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Background: Nearly half of the Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients develop lung involvement. The study assessed the extent of pulmonary involvement among SLE patients and to identify the associated factors in the population. Methodology: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at Aseer Hospital and Khamis Myshat Hospital in the Southern region of Saudi Arabia. The study spanned from January 1, 2016, to June 3, 2023. Patient inclusion criteria encompassed individuals who received a definitive diagnosis and classification as per American College of Rheumatology criteria, while patients under 18 years of age and those with mixed connective tissue diseases were exclude. Results: A total of 247 participants were included. 41.7% (n=103) aged 41 years and older, 95.1% (n = 235) were females. Around 10.10% had diabetes mellitus and 17.00% had hypertension and hypothyroidism. Lupus Nephritis was in 15.40%. Chest involvement was reported in 21.9%, in the form of pleuritis (6.10%), pleural effusion (4.00%), and lupus pneumonitis (4.00%), interstitial lung disease (4.00%), pulmonary embolism (3.60%) of individuals, and pulmonary hemorrhage (2.80%). The respiratory symptoms reported by SLE were; dyspnea, cough, and chest pain each having a prevalence of around 18.0%. Palpitations have a relatively high occurrence at 13.80%. Meanwhile, hemoptysis (blood coughing) has a lower prevalence of 1.20%, and fever is reported at 2.80%. Having chronic kidney disease and hypertension were significantly associated with having pulmonary involvement; (χ2=3.308, p=0.027) and (χ2=7.782, Fisher's p=0.002) respectively. The seropositivity for antiphospholipid Abs, anti-CCP, and antids-DNA were significantly associated with pulmonary involvement (χ2=3.239, =p=0.049), (χ2=4.621, Fisher's p=0.023), and (χ2=8.248, p=0.010) respectively. Conclusion: The study found that 21.9% of SLE patients experience chest involvement, with varying degrees of pulmonary symptoms. Factors such as chronic kidney disease, hypertension, antiphospholipid antibodies, Anti-CCP positivity, and seropositivity for Anti-dsDNA were found to be significant associations with lung involvement, contributing to our understanding of SLE.
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Background and objective Given its ever-increasing burden, chronic kidney disease (CKD) represents a significant public health threat. CKD is characterized by a gradual alteration in the kidney's normal glomerular filtration rate, which results in the progressive loss of kidney function over a period of time ranging from a few months to years. Diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) are well-known risk factors for developing CKD and end-stage renal failure. In light of this, this study aimed to assess the awareness, prevalence, and risk factors of CKD in patients with diabetes and those with HTN in the Aseer region, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods A correlational cross-sectional study was conducted among a sample of people across Saudi Arabia. The data collection was conducted via an online questionnaire circulated on social media platforms. The study questionnaire included socioeconomic and demographic information and medical history of DM, HTN, and CKD. Also, patients' awareness of and attitude towards CKD were assessed. Results A total of 301 diabetic or hypertensive patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria completed the study questionnaire. Of them, 174 (57.8%) were aged less than 55 years, while 127 (42.2%) were aged more than 55 years; 200 (66.4%) patients were males. A total of 94 (31.2%) study patients were diabetic, 64 (21.3%) were hypertensive, and 143 (47.5%) were both diabetic and hypertensive; 226 (75.1%) study patients had an overall good awareness of CKD while only 75 (24.9%) showed a poor awareness level. Higher awareness was associated with patients' age, education, and having CKD, DM, or HTN (p<0.05). Conclusion Our findings revealed that CKD was not common among study patients, and its prevalence was found to be less than estimated based on many studies in the literature. Also, diabetic and hypertensive patients showed a higher than satisfactory level of awareness of CKD, especially young patients with high levels of education.
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Background Parents serve a fundamental role in monitoring developmental milestones and identifying potential delays during early childhood, enabling timely interventions. However, previous studies in Saudi Arabia have shown limited awareness among parents regarding age-specific norms and red flags across developmental domains. This knowledge gap can severely impact the detection and management of abnormalities. Hence, a comprehensive understanding of Saudi parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning childhood developmental trajectories is imperative. Methodology This cross-sectional study assessed developmental milestone awareness, beliefs, and behaviors among Saudi parents. A sample of 1,052 parents completed a validated 38-item questionnaire covering knowledge, attitudes, practices, and demographics. Knowledge was assessed across developmental domains using 22 multiple-choice questions, with scores categorized as excellent (≥75%), good (50%-75%), fair (40%-50%), or poor (≤39%). Attitudes and practices were captured on five-point Likert scales. Descriptive and chi-square analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 28.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results The majority of participants were females (844, 80.2%), with a mean age of 38.8 years. Serious knowledge inadequacies existed regarding developmental timelines across domains, especially motor milestones like crawling (93, 29.4% correct), sitting unsupported (45, 27.6%), pointing at objects (278, 26.4%), and responding to names (440, 41.8%). Overall, 2 (0.2%) participants showed excellent and 281 (26.7%) showed good understanding, while 490 (46.6%) had poor knowledge. Significant sociodemographic variations were observed, with women and experienced parents demonstrating greater awareness (P < 0.001). Despite knowledge gaps, 542 (51.5%) actively sought developmental information themselves, and over 50% trusted pediatric guidance. Most participants expressed a willingness to undergo screenings if risk factors existed and reported spending a considerable amount of daily interaction time with their children, focusing on developmental needs. Conclusions Critical developmental milestone knowledge shortfalls and selective attitudes persist among Saudi parents, warranting public education and physician-parent communication that enhance interventions to enable impactful developmental monitoring and prompt responses to abnormalities in a timely manner.
