The prevalence of dental caries is increasing across different nations around the globe. A review of the literature shows that dental caries is adversely affecting the oral health of children, adolescents, adults and elderly populations in Saudi Arabia. The objective of this review is to report the prevalence, severity, and progression of dental caries in different age groups of Saudi communities. Digital databases such as PubMed, Medline, Google scholar, and the Saudi Dental and Medical Journals were searched to retrieve the published articles and reports on dental caries in Saudi Arabia. Search strategy included key words such as "dental caries," dental decay, decayed missing filled teeth (dmft/DMFT), and oral health. Cross-sectional, retrospective and cohort studies (from 1982 to 2012) reporting the prevalence, incidence and severity of caries among children, adults and older individuals were included in the review. In children with primary dentition ages 3-7 years, the highest caries prevalence was almost 95% and maximum estimate of dmft was 7.34 during the last decade. Approximately, 91% was the highest caries prevalence and greatest DMFT value was 7.35 among the children/adolescents ages 12-19 years. The adults with a mean age between 30 and 45 years had maximum caries prevalence of 98% and DMFT of 14.53 while older individuals had greatest DMFT score of 24.3. Children, adults, and elderly populations demonstrate a higher prevalence and greater severity of caries, and secular trends also show a striking increase in dmft/DMFT and caries prevalence rates over the past few decades in Saudi Arabia.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]

The overall 5-year survival rate following treatment for oral squamous cell carcinoma is around 50% in most published series. The major prognostic factors are stage at the time of diagnosis, unexpected close margins at resection, depth and pattern of tissue invasion by carcinoma and extracapsular spread. Grading by gross histological differentiation does not influence prognosis, unless deeply invasive margins are evaluated by the pathologist. Because stage at diagnosis is the most important factor affecting outcome, early detection results in better prognosis in most cases.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]

Objective: The aim of the study was to measure job satisfaction and stress levels among pharmacists in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and to explore the main causes of dissatisfaction and stress-related factors. Materials and Methods: A self-administered survey was hand-distributed using a cluster area sampling technique. Data were entered into a statistical analysis system database with a significance level of P < 0.05, using Chi-square, descriptive statistics, and regression analysis. Results: The setting of a pharmacy was found to significantly affect the job satisfaction of pharmacists. 48% of independent community pharmacists were satisfied with their job compared with 62% of dispensary pharmacists and 74% of chain community pharmacists. Marital status and years of experience significantly affected job satisfaction, and married pharmacists had lower levels of satisfaction than their unmarried counterparts. Pharmacists who dispensed a higher number of prescriptions had higher levels of satisfaction. Furthermore, job-related stress factors, such as the setting of the pharmacy and years of experience, had a significant effect on the stress level related to the responsibility of patient care. Participants also reported other job stressors: Long working hours, difficulty in obtaining casual or sick leave, and low salaries. Conclusion: Independent community pharmacists in Riyadh had lower levels of job satisfaction than their counterparts in dispensaries and chain pharmacies. Primarily, efforts should be made to raise the levels of job satisfaction for pharmacists in order to improve their motivation and competence. Failure to reduce stress among workers puts both pharmacists and patients at risk.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]

Pharmaceutical care can be given in all settings: The community, hospitals, long-term care, and the clinic. However, published literature indicates that there is a substantial barrier to implementing pharmaceutical care programs in community pharmacies. This review was conducted to discover gaps and limitations in pharmaceutical care services in community pharmacies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). We searched PubMed and other available scientific website databases using the following key words to retrieve the relevant articles: Community Pharmacy, Healthcare System, Pharmaceutical Care, KSA. Two authors independently screened the titles and abstracts of promising articles. They discarded irrelevant studies and retained studies, and reviews that held the promise of relevant data or information. The review revealed that only one out of the four studies conducted in KSA retrieved by the authors reported pharmaceutical care service other than dispensing. The same results were reported in other studies conducted in some developing countries. All pharmaceutical care services were reported in studies conducted in Europe. The authors came to the conclusion that in KSA, dispensing of medicines is the dominant service provided by community pharmacists and that there was very limited if not a total absence of other pharmaceutical care services.