War Injuries and Nurses' Well-Being: Fatigue and Sleep Quality Among Critical Care Nurses in Najran Region, Saudi Arabia.

Introduction Critical care nurses must maintain optimal work performance. Fatigue and sleep disturbance can limit safe practice and cause negative patient outcomes. This study aimed to explore fatigue and sleep quality among critical care nurses in the war zone in Najran City, Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional research design was used and a convenience sample was applied to include 352 nurses working in critical units at various hospitals in Najran City, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire containing three parts was used: demographic characteristics, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Results The study revealed that 232 nurses (65.9%) reported poor sleep quality. Regarding fatigue levels, 89 nurses (25.2%) reported severe fatigue and 113 (32.1%) reported moderate fatigue. Notably, caring for war-related injuries exhibited a significant positive correlation (r = 0.62, p = 0.0001). Experience correlated negatively (r = -0.47, p = 0.003) with sleep quality and fatigue scores. Most significantly, involvement in caring for war-related injuries showed a strong positive correlation (r = 0.71, p = 0.00001) with FSS scores. Conclusions Poor sleep quality was significantly widespread among the studied nurses. The results indicated that about one-quarter of the studied nurses reported severe fatigue, which was alarmingly prevalent among nurses. Nurses involved in caring for war-related injuries exhibited a strong positive correlation with both PSQI and FSS scores. Recommendations The authors recommend developing and implementing counseling and stress management programs to address the unique challenges faced by nurses caring for war-related injuries.

The Prevalence of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

The prevalence of Tuberculosis (TB) serves as a pivotal metric, reflecting the TB burden within a specific demographic. It quantifies the number of individuals affected by either active TB disease or latent TB (LTBI). Such data is crucial for assessing the efficacy of TB control interventions and determining the demand for diagnostic and treatment services. This study aims to consolidate data on TB infection prevalence in Saudi Arabia from existing literature. Additionally, we stratify this prevalence based on age, professional involvement in healthcare, gender, and region. Our search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases to determine relevant studies. The pooled prevalence of TB infection among the total population residing in Saudi Arabia was estimated using a random-effect meta-analysis approach and Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. The protocol was registered in the PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews, No: CRD42023400984. We included 21 studies, 11 of which were pooled in the analysis. The overall prevalence was 17%.Regarding the specific population, we found that the prevalence of TB in Saudi Arabia was 9.8% and 26.7% in the general population and the healthcare workers, respectively. Stratifying by age, the highest prevalence was observed in individuals over 50 years (33.0%), while the lowest was in the 10-19 age group (6.4%). In terms of gender, men had a higher prevalence (12.0%) compared to women (9.4%). The prevalence of TB in Riyadh was 6.4%, and 3.6% in Mecca and Medina. Among healthcare workers, nurses and physicians had a prevalence of 14.7% and 15.0%, respectively. Our study found a TB prevalence of 17.0% in Saudi Arabia, higher than the worldwide average of 12.0%. Men had a higher prevalence than women, and healthcare workers had a relatively low prevalence compared to other countries. Age was a significant risk factor, with the highest prevalence in individuals above 50 years. Standardized protocols for screening and diagnosis and targeted interventions are needed to combat TB effectively in the country.

Tuberculosis research advances and future trends: A bibliometric knowledge mapping approach.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are more vulnerable to many transmissible diseases, including tuberculosis (TB). This study is to identify the scientific publications related to TB in the GCC countries using topic modeling and co-word analysis. A bibliometric analytic study. The R-package, VOSviewer software, IBM SPPS, and Scopus Analytics were used to analyze performance, hotspots, knowledge structure, thematic evolution, trend topics, and inter-gulf and international cooperation on TB in the past 30 years (1993-2022). A total of 1999 publications associated with research on GCC-TB were published. The annual growth rate of documents was 7.76%. Saudi Arabia is the most highly published, followed by the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain. The most-cited GC country is Kingdom Saudi Arabia, followed by Kuwait. One hundred sixty research institutions contributed to the dissemination of TB-related knowledge in the GCC, where the highest publishing organizations were King Saud University (Kingdom Saudi Arabia; n = 518). The number of publications related to TB is high in GCC Countries. The current tendencies indicated that GCC scholars are increasingly focused on deep learning, chest X-ray, molecular docking, comorbid covid-19, risk factors, and Mycobacterium bovis.

COVID-19 and malaria co-infection: a systematic review of clinical outcomes in endemic areas.

Background: COVID-19 and malaria cause significant morbidity and mortality globally. Co-infection of these diseases can worsen their impact on public health. This review aims to synthesize literature on the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 and malaria co-infection to develop effective prevention and treatment strategies. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using MeSH terms and keywords from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to January 2023. The review included original articles on COVID-19 and malaria co-infection, evaluating their methodological quality and certainty of evidence. It was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023393562). Results: Out of 1,596 screened articles, 19 met the inclusion criteria. These studies involved 2,810 patients, 618 of whom had COVID-19 and malaria co-infection. Plasmodium falciparum and vivax were identified as causative organisms in six studies. Hospital admission ranged from three to 18 days. Nine studies associated co-infection with severe disease, ICU admission, assisted ventilation, and related complications. One study reported 6% ICU admission, and mortality rates of 3%, 9.4%, and 40.4% were observed in four studies. Estimated crude mortality rates were 10.71 and 5.87 per 1,000 person-days for patients with and without concurrent malaria, respectively. Common co-morbidities included Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and respiratory disorders. Conclusion: Most patients with COVID-19 and malaria co-infection experienced short-term hospitalization and mild to moderate disease severity. However, at presentation, co-morbidities and severe malaria were significantly associated with higher mortality or worse clinical outcomes. These findings emphasize the importance of early detection, prompt treatment, and close monitoring of patients with COVID-19 and malaria co-infection.

