High altitude and related illnesses awareness among general population in Albaha City

Background: high altitude illness [HAI] refers to a number of acute syndromes that may take place in individuals who are not acclimatized to high altitude, including acute mountain sickness, high altitude pulmonary edema and high altitude cerebral edema. Awareness of the general population about the manifestations and risk factors of high altitude illness may enhance the recognition of patients and ensure adequate management of acute cases

Objective: this study was carried out to assess the awareness of general population of Albaha city regarding high altitude and related illnesses

Methods: this questionnaire was distributed among the general public in Albaha city, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire consisted of two sections: section 1 included personal data and section 2 was concerned with awareness and knowledge of people regarding high altitude illness. Only completed questionnaires without missing data were statistically analyzed

Results: a high frequency of the participants identified the risk factors contributing to HAI including ascending too quickly, overexertion, dehydration and sleeping at high altitude. On the other hand, participants had some false believes about the risk factors, the gravity of the illness and the lowest level of altitude at which manifestations may develop. Only 30.1% identified the lowest altitude at which HAI can occur. About one third of the subjects had symptoms of HAI in the form of difficulty in breathing, exhaustion, headache, weakness and difficulty in sleeping

Conclusion: overall, respondents were interested in learning more about high altitude sickness. Physicians and the internet were the most attractive sources of information for this population

Assessment of the knowledge of gastroesophageal reflux disease among the Saudi population of Altaif City

Background: gastroesophageal reflux disease [GERD] ranks as one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders. Up to this date, no studies examined the level of health knowledge of Saudi population about GERD

Aim of the study: this study aimed to assess knowledge about GERD signs, symptoms and risk factors in Saudi residents of Altaif City

Methods: this minimal knowledge questionnaire that was distributed among the general public in Altaif City, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire consisted of two sections: section 1 included personal data and section 2 explored the awareness and knowledge about the most common symptoms and risk factors of GERD. Only questionnaires without missing data were subjected to statistical analysis

Results: respondents who answered all the questions correctly represented 7.4%, while those who answered all wrongly were 1.5%. The mean proportion of minimal medical knowledge [MMK] score was 64.66%. Respondents with higher education [p < 0.001], medical background [p = 0.004] and health knowledge derived from books [p = 0.001] achieved the highest total scores. Sex, residence, marital status, and past/family history of GERD seemed not to affect the mean MMK scores [p = 0.277, 0.234, 0.970, 0.873 and 0.085 respectively]

Conclusion: some symptoms [Globus sensation, dysphagia and odynophagia] and risk factors [Scleroderma and asthma] for GERD remained unknown to nearly half the participants. We recommend providing health information concerning GERD on the Internet or to prepare booklets to be distributed through the health care facilities

Prevention of infective endocarditis following dental practices

Introduction: Different guidelines and different regimens for prevention of infective endocarditis following operative procedures have been recommended. The purpose of this review was to explore the effectiveness of using antibiotics as prophylaxis in the prevention of IE in dental practice

Methods: The systematic search was conducted in the Medline, Science direct, CINAHL databases using search terms of [Infective endocarditis] AND [Epidemiology OR Bacteriology OR Prevention] AND [Dent*]. The relevant information was extracted from eligible studies. The irrelevant, duplicated studies were excluded

Results: The antibiotic prophylaxis efficacy to prevent IE has never been assessed in a randomized controlled trial [RCT], and the profession has hedged far from such investigation on the grounds of numbers of patients required and ethical concerns. Perhaps the time has come for address this issue, a staged approach could be useful that is focusing a specific cardiovascular condition such as mitral valve prolapse in relation to operative dental procedures with low risk include endodontics and supragingival scaling

Conclusions: A multi-center approach will be required, but at least an RCT would confirm whether antibiotic prophylaxis is required and also assess the [risk/benefits] of the antimicrobial administered

Treatment of urinary tract infection during pregnancy

Introduction: Pharmacotherapeutic treatment strategies of urinary tract infections [UTIs] in pregnancy needs legitimate diagnostic investigation and comprehensive knowledge of antimicrobial medications. This review aiming at obtaining the evidence about the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment for UTI among pregnant women that evaluated by included randomized controlled trials

Methods: An Electronic search was conducted in Medline and Researchgate databases using simple search terms include [Pregnan* AND Infection AND Treatment]. The search of the literature, after exclusion of irrelevant, duplicated and review studies, revealed 8 studies met the inclusion criteria

Results: Most of the included studies used cephalosporins family of antibiotics. The cure rate of ceftibuten was 95.2% compared to 90% in fosfomycin. A cure rate of 96% after treatment by ceftriaxone and 94% after administration of cephazolin were reported. When gentamycin plus ampicillin used for the treatment of UTIs a cure rate of 93% was reported