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs) are common in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), in both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Almost any organ system can be affected, including the musculoskeletal, dermatologic, renal, hepatopancreatobiliary, pulmonary and ocular systems. However, the musculoskeletal and dermatologic systems are the most commonly involved sites of manifestations. While some manifestations such as peripheral arthritis and erythema nodosum have an association with IBD activity, others such as axial arthropathy, pyoderma gangrenosum and primary sclerosing cholangitis have an independent disease course. This review provides a summary of the most common EIMs in IBD and their prevalence and management.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Melioidosis, a bacterial infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei is expanding in its endemicity around the world. Melioidosis most commonly infects adults with an underlying predisposing condition, mainly diabetes mellitus. Primary skin and soft tissue involvement is more common in younger patients. Almost every organ can be affected, but the most commonly affected organ is the lung followed by the spleen. Melioidosis has a wide range of radiological manifestations making it a mimicker. Diagnosis requires a high index of clinical suspicion in patients with septicemia or a fever of unknown origin living in or with a travel history to endemic areas. We present a pictorial review of the radiological manifestations of melioidosis, which is a useful knowledge for radiologists to help arrive at an early diagnosis. In this pictorial review, we present the radiological manifestations chosen from 139 patients with culture proven melioidosis. Illustrated examples are chosen from our clinical experience of the past 15 years at the National University Hospital in Singapore.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Background: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a high number of foreign workers, especially those coming from endemic areas with intestinal parasites. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of parasitic infection among foreign workers in Madina, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: There was direct microscopic examination of stool samples by wet smears for parasitic stages. This was followed by the formalin-ethyl acetate concentration technique to confirm and detect parasites not recovered by the wet mount. Results: The total number of foreign workers was 120, 47.5% of whom were males and 52.5% females. They were within the age group of 20-60 years. A total of 53 cases (44.2 %) were infected with IPs. Some samples had double or triple infections, with a total of 69 parasitic infections detected (57.5%). These included Entamoeba histolytica (27.5%), Giardia lamblia (18.8%), hookworm (14.5%), Ascaris lumbricoides (11.6%), Entamoeba coli (7.2%), Trichuris trichiura (5.8%), Strongyloides stercoralis (5.8%) and Hymenolepis nana (4.3%). Furthermore, 1.4% each of Enterobius vermicularis, Schistosoma mansoni and Taenia eggs were found. Conclusion: Foreign workers newly arrived from Asia and Africa carry high rates of IPs infection. It is necessary to increase awareness about occupational health, and the risks of parasite transmission to the local population. Moreover, strict adherence to infection prevention policies is recommended.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]

Background: Acinetobacter baumannii is a major cause of hospital care-acquired infections, and this bacterium poses a significant challenge to health care worldwide. At King Fahd Hospital of the University (KFHU), Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, there had been a significant increase in the number of cases of A. baumannii infections. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the clonal relationship between A. baumannii collected from different specimens of patients admitted to KFHU using the enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus–polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR) fingerprinting method. Materials and Methods: A. baumannii strains were isolated from a total of 59 specimens from inpatients admitted to KFHU between January and September 2014. These specimens were mainly collected from wound, rectal and throat swabs and transtracheal aspiration. ERIC-PCR fingerprinting was used to determine the clonal relationship between the different isolated strains. Results: Using ERIC-PCR fingerprinting genotype analysis, 51 strains of A. baumannii were clustered into seven groups, while the remaining 8 were single strains. The genetic relatedness of A. baumannii isolated from admitted patients was high, indicating cross-transmission within the hospitalized patients. Conclusion: This study found that the increase in the incidence of A. baumannii in patients at KFHU was likely due to the spread of seven epidemic clones, thereby highlighting the need for intensifying the infection control measures to prevent nosocomial transmission of A. baumannii. These results also demonstrate that ERIC-PCR is a reliable and rapid method for studying the clonal similarity between A. baumannii isolated from different clinical specimens.