Authors : Nawaf A. Alqahtani, Ali M. Alqahtani, Khalid A. Alqahtani, Huda S. Abdullfattah, Ebtehal A. Alessa, Khalid S. Al Gelban, Ossama A. Mostafa Abstract : Background: The internet is an exciting medium that is becoming an essential part of everyday life. Although the internet is fully observed in Saudi Arabia, young people may be vulnerable to problematic internet use, possibly leading to addiction. Aim of study: To explore the magnitude of internet addiction (IA) among medical students associated risk factors and its impact on students' academic achievement. Subjects and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in 2014 on 571 medical students (293 males and 278 females) at the College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia. Data Collection was done through using the Arabic version of the Compulsive Internet Use Scale and a checklist of demographic characteristics. Results: Age of participants ranged from 19 to 26 years (Mean+SD: 21.9+1.5 years). Internet access was available to 97.4% of students at home and to 80.2% of students at their mobile phones. The most frequently accessed websites by medical students were the social media (90.7%), scientific website (50.4%) and the news websites (31.3%). IA was mild in 47.8% of medical students while 5.8% had moderate IA. None of the students had severe IA. Prevalence of IA was significantly higher among female medical students (p=0.002), availability of internet at home (p=0.022), and availability of internet at the students' mobile phone (p=0.041). The mean General Point Average (GPA) was highest among students with mild IA (4.0+0.6), compared with 3.6+0.6 among those with moderate addiction, and 3.9+0.6 among those who did not show IA. Differences in mean GPA according to grade of IA were statistically significant ((P=0.001). Conclusions: Prevalence of IA is high among medical students in Saudi Arabia. Risk factors for IA include female gender, availability of internet at home or at the mobile phone. IA has a significant impact on students' GPA. Periodic screening of medical students for IA and raising their awareness toward the possible risk of IA are recommended.
Abstract Acromegaly is a rare, chronic disease that is, in more than 95% of cases, caused by a growth hormone (GH)-secreting pituitary adenoma. Overproduction of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) due to GH hypersecretion leads to various clinical features characterized by somatic overgrowth, physical changes, multiple comorbidities, and increased mortality. The average age at diagnosis is 40 to 50 years, with no sex predilection. The mean delay in diagnosis is 4.5 to 5 years due to the insidious onset and slow clinical progression of the disease. The diagnosis is confirmed by increased levels of IGF-1 and insuppressible GH measured by an oral glucose tolerance test. Treatment is aimed at normalizing GH/IGF-1 levels and controlling tumor volume. Medical treatment and radiotherapy can be utilized when surgery fails to control GH/IGF-1 hypersecretion. This article aims to review recent updates in acromegaly diagnosis and treatment to raise awareness about acromegaly clinical presentation and management.
Abstract Disclosure: A.M. Alqahtani: None. A.S. Alghassab: None. L.A. Alghamdi: None. M. Almalki: None. Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been approved for the treatment of a different types of cancers. Those agents may result in exaggerated immune response leading to numerous toxicities referred to as immune-related adverse events particularly endocrinopathies affecting most commonly the thyroid and pituitary glands. Methods: We carried out a retrospective analysis of endocrine dysfunction in cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors therapy namely pembrolizumab, nivolumab and ipilimumab between July 2018 and July 2022. A total of 123 patients were included in this analysis. We reviewed pituitary-, thyroid-, and adrenal-related hormone test results, as well as the clinical perspective of patients, to identify and characterize cases of hypophysitis, hypothyroidism, thyroiditis, and adrenal dysfunction. Results: A total of 123 patients were included in our study. Among them, Female participants were 67 (54.5%) and males were 56 (45.5%) with mean age of 53.7 years. Majority of the included patients (91.1%) received single agent and only 8.9% received combination therapy. The most used ICI in our cohort was pembrolizumab 73.9% followed by nivolumab 17.8% and the combination of either one of them (beside ipilimumab) was used in 8.9% of the time. The most frequent indication for ICIs was breast cancer (27.6%) followed by lung cancer (19.5%) and metastatic renal cell carcinoma (8.9%). The average number of cycles was 12 cycles, and the average duration of treatment was 12 months. The total incidence of all endocrinopathies was 22.7%. Out of 123 patients, 24 patients developed thyroid dysfunction in term of thyroiditis (1), subclinical hypothyroidism (7) or overt hypothyroidism (16). Hypophysitis occurred in one patient only. There was no occurrence of new onset diabetes mellitus in all groups. Pembrolizumab is thought to be the culprit in 18 patients of thyroid dysfunction and the patient who developed hypophysitis. Nivolumab was responsible about 4 cases of thyroid dysfunction. The rest of the cases were attributed to the combination therapy. The mean TSH level at the time of hypothyroidism diagnosis (overt hypothyroidism and subclinical hypothyroidism) was 95.8 mIU/L. And the mean free thyroxine level in overt hypothyroidism group was 6.3 pmol/L. Conclusion: Our cohort demonstrated an increased risk of thyroid dysfunction among cancer patients who receive immune checkpoint inhibitors. Pituitary dysfunction is infrequent adverse effect of these agents. Endocrine assessment is recommended prior to initiation of therapy and periodically afterward. Special attention should be given to pituitary dysfunction as it might be overlooked due to non-specific symptoms. Presentation: Saturday, June 17, 2023
