Atopy and allergic diseases among college students at a Saudi Public University.

Background: Despite its significant prevalence worldwide, atopy and allergic diseases continue to need more studies, with a need for published articles describing the prevalence of atopy and allergic diseases in Saudi society. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of atopic dermatitis diseases among college students at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University. Methods: The Cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi Arabia among college students at Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh based on self-report Asthma and Allergies questionnaires (ISSAC questionnaire, atopic dermatitis part). Results: Seven hundred ninety-seven (797) students from 11 colleges participated in the study. About half (47.6%) aged between 21 and 24, and 73.7% were females. More than one-third (34.8%) had atopic dermatitis during the last six months, while 30.7% of the participants reported having itchy rash in the past 12 months, and 33.8% were diagnosed with eczema in any life interval. Age is not one of the significant factors affecting the prevalence of atopic dermatitis. However, the prevalence of atopic dermatitis slightly increases with age (P = 0.062). Atopic dermatitis was significantly higher among female students (39.7%) than 21.0% among male students (P = 0.000). College level nor GPA had no significant impact on the prevalence of atopic dermatitis (P = 0.238 and 0.884, respectively). Conclusion: Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University students have a high prevalence of atopic dermatitis, which may indicate a higher prevalence of allergens. Females and older participants were more liable to reported atopic dermatitis.

Prevalence and risk factors of gastro-esophageal reflux disease among college students at a public university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most prevalent gastrointestinal disorders worldwide. It manifests when the lower esophageal sphincter malfunctions, causing the stomach's contents to reflux into the esophagus, lead to discomforting symptoms. Heartburn and regurgitation are the typical symptoms of GERD. This study aims to determine the prevalence of GERD and assess its risk factors. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at IMSIU, Saudi Arabia. An online survey was distributed to the students' email addresses to determine the prevalence of GERD, its related risk factors, and understanding of its symptoms. Results: One thousand five hundred and thirty-three (1533) students participated in the survey. The prevalence of GERD was 34.6%. The majority (79.7%) of the respondent students had heard of GERD. Stress is believed to be a factor in developing GERD by 35.7% of students. Heartburn was the predominant symptom of GERD (76.2%). No association existed between the socio-demographic traits of those with GERD except for age and academic year. Conclusions: It is imperative to raise public awareness of the disorder's characteristics and its modifiable risk factors to prevent the emergence of GERD and its complications.

Exploring the Enigmatic Link: Unraveling the Relationship Between Obesity and Cigarette Smoking Among Diverse College Students at Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is defined as an excess of body fat. This medical condition frequently results in a high BMI and an increased risk of a variety of health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer. Cigarette smoking includes inhaling smoke created by the combustion of tobacco. It is linked to a variety of health issues, including lung cancer, heart disease, and respiratory ailments, and is a primary cause of preventable disease and premature death worldwide. The association between obesity and cigarette smoking is complex and incompletely understood. This study aims to investigate the intriguing association between obesity and cigarette smoking among diverse college students at Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODOLOGY: The study was conducted as an observational study, specifically an analytical cross-sectional study, to measure the prevalence of cigarette smoking and obesity and their association. This type of study is chosen because of its advantages including targeting a large sample in a short time and inexpensive way, with no loss to follow-up, unlike some other study designs. RESULTS: In this study, we were able to collect data from 603 participants, of which 57.4% were male and 67.8% of them aged between 20 and 24 years old. Moreover, we found that 39.6% had normal weight; however, the prevalence of obesity, overweight, and underweight were 24%, 28.1%, and 8.3%, respectively. Considering the prevalence of smoking, we found that 22.6% of the participants reported being current smokers, while 5.3% were former smokers. There is a significant difference between participants with different BMIs (P=0.001). The prevalence of smoking was significantly higher in obese and overweighted participants (35.1% and 31.3%, respectively) compared with 28.4% in normal-weighted participants. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of smoking and obesity in this study was significantly higher than reported in different studies. Moreover, we found a significant relationship between smoking and obesity; however, further investigation should be conducted to determine the cause of this relationship.

The Association Between Nicotine Dependence and Mental Health in the General Population of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study.