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Background: Undergraduate learning is a sensitive and challenging period for students and has been reported to result in high rates of psychological distress in them. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of psychological distress among undergraduate students at Jazan University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among a stratified sample of 500 undergraduate students from five faculties at Jazan University. All participants completed an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire, which included questions about their sociodemographic details and a measuring scale of general psychological distress, the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18). Results: A total of 450 students satisfactorily completed the questionnaire. Of these, 139 (30.9%) were screened positive for psychological distress based on the BSI-18 scale. Females scored significantly higher than males on the somatization (P = 0.002) and anxiety subscales (P = 0.006) as well as on the total symptom scale (the General Severity Index; P = 0.005). However, there was no significant difference between males and females regarding the depression subscale (P = 0.149). Twenty-eight students (6.2%) reported moderate to extreme levels of distress due to suicidal thoughts in the past 1 week before inclusion in this study. Conclusions: This study found that ~31% of undergraduate students at Jazan University are psychologically distressed. This finding necessitates the need for rigorous efforts to develop proper screening and intervention programs targeting this population.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune disease that increases the risk of suboptimal vitamin D levels. Aim: To determine the effects of vitamin D and calcium supplementation on disease activity, related immune markers and bone mineral density in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Subjects and Methods: Eighty-one patients with systemic lupus erythematosus aged 20–70 years were recruited for this interventional study. Participants were enrolled into the following groups: no corticosteroid treatment (n = 21), corticosteroid treatment but without supplementation (n = 30) and corticosteroid treatment along with oral vitamin D and calcium supplementation (n = 30). Disease activity and laboratory parameters of all participants were measured at baseline and at 6 months. Bone mineral density was assessed using standardized dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results: At baseline, none of the patients had a normal vitamin D status. There were no significant correlations between vitamin D status and the studied immune markers or disease activity values before and after supplementation. After 6 months, patients who received supplementation showed significant (P = 0.002) improvements in bone mineral density. In addition, frequency of osteopenia decreased from 40% to 16.7% and that of osteoporosis decreased from 26.7% to 13.3%. Conclusion: Vitamin D and calcium supplementation significantly improved the bone mineral density in vitamin D-deficient patients with systemic lupus erythematosus but did not significantly attenuate immune markers or disease activity. Further investigations are recommended with higher doses of vitamin D and longer durations to normalize the vitamin level and, possibly, achieve better disease control.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Cancer treatment deserves more research efforts despite intensive conventional treatment modalities for many types of malignancies. Metastasis and resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy receive a lot of global research efforts. The current advances in cancer biology may improve targeting the critical metabolic differences that distinguish cancer cells from normal cells. Cancer cells are highly glycolytic for energy production, exhibit the Warburg effect, establish aggressive acidic microenvironment, maintain cancer stem cells, exhibit resistance to chemotherapy, have low antioxidant systems but different ΔΨm (delta psi, mitochondrial transmembrane potential), express P-glycoprotein for multidrug resistance, upregulate glucose transporters and monocarboxylate transporters and are under high steady-state reactive oxygen species conditions. Normal cells differ in all these aspects. Lactate produced through the Warburg effect helps cancer metastasis. Targeting glycolysis reactions for energy production in cancer cells seems promising in decreasing the proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells. 3-bromopyruvate makes use of cancer biology in treating cancer cells, cancer stem cells and preventing metastasis in human cancer as discussed in this review. Updated advances are analyzed here, which include research analysis of background, experience, readings in the field of cancer biology, oncology and biochemistry.