Co-design and evaluation of a digital serious game to promote public awareness about pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer, ranking seventh in global cancer-related deaths, poses a significant public health challenge with increasing incidence and mortality. Most cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage, resulting in low survival rates. Early diagnosis significantly impacts prognosis, making symptom awareness crucial. Symptoms are often subtle, leading to delayed help-seeking behaviour. Patients and their carers prioritise increased public awareness, indicating a need for innovative approaches to promote awareness of the disease. METHODS: This study employed a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design to assess the relationship between a serious game and pancreatic cancer awareness. Members of the public (N = 727) were recruited internationally, via social media and with signposting by relevant organisations. Participants completed measures of symptom awareness and help-seeking intentions before and after playing the game. The serious game, co-designed with experts by lived experience, patient advocates and healthcare professionals, presented participants with a human anatomy diagram, with each section linked to a question about pancreatic cancer. RESULTS: The serious game demonstrated a statistically significant improvement on pancreatic cancer awareness based on matched paired t-tests. Due to missing data, paired comparisons were only possible for 489 cases. Symptom awareness scores exhibited a statistically significant increase from pre-test to post-test, with a large effect size (p < 0.001, d = 1.43). Help-seeking intentions also markedly improved, showing a significant increase from pre-test to post-test, with a large effect size (p < 0.001, d = 1.10). Independent-samples t-tests were also conducted to determine if there were any group differences on pre- to post-test changes based on age, gender, and previous knowledge and/or experience of pancreatic cancer. Participants overwhelmingly endorsed the game's usability and educational value, suggesting its potential as an effective tool for enhancing public awareness and proactive health-seeking behaviour. DISCUSSION: This study is the first to explore a serious game's utility in pancreatic cancer awareness. Results suggest that such interventions can effectively increase public awareness and influence help-seeking intentions. The co-design process ensured content relevance, and participant satisfaction was high. Findings highlight the game's potential as an accessible and convenient tool for diverse populations.

The Efficacy of Platelet-Rich Plasma as an Adjunct to Bone Grafting in Alveolar Ridge Preservation Following Tooth Extraction.

Background: Tooth extraction often results in bone loss in the alveolar ridge, which can complicate subsequent dental implant placement. Alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) techniques, such as bone grafting, aim to mitigate this bone loss. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been proposed as an adjunct to bone grafting in ARP to enhance bone regeneration. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 patients requiring tooth extraction and ARP were included in this randomized controlled trial. Patients were divided into two groups: Group A received bone grafting alone, while Group B received bone grafting with PRP. Clinical and radiographic assessments were performed at baseline and 6-month postsurgery. Bone density and height were measured using arbitrary values. Results: At the 6-month follow-up, Group B demonstrated a statistically significant increase in bone density (P < 0.05) and bone height (P < 0.05) compared to Group A. The arbitrary values for bone density in Group B increased by 15% and bone height increased by 10% compared to baseline measurements. Group A showed minimal improvement. Conclusion: The incorporation of PRP as an adjunct to bone grafting in ARP following tooth extraction significantly enhances bone density and height, suggesting its efficacy in preserving the alveolar ridge.

