RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The outbreak of the novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has influenced all aspects of life and significantly impacted healthcare services. It has collectively necessitated the use of telemedicine in providing healthcare. Through this study, we aim to report the statistics on telemedicine utilization and satisfaction across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during COVID-19. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study to report the utilization and patient satisfaction with telemedicine services across Saudi Arabia. The data was collected retrospectively from March 2020 to July 2020 on 22,620 patients who used telemedicine services for consultations, medicine refills, and home healthcare visits during COVID-19. RESULTS: The patients received a quick response to their calls within a mean (± SD) waiting time of 2.54 (± 6.8) minutes corresponding to a median (IQR) of 0 (0-1) minutes. Home healthcare services were presented within a median (IQR) time of 20.16 (4.64 - 42.28) hours, and patients received medication at home with a median (IQR) time of 18.8 (12.15 - 36.1) hours. Conversations over the phone varied for a median (IQR) time of 5 (3-7) minutes. The highest number of telemedicine calls were for family medicine consultations, i.e., 6729 (29.7%), and the lowest was for infectious diseases 04 (0.1%), followed by cardiology consultations, i.e., 635 (2.8%). A total of 13,154 (58.15) rated their overall satisfaction, of which 11,684 (88.82%) found telemedicine services satisfactory. CONCLUSION: The utilization of telemedicine across Saudi Arabia results have shown telemedicine to be a satisfactory service for convenient and safe communication between patients and their healthcare providers. It can thus be established as a smart and indissoluble service across the kingdom. However, there is a need to raise awareness of insurance coverage for such services to make them more feasible and accessible to the public.
RESUMEN
Three platinum(II) complexes of dicyclopentadiene (DCP) and dithiocarbamates (DTCs), namely, [Pt(η4-DCP)(Me2DTC)]PF6 (1), [Pt(η4-DCP)(Et2DTC)]PF6 (2), and [Pt(η4-DCP)(Bz2DTC)]PF6 (3) [Me2DTC = dimethyldithiocarbamate, Et2DTC = diethyldithiocarbamate, and Bz2DTC = dibenzyldithiocarbamate] were prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, 1H, and 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy. The spectroscopic data indicated the coordination of both DCP and DTC ligands to platinum(II). The solution chemistry of complex 1 revealed that the complexes are stable in both dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and 1:1 mixture of DMSO:H2O. In vitro cytotoxicity of the complexes relative to cisplatin was tested using MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay, against CHL-1 (human melanoma cancer cells), MDA-MB-231 (breast cancer cells), A549 (lung cancer cells), and B16 (murine melanoma cancer cells). The antiproliferative effect of all three prepared complexes was found to be significantly higher than cisplatin. Furthermore, flow cytometric analysis of complex 1 showed that the complex induced apoptosis, oxidative stress, mitochondrial potential depolarization and cell cycle arrest in a concentration-dependent pattern in the CHL-1 cells. Confirmation of apoptosis via gene expression analysis demonstrated down-regulation of anti-apoptotic genes and up-regulation of pro-apoptotic genes in the CHL-1 cells. Wound-healing assays also lent support to the strong cytotoxicity of the complexes. In vivo studies showed a significant reduction of tumor volume at the end of the experiment. In addition, the drug did not change the weight of the mice. In conclusion, complex 1 inhibited cell proliferation in vitro and reduced tumor growth in vivo.
