Type 2 diabetes mellitus risk assessment among Alrass city employees, Qassim, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a serious chronic disease that can affect all parts of human body and associated with short-term and long-term complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy. Age, obesity, family history, and hypertension are considered to be the most common risk factors for the incidence of DM. This study aimed to assess the risk of type 2 diabetes among governmental employee in Alrass city in Qassim, Saudi Arabia. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was done using health professional-administrated questionnaire. Two groups of data collectors were formed and trained to fill out the questionnaire, each group was consist of 1 family medicine doctor and 4 nurses. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS v. 26. Results: A total of 527 subjects participated in our study with a response rate of 100%. Of them, more than half (55%) were females. Approximately all of our participants were Saudi 92% regarding age, more than three quarters (79.5%) were aged less than 45 years, 15.6% were ranged from 45 to 50 years, and 4.9% were from 55 to 64 years. We reported no significant correlation between gender and nationality regarding the risk of DM. Conclusion: Saudi females who aged less than 45 years and obese participants had a risk for developing DM.

Multidimensional CNN-Based Deep Segmentation Method for Tumor Identification.

Weighted MR images of 421 patients with nasopharyngeal cancer were obtained at the head and neck level, and the tumors in the images were assessed by two expert doctors. 346 patients' multimodal pictures and labels served as training sets, whereas the remaining 75 patients' multimodal images and labels served as independent test sets. Convolutional neural network (CNN) for modal multidimensional information fusion and multimodal multidimensional information fusion (MMMDF) was used. The three models' performance is compared, and the findings reveal that the multimodal multidimensional fusion model performs best, while the two-modal multidimensional information fusion model performs second. The single-modal multidimensional information fusion model has the poorest performance. In MR images of nasopharyngeal cancer, a convolutional network can precisely and efficiently segment tumors.

Efficacy of Various Types of Berries Extract for the Synthesis of ZnO Nanocomposites and Exploring Their Antimicrobial Potential for Use in Herbal Medicines.

Nanoscience has developed various greener approaches as an alternate method for the synthesis of nanoparticles and nanocomposites. The present study discusses the efficacy of berries extract for the synthesis of ZnO nanocomposites. Characterization of synthesized nanocomposite were done by SEM, UV/VIS spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and XRD techniques. The crystalline nature of the synthesized nanoparticles was verified by XRD pattern in the range of 10-80 nm. The UV absorption peak of Elaeagnus umbellata (ZnO-EU) nanocomposite at 340 nm, Rubus idaeus (ZnO-Ri) nanocomposite at 360 nm, and Rubus fruticosus (ZnO-Rf) nanocomposite at 360 nm was observed. The nanocomposites were analyzed for their antimicrobial activity and found to be effective against three phytopathogens. The antimicrobial activity of ZnO nanocomposites showed good results against Escherichia coli (341), Staphylococcus aureus (345B), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5994 NLF). This study presents a simple and inexpensive approach for synthesizing zinc oxide nanocomposites with effective antibacterial activity.

The impact of cigarette smoking on the efficiency of local anesthesia during simple tooth extraction.

Smoking is harmful to all organs of the human body and can affect nerve response to local anesthesia.This study aimed to determine the effect of cigarette smoking on the amount and onset of local anesthesia, as well as the chief complaint (symptomatic and asymptomatic), number of cigarettes, and duration of smoking. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A selective clinical case-control study carried out at the Oral Surgery Clinic of the Teaching Hospital at the College of Dentistry. One hundred and three male patients participated in the study, and they were divided into two groups (55 smokers and 48 nonsmokers). The patients received a local anesthetic agent (2% Lidocaine) in a 1.8 ml dental cartridge. The number of cartridges and the onset time of local anesthesia were detailed for each patient in a special case sheet prepared for this study. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference between the smoker and nonsmoker groups regarding the amount of local anesthetic solution (p = .041) with a higher amount needed in the smoker group; however, the onset of action showed no significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.983). The symptomatic cases in smokers needed a higher amount of local anesthesia than the asymptomatic cases with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.002). There was no relationship between daily cigarette consumption and the amount of local anesthetic solution (p = .054) and also the onset of local anesthesia (p = .938). The duration of smoking has no significant relationship with onset time (p = .480) and the amount of local anesthesia (p = .418). CONCLUSION: The amount of local anesthesia used in smoker patients was higher than that in nonsmoker patients, especially if there were symptoms like pain. The duration of smoking and daily cigarette consumption had no effect on the amount and the onset of local anesthesia.

