Retraction: Tracheal Bronchus: A Rare Etiology of Recurrent Pneumonia in Children.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.20378.].

Obesity Concerns and the Future of a Nation's Health: A Cross-Sectional Study of Physical Activity and Related Awareness of Doctors-in-The-Making, Staff, and Faculty in a Saudi Arabian Medical College.

Background: Saudi Arabian population has amongst the highest prevalence of obesity globally. Apart from nutritional measures, physical activity is considered a major modifiable risk factor for the prevention of obesity and its consequences. An insight into the physical activity and awareness parameters of healthcare professionals and those in the making can provide an insight into how prepared we are to deal with the epidemic of non-communicable diseases. The aim of this study is to find out about the degree of physical activity undertaken by the medical students, faculty and staff at the College of Medicine, King Khalid University, as well as their awareness regarding physical activity guidelines. Methods: This study surveyed 300 adult participants - medical students, faculty and staff - in the College of Medicine, King Khalid University. An international validated questionnaire was used to assess the physical activity profile of participants as well as BMI parameters. Moreover, awareness and knowledge of the recommended physical activity guidelines for adults were also assessed. Results: The study participants comprised around 83% students, 9% faculty members, and 7% staff members. Around 55% of the participants were male, while the rest were female. More than 65% of participants across all categories reported low levels of physical activity, with only about 4.5% of participants across various age groups reporting high levels of physical activity. There was no significant difference by gender across the group (P value = 0.227). Only 17% of the study participants were knowledgeable of the recommended physical activity guidelines for adults. Conclusion: We found a low level of physical activity as well as inadequate awareness about the physical activity guidelines amongst our study participants. This study reiterates the urgent need for well-researched and well-funded health promoting interventions to promote physical activity, especially in the context of health professions' education.

Effect of Uncomplicated Diabetes Mellitus on Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Among COVID-19 Patients in Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; an ssRNA virus), which mainly affects the respiratory system but can also cause damage to other body systems. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a serious complication of COVID-19 that requires early recognition and comprehensive management. ARDS is a diffuse inflammatory process that causes diffuse alveolar damage in the lung.  Aim: The study aimed to assess the effect of uncomplicated diabetes mellitus on ARDS among COVID-19 patients in the Aseer region. METHODOLOGY:  A retrospective cohort study was conducted in Aseer Central Hospital between July 10, 2021 to Jan 15, 2022 where confirmed inpatient COVID-19 cases in the Aseer region were classified into two groups. The first group was diabetic patients without any diabetes-related complications and confirmed for COVID-19 infection (diabetes group). The second group was confirmed COVID-19 patients free from any chronic disease. Extracted data included patients' diabetes status, medical history, socio-demographic data, COVID-19 infection data and vaccination, experienced signs and symptoms, tachypnea, use of accessory muscles of respiration, nasal flaring, grunting, cyanosis, need for hospitalization, need for mechanical ventilation and ICU admission.  Results: The study included 144 patients with uncomplicated diabetes and 323 healthy patients with COVID-19 infection. The mean age of the diabetic group was 65.4 ± 12.9 years old compared to 40.2 ± 11.9 years old for the healthy group. Only one case of the diabetic group was vaccinated against COVID-19 at the study period versus two cases of the healthy group (P=.925). Also, 14 (9.7%) of the diabetic group were contacted with confirmed COVID-19 cases in comparison to 44 (13.6%) healthy cases (P=.238). A total of five (3.5%) diabetic cases needed mechanical ventilation during hospitalization compared to 23 (7.1%) healthy cases with no statistical significance (P=.125). Also, 12 (8.3%) diabetic cases admitted to ICU versus 42 (13%) of healthy cases (P=.145).  Conclusions: In conclusion, there is a great controversy regarding the effect of diabetes on the progression of COVID-19 infection to ARDS. The current study showed that there was no significant difference between diabetic and healthy COVID-19 infected cases regarding ARDS related clinical factors mainly need of ICU admission and mechanical ventilation.

Tracheal Bronchus: A Rare Etiology of Recurrent Pneumonia in Children.

Recurrent infections are a common cause for seeking medical care and they result in significant parental anxiety and concerns. Although immunodeficiency disorders are an important underlying cause of recurrent infections, the majority of children with recurrent infections do not have any dysfunction in their immune systems. We present the case of an 11-year-old boy who was brought to the outpatient department by his parents because of a complaint of productive cough for the last one week that was associated with low-grade fever. The patient had a history of frequent episodes of pneumonia. He developed three episodes of pneumonia within the last year. According to the parents, the patient was investigated previously for possible immunodeficiency disorders, but the findings did not reveal any abnormal results. His siblings are healthy and have no history of recurrent infections or immunodeficiency disorders. The vital signs were within the normal limits. The patient was treated empirically with the antibiotic course of amoxicillin. The patient was given a follow-up appointment one week later. In the follow-up visit, the patient had complete resolution of the infection. The parents expressed concern about their child having recurrent episodes of infections. The patient underwent a high-resolution CT scan of the thorax to rule out any structural abnormalities. The scan demonstrated the presence of an aberrant bronchus arising from the lateral wall of the trachea above the level of the carina and supplying the apical segment of the right upper lobe. This finding is often referred to as a "tracheal bronchus." The tracheal bronchus is a rare congenital anomaly of the respiratory tract. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of children with recurrent pneumonia with no infections in other organ systems to suggest immunodeficiency disorder.

Ultrastructure Organization of Collagen Fibrils and Proteoglycans of Stingray and Shark Corneal Stroma.

We report here the ultrastructural organization of collagen fibrils (CF) and proteoglycans (PGs) of the corneal stroma of both the stingray and the shark. Three corneas from three stingrays and three corneas from three sharks were processed for electron microscopy. Tissues were embedded in TAAB 031 resin. The corneal stroma of both the stingray and shark consisted of parallel running lamellae of CFs which were decorated with PGs. In the stingray, the mean area of PGs in the posterior stroma was significantly larger than the PGs of the anterior and middle stroma, whereas, in the shark, the mean area of PGs was similar throughout the stroma. The mean area of PGs of the stingray was significantly larger compared to the PGs, mean area of the shark corneal stroma. The CF diameter of the stingray was significantly smaller compared to the CF diameter in the shark. The ultrastructural features of the corneal stroma of both the stingray and the shark were similar to each other except for the CFs and PGs. The PGs in the stingray and shark might be composed of chondroitin sulfate (CS)/dermatan sulfate (DS) PGs and these PGs with sutures might contribute to the nonswelling properties of the cornea of the stingray and shark.