Analysis of Gender Dimorphism and Assessment of Racial Variation Through Odontometric Technique: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: When conducting a forensic investigation, one of the most important steps is establishing the biological profile of a victim who cannot be positively recognized or is just a skeleton. It has been shown that, among the other clinical indicators, the diameters of dental crowns are a good and dependable source for determining gender in a particular population sample. However, the literature is sparse regarding their assessment as a viable marker for the determination of a particular race. In addition, the need for population-specific data has also been advocated while determining gender dimorphism based on tooth size. AIM AND OBJECTIVES: To study the bisexual variation in the permanent dentition of individuals from three different sets of populations: Arabian, South Asian, and East Asian. The other objective is to explore the role of this odontometric analysis in predicting the racial identity of the subjects belonging to the aforementioned population. METHODOLOGY: The research was conducted at the College of Dentistry, AlJouf University in Sakaka. Measurements of mesiodistal and buccolingual (BL) distances were taken using a digital vernier caliper on a total of 75 pairs of research models or casts. Statistical tests were run on the information gathered. RESULTS: Of the 75 casts, 38 (50.7%) were of male and 37 (49.3%) were of female. Our analysis showed between genders, a significant difference in maxillary central incisor (P = 0.001), first premolar (P = 0.01), and first molar (P = 0.02) while for a mandibular arch, a significant difference was noted for incisors (P = 0.002) with greater tooth dimension in male than in the female. Concerning the BL dimensions, only the mandibular canine showed a significant difference between males and females (P = 0.001). Comparisons of the crown dimensions between population groups showed that the Arabian population consistently exhibits larger tooth dimensions than the other two populations in both arches. CONCLUSION: A few crown dimensions can be used as an adjunctive tool for the identification of the gender and race of an individual.

Enhancing COVID-19 Knowledge among Nursing Students: A Quantitative Study of a Digital Serious Game Intervention.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a digital serious game intervention about COVID-19 on pre-registration nursing student knowledge. METHOD: This study included 282 nursing students from a university in Northern Ireland, with 210 students providing comparable pre-test and post-test results. The 'serious game' aimed to debunk common COVID-19 myths and provide accurate information about the virus. Participants completed a 25-item questionnaire before and after engaging with the game, which included true/false items based on the World Health Organisation's list of top COVID-19 myths. The data were analysed using paired t-tests to assess knowledge changes, and scores were calculated as percentages of correct answers. RESULTS: A statistically significant improvement in COVID-19 knowledge was demonstrated among first-year nursing students who engaged with the serious game. The post-test scores (M = 92.68, SD = 13.59) were notably higher than the pre-test scores (M = 82.64, SD = 13.26), with a p-value less than 0.001. CONCLUSION: This research suggests that integrating serious games into undergraduate nursing education can effectively enhance COVID-19 knowledge. This approach is aligned with the evolving trend of employing technology and gamification in healthcare education.

Morphometric Analysis of Permanent Canines: Preliminary Findings on Odontometric Sex Dimorphism.

AIM: This study aims to investigate the morphometrics of permanent canines in establishing sexual dimorphism in the native Arabian population. METHODS: Thirty (male = 12; female = 18) native Arabian subjects, with ages ranging between 20-45 years. The mesiodistal (MD), cericoincisal (CI) and labiolingual (LL) widths of the teeth 13, 23, 33, and 43 and the inter-canine distance in maxillary (MaxICW) and mandibular (ManICW) arches were measured using a digital caliper. The gran method was used for establishing sex dimorphism among the study subjects. Descriptive statistics were employed using SPSS version 20.0 (Armonk, NY, USA, IBM Corp.). RESULTS: The comparison of either of the measurements (MD, CI, LL, MaxICW and ManICW) were shown to be statistically significant (p > 0.05). The overall mean values of teeth 13, 23, 33, and 43 for CI, LL, MaxICW, and ManICW were lower for females than males (p > 0.05). The MD width was higher in females than that of males (p > 0.05). The sex dimorphism value for teeth 13, 23, 33, and 43 were 0.98, 0.99, 1, and 0.99, respectively. The standard canine index was high for mandibular teeth and lower for mandibular teeth, and SCI values for teeth 13, 23, 33, and 43 were 0.219, 0.218, 0.257 and 0.256, respectively. CONCLUSION: The morphometrics of permanent canines are helpful in sex determination with the aid of odontometric analysis.

Rate and risk factors of postoperative endoscopic recurrence of moderate- to high-risk Crohn's disease patients - A real-world experience from a Middle Eastern cohort.