Background: High prevalence of mental disorders is associated with psychoactive substances, significantly contributing to morbidity, disability, and premature mortality. Worldwide, individuals who use electronic-cigarettes (EC) and have a mental health diagnosis are more likely to experience stress, depression, and drug use. This study aims to measure the prevalence of both EC use and mental health disorders namely, anxiety and depression additionally to investigate the association between EC use and mental health status among the general population of Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted across Saudi Arabia from November 2022 to May 2023. The survey was divided into three sections. The first section focuses on the demographics, while the second part asked about both conventional and EC smoking and their frequency. The third section assessed mental health status using a Patient Health Questionnaire with a 9-item depression scale (PHQ-9) and a 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7). Results: The study revealed 21.1% reporting EC use in the past thirty days. While 19.8% reported smoking tobacco one or more days within the last thirty days. Regarding mental health, 36.6% of individuals had minimal anxiety, while 42.4% experienced mild anxiety. Moreover, most of the participant were considered to have mild followed by minimal depression accounting for 36.7% and 31.9%, respectively. The results indicated a positive and significant correlation between perceived depression scores and nicotine dependence among EC users. Additionally, there was a strong relationship between gender and nicotine dependence, with men being more inclined than women. Conclusion: There is a correlation between nicotine use and mental health outcomes; people who use nicotine products are more likely to experience anxiety and depression.

The Relationship Between Motivation and Academic Performance Among Medical Students in Riyadh.

BACKGROUND: Motivation is the process whereby goal-directed activities are initiated and sustained. Motivation is a crucial factor in academic achievement. The study aims to measure students' demographic factors and external environments' effect on their motivation and determine the impact of students' motivation and self-efficacy on their learning engagement and academic performance. METHODOLOGY: This is a cross-sectional study that involved distributing an online digital questionnaire, which was applied in the capital of Saudi Arabia, "Riyadh." The students' motivation was assessed using three scales that are designed to measure the students' intrinsic/extrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and learning engagement. RESULTS: In this study, we collected 429 responses from our distributed questionnaire among medical students where males represented 60.1% of the sample. Moreover, we classified the satisfaction level into five subcategories: very satisfied, satisfied, neutral, unsatisfied, and very unsatisfied. We found that most of the students (38.7%) were satisfied with their academic performance, while 17.7% were strongly satisfied. The mean enrollment motivation score in this study was 19.83 (SD 2.69), and when determining its subcategories, we found that the mean intrinsic motivation score was 10.33 (out of 12) and the mean extrinsic motivation score was 10.23 (out of 12). Moreover, the mean self-efficacy score was 9.61 and the mean learning engagement score was 8.97 (out of 12). Moreover, we found that a longer duration needed by the students to reach the college from their residence is significantly associated with lower learning engagement reported by the students (8.54 vs. 9.13 in shorter times, P=0.034). Finally, we found that students who entered medical school as their first choice had significantly higher intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and learning engagement. CONCLUSION: A student's preference for entering medical school will affect their motivation, self-efficacy, and learning engagement. Moreover, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations significantly correlate with self-efficacy and satisfaction with academic performance; however, they have no effect on the grade point average (GPA) of the last semester. The only factor that positively correlates with students' GPA is learning engagement.

Awareness and attitudes toward epilepsy among medical students and interns in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Epilepsy is a common neurological condition. It affects around 1% of the global population. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes toward epilepsy. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional observational study. An online questionnaire was distributed to medical students in their clinical and preclinical years and interns at Riyadh's four public universities. Then a comparison was made to see whether attending more courses in medical school would influence the students' knowledge and attitudes. RESULTS: In the present study, 95% of medical students had heard about epilepsy or convulsive seizures (a significantly larger proportion of clinical students had heard about epilepsy than preclinical students (99.0% versus 92%, P-value = 0.000)). Furthermore, 34.0% believed that epilepsy could be treated. Moreover, 79.1% of those polled claimed that brain disease originated from epilepsy, followed by genetic factors (64.1%) and convulsions (92.3%) as the most common symptoms. CONCLUSION: Regarding medical students' awareness of epilepsy, it turns out that it is good and better than reported in other research, especially among clinical students rather than preclinical students, who have a negative attitude toward epileptic patients. Consequently, there is a need to further development of their knowledge throughout future campaigns and conferences, and curricula that should be tailored to help improve awareness and attitudes toward epilepsy.

