Suicidal Ideation Among Medical Students in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Medical students are at high risk of suicidal ideation. Aim: We aimed to obtain information on suicidal ideation among medical students in Dammam located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the College of Medicine affiliated with Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Suicidal ideation in the past 12 months was assessed based on responses to four questions in the depression subscale of the General Health Questionnaire 28 (GHQ-28). In addition, data were collected to examine the association of suicidal ideation with various factors. Results: We found that 1 in 3 medical students in the study had suicidal ideation in the past 12 months, while around 40% had lifetime suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation was associated with feelings of parental neglect, history of physical abuse, and dissatisfaction with academic performance. Limitations: The cross-sectional nature of this study limits its ability to determine causality regarding suicidal ideation. Conclusion: These rates are considerably high when compared with rates from studies in other countries around the world. This study provides a reference in the field of suicidology for this region of Saudi Arabia.

Histologic Reliability of Tissues from Embalmed Cadavers: Can They be Useful in Medical Education?

BACKGROUND: Current trends in medical curricula are shifting from teaching histology and pathology as stand-alone disciplines. Therefore, it would be useful to examine the potential value of integrating these into the anatomical dissection experience. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the histologic reliability of tissues taken from embalmed cadavers in an anatomy laboratory. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 112 tissue samples were obtained using standard autopsy techniques from various organs (heart, lung, thyroid, skeletal muscle, bone and skin) of 11 cadavers available at the anatomy laboratory of Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia, in 2019. Samples were prepared using the standard paraffin procedure followed by cutting sections at 4-µm thickness and staining with standard hematoxylin and eosin stain. Using predefined criteria, the quality of the samples was evaluated by two board-certified histopathologists and each slide was categorized as good, satisfactory or poor. RESULTS: Overall, 34.2% and 60.3% of the slides were of good and satisfactory quality, respectively. A significant difference in tissue quality was found between various organs. Thick skin and bone tissues had the highest "good" rating (84.6% and 81.8%, respectively), while thyroid and lung tissues had the highest "poor" rating (20% and 13.6%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Most of the tissues acquired from the embalmed cadavers were of good or satisfactory quality, thereby indicating the beneficial use of histological tissue from cadavers for educational purposes. Future research into how these findings translate into meaningful medical education would be beneficial.