Health Benefits and Biological Activity of Ginger Phytochemicals Against Chronic Diseases and Cancers

As cancer prevalence escalates significantly across the globe, fighting this terminal illness using phytochemicals is considered a green anticancer therapeutic approach. Many plants contain useful bioactive compounds that can influence cancer remedies positively. Moreover, these bioactive compounds derived from natural sources exhibited great vital contribution activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial. Since antiquity, ginger was used in folk medicine as a reason for its ability to relieve systemic pain and food flavoring. Along with recent findings and discoveries, ginger and its derived phenolic compounds such as 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol, and 10-gingerol, shogaol, parasols, zingerone, and α-curcumene, each independently or collectively is well known to contribute prospectively in an accessible way in many chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Alzheimer disease, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and chronic kidney disease. On the other hand, drug-based ginger\u27s pharmacological properties show significant suppression of specific cancers such as skin, colorectal, pancreatic, prostate, breast, lung, AML, gastric, and HCC through series of distinctive mechanisms. It is notably now that these ginger characteristics, along with its beneficial flavonoid contents, are a novel therapeutic approach in a variety of ailments. &nbsp

Evolving trends in the management of acute appendicitis during COVID-19 waves. The ACIE appy II study

Background: In 2020, ACIE Appy study showed that COVID-19 pandemic heavily affected the management of patients with acute appendicitis (AA) worldwide, with an increased rate of non-operative management (NOM) strategies and a trend toward open surgery due to concern of virus transmission by laparoscopy and controversial recommendations on this issue. The aim of this study was to survey again the same group of surgeons to assess if any difference in management attitudes of AA had occurred in the later stages of the outbreak. Methods: From August 15 to September 30, 2021, an online questionnaire was sent to all 709 participants of the ACIE Appy study. The questionnaire included questions on personal protective equipment (PPE), local policies and screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection, NOM, surgical approach and disease presentations in 2021. The results were compared with the results from the previous study. Results: A total of 476 answers were collected (response rate 67.1%). Screening policies were significatively improved with most patients screened regardless of symptoms (89.5% vs. 37.4%) with PCR and antigenic test as the preferred test (74.1% vs. 26.3%). More patients tested positive before surgery and commercial systems were the preferred ones to filter smoke plumes during laparoscopy. Laparoscopic appendicectomy was the first option in the treatment of AA, with a declined use of NOM. Conclusion: Management of AA has improved in the last waves of pandemic. Increased evidence regarding SARS-COV-2 infection along with a timely healthcare systems response has been translated into tailored attitudes and a better care for patients with AA worldwide

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices on COVID-19 among Patients Attending a Private Dental College in Jeddah

Introduction: The close proximity to the patient’s oropharyngeal region and also involved aerosol production presents a potential high risk for the transmission of disease across patients and dental health practitioners. This requires dentists and patients to be aware of the risks of contracting coronavirus from the patient’s perspective when they seek dental treatment. Aim: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of the patients toward the dental visits during the pandemic crisis. Materials and Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study conducted in IBN Sina National College, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 6th July, 2020 to 24th July 2020. All the patients who had visited the dental clinics attached to the dental college were sent online google docs form with a consent through WhatsApp. Questions were divided into 2 sections, one section related to demographic data of participants like age, gender, education level, frequency of dental visits and the other section related to patients’ perspective with regards to the coronavirus infection in the dental set up. The results were analysed using SPSS version 23. Results: The questionnaire was sent to all the patients online and all of them had responded to the survey. Majority of the patients {1757 (80.9%)} have knowledge about the COVID-19 disease signs, symptoms, transmission and complications. Among these respondents 6.6% (144) had routinely visited a dentist, 8.8% (192) had sometimes visited a dentist and only 0.3% (7) visited a dentist only once and they generally try to avoid visiting a dentist. Conclusion: At a clinical level, education is limited only to the patients who approach the dentists. At a community level, government, dental colleges and dentists have to take several measures in educating the public in equipping them with health promotional materials. Community-based online programs should be planned and implemented by different levels of administration

Evolving trends in the management of acute appendicitis during COVID-19 waves. The ACIE appy II study (vol 46, pg 2021, 2022)

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