RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Social media has fostered a landscape where trends, ideals, and beauty standards have significantly proliferated. Images of flawless skin, sculpted features, and curated aesthetics inundate user feeds, potentially shaping their self-perceptions and aspirations. The rise of influencers, dermatologist social media engagement, and beauty campaigns sharing skincare routines and product recommendations wield substantial influence over individual appearance-related decisions. AIMS: The main aim of this study is to determine the pattern of behavior in using social media to seek dermatological procedures and skin care routine. METHODS: We conducted a nationwide, online cross-sectional study targeting the general Saudi population. Our survey aimed to understand participant social media behaviors and gather insights into skincare products, cosmetic procedures, and makeup habits. RESULTS: Gender-related differences emerged in seeking skincare advice. Females preferred dermatologists on social media (p < 0.001) and beauty influencers (p < 0.001), whereas men leaned towards pharmacists (p < 0.001). Women displayed stronger engagement with dermatologist social media reputation regarding non-cosmetic concerns (p < 0.001), education (p < 0.001), and social media impact on cosmetic decisions (p = 0.001). They frequently sought dermatologists on social media before appointments (p = 0.001), whereas men emphasized dermatologists' fame (p = 0.024). Common cosmetic barriers included high costs (62.5%), complications (40.3%), and trust issues (40.2%). Women underwent various cosmetic procedures (p < 0.05), influenced by social media in their decisions and skincare routines. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals significant gender-based disparities in seeking skincare advice. Women rely on social media, clinics, friends, and beauty influencers, whereas men prefer pharmacists. Additionally, women depend on dermatologists' social media reputation and conduct thorough pre-appointment research. Their heightened social media engagement links to skincare practices and influences cosmetic procedure considerations based on age and usage frequency.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Cancer patients are highly prone to develop bacterial bloodstream infections (BSI) and are also at risk of neutropenia. Knowledge of the prevalence of these infections and whether neutropenia is associated with a change in mortality is important to more effective management and reducing mortality and morbidity. OBJECTIVES: Estimate the prevalence of bacterial BSI among oncology inpatients and assess the associations of 30-day mortality with Gram stain results and neutropenia. DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional SETTING: University hospital in Saudi Arabia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrieved records of oncology inpatients at King Khalid University Hospital, excluding patients without malignancy and with non-bacterial BSI. The number of records included in the analysis was reduced based on a sample size calculation and systematic random sampling used to select patients to include in the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of bacterial BSI and association between neutropenia and 30-day mortality. SAMPLE SIZE: 423. RESULTS: The prevalence of bacterial bloodstream infections was 18.9% (n=80). Gram-negative bacteria were more prevalent (n=48, 60.0%) than gram-positive bacteria, with the most common being Escherichia coli (n=20, 25.0%). The 23 patients (28.8%) who died included 16 (69.6%) with gram-negative infections and 7 (30.4%) with gram-positive infections. There was no statistically significant association of bacterial BSI-related 30-day mortality with Gram stain (P=.32). Of 18 patients (22.5%) who were neutropenic, only one (5.6%) died. Sixty-two (77.5%) patients were non-neutropenic, of whom 22 (35.50%) died. We found a statistically significant association between the presence of neutropenia and bacterial BSI-related 30-day mortality (P=.016), with mortality being lower among neutropenic patients. CONCLUSIONS: Gram-negative bacteria are more prevalent in bacterial BSI than gram-positive bacteria. No statistically significant association of Gram stain result with mortality was found. However, the 30-day mortality rate was lower among neutropenic patients than among non-neutropenic patients. We recommend further investigation with a larger sample size in multiple regions to further unravel the association of neutropenia with bacterial bloodstream infection-related 30-day mortality. LIMITATIONS: Lack of regional data and sample size. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.
