Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding the Risk of Diabetic Feet Among Diabetic Patients in the Madinah Region, Saudi Arabia.

Introduction A patient suffering from diabetes mellitus (DM) has a high chance of developing a diabetic foot. Awareness and attitude toward the prevention of diabetic foot ulcers are necessary for a better quality of life. Educating patients with diabetes about the methods of foot care plays an important role in preventing diabetic foot complications in individuals with DM. This study aims to determine the level of knowledge, attitude, and practices of diabetic patients about the risk of diabetic feet in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. Methodology This is an observational cross-sectional study conducted using an online questionnaire. Participants were older than 18 years of age. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 27 (Released 2020; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States) was used for data analysis. The questionnaire included patient personal data, patients' knowledge regarding diabetic feet, attitude, and practice regarding the risk of diabetic feet among diabetic patients. Results A total of 1155 participants completed the questionnaire. Exactly 79.9% of people had good knowledge regarding diabetic feet and their care. The analysis revealed that age, gender, education level, and family history of DM are all significant predictors of knowledge levels among the participants. The majority of participants strongly agreed that diabetic patients should promptly seek medical assistance in case of any foot infections (90.8%) and take regular checkups (76.5%). Regarding foot care practices, people generally take good care of their feet but do not seek checkups until they experience symptoms (81.8%). Conclusion The study showed that participants had good knowledge about diabetic feet and a careful attitude toward them. Their practices toward diabetic feet were acceptable; however, the issue of late medical consultation after the development of symptomatology needs to be addressed.

Caffeine Consumption and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Levels Among University Students in Medina: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction Caffeine is a psychoactive stimulant frequently found in coffee, tea, energy drinks, and some medications. Various mental health challenges, including stress, anxiety, and depression, commonly affect college students. Moreover, an individual's mental and physical health can be significantly impacted by stress, anxiety, and depression. However, the impact of caffeine on mental health, particularly its association with depressive and anxiety symptoms, remains inconclusive. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the amount of caffeine consumed by university students and its association with depression, anxiety, and stress levels. Material and method This cross-sectional study was performed on Taibah University students in Medina from both health-related and non-health-related colleges. We used a self-administrated questionnaire composed of four sections: the informed consent section; sociodemographic information; the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), which assessed the depression, anxiety, and stress levels; and a caffeine-measuring questionnaire, which reported daily caffeine intake in milligrams per day. Result This cross-sectional study examined a 520 convenience sample of Taibah University students with an age range from 17 to 29 years. The majority of the participants were single (95.2%), most of them were female (73.8%), and slightly more than half (51.5%) were recruited from health-related colleges. According to the study's DASS-21 score results, 45.8% of the students had extremely severe stress, 61% had extremely severe anxiety, and 51% had extremely severe depression. The most frequently reported sources of daily caffeine among the participants were Arabic coffee (69.6%), specialty coffee (57.5%), black tea (56.3%), cola (48.7%), and regular coffee (48.5%). The overall daily amount of consumed caffeine ranged from zero to 4276.7 mg/oz. However, no significant association was found between the severity of the DASS-21 score and the daily consumption of caffeine among Taibah University students. Conclusion Our study shows no significant association between the severity of depression, anxiety, and stress and daily caffeine consumption among university students. This proves the opposite of the theory that high levels of caffeine consumption can be correlated to high levels of depression, stress, and anxiety.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Toward the Prevention of Hepatitis B Virus Infection Among Medical Students in Medina City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

INTRODUCTION: This study focuses on assessing the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to Hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevention among medical students in Medina, Saudi Arabia. HBV is a significant global health concern, with a high prevalence in Saudi Arabia. Medical students due to their field, are at higher risk of exposure. Prior studies in Saudi Arabia show varied levels of awareness. This research aims to provide insights that can inform educational initiatives for this specific population. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted from June 2023 to September 2023 by using a pre-designed online questionnaire that was distributed among medical students in Medina. Data was analyzed using IBM Corp. Released 2020. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 27.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. RESULTS: This study included 307 participants. 67.8% of the participants correctly identified the link between HBV and liver cancer, and 77.5% recognized the transmission risk from carriers. 91.9% acknowledged the transmission via contaminated blood and fluids, and 88.9% recognized the risk from unsterilized instruments. Positive attitudes were observed, with 92.2% agreeing that following infection control guidelines would protect them at work. Practice scores were generally positive, including high rates of screening (57.3%) and adherence to infection control measures (90.2%). Knowledge scores correlated positively with attitude (rho = 0.204) and practice scores (rho = 0.390). CONCLUSION: A significant proportion of participants had a strong understanding of HBV transmission and the importance of infection control measures. Positive attitudes towards infection control were prevalent, although some reluctance to provide care to HBV-infected individuals was noted.

Frequency of serum blood glucose monitoring after hyperkalaemia treatment using insulin and dextrose.

OBJECTIVES: In patients with hyperkalaemia, dextrose is administered alongside insulin treatment to prevent hypoglycaemia. However, the incidence of hypoglycaemia in the first 6 hours following this regimen remains high, and frequent blood glucose monitoring is essential. This study evaluates the frequency of blood glucose monitoring following this insulin regimen. METHODS: This retrospective, multicentre study evaluated adult patients (≥18 years) who had been hospitalised for hyperkalaemia (K ≥ 5 mEq/mL) and managed using intravenous insulin and dextrose. We excluded patients if dextrose was not administered within 60 minutes of insulin therapy. The primary outcome was the frequency of serum blood glucose monitoring within 6 hours of the regimen. Secondary outcomes were the time between insulin treatment and follow-up measurements, and the incidence of hypoglycaemia (blood glucose <70 mg/dL). RESULTS: In total, 521 hyperkalaemia episodes were available for analysis; 192 (36.9%) had at least one reported follow-up measurement, 30 had at least two follow-up measurements (5.8%), and six had at least three follow-up measurements (1.2%). The median times of obtaining the first, second, and third blood glucose measurements were 3 h (interquartile range [IQR]: 1.7-4 h), 3.9 h (IQR: 3.2-5.1 h), and 4 h (IQR: 3.2-5.1 h), respectively. The incidence of hypoglycaemia among the episodes with follow-up was 4.8%. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of serum blood glucose monitoring following insulin therapy was low and inconsistent. This study emphasised the importance of adopting protocols incorporating more frequent blood glucose monitoring.