Metformin pre-conditioning enhances the angiogenic ability of the secretome of dental pulp stem cells.

The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of metformin on the angiogenic ability of secretomes from dental pulp stem cells. The stem cells were obtained from the dental pulp (DPSCs) (n = 3) using the explant culture method. We treated the DPSCs with different concentrations of metformin and assessed the expression of the angiogenesis-related genes. We also tested the angiogenic effect of the secretomes on the yolk sac membrane of the chick embryos by counting the quaternary blood vessel formations on the yolk sac membrane. We found that metformin treatment enhanced the angiogenic potential of the stem cell secretome in a dose-dependent manner. This was evidenced by the increase in the quaternary blood vessel formations in the yolk sac membrane with lower to higher concentrations of metformin. Pre-treatment with metformin modulates the angiogenic potential of the stem cell-conditioned media in a dose-dependent manner. The augmentation of the angiogenic potential of the DPSCs can aid regeneration, especially in scenarios requiring the regeneration of vacuoles.

Striving towards environmental sustainability: how natural resources, human capital, financial development, and economic growth interact with ecological footprint in China.

On the economic side, China has attained rapid development; yet, the ecological aspects pose threats to its sustainable development. The nexus between economic growth, natural resources, human capital, and financial development has an important inference for the environment, and therefore, this endeavor examines the influence of said variables on the ecological footprint in China via adopting the novel dynamic simulated ARDL approach by utilizing the data from 1985 to 2018. The outcomes of the analysis confirm that natural resources and financial development have a considerable positive short- and long-run relation with the ecological footprint. Besides, this depicts that natural resources and financial development lead to an upsurge in ecological footprint in China. Furthermore, human capital also upsurges the negative influence on the environment. Economic growth also upsurges the ecological footprint; however, the outcomes also yielded an interesting insight lending credence to the existence of the environmental Kuznets curve in China. So, it is important to offer awareness sessions to the community as well as to human resources working in different sectors regarding the significance of sustainability by giving training related to the reduction of the excessive consumption of scarce resources. Moreover, a watchful deliberation must be given while implementing strategies about sustainability concerning the specified factors and their potential impact on ecological footprints so that the targets of Sustainable Development Goals 7, 8, and 13 could be accomplished by the Chinese economy.

Systematic human rights violations, traumatic events, daily stressors and mental health of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: Almost 900,000 Rohingya refugees currently reside in refugee camps in Southeastern Bangladesh. Prior to fleeing Myanmar, Rohingya experienced years of systematic human rights violations, in addition to other historical and more recent traumatic events such as the burning of their villages and murder of family members, friends and neighbors. Currently, many Rohingya struggle to meet basic needs in refugee camps in Bangladesh and face mental health-related concerns that appear linked to such challenges. The purpose of this study is to describe systematic human rights violations, traumatic events, daily stressors, and mental health symptoms and to examine relationships between these factors. METHODS: Cross-sectional data was collected from a representative sample of 495 Rohingya refugee adults residing in camps in Bangladesh in July and August of 2018. RESULTS: Respondents reported high levels of systematic human rights violations in Myanmar, including restrictions related to expressing thoughts, meeting in groups, travel, religious practices, education, marriage, childbirth, healthcare, and more. Events experienced in Myanmar included exposure to gunfire (99%), destruction of their homes (93%), witnessing dead bodies (92%), torture (56%), forced labor (49%), sexual assault (33%), and other events. More than half (61%) of participants endorsed mental health symptom levels typically indicative of PTSD, and more than two thirds (84%) endorsed levels indicative of emotional distress (symptoms of anxiety and depression). Historic systematic human rights violations, traumatic events, and daily stressors were associated with symptoms of posttraumatic stress, as well as depression and anxiety. Respondents reported numerous stressors associated with current life in the camps in Bangladesh as well as previous stressors, such as harassment, encountered in Myanmar. CONCLUSIONS: Findings underscore the impact of systematic human rights violations, targeted violence, and daily stressors on the mental health of Rohingya in Bangladesh. Those working with Rohingya should consider the role of such factors in contributing to poor mental health. This research has the potential to inform interventions targeting such elements. Future research should examine the relationships between mental health and human rights violations over time.