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STUDY PURPOSE: This study aims to analyze various influencing factors among generations X (Gen X), Y (Gen Y), and Z (Gen Z) of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered mental health virtual assistants. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was adopted in this study. The study sample consisted of outpatients diagnosed with various mental health illnesses, such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and behavioral disorders. A survey questionnaire was designed based on the factors (performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, and behavioural intention) identified from the unified theory of acceptance and use of the technology model. Ethical approval was received from the Ethics Committee at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Saudi Arabia. RESULTS: A total of 506 patients participated in the study, with over 80% having moderate to high experience in using mental health AI assistants. The ANOVA results for performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), social influence (SI), facilitating conditions (FC), and behavioral intentions (BI) indicate that there are statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) between the Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z participants. CONCLUSION: The findings underscore the significance of considering generational differences in attitudes and perceptions, with Gen Y and Gen Z demonstrating more positive attitudes and stronger intentions to use AI mental health virtual assistants, while Gen X appears to be more cautious.
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The extraction of date syrup produces a large quantity of by-product known as date press cake (DPC). This study aimed to utilize valuable ingredients of the DPC by adding 0 (Control), 2, 4, and 6% (g/100 g) of its powder to drinkable yogurt before fermentation. The physicochemical properties, texture profile, and sensory evaluation of the treated DPC-based drinkable yogurt (DPC drinkable yogurt) were measured after fermentation and 5, 10, and 15 days of storage at 4 °C. The modeling of the most critical quality attributes, i.e., pH, acidity, syneresis, water holding capacity (WHC), viscosity, and color difference (ΔE), was conducted to predict their values based on the DPC percentage and storage period. The DPC drinkable yogurt's total solids, protein, and fat ranged between 11.19-11.83, 3.10-3.42, and 2.26-2.34%, respectively. Adding 2-6% DPC slightly increased the pH of DPC drinkable yogurt and decreased its acidity (p > 0.05) during storage. Increasing the DPC percent in DPC drinkable yogurt decreased the syneresis value, and WHC increased during storage. The color parameters and viscosity of DPC drinkable yogurt recorded the highest value at the end of the storage period for all treatments and increased steadily with the increase in DPC. The evaluation of the prediction models indicated that the predicted values were close to the actual experimental values for pH (R2 = 0.779), acidity (R2 = 0.973), syneresis (R2 = 0.961), WHC (R2 = 0.989), viscosity (R2 = 0.99), L* (R2 = 0.919), a* (R2 = 0.995), b* (R2 = 0.922), and ΔE (R2 = 0.921). The textural analysis indicated that increasing the concentration of DPC in the DPC drinkable yogurt increased hardness (g), springiness, cohesiveness, and gumminess and decreased adhesiveness and resilience during cold storage. The evaluation of sensory acceptance during the cold storage of the DPC drinkable yogurt was conducted by 30 expert panelists. Each panelist received four cups of 10 mL drinkable yogurt treatments at 5-10 °C. The evaluation results indicated that adding 2% of DPC was closest in overall sensory acceptability to the control sample (p < 0.05). This study revealed the potential use of DPC in drinkable yogurt as a natural, functional, and low-cost ingredient to improve the fiber content, physicochemical properties, and overall acceptability. Therefore, the fermented DPC-based yogurt drink has the potency to be a practical, value-added, and novel alternative to dairy-based yogurt.
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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.
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Background Postoperative hypoparathyroidism has been investigated in health records and surgical cohorts, but the results have been highly variable and imprecise. It is not clear how often endocrinologists encounter this hormone deficit in clinical practice. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine the incidence of permanent hypoparathyroidism and the factors associated with it in a group of post-thyroidectomy patients followed at three tertiary care institutions in Taif city. Materials and Methods A retrospective cohort analysis was done to examine patients who had a total thyroidectomy in the city of Taif between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2019. Patients were eligible for the study if they received total thyroidectomy, were above the age of 18 years, had surgical and pathological data available, and had been monitored in the same institution for at least a year after their thyroidectomy. Patients who did not return for follow-up care following surgery were excluded from the study. Results The incidence of hypoparathyroidism was 10.3%, and females had a higher prevalence (12.1%) than males (3.2%). In patients with two and three parathyroid glands, hypoparathyroidism was found to be more prevalent (33.3% and 25.5%) in permanent histological sections. There was no single independent risk factor for hypoparathyroidism according to a logistic regression model. Conclusion The incidence rate of hypoparathyroidism following total thyroidectomy was about 10.3%. There were no independent risk factors identified for hypoparathyroidism after total thyroidectomy. Permanent hypoparathyroidism severely affects the quality of life, and research should be done to prevent its incidence after thyroidectomy.