Self-medication practice among undergraduate medical students of a Saudi tertiary institution

Purpose: To assess the knowledge, attitude and magnitude of self-medication among medical students of Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.Methods: A cross-sectional, self-administered questionnaire-based study was conducted among undergraduate medical students of Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia. A total of 300 students were selected by random sampling.Results: Self-medication practice was highly prevalent among the medical students, with 87 % reporting that they indulge in it. Self-medication was more prevalent among female students than male. Sedatives were the most common drugs used by students for self-medication (58 %). The most common reason adduced for self-medication practice was their belief that they have sufficient information, previous experience, and the experience of others, such as family members and colleagues, with regard to the drugs. A huge proportion (84.5 %) of the respondents agreed that selfmedication could be harmful and is associated with adverse effects, while 52.6 % stated that they would not advise other persons to indulge in self-medication.Conclusion: Self-medication is prevalent among third-year medical students of Jazan University in Saudi Arabia. Although the students exhibited sufficient awareness of self-medication, the findings highlight the need for intervention programmes regarding the practice of self-medication.Keywords: Self-medication, Prevalence, Awareness, Sedatives, Medical student

Identification of potential therapeutic targets for COVID-19 through a structural-based similarity approach between SARS-CoV-2 and its human host proteins

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has led to millions of deaths worldwide, and vaccination efficacy has been decreasing with each lineage, necessitating the need for alternative antiviral therapies. Predicting host–virus protein–protein interactions (HV-PPIs) is essential for identifying potential host-targeting drug targets against SARS-CoV-2 infection.Objective: This study aims to identify therapeutic target proteins in humans that could act as virus–host-targeting drug targets against SARS-CoV-2 and study their interaction against antiviral inhibitors.Methods: A structure-based similarity approach was used to predict human proteins similar to SARS-CoV-2 (“hCoV-2”), followed by identifying PPIs between hCoV-2 and its target human proteins. Overlapping genes were identified between the protein-coding genes of the target and COVID-19-infected patient’s mRNA expression data. Pathway and Gene Ontology (GO) term analyses, the construction of PPI networks, and the detection of hub gene modules were performed. Structure-based virtual screening with antiviral compounds was performed to identify potential hits against target gene-encoded protein.Results: This study predicted 19,051 unique target human proteins that interact with hCoV-2, and compared to the microarray dataset, 1,120 target and infected group differentially expressed genes (TIG-DEGs) were identified. The significant pathway and GO enrichment analyses revealed the involvement of these genes in several biological processes and molecular functions. PPI network analysis identified a significant hub gene with maximum neighboring partners. Virtual screening analysis identified three potential antiviral compounds against the target gene-encoded protein.Conclusion: This study provides potential targets for host-targeting drug development against SARS-CoV-2 infection, and further experimental validation of the target protein is required for pharmaceutical intervention

Survival implications vs. complications: unraveling the impact of vitamin D adjunctive use in critically ill patients with COVID-19—A multicenter cohort study

BackgroundDespite insufficient evidence, vitamin D has been used as adjunctive therapy in critically ill patients with COVID-19. This study evaluates the effectiveness and safety of vitamin D as an adjunctive therapy in critically ill COVID-19 patients.MethodsA multicenter retrospective cohort study that included all adult COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs) between March 2020 and July 2021. Patients were categorized into two groups based on their vitamin D use throughout their ICU stay (control vs. vitamin D). The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes were the length of stay (LOS), mechanical ventilation (MV) duration, and ICU-acquired complications. Propensity score (PS) matching (1:1) was used based on the predefined criteria. Multivariable logistic, Cox proportional hazards, and negative binomial regression analyses were employed as appropriate.ResultsA total of 1,435 patients were included in the study. Vitamin D was initiated in 177 patients (12.3%), whereas 1,258 patients did not receive it. A total of 288 patients were matched (1:1) using PS. The in-hospital mortality showed no difference between patients who received vitamin D and the control group (HR 1.22, 95% CI 0.87–1.71; p = 0.26). However, MV duration and ICU LOS were longer in the vitamin D group (beta coefficient 0.24 (95% CI 0.00–0.47), p = 0.05 and beta coefficient 0.16 (95% CI −0.01 to 0.33), p = 0.07, respectively). As an exploratory outcome, patients who received vitamin D were more likely to develop major bleeding than those who did not [OR 3.48 (95% CI 1.10, 10.94), p = 0.03].ConclusionThe use of vitamin D as adjunctive therapy in COVID-19 critically ill patients was not associated with survival benefits but was linked with longer MV duration, ICU LOS, and higher odds of major bleeding

ROLE OF INFORMATION MANAGEMENT IN ACHIEVING CYBER SECURITY IN THE ORGANIZATION: A FIELD STUDY ON THE MUNICIPALITY OF JEDDAH

This study aimed at identifying the role of information management in achieving cyber security in Jeddah municipality, through identifying  the cybersecurity threats in Jeddah municipality, the requirements of information management to protect cyber space in Jeddah municipality, and put forward a strategic vision to reinforcement cybersecurity through information management, the descriptive methodology was adopted, the researcher prepared an electronic questionnaire, the sample of the study consisted of 60 employees in information technology department in Jeddah municipality, the study showed some of cyber threats in Jeddah municipality as follow: non clarity of laws and systems for using electronic information by employees, sending viruses to Jeddah municipality devices, the chances of electronic spying on Jeddah municipality tasks, the main requirements of  information management to protect cyber space in Jeddah municipality was: the assurance of information reliability, information backup, monitoring the breakthroughs for Jeddah municipality, and held training courses for employees about cyber threats,  the strategic vision based on the following items: getting help from experienced to develop means of protection,  Partnering with parties interested in cybersecurity, raising awareness through courses and workshops dedicated for security aspects. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the respondents for the axes of the questionnaire.  In light of these results, the researcher proposed some recommendations to conduct studies to identify the level of applying information management in governmental organizations, and private organizations, to identify the obstacles of applying information management in  governmental and  private organizations

