An Examination of Social Support and the Academic Performance of Saudi Arabian Students in the United States

Saudi Arabia is among the top 10 countries from which students have enrolled in U.S. universities. The scarcity of research about Saudi students in the USA was the inspiration for this study. Previous researchers have examined Saudi students’ challenges and adjustment issues in the USA, but the topic of social support and academic performance remained lacking. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived social support (PSS) and academic performance among Saudi international students in USA. This study was a cross-sectional quantitative survey design with a sample of 384 Saudi students enrolled in USA universities and colleges. The perceived social support (PSS) was measured by the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) while the academic performance variable was included in the demographic questionnaire and measured by GPA. The findings indicate that Saudi students maintain a high level of perceived social support, and more than half of the participants have a GPA higher than 3.50. The results reveal that gender, age, and having children have a significant relationship with the PSS. In addition, age, marital status, having children and years living in the USA are significantly associated with academic performance. Furthermore, findings indicate a weak relationship between perceived social support and academic performance. Demographic variables including gender, marital status, having children, and years living in the USA show statistically significant differences with PSS; in reference to academic performance, the statistically significant differences exist with the demographic variables of marital status, having children, age, and level of education

Corticosteroids Resistance Diseases Review

Glucocorticoids, the main anti-inflammatory medication, are useful for the treatment of many diseases such as inflammation, respiratory diseases, malignancies, etc., but unfortunately, glucocorticoids cannot inhibit inflammation by various mechanisms. The definition of glucocorticoid resistance is loss of efficacy or reduced sensitization over time and increases due to chronic inflammation. It is affecting 30% of glucocorticoid-treated patients. It shows an essential restriction in the treatment of chronic inflammation and malignancies diseases and can be due to the impairment of various mechanisms along the signaling pathway of glucocorticoids. However, glucocorticoids dissociation has been improved to reduce the SE, DIGRAs “receptor of glucocorticoid dissociation agonists” are a group of trial drugs developed to share various wanted as an anti-inflammatory, suppress immunity, or properties of anti-malignancies of traditional steroids medications with lesser adverse events, but it is so hard to dissociate anti-inflammatory effects from adverse effects. Cases with glucocorticoid unresponsive should use other medications with similar mechanisms in inflammation as well as drugs that may change the molecular mechanism of resistance to glucocorticoid. Here, we discuss the evidence that exists for the hypothesis that individual glucocorticoid resistance underlies the problem

A Systemic Review of the Clinical Management in Diagnosis and Treatment of the Iron Deficiency Anemia in Adults

With a systematic review, this study aimed at exploring the clinical management in diagnosis and treatment of the iron deficiency anemia in adults, as the iron deficiency is the most frequent cause of anemia worldwide. And it impairs quality of life, increases asthenia and can lead to clinical worsening of patients. In addition, iron deficiency has a complex mechanism whose pathologic pathway is recently becoming better understood. This review summarizes the current knowledge regarding diagnostic algorithms for iron deficiency anemia. The majority of aetiologies occur in the digestive tract, and justify morphological examination of the gut. First line investigations are upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and colonoscopy, and when negative, the small bowel should be explored; newer tools such as video capsule endoscopy have also been developed. The treatment of iron deficiency is aetiological if possible and iron supplementation whether in oral or in parenteral form

Effect of dentin conditioning on bonding and sealing ability of various resin cements to a ceramic crown

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the microleakage, margin gap, and microtensile bond strength of lithium disilicate under different dentin conditions using four different resin-based cements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-four extracted posterior teeth were prepared to receive lithium disilicate crowns to evaluate microleakage and margin gap. Four cements (Variolink Esthetic, Multilink Automix, Panavia SA, and GC FujiCEM 2) were assigned to different dentin conditions (control, immediate dentin sealing [IDS], and delayed dentin sealing [DDS]). The control group received a final restoration immediately, while IDS received OptiBond FL bonding agent then was temporized, and DDS were temporized without any additions. IDS and DDS groups were temporized and stored for two weeks in 37 °C to simulate clinical scenarios. All groups were then embedded in 50% ammoniacal silver nitrate for 24 h, then exposed to constant white LED light in a photo-developer solution for 8 h. All teeth were sectioned and evaluated using SEM. For microtensile bond strength, thirty extracted posterior teeth and the same cements and dentin conditions were used. Dentin and e.max CAD blocks were sectioned into 1x1x6 mm2 beams and cemented according to their respective groups. After storage at 37 °C for 24 h, microtensile bond strength was analyzed, and failure mode was evaluated by SEM. RESULTS: Analysis by one-way ANOVA and Tukey test revealed that the microleakage in the control groups was significantly lower than in the DDS group, except for Panavia SA (SAM). IDS groups were significantly lower than DDS groups except for Variolink Esthetic and Panavia SA (SAM). The margin gap for the different dentin conditions was not significant for each cement except IDS Variolink Esthetic group. Microtensile bond strength of the control and IDS groups was significantly higher than DDS groups except for Variolink Esthetic and Panavia SA with Clearfil Universal Bond Quick. CONCLUSION: Margin gap has no effect on microleakage. Control groups showed the lowest leakage and the highest microtensile bond strength except for the Panavia SA (SAM) IDS group. IDS produced bond strength as high as that observed in the control groups for all cement types but could not prevent microleakage as efficiently as in the control group with cement containing 10-MDP monomer