Objectives: To assess home healthcare services’ effectiveness in reducing emergency department visits (ED) and subsequent hospital readmission rates. Methods: A file-based hospital-based retrospective cohort study with an analytical component was conducted to compare palliative patients under home care services (Study Group) with a matched group of palliative patients who were not under home care services (Control Group). Demographic data, ED visits, and hospital readmission rates were calculated. Results: Both groups were diagnosis-, age-, and sex-matched. There was a highly significant difference regarding ED visits, as those in the Home Care (Study) group had significantly fewer ED visits and substantially fewer hospital admissions than patients in the non-home care (Control) group. Conclusions: Home Care services can effectively reduce ED visits and hospital admissions for end-stage palliative care patients. Keywords: Home Care, Palliative care, Emergency Department visits, Hospital admission
Objectives: Since late 2019, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread around the world. It has been determined that the disease is very contagious and can cause acute respiratory distress (ARD). Medical imaging has the potential to help identify, detect, and quantify the severity of this infection. This work seeks to develop a novel auto-detection technique for verified COVID-19 cases that can detect aberrant alterations in traditional X-ray pictures. Methods: Nineteen separately colored layers were created from X-ray scans of patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Each layer represents objects that have a similar contrast and can be represented by a single color. In a single layer, objects with similar contrasts are formed. A single color image was created by extracting all the objects from all the layers. The prototype model could recognize a wide range of abnormal changes in the image texture based on color differentiation. This was true even when the contrast values of the detected unclear abnormalities varied slightly. Results: The results indicate that the proposed novel method is 91% accurate in detecting and grading COVID-19 lung infections compared to the opinions of three experienced radiologists evaluating chest X-ray images. Additionally, the method can be used to determine the infection site and severity of the disease by categorizing X-rays into five severity levels. Conclusion: By comparing affected tissue to healthy tissue, the proposed COVID-19 auto-detection method can identify locations and indicate the severity of the disease, as well as predict where the disease may spread.
Primary care medical doctor (PHC) have a chance to sustenance the healthy eating behaviors of patients by giving nourishment education. This study aimed to explore the updated evidence concerning physicians’ knowledge and practice of nutrition education in healthcare centers in Saudi Arabia. A systematic review was conducted. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, EBSCO, and the Cochrane library. Using Rayyan QCRI, study articles were first screened by title and abstract befor
Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are approved to treat several types of cancer, but they may cause an exaggerated immune response. This can lead to immune-related adverse events such as endocrinopathies, which mostly affect the thyroid and pituitary gland. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 125 cancer patients receiving ICIs (pembrolizumab, nivolumab, and ipilimumab) between July 2018 and July 2022. The study reviewed hormone test results and the clinical perspectives of patients to identify and characterize endocrine adverse events associated with ICI therapy in cancer patients. Results: Among the 125 patients who were examined, a total of 26 patients (20.8%) encountered endocrine-related adverse effects. A total of 25 patients had thyroid dysfunction. Hypophysitis was detected in a limited cohort of two patients, along with primary hypothyroidism. A case of newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus was seen in a single patient. None of the patients had primary adrenal insufficiency or parathyroid dysfunction. The administration of pembrolizumab was shown to be associated with the occurrence of thyroid dysfunction in 18 cases, as well as two cases of hypophysitis. In contrast, nivolumab was responsible for inducing thyroid dysfunction in four cases. The remaining occurrences were attributable to combination treatment. Conclusion: The study found an increased risk of thyroid dysfunction among cancer patients receiving ICIs, while pituitary dysfunction was a less frequent adverse effect. It is recommended that an endocrine assessment be conducted before therapy initiation and periodically afterward.