Future Dreams of Junior and Senior Medical Students at a Public Saudi Medical School.

Background: Medical education is a challenging profession requiring students to acquire various skills and develop them continuously before and after graduation. The study aimed to assess the students' preference toward specialty and determine their preferred residency program and future ambitions regarding administrative and leadership positions. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional self-administered survey that included medical students in 1st year, and 5th year and internship at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU). The questionnaire consisted of demographic information and questions about the student's choices regarding plans. Results: Four hundred and fifty-eight (458) medical students out of 583 students (55.5% junior and 44.5% senior students) enrolled themselves in the study and completed the survey. Findings revealed that medical students' top five preferred future general medical specialties were surgery (34.5), followed by internal medicine (18.3), family medicine (17.2), dermatology (14.6), and emergency medicine (15.9). The junior students were found to be more inclined toward dermatology, medical genetics, and surgical general specialties. The findings showed that 63% of the students were interested in becoming future leaders, with 52.8% of them wishing to become head of a medical department. When asked about their desired qualifications, 85.8% preferred the Saudi Board. Conclusion: Surgery was the most favorable specialty among medical students, followed by internal medicine, family medicine and dermatology, and emergency medicine. The study showed a significant difference between males and females and seniors and juniors in preference of specialty and medical qualification, the female medical students prefer to specialize in dermatology (p=0.027), neurology (p=0.028), and obstetrics and gynecology (p=0.001) as a general specialty significantly more than male medical students. It shows that students are interested in future leadership goals.

Anxiety and Stress among Day Traders in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: People nowadays are more concerned about their financial status and how to improve their quality of life; one method is day trading. This study aims to investigate the association between stress or anxiety and day trading among day traders in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: We collected the data through DASS-21, a set of three self-report scales designed to measure the emotional states of depression, anxiety, and stress. It tells if the person has mild, moderate, severe, or extremely severe emotional status. Our study will focus on two domains: stress and anxiety. Day traders scoring between 0 and 7 on the anxiety scale were classified as normal anxiety. Scoring between 8 and 9 on the anxiety scale, mild anxiety, and between 10 and 14 on the anxiety scale as moderate anxiety. Those scoring between 15 and 19 were classified as severe, and those scoring >20 as extremely severe. RESULTS: Our results showed that out of 387 valid surveys, day traders scoring < 14 on the stress scale were classified as everyday stress (N = 249, 64.3%), and those scoring between 15 and 18 as mild (N = 49, 12.7%) and those scoring between 19 and 25 as moderate (N = 46, 11.9%), those scoring between 26 and 33 as severe (N = 34, 8.8%), and those scoring > 34 were classified as extremely severe (N = 9, 2.3%). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of anxiety and stress is considerable among day-traders. Therefore, it is fundamental to develop more effective health promotion strategies for the target population to make them aware of and learn how to control and prevent these harmful emotional feelings.

Smoking Habits among College Students at a Public University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Tobacco smoking is one of the leading risk factors for ill health and death worldwide. Adolescence is the starting age of smoking for most current smokers worldwide. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of tobacco, the habits of different types of former smokers, and their relationship to other specialties and sociodemographic data. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire was sent to students' emails to assess their smoking prevalence and tobacco and nicotine product habits. Results: Of the 895 students in IMSIU who participated in our survey, most reported having never used/tried tobacco, representing (76.4%). Most of the students who smoke began to smoke within the last five years (46.4%), which strongly indicates that they started to smoke when they entered the university. When students were asked about the time they like to smoke, most reported that they smoke when they feel stressed/under pressure (57.1%). There was a strong relationship between having a family member who smokes and being a smoker (53.1%). Conclusions: The prevalence of cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, and Shisha was 18.3%, 5%, and 11%, respectively. Anti-smoking regulations at the university level should be periodically reviewed to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of tobacco control strategies.

The Effect of Short Treatment with Nigella Sativa on Symptoms, the Cluster of Differentiation (CD) Profile, and Inflammatory Markers in Mild COVID-19 Patients: A Randomized, Double-Blind Controlled Trial.

