora of measures to control CVD morbidity and mortality. Those determinants have been on the rise in Saudi Arabia, exacerbated by sedentary lifestyle.

Left Main Coronary Artery Revascularization in Patients with Impaired Renal Function: Percutaneous Coronary Intervention versus Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

Introduction: The evidence about the optimal revascularization strategy in patients with left main coronary artery (LMCA) disease and impaired renal function is limited. Thus, we aimed to compare the outcomes of LMCA disease revascularization (percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI] vs. coronary artery bypass grafting [CABG]) in patients with and without impaired renal function.

Outcomes of emergency colorectal surgery in elderly population.

Objectives: To assess the outcomes of emergency colorectal surgeries in elderly patients over the age of 65 years.

Methods: This is a retrospective chart review study. We studied 99 patients over the age of 65 years and 142 patients younger than 65 years who underwent emergency colorectal surgery at our institute.

Minimally-invasive approach via percutaneous femoral cannulation for the resection of intra-cardiac masses: a single center experience in the Middle-East.

Background: Intra-cardiac masses are rare and challenging lesions with an overall incidence ranging of 0.02-0.2%.

Ureteroscopic lithotripsy of ureteric stone using thulium fiber laser in a pregnant patient, case report.

Nephrolithiasis represents a common cause of non-obstetrical abdominal pain during pregnancy with 1 out of 200 pregnancies being affected. 20%-30% of patients require ureteroscopy. Many studies were done on safety of holmium:yttrium-aluminium-garnet (YAG) during pregnancy but none on Thulium Fiber Laser (TFL).

Case report: Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia in a child with Brucella infection.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a diffused microvascular occlusive disorder characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (MAHA), thrombocytopenia, and ischemic organ dysfunction. In addition, this condition has been linked to an absence or dysfunction of ADAMTS13. Although TTP can occur due to various factors, such as bacteria, viruses, autoimmune disorders, drugs, connective tissue conditions, and solid tumors, it is a rare hematological complication associated with brucellosis.

Percutaneous coronary intervention vs. coronary artery bypass grafting in emergency and non-emergency unprotected left-main revascularization.

Background: The optimal revascularization strategy in patients with left main coronary artery (LMCA) disease in the emergency setting is still controversial. Thus, we aimed to compare the outcomes of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) vs. coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with and without emergent LMCA disease.

Use and Influence of Social Media on the Private Practice of Plastic Surgeons in Saudi Arabia.

Unlabelled: Today, social media platforms are more popular than ever in Saudi Arabia. Despite the influence of social media on patients' decisions to undergo cosmetic surgery, it is still unclear how social media platforms affect the private practice of plastic surgeons around Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to assess Saudi plastic surgeons' use of social media and its impact on their practices.

Diagnostic performance using obesity and lipid-related indices and atherogenic index of plasma to predict metabolic syndrome in the adult sudanese population.

Background: Simple and accurate clinical indicators to detect metabolic abnormalities might be helpful for early management and lowering the risk of future consequences like cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Aim: The visceral adiposity index (VAI), lipid accumulation product (LAP), and atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) have been proposed as reliable, straightforward clinical markers and indications of metabolic syndrome (MetS). This study aimed to see how well these obesity and lipid-related indicators will predict MetS in adult Sudanese patients.