The cytological pattern of cervical smears of a series of Saudi women in one gynecologic center.

OBJECTIVE: Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is a type of abnormal cervical epithelial development that can lead to cervical malignancy. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the cytological pattern of cervical smears from a group of Saudi women who visited a single gynecologic center. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From May 2020 to May 2021, 300 women were referred to the cytopathology laboratory and their cytological materials were collected. Because of gynecologic concerns, the women in the study were referred for Pap smears. As part of the obligatory investigations in conjunction with the clinical assessment, a Pap smear is requested. RESULTS: CIN of various grades was found in 11% of the women. High-grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions (HSIL) were the most detected modifications, followed by Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance (ASUS) and Low-grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions (LSIL), accounting for 36.4%, 33.3%, and 30.3%, respectively. In 23.7% of the women, inflammatory cell infiltrations were found. Infection with Candida Albicans was identified in 2.3% of the women. In 15.8% of the patients, cytological evidence of bacterial infection was found. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of CIN has been growing in Saudi Arabia in recent years, implying a probable involvement in the spread of HPV. Most CIN cases associated with middle age point to HPV infection at a younger age. There is no link between estrogen and/or progesterone levels and CIN.

Human Papillomavirus genotypes associated with cervical intraepithelial lesions among Saudi women.

OBJECTIVE: HPV is responsible for over 90% of cervical cancer worldwide. HPV has numerous subtypes with great variety distribution in different geographical regions. Thus, the present study aimed at assessing Human Papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes associated with cervical intraepithelial lesions among Saudi women. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The current study collected cervical smears from 300 women transferred to a cytopathology laboratory between May 2020 and May 2021. The studied women were referred to do Pap smear because of gynecologic complaints. RESULTS: Positive HPV testing was established in 4.7%. Most positive cases were identified in the age range of 14-50 years, followed by 51-60 years, representing 50% and 35.7%, respectively. The risk of HPV infection was significantly high in the age between 40-50 years, the odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (95% CI), OR (95% CI) = 3.0137 (1.0228 to 8.8797), p = 0.0454, z statistic = 2.001. About 57% of the cases of HPV were found with cytological atypia. The risk of HPV in inducing cytological atypia, the OR (95%CI) = 1.8546 (2.9386 to 27.0952), p = 0.0001, z statistic = 3.862. Inflammatory cells infiltrate was identified in 43% of HPV-positive cases. The risk of HPV in inducing inflammatory changes, the OR (95% CI) = 2.6423 (0.8850 to 7.8887), p = 0.0817, z statistic = 1.741. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of High-risk human papillomavirus is relatively low in the AL-Madinah area, Saudi Arabia. Cervical cytological atypia corresponds to the positive HR-HPV findings. HR-HPV infection or cervical cytological atypical changes induce inflammatory cell infiltrates. HR-HPV infection is more common among elderly Saudi women.

Predictors of Saudi nursing students' attitudes towards environment and sustainability in health care.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the predictors of Saudi nursing students' attitudes towards the environment and sustainability in health care. BACKGROUND: With rising temperature and decreasing annual rainfall, Saudi Arabia is threatened by the harmful effects of climate change on its population. In response to these threats, the Ministry of Health adapted sustainable development and environmental preservation in their National E-Health strategy. INTRODUCTION: To implement these policies successfully, healthcare practitioners should be educated on how climate change could impact human health negatively. METHODS: A secondary analysis of 280 questionnaires from baccalaureate nursing students of a university in Hail City, Saudi Arabia, was completed. The New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale and Sustainability Attitudes in Nursing Survey 2 (SANS-2) were used to investigate the predictors of student attitudes towards the environment and sustainable development in health care. RESULTS: The NEP score indicated moderate pro-environment attitudes, whereas the SANS-2 mean score showed very positive attitudes towards sustainability in health care. Learning about the environment and related issues in the nursing programme, raising climate change awareness and attending environment-related seminars and training positively influenced the environmental and sustainability attitudes of nursing students. DISCUSSION: Saudi nursing students moderately manifested pro-environment attitudes but exhibited extremely positive attitudes towards sustainability in health care. The results support the need to strengthen the education of nursing students about environmental and sustainability concepts and the inclusion of these topics in the nursing curricula. CONCLUSION: The study underscores the critical role of enriching the awareness of nursing students on environmental issues and concerns and sustainability in health care. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND NURSING POLICY: The findings of this study can support the inclusion of course contents, which deal specifically with environmental health and sustainability practices, in the creation of new policies directed towards curricular revision.

Estimation of sex in a contemporary Saudi population based on sternal measurements using multidetector computed tomography.

Sex estimation is an essential step for identifying unknown individuals and usually depends on the presence of highly dimorphic bones, such as the pelvis and skull. Nevertheless, the body integrity can be compromised in certain circumstances, and these bones might be absent; therefore, the ability to use other bones for sex estimation is crucial. The aims of this study were to collect baseline data for sternal dimensions in Saudi adults, assess the existence of sexual dimorphism in the sternum, and generate population-specific equations to estimate sex using sternal dimensions. During 2014-2015, 200 thoracic/thoraco-abdominal computed tomography (CT) images (100 men, 100 women) were anonymously collected from King Abdulaziz Medical City. Six measurements were obtained and two indices calculated after 3D reconstruction of the CT scans. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and sexual dimorphism was assessed using independent t-tests. Discriminant function equations were developed for these measurements. Except for the sternal index, men had significantly larger dimensions than women. Sexual dimorphism was highly significant (p<0.001). The best predictor was the combination of the manubrium and sternal body lengths (89.5%). In the stepwise analysis, the best predictors were the manubrium length, sternal body length, manubrium width, and corpus width at the first sternebra, with a cross-validated accuracy of 90.5%. Cross-validated accuracy for all measurements ranged between 62.5% and 90.5%. The findings of the study may have important anatomical, anthropological, and forensic applications.

Contralateral sinus involvement of surgically treated unilateral allergic fungal rhinosinusitis.

Recurrence of allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) is well recognized. However, there is scarcity in the literature describing involvement of the non-diseased sinuses. We aimed to evaluate the recurrence forms of unilateral AFRS as well as to study the possible predictor factors of developing the disease in the contralateral side. Patients with exclusive unilateral AFRS from (2010 to 2015) were enrolled in multi-institutional case-control study. All patients were evaluated after endoscopic sinus surgery for recurrence. Patient's records were reviewed for demographics, medical treatment, and clinical, radiological, and surgical data. A total of 68 patients were identified. Delayed contralateral involvement after the initial surgery was found in 30.8% with mean duration of recurrence 16.9 months. A significant association was found with the presence of pre-operative contralateral symptoms and signs of inflammation (OR 3.49, 95% CI 1.19-10.22, p value 0.02). Post-operative use of budesonide irrigation was associated with less contralateral involvement (OR 0.11, 95% CI 0.01-0.87, p value 0.01). Association of other variables like: comorbidities, perioperative use of systemic steroid, radiological signs, extent of surgery, additional surgery to the contralateral side, and post-operative use of systemic steroids did not show statistical significance. Involvement of the contralateral sinuses in 30% of unilateral AFRS cases is considered significant. The non-diseased sinuses should be involved in the routine endoscopic examination and post-operative treatment. Further studies are necessary to investigate the possibility of prophylactic surgical intervention of the non-diseased sinuses.