The current study investigated the impact of different doses of Nigella sativa seeds on the symptoms, the cluster of differentiation profile group, and inflammatory markers of mild COVID-19 cases. METHODS: The study was a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Patients with mild and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection patients were randomly subdivided into seven subgroups: Group (GP) 1: received charcoal capsules as a control group, and GP 2: received three capsules of whole Nigella sativa seeds daily, two capsules in the morning and one in the evening; GP 3: received three capsules of whole Nigella sativa seeds every 12 h, GP 4: received five capsules in the morning and four capsules of whole Nigella sativa seeds in the evening, GP 5: received one capsule of Nigella sativa powder every 12 h; GP 6: received two capsules of Nigella sativa powder every 12 h; GP 7: received three capsules of Nigella sativa powder every 12 h; all treatment course was for ten days. Inflammatory parameters were assessed before and after interventions. RESULTS: 262 subjects were included in the final analysis. No significant difference was detected regarding age, gender, and nationality. No significant differences were detected between the inflammatory marker in all groups. The WBCs showed a significant difference between before and after the intervention. While for procalcitonin, a significant difference was demonstrated in groups 1,4, and 6. CONCLUSIONS: The current randomized clinical trial did not reveal a significant effect of ten days of treatment with various doses of Nigella sativa on symptoms, differentiation profile, and inflammatory markers of patients with COVID-19. As a natural product, the effect of Nigella sativa on disease requires weeks to manifest itself.

Do Saudi medical schools consider the core topics in undergraduate medical curricula?

BACKGROUND: Most of the medical schools in Saudi Arabia are currently evolving their curricula in accordance with the most recognized medical education trends worldwide. Undergraduate medical school's curriculum should be compatible with community health needs. Therefore, the study aims to explore the current contents of Saudi undergraduate medical curricula and to check if the core topics that were internationally recognized were implemented in their curriculum. METHODOLOGY: An online questionnaire was designed and sent to 37 deans of medical schools in Saudi Arabia. The deans or the vice-deans in charge of the curriculum were asked to complete the pre-designed questionnaire, which assessed the status of inclusion of the core topics in the curriculum of their affiliated schools. Each listed core topic was evaluated according to five options for each subject: not included, separate required course, part of the required course, separate elective course, and part of an elective course. RESULTS: Twenty four out of 37 (65%) Saudi medical schools completed the survey questionnaire. Almost all core topics, such as communication skills, evidence-based medicine, patient safety, professionalism were included in the curricula of Saudi medical schools as separate required courses or as part of required courses or elective courses. Complementary and alternative medicine and the history of medicine were the topics least taught in Saudi medical colleges, as 25% of the schools did not include them in their curricula. CONCLUSION: The majority (65%) of the internationally recognized core topics were included in the Saudi undergraduate medical curricula. Evidence-based medicine, complementary medicine, the Saudi healthcare system, patient safety, and professionalism/medical ethics should be part of compulsory credited courses in all Saudi undergraduate medical curricula.

Awareness of Gadolinium Toxicity Among Non-radiologists in Saudi Arabia.

Introduction and aim Gadolinium toxicity has been accompanied by side effects among patients scanned with MRI, especially patients with chronic renal insufficiency. The toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of gadolinium-based contrast agents intact blood-brain barriers accumulate in the brain. This study aimed to estimate the awareness about the side effects of gadolinium-enhanced MRI scans among Saudi non-radiologists to improve and raise the level of awareness of all physicians about the side effects of gadolinium-enhanced MRI studies among patients. This improvement will be due to our clarification of the most important issues related to gadolinium contrast in MRI, by illustrating the uses and the major side effects of this contrast. Additionally, we want to find a method that will help with raising awareness of gadolinium toxicity and alert the stakeholders and the head of radiology departments about the need of creating and implementing new official regulations to minimize the abuse of enhanced MRI studies. Materials and methods This is a cross-sectional study conducted among non-radiological doctors in Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire based on a literature review was developed and distributed among non-radiological doctors through an online platform. The questionnaire included basic demographic data and a behavioral and awareness assessment about gadolinium. All statistical analyses were carried out using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) IBM Corp. Released 2019. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. Results 460 non-radiological doctors contributed, 65% males vs. 35% females. The most commonly known side effect of gadolinium was acute pancreatitis (92.8%), followed by encephalopathy (90%) and arrythmias (88.9%). Awareness of gadolinium toxicity among the non-radiological doctors was poor in 74.6%, 20.9% were moderate, and only 4.6% were classified into a good awareness level. The factor associated with an increased level of awareness was being an internal medicine doctor (p=0.006). Conclusion The awareness level of non-radiological doctors about gadolinium toxicity was suboptimal. The knowledge of internal medicine physicians was better, but the other specialties need more education. As most of the physicians were not exposed to patients' adverse reactions, this could be one of the reasons why they have a lack of knowledge about the subject. On the other hand, appropriate patient screening and sufficient prophylactic measures can prevent adverse events. Therefore, in knowledge, understanding, and practice, it is important to come up with the most effective response to any gadolinium contrast adverse events.