Prevalence and determinants of depression among caregivers of children with leukaemia in Iraq.

BACKGROUND: Depression in caregivers of leukaemic children is usually overlooked and hence missed, as doctors mostly focused on patient's evaluation and condition. Early attention to symptoms of depression may help to prevent the development of a more serious depression over time. AIMS: This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence, assess severity and identify determinants of depressive disorder among caregivers of children with leukaemia in Baghdad, Iraq, 2014. METHODS: This cross sectional study was conducted on a convenience sample of caregivers of 250 leukaemia children aged <15 years admitted to Child Welfare Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq. Socio-demographic variables were collected and the presence of depressive disorder was assessed using the Arabic Version of Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II); those with a score of >16 were considered depressed. RESULTS: The prevalence of depression was 72% (95% CI: 66-77.5%); classified to 18.9% having borderline clinical depression, 36.7% moderate depression, 27.8% severe depression and 16.7% extreme depression. Presence of depression was significantly higher among younger age caregivers, disease duration of >12 months and frequent hospital admission. CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of depression among care givers of leukaemia patients urge health care professionals to pay more attention to the psychological aspects of the families of leukaemia patients and ensure referring them for psychiatric support.

Prevalence and determinants of depression among caregivers of children with leukaemia in Iraq

Background: Depression in caregivers of leukaemic children is usually overlooked and hence missed, as doctors mostly focused on patient’s evaluation and condition. Early attention to symptoms of depression may help to prevent the devel-opment of a more serious depression over time.Aims: This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence, assess severity and identify determinants of depressive dis-order among caregivers of children with leukaemia in Baghdad, Iraq, 2014. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted on a convenience sample of caregivers of 250 leukaemia children aged <15 years admitted to Child Welfare Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq. Socio-demographic variables were collected and the presence of depressive disorder was assessed using the Arabic Version of Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II); those with a score of >16 were considered depressed. Results: The prevalence of depression was 72% (95% CI: 66–77.5%); classified to 18.9% having borderline clinical depres-sion, 36.7% moderate depression, 27.8% severe depression and 16.7% extreme depression. Presence of depression was sig-nificantly higher among younger age caregivers, disease duration of >12 months and frequent hospital admission. Conclusions: The high prevalence of depression among care givers of leukaemia patients urge health care professionals to pay more attention to the psychological aspects of the families of leukaemia patients and ensure referring them for psychiatric support.

Contexte : La dépression chez les aidants d’enfants leucémiques est souvent négligée et donc non diagnostiquée, les médecins se concentrant la plupart du temps sur l’évaluation et l’état des patients. Une attention précoce accordée aux symptômes de la dépression pourrait permettre de prévenir le développement d’un stade plus avancé de cette affection.Objectifs : La présente étude a été conduite dans le but d’estimer la prévalence, d’évaluer la sévérité et d’identifier les déterminants des troubles dépressifs chez les aidants d’enfants atteints de leucémie à Bagdad (Iraq) en 2014. Méthodes : La présente étude transversale a été réalisée sur un échantillon de commodité de 250 aidants d’enfants leucémiques âgés de moins de 15 ans admis au Centre hospitalier universitaire pour la protection de l’enfance à Bagdad. Les variables socio-démographiques ont été recueillies et la présence de troubles dépressifs a été évaluée à l’aide de la version arabe de l’Inventaire de dépression de Beck II (BDI-II). Les répondants ayant un score supérieur à 16 étaient considérés comme dépressifs. Résultats : La prévalence de la dépression était de 72 % (IC à 95 % : 66 %-77,5 %), parmi lesquels 18,9 % ont été diagnostiqués en dépression clinique limite, 36,7 % en dépression modérée, 27,8 % en dépression sévère et 16,7 % en dépression extrême. La présence de cette affection était significativement plus élevée parmi les aidants plus jeunes ; elle durait généralement plus de 12 mois et nécessitait des hospitalisations fréquentes. Conclusions : La prévalence élevée de la dépression parmi les aidants de patients leucémiques doit inciter les professionnels de la santé à accorder une attention plus soutenue à l’état psychologique des familles des patients et à s’assurer qu’elles soient orientées en vue de bénéficier d’un soutien psychiatrique.

An Aggressive Primary Retroperitoneal Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Mimicking a Pancreatic Neoplasm, Presenting as Duodenal Stenosis.

Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common histological subtype of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL). Primary retroperitoneal DLBCL is uncommon and has seldom been reported. Extrinsic compression of the duodenum due to lesions originating from the retroperitoneum is also rare. We present a case of a 39-year-old man who presented with inability to tolerate oral intake, abdominal pain, an upper abdominal mass and postprandial bilious vomiting caused by a large DLBCL arising from the retroperitoneum causing extrinsic compression of the duodenum. The cause of compression was initially presumed to be a neoplasm arising from the uncinate process of the pancreas or duodenum because of its proximity to the uncinate process and apparent widening of the C loop of duodenum. Repeat Computed Tomography (CT) scans were obtained because of the rapid increase in the size of the mass, normal levels of tumour markers such as Cancer Antigen (CA) 19-9, Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) and no evidence of jaundice in spite of the large size of the mass. It revealed encasement of the uncinate process of pancreas with no involvement of parenchyma of the pancreas, thereby mimicking a pancreatic tumour. The neoplastic lymphoid cells were positive for Leukocyte Common Antigen (LCA), Cluster of Differentiation (CD)20, CD10, B-cell Lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and were negative for Creatine Kinase (CK), CD23, CD30, Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) and cyclin D1, D3 and D5. The Ki67 proliferative index was greater than 95%. Retroperitoneal DLBCL although rare should be considered in cases of duodenal obstruction.

Teething disturbances; prevalence of objective manifestations in children under age 4 months to 36 months

Objective: The aim of this study was to present data as responded by parents on teething manifestation during eruption of primary teeth and the occurrence of objective manifestations in children ages 4 months to 36 months.Settings and Design: Hospital based face-to-face questionnaire study. Study Design: One thousand and one hundred children ages four to 36 months who had at least one erupting tooth were included in the study. Parents were asked to complete a short questionnaire and children were then checked by one of the authors. Statistical analysis used: Chi-square analysis was performed to analyze information obtained. Level of significance was set at P<.05.Results: There were 660 girls (60%) and 440 boys (40%) in the study. The most frequent clinical manifestations were: Fever (16%), drooling (12%), diarrhea (8%), fever-drooling (15%), fever-diarrhea(8%) and drooling-diarrhea (6%). In the study sample, boys demonstrated a higher prevalence of diarrhea than girls (P<.05). No statistical significance regarding other clinical manifestations and gender were observed. Teething manifestations were most prevalent during the eruption of primary incisors. Occurrence of clinical manifestations in 4-12months and 13-24 months age was statistically significant when compared with 25-36months age (P<0.05).Conclusions: An association has been shown between general objective manifestations like fever (the most prevalent), drooling and diarrhea, and the eruption of primary teeth.Most manifestations appeared during the eruption of the primary incisors (AU)

No disponible

Immunoinformatic evaluation of multiple epitope ensembles as vaccine candidates: E coli 536.

Epitope prediction is becoming a key tool for vaccine discovery. Prospective analysis of bacterial and viral genomes can identify antigenic epitopes encoded within individual genes that may act as effective vaccines against specific pathogens. Since B-cell epitope prediction remains unreliable, we concentrate on T-cell epitopes, peptides which bind with high affinity to Major Histacompatibility Complexes (MHC). In this report, we evaluate the veracity of identified T-cell epitope ensembles, as generated by a cascade of predictive algorithms (SignalP, Vaxijen, MHCPred, IDEB, EpiJen), as a candidate vaccine against the model pathogen uropathogenic gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli (E-coli) strain 536 (O6:K15:H31). An immunoinformatic approach was used to identify 23 epitopes within the E-coli proteome. These epitopes constitute the most promiscuous antigenic sequences that bind across more than one HLA allele with high affinity (IC50 < 50nM). The reliability of software programmes used, polymorphic nature of genes encoding MHC and what this means for population coverage of this potential vaccine are discussed.

