Antifungal and Antiproliferative Activity of Pistagremic Acid and Flavonoids Extracted from the Galls of Pistacia chinensis subsp. integerrima.

Pistacia chinensis subsp. integerrima (J.L. Stewart) Rech. f. is a plant known for its therapeutic applications in traditional medicine, which are related to its antimicrobial, anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antidiarrheal, and muscle relaxant properties. The galls of P. chinensis are rich in triterpenes and flavonoids, and we here report the extraction of pistagremic acid (1), apigenin (2) and sakuranetin (3) from this source. The isolated compounds were tested against Aspergillus flavus, Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Fusarium solani, Microsporum canis and Trichoderma longibrachiatum. The results highlighted the antimicrobial activity of flavonoids 2 and 3, suggesting that this class of molecules may be responsible for the effect related to the traditional use. On the other hand, when the compounds and the extract were tested for their antiproliferative activity on a panel of 4 human cancer cell lines, the triterpene pistagremic acid (1) showed a higher potential, thus demonstrating a different bioactivity profile. Structure-based docking and molecular dynamics simulations were used to help the interpretation of experimental results. Taken together, the here reported findings pave the way for the rationalization of the use of P. chinensis extracts, highlighting the contributions of the different components of galls to the observed bioactivity.

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.

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.

Prevalence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Among Children in Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia.

Introduction Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common behavioral disorder in children and is described as a disease involving loss of self-control. The core symptoms of ADHD are inattentiveness, impulsivity, and motor unrest. Furthermore, poor concentration, distraction, hyperactivity, and poor academic achievement at school or at home are other symptoms. ADHD, like other prevalent medical disorders such as asthma and schizophrenia, may be impacted by several genes and has multiple contributing causes that are not all related to each other. The management of ADHD contains multimodal treatments, starting with psycho-education for parents and the child or adolescent patient in an age-appropriate manner called cognitive behavioral therapy. The worldwide prevalence rate of ADHD among children is 7.2% and, in some countries, can be higher and reach 15.5%; studies show the average prevalence of ADHD in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is 9.2%. Method A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2022 to January 2023 among children who live in Makkah between the ages of 4 and 14 years old via an online survey that contained the ADHD Rating Scale-IV for parents/teachers, and caregivers based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV criteria. The scale was translated into Arabic and contains 18 questions about ADHD symptoms. Result The overall prevalence of combined ADHD among children in Makkah is 52.5% (n=203 out of 387); most of them were males (30.8%) and 21.7% were females (P=0.09), and most of the combined ADHD prevalence was between the ages of 11 and 14 (20.4%), then the age of 4-7 (16.8%), and 15.3% of them were between 8 and 10 years old. Additionally, the results show a higher prevalence of combined ADHD in Makkah city (33.1%) (n=121) in comparison to rural areas 19.4% (n=82) (P=0.132). Conclusion The aim of the study was to measure the prevalence rate of ADHD in the Makkah region. The study showed a high prevalence rate of ADHD (52.5%) among children in Makkah; the study was carried out online using an ADHD scale, and more accurate results could be found by using face-to-face interviews and including both parents and teachers.

Overflow phenomenon in serum lutein after supplementation: a systematic review supported with SNPs analyses.

Lutein, a type of carotenoids, is found to delay the onset and progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Several lutein supplementation studies showed that after an initial increase, lutein serum levels demonstrated a subsequent decrease despite continuous supplementation. In this systematic literature review, this obscure phenomenon was tried to be explained. The subsequent drop in lutein levels was postulated due to down-regulation of lutein receptors scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) in the gastrointestinal tract, upregulation of lutein degrading enzyme ß-carotene dioxygenase (BCDO2), or perhaps a combination of both. Some single nucleotides polymorphisms (SNPs) that could have influence on the occurrence of this phenomenon. To date, an exact scientific explanation for this phenomenon has not been established. Further research is needed to investigate this phenomenon in depth to reach an irrefutable explanation, giving that lutein is proven to be effective in delaying the onset and progression of AMD and its metabolism in the human body becomes of equal importance.

Work-Related Musculoskeletal Symptoms in Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Residents.

OBJECTIVES: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders in Saudi Arabia are not often reported in the literature. This study aimed to identify musculoskeletal symptoms among otorhinolaryngology residents in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted in May 2018 and included residents registered in the Saudi Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Board Training programme, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used to assess musculoskeletal symptoms in addition to demographic and occupational factors, including operating position and the average number of operating hours. RESULTS: A total of 45 residents (response rate: 68.2%) completed the survey, including 33 males (73.3%) and 12 females (26.7%). Most residents (91.1%) reported at least one musculoskeletal symptom. The most commonly reported musculoskeletal over the previous 12 months were shoulder complaints (64.4%) followed by neck complaints (60%). In the short term (i.e. within seven days preceding the survey), neck complaints were more common than shoulder complaints (28.9% versus 20%). Lower back complaints were the most common cause of activity limitation (24.4%) followed by shoulder complaints (13.3%), while those with neck complaints reported it as a cause for visiting a physician (8.9%). Hip and thigh complaints were significantly more frequent among residents with operation times of eight hours or more compared to those who operating for less than eight hours (42.9% versus 5.9%; P = 0.021). CONCLUSION: A high incidence of shoulder, neck and lower back complaints was found in this study. Residency is an ideal time in an otorhinolaryngologist's career to implement programmes in ergonomic best practices before bad habits are developed.

Do various personal hygiene habits protect us against influenza-like illness?

BACKGROUND: Several studies have reported an association between improvements in hand hygiene and the reductions in rates of intestinal parasitic diseases. However, only a some have addressed its link to the frequency of influenza-like illness. The current study aimed to find the correlation between personal hygiene habits and the frequency of influenza-like illness. METHODS: A cross-sectional study targeting 3000 participants conducted in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia. A systematic random sampling methodology was applied for participant from different part of Riyadh city using a computer generating system. The researcher first started by calling each participant. A full explanation was given to each participant in details (from the purpose of the research, consent to answer the questionnaire, to the explanation of the outcome definition). Each point of the questionnaire was explained to them to make sure they had excellent comprehension, and therefore, respond accurately. Descriptive statistics and Odds Ratio and its 95% confidence intervals were used to determine the association between frequency of influenza-like illness and the studied variables. RESULTS: Two thousand eighty-two (69.4%) completed the questionnaire. The participants who spent 5-10 s in handwashing with soap and rubbing were at increased risk of more frequent influenza-like illness (odds ratio = 1.37, 1.08-1.75). Handwashing with soap and rubbing after handshaking is an independent protective habit against frequent influenza-like illness (adjusted OR = 0.59, 0.37-0.94). CONCLUSION: The decrease of the frequency of influenza-like illness could be done through the following: getting the influenza vaccine annually, washing hands with soap and hand rubbing not less than 15 s after getting out of the bathroom, before and after handshaking and before eating. Soap companies should invent soaps that take less rubbing time to kill bacteria, and subsequently may maximize compliance in the community.