Investigation on the Factors Associated with the Persistence of Anosmia and Ageusia in Saudi COVID-19 Patients.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) resulted in a worldwide pandemic of a highly infectious disease. The difficulty of dealing with COVID-19 is the broad spectrum of clinical manifestations that involves various pathophysiological mechanisms, severities, duration, and complications. This study aims to help emphasize the factors related to the persistence and duration of anosmia (loss of smell) and ageusia (loss of taste) as part of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome in Saudi COVID-19 patients via a retrospective cross-sectional design. Eight hundred and eighty-one participants were recruited between March and April 2021. Those participants were 18 years or older, recovered from the COVID-19 infection, and completed 14 days after the onset of the acute phase of the disease. Among the 881 recruited participants, 808 have submitted eligible responses and were included in data analyses. The most common persistent symptoms in post-acute COVID-19 syndrome were anosmia (33.8%) and ageusia (26.4%). The data also showed a significant association between female sex and the incidence and the persistence of anosmia and ageusia. In multivariable analysis, anosmia during the acute phase was associated with BMI, asthma and shortness of breath, while anosmia during the post-acute phase was associated with sex. Ageusia during the acute phase was associated with sex, myalgia and arthralgia, while ageusia in the post-acute phase was associated with sex.

Association of Migraine and Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Saudi Arabia: A Nationwide Survey.

Migraine is a primary headache disorder with a prevalence of 11.6% globally and 27% in Saudi Arabia. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has a prevalence of 9.2% worldwide. The prevalence of IBS has not been established nationally. However, provincial studies for migraine and IBS have been conducted nationwide. There is a significant link between migraine and IBS globally. Migraineurs had a considerably greater prevalence of IBS than nonmigraineurs (OR = 2.49, 95% CI 2.22-2.78). Patients with IBS have 60% higher odds for migraines. This identifies an association that needs to be investigated in a nationwide manner. The study has two main aims. The first is to measure the prevalence of migraine and irritable bowel syndrome in Saudi Arabia. The second is to observe the association and the relationship between migraine and irritable bowel syndrome in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among the general population of Saudi Arabia between March 2021 and June 2021, whose ages are 15 years old or greater. Participants filled an online self-administered survey. The data collection tools included the Migraine Screen Questionnaire (MS-Q) for migraine symptoms, migraine severity (MIGSEV) scale for severity of migraine, and the IBS module of the Rome IV Diagnostic Questionnaire (R4DQ) for IBS symptoms and their subtype. With 2802 participants, the majority of the study samples were males, who constituted 52.5%. Among the study's sample, the prevalence of migraine consisted of 27.4%, and the prevalence of IBS was 16.4%. The odds of having IBS in migraineurs were much higher than in those without migraine (OR 4.127; 95% CI 3.325-5.121), and the association was statistically significant (p < 0.001). In conclusion, there is a strong association between migraine and irritable bowel syndrome in Saudi Arabia.

Prevalence of Binge-Eating Disorder and Its Association with Nicotine Dependence Among Under-Graduate Students at a Saudi Public University.

