Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Foot Care and the Risk of Foot Ulcers in Diabetic Patients in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Diabetic patients in Saudi Arabia are often underinformed about proper diabetic foot care. This study aims to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practice of the risk factors of diabetic foot ulcers among diabetic patients in the Jeddah region of Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done on 210 diabetic patients attending the international diabetic center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, during the study period. A validated questionnaire was used to collect data about participants' demographics and knowledge, attitudes, and practices of diabetic foot care. RESULTS: Of the participants, 77 (36.7%) were aged 51-60 years; 161 (76.7%) were male; 153 (72.9%) had a university education; and approximately 138 (65%) had type 2 DM. A majority, 190 (90.5%), acknowledged that DM patients might have reduced foot sensation; 204 (97.1%) agreed that diabetics could develop gangrene; 188 (89.5%) concurred that poor foot sensation increases the risk of foot ulcers; and 193 (91.9%) agreed that poor blood flow to the feet heightens this risk. Among them, 152 (72.4%) demonstrated good knowledge about foot care and the risk of foot ulcers; eight (3.8%) exhibited a positive attitude; and 95 (45.2%) showed a good level of practice. Good knowledge was significantly higher among married patients, and good practice was notably higher among older patients (>50 years). A significant positive correlation was found between knowledge scores and both attitude and practice scores. CONCLUSION: The study revealed adequate knowledge and practice of foot care and the risk of foot ulcers among diabetic patients. However, a high percentage of negative attitudes toward these issues were observed.

Patterning-mediated supramolecular assembly of lipids into nanopalms.

At nanoconfined interfaces, a micellar ink of lipids was programmed to transform into various secondary structures such as discs, sheets, or sheet and discs via patterning-mediated self-assembly facilitated by polymer pen lithography. Nanoconfinement with printing force, humidity, temperature, pattern size, and total printing time all governed the intramolecular assembly of lipids and determined their structural shape and size. For example, disc or sheet architectures self-organized to produce cochleates or discotic liquid crystals, respectively. In contrast, the combined structure of sheet and discs produced a novel supramolecular output referred to as "nanopalms". The mechanism of nanopalms formation and the origin of their stability were investigated and discussed. Post patterning treatment helped to transform the patterned discs into ribbons and sheets into cochleates that could facilitate the curling of ribbons along their folding direction in a programmed manner via intermolecular self-organization producing the nanopalms.

Efficacy of curcumin for recurrent aphthous stomatitis: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is the most common ulcerative lesion of the oral mucosa. The management of RAS is quite challenging with no definitive cure. OBJECTIVE: The present systematic review aimed to summarize the available evidence regarding the efficacy of curcumin in the management of RAS. METHODS: PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases were searched in June 2020 for all relevant studies. Clinical trials that assessed the efficacy of curcumin for the management of RAS were included. The primary outcomes were pain and/or clinical improvement. RESULTS: Eight studies involving 439 subjects were included. The efficacy of curcumin was compared with 1% triamcinolone in four studies, glycerin vehicle in one study, placebo in one study, and honey in one study. Overall, the included studies reported a good efficacy of curcumin in reducing pain and ulcers size in patients with RAS. Four studies found curcumin as effective as triamcinolone in relieving signs and symptoms of RAS. Three studies reported superior results with curcumin as compared with control groups. CONCLUSION: The limited available evidence suggests that curcumin have potential benefits in alleviating pain and accelerating healing in patients with RAS. Further well-designed clinical trials with standardized curcumin formulations are highly recommended.

Patient Satisfaction with Pharmaceutical Services in Makkah: A Cross-sectional Study.

Objective: Patient satisfaction is considered an essential indicator of the treatment outcomes of pharmaceutical services. This study aimed to assess patient satisfaction with the pharmaceutical services at the Ministry of Health (MOH) hospitals in Makkah city in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted via an interview-based questionnaire that involved patients who visited the outpatient pharmacy in five MOH hospitals from August 2018 to September 2018. The data were collected using a previously published, validated, and reliable questionnaire. The questionnaire was translated and piloted for the local context. Findings: Data of 295 respondents were analyzed. The overall mean score of satisfaction level with the pharmaceutical services was found to be 2.50 out of a maximum score of 3. The item that the patients were most satisfied with was, "The extent of cleanliness in the waiting area for the provision of pharmaceutical services" (mean = 2.80) whereas the item the patients were least satisfied with was, "The information the pharmacist gives you about the proper storage of your medication" (mean = 2.00). "Illiterate" patients and those who visited the pharmacy first time had significantly higher satisfaction levels compared to those with other educational categories and those who had visited the pharmacy before, respectively. Conclusion: Our study showed that the overall level of satisfaction of patients with pharmaceutical services was high.