Background: Crohn's disease (CD) frequently recurs after intestinal resection. Azathioprine (AZA) and biological therapies have shown efficacy in preventing postoperative recurrence (POR). Data on POR from Middle Eastern populations is lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the rate of endoscopic POR in a cohort of CD patients who underwent ileocecal resection (ICR), and to assess the effectiveness of AZA and biological therapies in reducing the risk of disease recurrence. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study on 105 CD patients followed at our center, who underwent ileal resection and were at moderate to high risk for POR. Clinical and laboratory data were collected; the primary endpoint was post ICR endoscopic recurrence at 24 months defined by Rutgeerts' score of i2 or more despite treatment. Results: In total, 105 patients with Crohn's disease met our inclusion criteria; 76.2% were in remission and did not have endoscopic POR at 24 months. Further, 41.9% were on biological therapy, and 34.3% were mainly on AZA. Out of the 28.2% who had POR, approximately 15% were on biological therapies. Penetrating phenotype was the only predictive factor for decreasing POR (OR = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.04-0.98, P = 0.04) as identified in multiple logistic regression analysis. Conclusions: The use of biological therapies post-surgery was not superior than AZA in reducing the endoscopic POR for mod- high risk CD patients. Only penetrating behavior of the CD was associated with significantly lower risk of endoscopic recurrence. This finding is worth further investigation in more robust study designs and among larger samples of patients.

Clinical Evaluation of the Effects of Topical Indocyanine-green Mediated Photosensitiser vs Aloe Vera Gel as Adjunct Therapy to Scaling and Root Planing in Chronic Periodontitis Patients.

PURPOSE: To clinically evaluate and compare the efficacy of indocyanine green mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) and aloe vera (AV) gel when used as adjunct therapy to scaling and root planing (SRP) for treatment of chronic periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred fifty patients were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: group 1 (SRP), group 2 (SRP+PDT) and group 3 (SRP+AV). Four clinical parameters - plaque index (PI), bleeding on probing (BoP), periodontal (PD) pocket depth and clinical attachment level (CAL) - were evaluated at baseline and 3 and 6 months post treatment. Additionally, the amount of three inflammatory - cytokines IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α - in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) was identified using an enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay (ELISA). RESULT: Statistically significant improvement was observed for all clinical parameters in group 3 at follow-up in comparison to groups 1 and 2. Individuals treated with adjunct PDT showed statistically significant reduction in moderate (4-5 mm) and deep (≥6 mm) PD pockets at the 3-month follow-up. Group-2 and -3 patients displayed statistically significant reductions in cytokines IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α at the 3-month follow-up in comparison to group 1 patients. This reduction in cytokines was maintained at the 6-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: Adjunct treatment regimens PDT and AV gel statistically significantly contributed to decreasing inflammation in periodontal tissue. AV /gel showed potential to decrease BoP, whereas PDT can facilitate increasing the clinical attachment level.

Ear diseases and factors associated with ear infections among the elderly attending hospital in Arar city, Northern Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Changes in the anatomical structures and function of the ear can result in ear diseases, and may affect all age groups including the elderly as a result of aging. OBJECTIVE: To identify the frequency and types of ear diseases among the elderly attending Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz bin Musa'ed Al Saud hospital, Arar city, in the Northern Province of KSA, and factors associated with ear infections among them. METHODS: This cross-sectional hospital based study conducted from December 2016 through May 2017 included 138 elderly participants. A questionnaire was designed for collecting data about socio-demographic variables, the frequency and types of ear diseases among participants, and factors associated with ear infections among them. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 15, using descriptive statistics and Chi-Square test. RESULTS: Findings showed that 49.3% of the participants were suffering from ear disease. Hearing impairment was detected in 37% of the elderly people studied. In addition, 9.4% and 2.9 % of the participants suffered from otitis media and otitis interna, respectively. None of the studied factors had a significant effect on the development and pattern of ear infection among the studied population. CONCLUSION: Ear diseases were found among the participants with variable rates. More than one third of respondents suffered from hearing impairment. Ear infections were detected in lower rates. Although these problems are not life threating, they negatively impact the quality of life, and measures are needed for prevention and control.