Awareness of Seizure First Aid among the population in Jazan, Saudi Arabia: A survey Study.

Background: First aid during a seizure is critical, but many people in Jazan, Saudi Arabia may not know what to do. This is because epilepsy is often stigmatized in the region and regarded as a spiritual or mental disorder. This study investigated the awareness of seizure first aid among the population living in Jazan. Methods: An online survey was conducted. Healthcare workers and people who had never heard of epilepsy were excluded. Participants were asked to identify correct measures of seizure first aid from a list of 20 statements [9 correct and 11 incorrect]. A composite awareness score was calculated by subtracting the number of incorrect statements from the number of correct statements. Participants were classified into three groups: high, intermediate, and low awareness. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with high awareness. Results: Of the 1215 participants, 80.5 % had low awareness of seizure first aid. The most common correct responses were clearing the area of dangerous objects (91.3 %), putting a pillow under the neck (69.3 %), and timing the seizure (68.5 %). However, only 32.2 % knew to tell the person what happened after the seizure. The most common misconception was that an ambulance should be called immediately, regardless of the details (88.3 %). Other common misconceptions included putting something in the person's mouth (87.5 %), holding them down (83.0 %), taking out their contact lenses (79.9 %), and giving antiseizure medications orally (73.2 %). People who previously watched an educational video on seizure first aid (OR = 4.27, 95 % CI = 1.48-12.34, p = .007) or who knew someone with epilepsy (OR = 9.01, 95 % CI = 2.82-28.83, p < .001) were more likely to have a high awareness of seizure first aid. Conclusion: The study found that most people in Jazan, Saudi Arabia do not know how to provide first aid for seizures. The findings inform future research and highlight the need for increased education and training on seizure first aid in this region.

Patients' perception towards digital health services in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of the widespread use of digital health services (DHS). Despite evidence of the benefits of DHS, there are many barriers to their adaptation worldwide. This study aimed to measure the effectiveness of DHS from the patient perspective. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia from December 2022 to March 2023. Of the 323 participants who completed the online questionnaire, 63.5% were female, and 55.4% of participants found that DHS was satisfactory. 34% of the participants preferred DHS via telephone calls and 40.2% found that DHS was comparable to direct regular services in building trust between patients and doctors. A total of 79.2% agreed that DHS could reduce unnecessary outpatient visits and 70.9% agreed that it could be used effectively to follow patients with chronic diseases. DHS was found to be cost-effective in 76.8%. Digital healthcare has the potential to significantly improve health care outcomes and effectiveness in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the use of a DHS for monitoring and dispensing care would be advantageous. However, difficulties such as lack of time or a packed schedule have prevented patients in Saudi Arabia from using telemedicine.

Therapeutic activity of green synthesized selenium nanoparticles from turmeric against cisplatin-induced oxido-inflammatory stress and cell death in mice kidney.

Cisplatin (CDDP) is a commonly prescribed chemotherapeutic agent; however, its associated nephrotoxicity limits its clinical efficacy and sometimes requires discontinuation of its use. The existing study was designed to explore the reno-therapeutic efficacy of turmeric (Tur) alone or conjugated with selenium nanoparticles (Tur-SeNPs) against CDDP-mediated renal impairment in mice and the mechanisms underlying this effect. Mice were orally treated with Tur extract (200 mg/kg) or Tur-SeNPs (0.5 mg/kg) for 7 days after administration of a single dose of CDDP (5 mg/kg, i.p.). N-acetyl cysteine NAC (100 mg/kg) was used as a standard antioxidant compound. The results revealed that Tur-SeNPs counteracted CDDP-mediated serious renal effects in treated mice. Compared with the controls, Tur or Tur-SeNPs therapy remarkably decreased the kidney index along with the serum levels of urea, creatinine, Kim-1, and NGAL of the CDDP-injected mice. Furthermore, Tur-SeNPs ameliorated the renal oxidant status of CDDP group demonstrated by decreased MDA and NO levels along with elevated levels of SOD, CAT, GPx, GR, GSH, and gene expression levels of HO-1. Noteworthy, lessening of renal inflammation was exerted by Tur-SeNPs via lessening of IL-6 and TNF-α besides down-regulation of NF-κB gene expression in mouse kidneys. Tur-SeNPs treatment also restored the renal histological features attained by CDDP challenge and hindered renal apoptosis through decreasing the Bax levels and increasing Bcl-2 levels. Altogether, these outcomes suggest that the administration of Tur conjugated with SeNPs is effective neoadjuvant chemotherapy to guard against the renal adverse effects that are associated with CDDP therapy.

The effects of Yakson touch and gentle human touch on preterm infants: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

We aim to collect the evidence of efficacy of Gentle Guman Touch (GHT) and Yakson Touch in preterm neonates as pain relief, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and urine cortisol level. We made our search through PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane by the mid of March 2023. Randomized control trials (RCTs) were included, and the Cochrane risk of bias tool was utilized to assess their quality. Using Review Manager software, a meta-analysis was conducted. We computed the mean difference (MD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) for the continuous data. During the examination, the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS) was significantly reduced in the touch group compared to the control group (MD = -3.40, 95% CI [-4.15 to -2.64], P-value= 0.00001). After the examination, the NIPS score was also reduced by both Yakson touch and GHT compared to the control (MD = -2.14, 95% CI [-3.42 to -0.85], P-value <0.00001). Yakson touch and GHT are non-pharmacological, easy, and safe methods that can be used for painful interventions to reduce the pain experience of preterm infants from variable interventions. Both methods improved infant sleep and behavior. Preterm infants' heart rates and oxygen saturation were unaffected by Yakson touch or GHT.