Conclusions: This review found high effectiveness and cure rate of the antibiotics used in treatment of UTIs, however the recurrence rate varied between studied antibiotics. Nitrofurantoin and intravenous antibiotics reported very low recurrence rate in comparison to fosfomycin and cephazolin with a clinically significant recurrence rate

Prevalence and demographic features of miscarriages at Baljurashi general hospital, Albaha, Saudi Arabia

Background: Miscarriage is the most common encountered complication of pregnancy. It may be repeated for 3 or more times; a condition called habitual or recurrent miscarriage

Aim: To determine the incidence of miscarriage at Baljurashi General Hospital, the demographic characteristics of women who presented with miscarriage, and the most common gestational age at time of miscarriage

Materials and methods: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to women attending Baljurashi General Hospital who suffer from miscarriage

Results: The incidence of miscarriage was 10%. Ninety-two women responded to the questionnaire. Most of the respondents aged more than 25 years, had no job, and were in their first trimester. Half of the respondents had secondary education. Approximately one tenth suffered from repeated miscarriages

Conclusion: The incidence of miscarriage, among patients presenting to Baljurashi hospital, was comparable to those reported in other regions. However, the percentage of repeated abortion is high and these cases were not appropriately investigated. We recommend for the introduction of routine genetic studies into the work up of repeated miscarriages

synergetic effect of alternative medicine with acyclovir in the treatment and control of herpes labialis; HSV1

Background: herpes simplex is a common viral infection of the skin or mucous membranes. The lesions caused by this infection are often painful, burning, or pruritic, and tend to recur in most patients. Short term treatment with acyclovir can accelerate the healing of an acute outbreak, and continuous acyclovir therapy is often prescribed for people with frequent recurrences. While this drug can reduce the recurrence rate by 60-90 percent, it can also cause a wide array of side effects, including renal failure, hepatitis, and anaphylaxis. Safe and effective alternatives are therefore needed

Aim of the Study: is to examine and provide evidence on the potent effect of alternative medicine in Herpes treatment and recurrence prevention

Patients and methods: 60 Patients were divided into 3 major groups according to the severity of the infection with 7 subgroups split according to the treatment protocol

Results: among 60 patients with varies severity, recurrence of outbreaks was significantly reduced when a combined therapy was used while 0-10 percent outbreak recurrence rate was observed for a year when alternative therapy was used alone for mild cases

Conclusion: there is evidence that certain dietary modifications and the use of alternative medicine can be significantly useful for treating active Herpes simplex lesions and preventing recurrences

Depression and Anxiety in Early Pregnancy and Its Risk for Preeclampsia

Handling depression is one of the greatest challenges facing pregnant women across the globe. The level of antenatal depression and anxiety has a prevalence rate of above five percent but less than twelve. Escalated depression has been associated with increasing maternal and infant mortality because of the development of secondary disorders such as preeclampsia and other obstetric-related conditions. The objective of this review was to determine the relationship that exists between depression and anxiety and preeclampsia in early pregnancy

The present paper draws conclusions on the etiology and potential predisposing factors of preeclampsia based on the studies consulted which ascertained the existence of a correlation between antenatal anxiety and depression and preeclampsia which should serve as the baseline for the assessment of the pathogenesis and future direction, the existing literature has

Patients' perceptions towards the participation of medical students in their care

Objectives: Patient interaction is a vital part of healthcare training. This study aimed to investigate patients' perceptions of the participation of medical students in their care

Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2014 and March 2015 among 430 patients admitted to the medical and surgical wards at the King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An Arabic questionnaire was designed to assess the demographic characteristics of the patients and their perceptions of students' participation in their medical care

Results: A total of 416 patients completed the survey [response rate: 97%]. Overall, 407 patients [98%] acknowledged the educational benefit of involving medical students in their care. A total of 368 patients [88%] had no objection to a medical student being involved in their care. Of these, 98% were willing to be asked about their medical history by medical students, 89% would permit physical examinations by medical students and 39% preferred that the gender of the medical student match their own. Education level [P <0.003], a positive prior experience with a medical student [P <0.001] and perception of the medical students' attitudes [P <0.001] had a significant effect on patients' acceptance of medical students participating in their care

Conclusion: In general, the patients had a positive perception of medical students, with most patients acknowledging the educational benefit of student participation in patient care. As patients' perceptions of students' professionalism, confidence and respect for privacy were significantly related to acceptance of care, education on these aspects should be a priority in medical curricula

Saudi oncology society and Saudi urology association combined clinical management guidelines for prostate cancer

In this report, updated guidelines for the evaluation, medical, and surgical management of prostate cancer are presented. They are categorized according the stage of the disease using the tumor node metastasis staging system 7[th] edition. The recommendations are presented with supporting evidence level

Saudi oncology society and Saudi urology association combined clinical management guidelines for renal cell carcinoma