Teething disturbances; prevalence of objective manifestations in children under age 4 months to 36 months.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to present data as responded by parents on teething manifestation during eruption of primary teeth and the occurrence of objective manifestations in children ages 4 months to 36 months. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Hospital based face-to-face questionnaire study. STUDY DESIGN: One thousand and one hundred children ages four to 36 months who had at least one erupting tooth were included in the study. Parents were asked to complete a short questionnaire and children were then checked by one of the authors. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Chi-square analysis was performed to analyze information obtained. Level of significance was set at P<.05. RESULTS: There were 660 girls (60%) and 440 boys (40%) in the study. The most frequent clinical manifestations were: Fever (16%), drooling (12%), diarrhea (8%), fever-drooling (15%), fever-diarrhea(8%) and drooling-diarrhea (6%). In the study sample, boys demonstrated a higher prevalence of diarrhea than girls (P<.05). No statistical significance regarding other clinical manifestations and gender were observed. Teething manifestations were most prevalent during the eruption of primary incisors. Occurrence of clinical manifestations in 4-12 months and 13-24 months age was statistically significant when compared with 25-36 months age (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: An association has been shown between general objective manifestations like fever (the most prevalent), drooling and diarrhea, and the eruption of primary teeth. Most manifestations appeared during the eruption of the primary incisors.

Survival of occlusal ART restorations in primary molars placed in school environment and hospital dental setup-one year follow-up study

Objective: The objectives of this clinical study were to: evaluate the survival of occlusal atraumatic restorativetreatment (ART) restorations, on a longitudinal basis, in the primary molars of children; and compare the successrate of ART restorations placed in school environment and in hospital dental setup.Study design: One dentist placed 120 ART restorations in 60 five- to seven year-olds who had bilateral matchedpairs of carious primary molars. A split-mouth design was used to place restorations in school and in hospital dental setup, which were assigned randomly to contralateral sides. Restorations were evaluated after 6 and 12 months using the ART criteria.Results: The survival rate of ART restorations placed in school environment was 82.2% at the 6-month assessmentand 77.77% at the 12-month assessment. The success rates of ART restorations placed in hospital dental setup inthe 2 assessments were 87.7% and 81.48%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the ART restorations placed in school environment and hospital dental setup in both assessments (P>O.05). The main cause of failure was the loss of restoration.Conclusions: The one year success rate of occlusal ART restorations in primary molars was moderately successful.The ART technique’s done in hospital dental setup was not proven to be better than restorations placed in school environment (AU)

Survival of occlusal ART restorations in primary molars placed in school environment and hospital dental setup-one year follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this clinical study were to: evaluate the survival of occlusal atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) restorations, on a longitudinal basis, in the primary molars of children; and compare the success rate of ART restorations placed in school environment and in hospital dental setup. STUDY DESIGN: One dentist placed 120 ART restorations in 60 five- to seven year-olds who had bilateral matched pairs of carious primary molars. A split-mouth design was used to place restorations in school and in hospital dental setup, which were assigned randomly to contralateral sides. Restorations were evaluated after 6 and 12 months using the ART criteria. RESULTS: The survival rate of ART restorations placed in school environment was 82.2% at the 6-month assessment and 77.77% at the 12-month assessment. The success rates of ART restorations placed in hospital dental setup in the 2 assessments were 87.7% and 81.48%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the ART restorations placed in school environment and hospital dental setup in both assessments (P > O.05). The main cause of failure was the loss of restoration. CONCLUSIONS: The one year success rate of occlusal ART restorations in primary molars was moderately successful. The ART technique's done in hospital dental setup was not proven to be better than restorations placed in school environment.

Prevalence and pattern of alternative medicine use: the results of a household survey.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Alternative medicine (AM) encompasses all forms of therapies that fall outside the mainstream of medical practice. Its popularity is on the increase. Because previous surveys were limited and not generalizable, we estimated the prevalence, pattern and factors associated with use of AM in the community. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A multistage cluster cross-sectional household survey was conducted among Saudi residents of the Riyadh region. Data were collected in 2003 by trained interviewers from primary health care centers using a specially designed questionnaire. RESULTS: Of 1408 individuals participating in the study, 39% were men. The mean (+/-SD) age for the study population was 35.5 (+/-13.9) years. Sixty-eight percent of the respondents had used AM during the last 12 months. The Holy Quran as a therapy was the most frequently used AM (50.3%), followed by honey (40.1%), black seed (39.2%) and myrrh (35.4%). The health belief model was found to be the most important determinant of AM use. Factors independently associated with AM use included perceived failure of medical treatment, the perceived success of AM, a preference for natural materials, and long appointment intervals to see physicians. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: There is a high prevalence of AM use in the Riyadh region and the most important determinant of AM use was the perceived failure of medical treatment. The study results call for intensive health education campaigns in the media addressing wrong beliefs regarding AM and modern medicine. The popularity of AM in this community should alert decision makers to look at the difficult accessibility to the health system.