PURPOSE: There is minimal information regarding the prevalence of binge-eating disorders in Saudi Arabia. This study aims to measure the prevalence of BED and its association with nicotine dependency (ND) among undergraduate university students at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU). METHODS: A cross-sectional study recruited 878 participants, with an inclusion criteria that encompassed all IMSIU undergraduate students of either sex. The online-based self-report questionnaire was distributed through e-mail, which used the Binge-Eating Disorder Screener-7 (BEDS-7) to evaluate BED symptoms and the Fagerstrom Test of Nicotine Dependence (FTND) to measure the levels of ND. The e-FTND version was also adapted into the questionnaire to account for modern methods of nicotine usage. RESULTS: A total of 165 participants were BED positive, with a prevalence of 18.8%, 99 of whom were women, and 66 were men. Women were significantly more predicted for BED than men (p = 0.035). Men appeared to be mainly more expected to be nicotine dependent (p < 0.001). BED positive participants showed a higher probability of being nicotine dependent than BED negative participants in the multivariate logistic regression analysis (95% CI 1.3-3.2; p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: BED prevalence was notably high compared to worldwide estimates, with a significant association to nicotine dependence by the multivariate analysis. In the future, more investigations regarding the prevalence of specific types of eating disorders, including BED, in Saudi Arabia need to be considered.

Response of Saudi Population to Strict Preventive Measures against COVID-19.

The Saudi ministry of health (MOH) started the preventive measures very early on before having a single case of COVID-19. There were very few studies regarding the awareness and adherence to the preventive measures against COVID-19 among the Saudi population in the literature. Objectives: The study aims to examine the awareness and commitment to the strict Saudi government preventive measures against COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey targeted Saudi and non-Saudi populations aged 18+ in March-April 2020. The online questionnaire was designed to explore the participant's sociodemographic data, washing hygiene habits, the general level of awareness regarding COVID-19, and the extent to which they adhere to the government's strict instructions. Results: Out of the 2958 participants in the survey, 23% washed their hands for between 20 and 30 s, 59.6% washed their hands after shaking hands with other people, 67.9% washed their hands after use of other's utilities, 65.9% had appropriately followed the MOH recommended guidelines for home quarantine and social distancing. People in different age groups differed significantly on their practiced hygienic practices score p < 0.001. Respondents' educational level had converged considerably and positively on their clean proper prevention practices score, f(2838.3) = 15.70. Conclusion: The majority of the participants adhere to the strict government instructions regarding COVID-19 as they have to obey the law. Health sector employees measured significantly greater hygienic preventive measures and precautions in comparison to other sectors. More public health efforts should increase hygienic best practice scores to achieve the best outcome.

The Lifestyle of Saudi Medical Students.

This study was conducted to investigate medical students' lifestyle habits, including sleep quality, eating and drinking patterns, physical activity, and social status. Method: This research project is part two of a multi-institutional cross-sectional observational study conducted among medical students from six medical colleges in Saudi Arabia between September and December 2019. Results: 675 medical students were enrolled electively into the lifestyle study. About half of this number were male students and the majority were aged 18-24 years. Most students (87.6%) slept between 4-8 h a day and over 44% were dissatisfied with their sleep. Only 28.1% had three meals a day; about 40% of them usually or always skipped breakfast. A total of 44% usually or always ate fast food and 44.7% drank 2 L of water per day. Moreover, male students were significantly consuming more fast food than females, p < 0.001. The majority (63.3%) revealed they usually or always drink black coffee daily. Females were significantly more inclined to regular coffee consumption than males, p < 0.001. Only 4.3% exercised for 30 min or more daily. The majority (65%) of the students were introverted; they had few close friends. Yet, 81% were somewhat satisfied or satisfied with their social life. Male students were significantly more satisfied with their social life than females, p = 0.001. Only 4.6% smoked cigarettes daily whereas 7.1% smoked e-cigarettes daily. In contrast, only 0.3% used shisha (hookah) daily. Male medical students were substantially more inclined to e-cigarette use than females (p < 0.001). The top five leisure activities of a medical student were surfing social media (75.9%), watching movies (61.3%), hanging out with friends (58.1%), spending time with their family (55.4%), and browsing the Internet (53.6%). Female medical students were significantly more inclined to surf social media than male medical students, p = 0.022; also, watching movies was preferred for females compared to males, p = 0.006. Conclusion: This study revealed that the majority of these medical students in Saudi Arabia exhibited healthy lifestyles to some extent, and these health-promoting behaviors differed based on sex, especially concerning physical activity and eating patterns. The findings of this study provide relevant information for future actions that will be geared towards effectively decreasing the occurrence of chronic illnesses and improving future doctors' well-being.