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Background: Health education advocates regular dental visits to improve oral health. There is a need to verify the outcomes associated with various dental visits patterns. Objective: To assess the relationship of reported and clinically assessed oral health outcomes in Saudi children with their dental visits' pattern. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 6–12-year-old schoolchildren from six cities in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia in 2015. Parents responded to a questionnaire about dental visit patterns. Through a clinical examination, the presence of caries, sealants and need for referral was assessed. Univariate and multivariate regression was used to assess the association between dental visit patterns and pain in the past 6 months, presence of untreated caries and need for referral after controlling for confounders. Results: Of the 3000 questionnaires distributed, 2306 (76.9%) parents responded. Significantly higher odds of pain were associated with visiting when in dental pain (odds ratio = 6.81) and never visiting a dentist (odds ratio = 3.44), whereas significantly lower odds were associated with regular checkups (odds ratio = 0.28). No significant association was observed with visits after recall by dentists. Conclusion: Regular checkups initiated by parents are associated with better reported oral health outcomes in terms of pain, while recall by dentists has no impact on oral health.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Background: Endometrial carcinoma is a predominant health problem for women worldwide. However, there is a lack of data on genetic mutation frequencies in endometrial cancer patients of different ethnicities and tumor grades. Objective: The objective of this study is to provide data regarding mutation frequencies in endometrial cancer patients of different ethnic groups and tumor grades by analyzing large-scale cancer genomic datasets of a database. Materials and Methods: The following databases of cBioPortal were explored for possible mutation frequency variations in endometrial cancer patients: the Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma (TCGA, PanCancer Atlas) database for ethnicity-based studies; the Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma (TCGA, Nature 2013) database for tumor grade-based study; and GDC Data Portal database for calculating survival rates using the Kaplan–Meier method. Results: PTEN mutation frequency was almost identical in all ethnic groups studied (White, Black/African American, Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Asian Native). PIK3CA and ARID1A mutation frequencies were higher in White and Asian patients compared with other ethnicities; TP53 and FAT1 mutation frequencies were higher in Black/African Americans; and CTNNB1 and RYR2 mutation frequencies were higher Native Hawaiians or Asian Natives. TTN mutation frequency was lower in Asian patients. With regards to mutation frequencies at different tumor stages, in all genes, >50% of the mutations occurred during the first stage, except in TP53 and POLQ. In terms of prognosis in endometrial cancer considering the 10 most frequently mutated genes, PIK3CA and ARID1A mutations were correlated with good prognosis, whereas TP53 and PIK3R1 mutations were correlated with poor prognosis; mutations in all other genes did not show significant differences. Conclusion: This study revealed a new mutation frequency profile for different ethnicities and tumor grades in endometrial cancer patients. However, because this is a retrospective study, future prospective studies should be conducted including large sample sizes and more controlled measurements.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Establishing a social media presence has never been more important for the healthcare industry. With patients going online to discuss their health and research their conditions, it is essential for healthcare professionals and organizations to maintain a social web presence and have a voice in these conversations. Though there are many potential benefits for social media in healthcare, there are also risks to be taken into consideration when planning to engage in these relatively new forms of media. Privacy and security are top consumer concerns on sharing health information. Social media is about dialogue, interactivity, spontaneity, people, and technology. One of the goals of social media is to help patients become better informed, equipped to participate in their care, and be able to partner with their healthcare providers to develop plans of care that meet their individual needs. This review will present important social media elements and discuss their barriers and risks.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]

