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Cannabis is an herbaceous flowering plant, originally an indigenous plant in Eastern Asia, which later spread globally due to widespread agricultural practices. Cannabis was used medicinally until the early twentieth century, but subsequently prohibited due to the psychoactive effects. Aims: To explore the medical cannabis-related level of knowledge of physicians at King Abdulaziz Medical City, including patient needs, perceptions of therapeutic effects, potential harm, and the willingness to prescribe if legalized in future. Methodology: The study was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey. It was conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh from February 2020 to February 2021. All physicians from the different specialties, who consented to participate, were included in this study. Statistical Analysis: Descriptive statistics are presented as mean and standard deviation and proportions. An ANOVA test was applied to measure the association of the beliefs regarding the right to prescribe with overall knowledge. All tests were considered significant at P < 0.05. Results: A total of 249 physicians participated with the majority (70%) male. The sample was similar regardless of the physician's position in the medical hierarchy, with a mean work experience of 8 years. Almost half of the participants indicated that they do not have good knowledge regarding the effects of MC products and more than half that they are unaware of the different MC products and formulations currently available. Conclusion: The majority of the sample lacked knowledge about the medicinal use of cannabis for specific indications and felt uncomfortable to discuss the medicinal use of cannabis with their patients.
RESUMO
A 30-year-old Pakistani construction worker, not known to have any chronic medical illnesses, presented to the emergency room with a history of ingesting two cups of cement diluted in water, seven hours prior to the presentation, in addition to a cut on his left wrist using a sharp piece of ceramic. He was conscious, oriented, and vitally stable. Physical examination was unremarkable except for epigastric hardness and tenderness. Treatment upon admission included escitalopram 10 mg and haloperidol 5 mg. Upper GI endoscopy showed large, hard cement in the stomach and multiple pre-antral erosions. The patient was started on omeprazole 40 mg after the procedure. Exploratory laparotomy and gastrotomy were performed as well. The procedure showed a foreign body, gypsum, occupying the stomach and extending from the fundus to the pylorus. Multiple small foreign bodies were seen in the rectum. The foreign bodies were extracted completely. Before discharge, a suicide risk assessment was done using the modified SAD PERSONS scale. The patient's total score was 5, which is low risk. The patient received psychiatric care, and his post-discharge follow-up was unremarkable.
RESUMO
Introduction Immediately after kidney donation, the remaining kidney will undergo hyperfiltration and work at a higher level to compensate for the other kidney's loss. It is estimated that 70% of the baseline renal function before the donation is recovered post-donation. However, factors that determine the post-donation renal compensation are not well understood. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of 190 consecutive kidney donors who completed a one-year follow-up in order to predict the factors affecting the function of the remaining kidney post-contralateral nephrectomy. Results We enrolled 190 living kidney donors who had completed at least one year of follow-up after nephrectomy. Among the participants, 149 (78.4%) were males and 41 (21.6%) were females. The mean age of the participants was 31.33 ±7.9 years and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 25.6 ±3.9 kg/m2. Before kidney donation, the mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and serum creatinine were 114.31 ±15.94 ml/min/1.73 m2 and 71.60 ±10.62 mmol/min, respectively. At the one-year follow-up, the mean eGFR was 77.97 ±14.44 ml/min/1.73 m2 and serum creatinine was 100.84 ±20.15 mmol/min. The female gender [odds ratio (OR): 20.6, 95% CI: 3.9-107.7, p: <0.001] and having a higher baseline eGFR (OR: 8.8, 95% CI: 1.6-45.8, p = 0.01) were found to be significant predictors of having a better eGFR at one year post-nephrectomy. Conclusions Female gender and pre-donation low serum creatinine and high eGFR were the significant predictors of better kidney function at one year post-contralateral nephrectomy. However, further studies with longer follow-up durations are needed to better assess the factors that could predict renal compensation and the renal compensation rate's suitability as a prognostic measure for long-term renal outcomes.