New drug target identification in Vibrio vulnificus by subtractive genome analysis and their inhibitors through molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations

Vibrio vulnificus is a rod shape, Gram-negative bacterium that causes sepsis (with a greater than 50% mortality rate), necrotizing fasciitis, gastroenteritis, skin, and soft tissue infection, wound infection, peritonitis, meningitis, pneumonia, keratitis, and arthritis. Based on pathogenicity V. vulnificus is categorized into three biotypes. Type 1 and type 3 cause diseases in humans while biotype 2 causes diseases in eel and fish. Due to indiscriminate use of antibiotics V. vulnificus has developed resistance to many antibiotics so curing is dramatically a challenge. V. vulnificus is resistant to cefazolin, streptomycin, tetracycline, aztreonam, tobramycin, cefepime, and gentamycin. Subtractive genome analysis is the most effective method for drug target identification. The method is based on the subtraction of homologous proteins from both pathogen and host. By this process set of proteins present only in the pathogen and perform essential functions in the pathogen can be identified. The entire proteome of Vibrio vulnificus strain ATCC 27562 was reduced step by step to a single protein predicted as the drug target. AlphaFold2 is one of the applications of deep learning algorithms in biomedicine and is correctly considered the game changer in the field of structural biology. Accuracy and speed are the major strength of AlphaFold2. In the PDB database, the crystal structure of the predicted drug target was not present, therefore the Colab notebook was used to predict the 3D structure by the AlphaFold2, and subsequently, the predicted model was validated. Potent inhibitors against the new target were predicted by virtual screening and molecular docking study. The most stable compound ZINC01318774 tightly attaches to the binding pocket of bisphosphoglycerate-independent phosphoglycerate mutase. The time-dependent molecular dynamics simulation revealed compound ZINC01318774 was superior as compared to the standard drug tetracycline in terms of stability. The availability of V. vulnificus strain ATCC 27562 has allowed in silico identification of drug target which will provide a base for the discovery of specific therapeutic targets against Vibrio vulnificus

The Association between SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Patients with New-Onset Diabetes: A Retrospective Study from a Diabetic Center in Saudi Arabia

Background: Various reports described new-onset diabetes during or after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in patients with no previous history of diabetes or glucocorticoid use. Further, SARS-CoV-2 could increase the risk of diabetes, including diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). However, data on the relationship between new-onset diabetes and COVID-19 are still limited in our region. Thus, we aimed in this study to evaluate the association between new-onset diabetes and DKA in patients with COVID-19. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted at a diabetic center in Jazan province, Saudi Arabia, between 2020 and 2021. Demographic data, COVID-19 status, and DKA incidence were collected and verified manually from diabetic patients’ medical records. Data were analyzed using a t-test and chi-square test. Results: We included 54 diabetic patients diagnosed during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a median age of 17 years. The majority of patients were females (57.4%). About 38.8% were diagnosed with COVID-19, and 16.6% reported having DKA. About 33.3% of the patients who experienced DKA reported being COVID-19-positive. However, only 6% of patients who denied contracting SARS-CoV-2 developed DKA (p-value = 0.020). Conclusions: Patients with newly diagnosed diabetes due to COVID-19 seem at a higher risk of developing DKA. Further epidemiological and molecular studies are required for a better understanding of the correlation between DKA in patients with diabetes and COVID-19

Red Blood Cell Alloimmunization and Autoimmunization in Blood Transfusion-Dependent Sickle Cell Disease and β-Thalassemia Patients in Al-Ahsa Region, Saudi Arabia

Introduction. The risk of developing transfusion-related complications, especially alloimmunization, is an ongoing concern for transfusion-dependent patients. It is important to determine the rate of alloimmunization and autoimmunization in Al-Ahsa Region, Saudi Arabia, where sickle cell disease (SCD) and thalassemia incidence rates are the highest in Saudi Arabia. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted to review the transfusion history of patients with SCD and thalassemia at the King Fahad Hospital (KFH) in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. 364 transfusion-dependent patients were included in this study. Results. Alloimmunization rates in patients with SCD and thalassemia were 16.7% and 11.97%, respectively, while autoimmunization rates in patients with SCD and thalassemia were 5.3% and 0.7%, respectively. The most frequent alloantibodies among the study participants were against Kell, Rh blood group systems. Conclusion. Blood transfusion-related alloimmunization and autoimmunization compromise the proper management of chronically transfused patients. Ideally, extended matched phenotyping should be implemented to prevent alloimmunization and reduce the risk of developing blood transfusion-related alloantibodies

Comparison of Digital Planimetry and Ruler Methods for the Measurement of Extraction Socket Wounds

Background and objectives: The purpose of the study was to evaluate and compare ruler and digital planimetry methods to measure extraction socket wounds. Materials and Methods: In total, 41 extraction socket wounds were selected for assessment of wound area by ruler and digital planimetry methods. In the simple ruler method, the periodontal probe was utilized to measure the length and breadth of the extraction wound, whereas in the digital planimetry technique, Pictzar software was used. Data were analyzed using R software version 4.1.1 and Excel. For intergroup comparisons of wound surface area, Welch t-tests were used, and paired t-tests were used for intragroup comparisons. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the inter-method reliabilities of surface area. Results: Both ruler and digital planimetry techniques showed post-operative reductions in surface area. A significant difference was reported between the two techniques; however, the ruler method measurements were overestimated compared to those obtained with digital planimetry. Conclusions: This study concludes that digital planimetry techniques provide more accurate results when compared with the simple ruler method