In this report, updated guidelines for the evaluation, medical and surgical management of renal cell carcinoma are presented. They are categorized according the stage of the disease using the tumor node metastasis staging system 7[th] edition. The recommendations are presented with supporting evidence level

Saudi oncology society and Saudi urology association combined clinical management guidelines for testicular germ cell tumors

In this report, updated guidelines for the evaluation, medical, and surgical management of germ cell tumor of testes are resented. They are categorized according the stage of the disease using the tumor-node-metastasis staging system 7[th] edition. The recommendations are presented with supporting level of evidence

Detection of criteria of proteus mirabilis isolates from hospital- and community-acquired infections and their roles in antibiotic resistance

Proteus mirabilis; an organism which is oftenly implicated in contamination and colonization, is occasionally isolated in severe hospital infections. The aim of this study was to determine and compare beta -lactamase, ES beta L production, plasmid profile and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Pr. mirabilis isolates from in-patients and out-patients of different Jeddah Hospitals, Saudi Arabia. Results showed that the hospitalized Pr. mirabilis isolates were more producers to beta -lactamases [47.1%] than those isolated from the community [36.7%] and flora [13.3%]. Six ES beta Ls-producing Pr. mirabilis isolates were detected in the hospital strains only. About [15.6%] harboured plasmids with molecular weight ranging from 4.3 to 180 Kb. Plasmids were more present in Pr. mirabilis isolates obtained from hospitalized patients [21.6%] than those from the community group [13.4%] and not present in the flora isolates. About [46.2%] and [40%] of hospitalized and community Pr. mirabilis isolates respectively were allocated in antibiotic resistance pattern from AR-P5 toAR-P13. Two ES beta Ls-producing Pr. mirabilis isolates produced beta -lactamases of PIs5.2 and 5.6 were harboured plasmids with molecular weight 180 Kb. The same molecular weight plasmid [180 Kb] was presented in another two ES beta Ls-producing Pr. Mirabilis isolates but they produced another two beta -lactamases [PIs 5.6and 6.3]. Plasmids with molecular weight 25 Kb were presented in strain producing enzyme of PI 5.2 and another strain producing another two enzyme of PIs 5.2 and 5.4. In conclusion any Pr. mirabilis organism which is confirmed for ES beta L -production according to NCCLS criteria can be reported as resistant to all expanded-spectrum beta -lactam antibiotics, regardless of the susceptibility test results

Surveillance of aminoglycosides resistance among proteus mirabilis isolates from different units in Jeddah hospitals, Saudi Arabia

Proteus mirabilis isolates had undergone considerable alteration in susceptibility to aminoglcosides gradual increase to resistance in gentamycin and tobramycin. Fortunately, amikacin have a broad spectrum of activity and is particularly valuable in treating nosocomial infections so this study aimed at obtaining data on susceptibility patterns of Pr. mirabilis isolates responsible for hospital infections in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to the currently used aminoglcoside agents in their treatment. Results showed that the most predominant organisms isolated from hospital-acquired infection were Gram-negative [60.93%], mostly isolated from urine [45.73%], where, Pr. mirabilis isolates accounted for 162 out of 1383 [11.7%] Enterobacteriaceae. About 89.6%, 84.3% and 82.8% of Pr. mirabilis isolates were sensitive to amikacin, tobramycin and gentamycin respectively by disk diffusion method. The highest level of resistance was found in Pr. mirabilis strains isolated from pus. The resistance of Pr. mirabilis isolates to aminoglycosides was allocated in 6 different patterns, and the most predominant pattern was pattern III [49.5%]. MICs of most Pr. mirabilis isolates when detected by broth dilution method gave higher readings than when detected by agar dilution method and the disk diffusion method gave results similar to that of agar dilution. Only 30 out of 192 [15.6%] of Pr. mirabilis isolates harboured one plasmid on each strain and about 90% of Pr. mirabilis isolates resistant to gentamycin, tobramycin and amikacin were containing plasmid. Sixty percent of plasmid-containing Pr. mirabilis isolates were able to transfer their antibiotic resistance to the standard E.coli at a frequency ranged between 3x10-8 and 1.2x10-7. The resistance to amoxicillin, ampicillin, cephalothin, neomycin, streptomycin, kanamycin, gentamycin, tobramycin and amikacin was transferred in 100% of isolates due to presence of plasmids with molecular weight 180, 170 and 25 Kb. In conclusion, the present study shows that aminoglycosides that are commonly used in treatment of infections caused by Pr. mirabilis isolates are still effective. The MIC by disk diffusion method gave result similar to that obtained by agar dilution method; moreover, it is easy, cheap and rapid. Indiscriminate use of antibiotics has led to selection of resistant strain with R-plasmids which are transferable between enteric bacteria by conjugation and these resistant bacteria disseminate among individuals