Background and Aim: Studies of associations between various cancers and the ABO blood groups have shown elevated relative risks for some categories of disease. There has so far been no report of an evaluation of the relationship between the ABO blood groups and acne vulgaris. To investigate this association, we conducted a retrospective study of acne vulgaris diagnosed in Turkey. Material and Methods: All cases were clinically confirmed. Blood information was obtained on 498 individuals with acne vulgaris, and the distribution of ABO and Rh blood type for cases was compared with that of 419 healthy blood donors from the same geographic area. Results: Patients with group A and B blood groups ratios were higher than the control group, but not statistically significant (P = 0.325 and P = 0.138). The ratio of the patient group with AB blood group was significantly higher than in the control group (P < 0.01). The ratio of blood group O of patient group was significantly lower than in the control group (P < 0.01). There were no statistically significant differences between the patient and control groups in the distribution of Rh factor. Conclusion: Our study showed a significant association of AB and O blood groups with acne vulgaris. Further studies in a larger series on blood group antigens are needed to shed some light on the relationship between these antigens and skin cancer.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Background: Fine-needle aspiration cytology remains a valuable screening tool for preoperative management of thyroid nodules. However, the rates of false-negative and false-positive diagnosis remain a challenge for pathologists. Objectives: To assess the value of thyroid fine-needle aspiration as a screening tool and its accuracy of diagnoses relative to final histological diagnoses. Patients and Methods: A chart review was conducted of all adult patients who underwent fine-needle aspiration of thyroid nodule(s) and were subjected to thyroid surgery at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between January 2007 and June 2014. The fine-needle aspiration results were correlated with final histopathology results. Results: Of the 408 aspirates from 373 patients, the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytology (BSRTC) diagnostic categories were as follows: nondiagnostic in 26 aspirates (6.4%); benign in 128 (31.4%); atypia/follicular lesion of undetermined significance in 52 (12.7%); follicular neoplasm/suspicion for a follicular neoplasm in 83 (20.3%); suspicious for malignancy in 23 (5.6%) and malignant in 96 (23.5%). The comparative histopathological diagnoses were benign in 192 (47.1%) and malignant in 216 (52.9%) aspirates. The calculated risk of malignancy in the fine-needle aspiration categories was 34.6% in diagnostic category (DC) I, 15.6% in DC II, 50% in DC III, 52% in DC IV, 95.7% in DC V and 100% in DC VI. The sensitivity of fine-needle aspiration with BSRTC was 88.9%, specificity was 75.6%, positive predictive value was 79.7%, negative predictive value was 84.4% and accuracy was 81.5%. Conclusion: The results of this retrospective study demonstrated higher risks of malignancy in DC I, DC II, DC III and DC IV than that of the original BSRTC definition, along with a higher specificity and positive predictive value for cancer diagnosis, and a lower sensitivity and negative predictive value.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Cerebral vein and dural sinus thrombosis (CVST) is an uncommon cause of stroke, but its delayed diagnosis carries significant morbidity and mortality. Several studies have reported higher incidence of CVST than that previously reported. The clinical presentation of CVST varies and can be atypical. Advancement in neuroimaging modalities has made it possible to make an early diagnosis and initiate management with a wide range of therapeutic options, including direct oral anticoagulants and endovascular treatment. This narrative review summarizes the epidemiology, clinical aspects, diagnosis and management of CVST.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Sialolipoma of the parotid gland is very rare. We report a case of a 38-year-old woman who presented with a painless, slowly growing, mobile lump of the parotid gland. Computed tomography revealed lipoma of the superficial lobe of the parotid gland. Superficial parotidectomy was performed with uneventful postoperative course. The histology showed sialolipoma. Review of the 25 reported cases (including our case) of parotid sialolipoma shows that this tumor is more common in the fifth decade of life, on the left side and the superficial lobe. It has a slight preference for men. Its clinical presentation mimics the standard (pure) parotid lipoma and other more common benign parotid tumors particularly pleomorphic adenoma and Warthin's tumor. Surgical excision is curative with minor complications and small recurrence rate. Histological examination is necessary to establish the diagnosis and to exclude malignancy.