Analytical Study of the Effects of Stress on Surgeons and Surgical Performance

This study aimed at exploring the effects of stress on surgeons and surgical performance, as the researchers adopted the methodology of descriptive analytical statistics by conducting a semi structured interviews on fourteen surgeons in Jordan. The aim of this study also was to investigate surgeons’ perceptions of surgical stress, highlight key stressors and their impact on performance, and identify coping strategies. Stress poses a serious risk for training surgeons since their performance and well‐being in reflected in patients' health. This study focuses on measuring the stress on surgeons and at the same time evaluates prospectively the results of practices that uses alternative techniques to combat the effects of stress. The study concluded that these interviews provided valuable insights into stressors, stress responses, and coping strategies used by surgeons and allowed us to categorize sources of stress. Although surgeons characteristically enjoy the stimulating features of their work, high levels of stress can affect performance adversely

Evaluation of Delivery Service in Rural Areas with CAV

Urban areas have been experiencing automated delivery technology for several servings of food or a few bags of groceries, with automated (robotic) mini vehicles. The benefits of such automated delivery may be much more significant for rural areas with long distances due to the large potential savings in travel time, travel cost, and crash risk. Compared to urban areas, rural areas have older and more disabled residents, longer distances, higher traffic fatality rates, and high ownership of less fuel-efficient vehicles such as pickup trucks. An evaluation of connected autonomous vehicle (CAV) delivery service in rural areas was conducted. A detailed methodology was developed and applied to two case studies: One for deliveries between Hilo and Volcano Village in Hawaii as a case of deliveries over a moderate distance (~50-mile roundtrip) in a high-energy-cost environment, and another for deliveries between Spokane and Sprague in Washington State as a case of deliveries over a longer distance (~80-mile roundtrip) in a low-energy-cost environment. The delivery vehicles were based on the same compact van: A person-driven gasoline-powered van, a person-driven electric-powered van, and a CAV electric-powered van. The case study results suggest that the CAV van can be a viable option for implementing a delivery business for rural areas based on the evaluation results that accounted for a large number of location-specific costs and benefits and the number of orders served per trip

Determination of the yield loci of four sheet materials (AA6111-T4, AC600, DX54D+Z, and H220BD+Z) by using uniaxial tensile and hydraulic bulge tests)

In sheet metal forming simulation, a flow curve and a yield criterion are vital requirements for obtaining reliable numerical results. It is more appropriate to determine a flow curve by using biaxial stress condition tests, such as the hydraulic bulge test, than a uniaxial test because hardening proceeds higher strains before necking occurs. In a uniaxial test, higher strains are extrapolated, which might lead to incorrect results. The bulge test, coupled with the digital image correlation (DIC) system, is used to obtain stress–strain data. In the absence of the DIC system, analytical methods are used to estimate hardening. Typically, such models incorporate a correction factor to achieve correlation to experimental data. An example is the Chakrabarty and Alexander method, which uses a correction factor based on the n value. Here, the Chakrabarty and Alexander approach was modified using a correction factor based on normal anisotropy. When compared with DIC data, the modified model was found to be able to better predict the hardening curves for the materials examined in this study. Because a biaxial flow curve is required to compute the biaxial yield stress, which is an essential input to advanced yield functions, the effects of the various approaches used to determine the biaxial stress–strain data on the shape of the BBC2005 yield loci were also investigated. The proposed method can accurately predict the magnitude of the biaxial yield stress, when compared with DIC data, for all materials investigated in this study

A Saudi Infant with Vici Syndrome: Case Report and Literature Review

INTRODUCTION: Vici syndrome, a rare autosomal recessive disorder, was first described in 1988 by Vici et al. Only 78 cases have been reported to date. The syndrome is characterised by agenesis of the corpus callosum, hypopigmentation, cardiomyopathy, progressive failure to thrive, dysmorphic features, immunodeficiency and cataracts. Mutations in the gene epg5 have been identified as the cause of Vici syndrome.CASE DESCRIPTION: The parents are a consanguineous Saudi couple with two other children diagnosed with Gaucher disease. The patient was born at term and in the first 5 months had many hospital admissions for a recurrent chest infection. Physical examination, investigations and imaging studies revealed that the patient had agenesis of the corpus callosum, cataracts, psychomotor delay, immunodeficiency and hypopigmentation. The initial echocardiogram was normal. At 7 months, genetic testing confirmed the diagnosis of Vici syndrome with a c.3693G>Ap (Gln1231Gln) mutation in the gene EPG5. The patient developed a chest infection and was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit. An echocardiogram was repeated and showed significant left ventricular dilation with a Z-score of 3.1, moderate mitral and tricuspid regurgitation, and depressed ventricular function with a fractional shortening of 17% and ejection fraction 37%. The patient’s condition deteriorated, and he died aged 8 months.CONCLUSION: The symptoms of extensive system involvement in Vici syndrome have been present in the majority of reported cases and should prompt careful evaluation of this syndrome when such symptoms are present in an infant. In confirmed cases, close monitoring of the immune status and cardiac function, the two main causes of death among Vici syndrome patients, is vital to prevent rapid deterioration and improve life expectancy

A case of atypical systemic primary carnitine deficiency in Saudi Arabia

Systemic primary carnitine deficiency (SPCD) is an autosomal recessive inborn error of fatty acid metabolism caused by a defect in the transporter responsible for moving carnitine across plasma membrane. The clinical features of SPCD vary widely based on the age of onset and organs involved. During infancy, patients might show episodes of hypoketotic hypoglycemia, hepatomegaly, elevated transaminases, and hyperammonemia. Skeletal myopathy, elevated creatine kinase, and cardiomyopathy are the main manifestations in children with SPCD, while in adults, the disorder is usually manifested as cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, or fatigability. Here, we report a 5-year-old boy with SPCD that presented as dilated cardiomyopathy with atypical features, such as anemia, respiratory distress, and proximal muscle weakness. This report supports considering carnitine deficiency treatment in the work-up of unexplained pediatric dilated cardiomyopathy