Clinical Presentation of Asymptomatic and Mild SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: There is substantial evidence that most SARS-CoV-2 infections are mild or even asymptomatic, yet they can transmit the virus to others. The current study described the clinical presentation of mild COVID-19 cases isolated in the ministry of health (MOH) quarantines in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study targeted the SARS-CoV-2 PCR +ve asymptomatic and mild COVID-19 patients isolated in the Saudi MOH quarantines in Riyadh city between July and December 2020. The confirmed COVID-19 patients were enrolled and interviewed by telephones after obtaining the informed consent. RESULTS: The study included 223 patients with a mean age of 32.5±10.7 years old. The majority were male 156 (70%). Only 27 [12.1%; 95% CI = (8.1-17.1%)] were asymptomatic. General fatigue was the most common reported symptom, 43.5%, followed by headache with 42.6%, and cough by 38.1%. Anosmia and ageusia were reported by 33.2% and 31.4%, respectively. The least common reported symptoms were vomiting, earache, and nausea with 1.8%, 4.0%, and 7.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The top five clinical manifestations of mild COVID-19 cases were general fatigue, headache, cough, anosmia, and ageusia. Only 12% of confirmed COVID-19 cases were asymptomatic.

Study Habits of Highly Effective Medical Students.

BACKGROUND: Study habits have been the most significant indicator of academic performance and play a unique role in students' academic accomplishment. The study is aiming to determine the most common study habits of highly successful medical students and their relation to academic achievement. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted from September to December 2019 among medical students of both gender from six medical colleges in Saudi Arabia. The students answered the standardized questionnaires to study the different learning habits among medical students, including learning prioritization, knowledge retention strategies, motivation, daily hours of studying, study learning resources. RESULTS: Six hundred and seventy-five medical students enrolled themselves electively into the study. The results showed a significant correlation between study habits and students' academic accomplishments. The top ten study habits of highly effective medical students are managing their time effectively, they get rid of interruptions (phone, family, friends) that disrupt their daily work, they use goal-setting to determine their most important activities, their daily study hours is ranging between 3 and 4 hours, they study alone for knowledge retention of medical information, learn from multiple sources and invest in technology with high efficiency, they contribute to the teaching of their peers, they study the main lecture slides with notes when no exam is coming, and they study lecture slides with notes and previous exam questions when preparing for upcoming exams; finally, they maintained motivation for self-gratification and fulfillment of their family dreams. CONCLUSION: This study's outcomes consolidate general study practices that can be credited to learning achievement and expand recognition to inspire less accomplished students by investigating and exploring factors that have enhanced and worked for many accomplished students.

Students' Perceptions and Attitudes After Exposure to Three Different Instructional Strategies in Applied Anatomy.

BACKGROUND: The advancements of technologies have developed anatomical education into a new era. The study aims to assess medical students' performance and overall satisfaction who used the anatomage table and plastinated specimens for the teaching and learning anatomy courses. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on students of the first-year college of medicine at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU). Students were randomly distributed equally into three groups A, B, and C. All groups were taken two sessions of lectures for one hour each. Each lecture was followed by a practical session of two hours. Group A learned with the "Anatomage" table and Group B learned the same topics on plastinated specimens. Group C was learning on both plastinated specimens and the "Anatomage" table. The objective structured practical examination was given to all students immediately after the practical sessions. A structured questionnaire was given to each group to determine the students' views on the educational methods. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference between the means of the total scale scores for the three teaching methods, where students expressed a higher attitude towards both strategies for teaching in comparison to the anatomage table and plastinated models for teaching, where the means were 18±4.4, 18.3±4.6, 20.4±5.6, respectively, F=12.6 and P=0.0001. There were higher and positive students' attitudes regarding the five statements in favor of both models teaching compared to anatomage table and plastinated model teaching alone. CONCLUSION: The first-year medical students have valued the combination of anatomage table and plastinated prosections in learning and assessing anatomy education at the undergraduate level. The advantages outweigh the limitation of these educational tools.