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Objective: To establish the hormonal, metabolic and clinical profile for Saudi women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Design: This is a prospective, cross-sectional study conducted at the University Hospital. All women were seen at the gynecology clinic. One hundred women aged between 18 and 45 years were included in the study; 50 women with polycystic ovary disease (PCOS) comprised the study group and 50 women without PCOS comprised the control group. The hormonal, metabolic and clinical profiles were assessed for both groups. Results: There are significantly higher levels of luteinizing hormone, prolactin, free testosterone dehydroepianosterone sulfate, 17α-hydroxy progesterone and fasting insulin in the study group. There were no differences in the levels of total testosterone, estradiol and cortisone levels between both groups. The levels of follicular stimulating hormone and sex hormone binding globulin were significantly lower in the study group. There were no differences in the blood sugar level, cholesterol, triglycerides and low- and high-density lipoproteins. The womens' ages, body mass index, blood pressure, uterine dimensions and endometrial thickness were similar in both groups. The size of both ovaries was significantly greater in the study group. There were more follicles in the ovaries of the study group. Conclusion: Hormonal profile of Saudi women with PCOS was similar with what is already published in the medical literature. But, despite the fact that Saudi women with and without PCOS are overweight, they do not suffer from raised blood pressure and metabolic syndrome; this may be due to the fact that women included in this study were relatively young and the sample size might be too small to draw effective conclusions.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]

Background: Blood transfusion-dependent beta Thalassemia Major (BTM) patients are at risk of hemosiderosis. Hemosiderosis of pancreas results in impaired glucose homeostasis tolerance and diabetes mellitus (DM). Since glycosylated hemoglobin has limited role in patients with hemoglobinopathies, this study was conducted as a first attempt worldwide to understand glucose homeostasis and evaluate efficacy of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system as a diagnostic tool of abnormal glucose homeostasis in these patients. Materials and Methods: A case series study of six non-diabetic, transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia patients aged 9-13-year-old. Clinical and laboratory data were collected on admission for their monthly transfusion. Patients were connected to CGM systems for one day. Findings: Using CGM and based on American Diabetes Association guidelines, three patients were found to have abnormal glucose levels of diabetic range. The other three showed impaired glucose tolerance. Among all patients, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) readings have an inverse relationship to CGM and calibration readings. Conclusion: CGM could be a promising tool for evaluating BTM patients. Larger studies are recommended.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]

Background: Hospital-acquired infection (HAI) is one of the most common complications occurring in a hospital setting. Although previous studies have demonstrated the application of data-driven Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) methodology in various health-care settings, no such studies have been conducted on HAI in the Saudi Arabian context. Objective: The purpose of this research was to study the effect of the Six Sigma DMAIC approach in reducing the HAI rate at King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Methods: Historical data on HAI reported at inpatient units of the hospital between January and December 2013 were collected, and the overall HAI rate for the year 2013 was determined. The Six Sigma DMAIC approach was then prospectively implemented between January and December 2014, and its effect in reducing the HAI rate was evaluated through five phases. The incidence of HAI in 2013 was used as the problem and a 30% reduction from 4.18 by the end of 2014 was set as the project goal. Potential causes contributing to HAI were identified by root cause analysis, following which appropriate improvement strategies were implemented and then the pre- and postintervention HAI rates were compared. Results: The overall HAI rate was observed as 4.18. After implementing improvement strategies, the HAI rate significantly reduced from 3.92 during the preintervention phase ( first quarter of 2014) to 2.73 during the postintervention phase (third quarter of 2014) (P < 0.05). A control plan was also executed to sustain this improvement. Conclusion: The results show that the Six Sigma “DMAIC” approach is effective in reducing the HAI rate.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of, and factors associated with, depression among sickle cell anemia adult patients in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2014 and May 2015 among sickle cell anemia patients aged 16–70 years from the outpatient hematology clinics at Qatif Central Hospital. A total of 110 successive participants consented and answered an anonymous, self-administered, questionnaire and the Arabic version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Individuals were considered depressed if they scored ≥14 in Beck Depression Inventory-II. Simple logistic regression was used to compare differences between the depressed and nondepressed groups. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were reported. Results: Depression was detected in 53 participants (48.2%). Bivariate analysis showed that lower educational qualification (OR = 2.5; 95% CI = 1.1–5.3; P = 0.021), higher frequency of vaso-occlusive crises (OR = 3.4; 95% CI = 1.3–8.7; P = 0.008) and frequent visits to the hematology clinic (OR = 5.3; 95% CI = 1.4–19.9; P = 0.008) were significantly associated with depression. Conclusion: This study revealed that there is high prevalence of depression among sickle cell anemia patients in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Introduction: Stigma and discrimination have been reported to cause unnecessary delay in mentally-ill patients seeking help, which adversely affects a patient's outcome. The attitude of health care professionals has been described as being, even more, negative than that of the general public, which worsens the prognosis for patients with a mental illness. Aims: The aim of this study was to describe the attitude of nurses toward mentally-ill patients in a general hospital. Methods: All the nurses in the hospital were administered a 40-item Community Attitudes Toward the Mentally-Ill (CAMI) questionnaire which determines whether the mentally-ill are viewed as “inferior;” deserve “sympathy;” perceived as a “threat” to society or “acceptable” if residing in community dwellings. The analysis of variance was performed to determine association of the four subscales with the individual characteristics, including age, gender, education, qualification type, position held, contact and contact type. Results: Out of a total of 990 nurses, 308 (31%) completed the CAMI questionnaire. The mean scores for the authoritarian (2.85), benevolent (3.66), social restrictiveness (2.97) and community mental health ideology (3.48) subscales reflected a negative attitude of nurses toward mentally-ill patients. The direct or indirect utilization of the mental health facilities resulted in significantly higher authoritarian and lower benevolence scores, indicating a positive attitude change in this group of nurses. Conclusion: Despite the small size and selective nature of the sample, the nurses' negative attitude toward the mentally-ill patients provides useful baseline data for further large-scale studies and underscores the need for psychoeducation of different health care professionals, including nurses.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Pulmonary rehabilitation is recommended to restore chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients' abilities to the highest level of independency and functionality. Telehealth has the potential to improve rehabilitation programs and to enhance patients' participation. However, little is known about the potential benefits of using telehealth in providing rehabilitation for COPD patients at home. The purpose of this review was to provide a narrative synthesis of literature of studies, which use telehealth with video components to provide real-time pulmonary rehabilitation for COPD patients. An electronic database search was performed in the Ovid Medline, CINAHL, and PubMed databases. Seven eligible studies were included based on the inclusion criteria. Based on the included studies, using telehealth to provide real-time interactive pulmonary rehabilitation for COPD patients at home is feasible and acceptable, and can provide clinical and social positive benefits. A knowledge gap regarding feasibility, acceptance, and benefits of using telehealth to provide real-time pulmonary rehabilitation services still exists.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]  [PubMed]

Morphologically identical breast cancers can display divergent clinical outcomes and responses to therapy. This can predominantly be attributed to molecular class differences that exist amongst histologically similar cancer types. Consequently, molecular classification can be more powerful than histopathology as a predictive factor for the different treatments. This article reviews the molecular classification of breast cancer and emphasizes that ethnic variations may exist in molecular class prevalence patterns. It also highlights key insights into the currently defined molecular classes as provided by ongoing research on primary breast cancers using recent state-of-the-art technology. Such research is revealing that significant molecular heterogeneity may exist within the molecular classes themselves. More diverse ethnic variations may also be unraveled. The results of ongoing and upcoming research may provide more precise prognostic and predictive information about breast cancer and perhaps a breakthrough step toward "personaliziation" of breast cancer treatment. Forty-one relevant articles (2000-2012) extracted through PubMed and Google advanced searches and at our institute's library were utilized to prepare the article, along with results of published and ongoing research by the authors.

[ABSTRACT]  [FULL TEXT]  [PDF]  [Mobile Full text]  [EPub] [CITATIONS]