Predicting breast cancer recurrence using principal component analysis as feature extraction: an unbiased comparative analysis

Breast cancer recurrence is among the most noteworthy fears faced by women. Nevertheless, with modern innovations in data mining technology, early recurrence prediction can help relieve these fears. Although medical information is typically complicated, and simplifying searches to the most relevant input is challenging, new sophisticated data mining techniques promise accurate predictions from high-dimensional data. In this study, the performances of three established data mining algorithms: Naïve Bayes (NB), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), and fast decision tree (REPTree), adopting the feature extraction algorithm, principal component analysis (PCA), for predicting breast cancer recurrence were contrasted. The comparison was conducted between models built in the absence and presence of PCA. The results showed that KNN produced better prediction without PCA (F-measure = 72.1%), whereas the other two techniques: NB and REPTree, improved when used with PCA (F-measure = 76.1% and 72.8%, respectively). This study can benefit the healthcare industry in assisting physicians in predicting breast cancer recurrence precisely

Patient perception and attitudes toward magnetic resonance imaging safety

BackgroundMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners use strong, static and fast magnetic fields to form images. Due to rapid developments in MRI technology, several accidents have been recorded in hospitals worldwide as a result of insufficient knowledge about the dangers of MRI on the part of the patient or a failure to follow safety guidelines. This study evaluates patients’ perception and attitudes about MRI safety.AimsThis is a cross sectional study to evaluate the perception and attitudes of patients regarding MRI safety procedures.MethodsA 21 items questionnaire was collected from 119 patients in the MRI waiting area before the commencement of examination. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software (version 22.0, IBM Corp, Armonk, New York). The odds (OR) and 95 per cent confidence interval (CI) were used for analysis, the level of significance was set at p=0.05 using Chi-Square test to evaluate the relationship among the variables in the questionnaire.ResultsThe responses were collected from the patients and their relatives (46 male (38.6 per cent) and 73 female (61.4 per cent)). Approximately 71 per cent of the participants have already read or heard about MRI and the related safety aspects. 76 per cent of overall participants stated that they are aware of the need for preparation before an MRI exam with more awareness of MRI safety issues among younger patients (88 per cent). In this instance, females showed a higher level of knowledge (26 per cent) compared to males (11 per cent) with p=0.035.ConclusionPatients reported insufficient information about MRI safety which may increase the potential for accidents

Cosine similarity-based algorithm for social networking recommendation

Social media have become a discussion platform for individuals and groups. Hence, users belonging to different groups can communicate together. Positive and negative messages as well as media are circulated between those users. Users can form special groups with people who they already know in real life or meet through social networking after being suggested by the system. In this article, we propose a framework for recommending communities to users based on their preferences; for example, a community for people who are interested in certain sports, art, hobbies, diseases, age, case, and so on. The framework is based on a feature extraction algorithm that utilizes user profiling and combines the cosine similarity measure with term frequency to recommend groups or communities. Once the data is received from the user, the system tracks their behavior, the relationships are identified, and then the system recommends one or more communities based on their preferences. Finally, experimental studies are conducted using a prototype developed to test the proposed framework, and results show the importance of our framework in recommending people to communities

Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity of Pine Tar on Periodontal Pathogenic Bacteria: An In Vitro Study

BACKGROUND: Periodontal pathogens play an important role in etiology and pathogenesis of periodontitis. Microbiological examination of sub gingival plaque is used at the present time in etiological research as well as in clinical treatment of periodontitis to select the appropriate antibiotic agent if indicated. Pine tar has been used for the treatment of various skin diseases. So the study was done to evaluate the effect of Pine Tar oil on bacteria isolated from periodontitis patients.METHODS: Plaque samples from volunteer patients were collected using sterile paper points. Robertson's Cooked Meat (RCM) medium was used for the transportation and cultivation of aerobic, microaerophilic, and anaerobic microorganisms.RESULTS: The result suggests the use of Pine tar oil for topical application in periodontal diseases. Disc diffusion analysis was sufficient enough to illustrate that 75 μl tar oil solution produced growth inhibition of microbial strains.CONCLUSION: Pine tar oil has become one of the important areas of research both in pharmaceutical and periodontal research, hence in vivo studies has to be carried out with various form of pine tar.&nbsp

The prevalence of Factor V Leiden (Arg506Gln) mutation in King Khalid University Hospital patients, 2017–2019

Arg506Gln mutation is responsible for one of the procoagulant factors and most common inherited thrombophilia in the Factor V Leiden (FVL) family. The replacement of the missense mutation for Arg506Gln / R506Q is at 1691st position from Guanine to Adenine with the modification of the amino acid from arginine to glutamine. The aim of this study was to investigate the current prevalence of the G1691A mutation in the FVL gene in the capital city’s King Khalid University Hospitals (KKUH). Since 2017–2019 we have recruited 482 patients in these cross-sectional studies to test the G1691A mutation in KKUH’s FVL gene. DNA was extracted using 2mL of the EDTA blood and genotyping was performed with polymerase chain reaction and the data was analyzed using Sanger sequencing. In this study, 4.4% of the G1691A mutation was found to be positive (combined heterozygous-GA and homozygous-AA variants) and 95.6% of them with negative, i.e., homozygous normal-GG genotypes. Our study concludes that with the advances in genetic testing and their recent availability, early mutation detection could approve the genotype risks for many patients and this mutation is not as rare as previously believed in the Saudi region as our study has established with a 4.4 percent prevalence.departmental bulletin pape

Brief transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation causes lasting modifications to the synaptic circuitry of the hippocampus

BackgroundBrief transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation (tFUS) is used in cognitive mapping, where it is assumed that the intervention itself does not cause lasting modifications to the underlying networks being targeted. However, how so-called ‘offline’ effects impact the dynamic function of neural circuits is largely unknown. ObjectivesTo determine the persistent effects of ultrasound stimulation on hippocampal circuit function. MethodsAcute rat hippocampal slices in vitro, and rat hippocampi in vivo, were exposed to 40 s, 5 Hz pulsed ultrasound or sham stimulation. The effects of ultrasound on the dynamic synaptic and circuit function of the hippocampus were assessed through quantitative proteomics and extracellular field electrophysiology. ResultsWe find that ultrasound stimulation induces persistent and differential changes in protein expression and kinase activity in the hippocampus. This occurs concurrently with an enhancement of basal synaptic transmission and modifications to the susceptibility for the hippocampal circuit to undergo synaptic plasticity. These effects occur via a canonical Akt-dependent metaplastic process. ConclusionThe results indicate that tFUS can fundamentally modulate key signalling mechanisms that are responsible for determining the synaptic efficacy in a neural circuit. Importantly, these effects last beyond the duration of the stimulus. These findings provide a mechanistic insight into the sustained impact of tFUS on network function, and emphasise the importance of considering such effects in animal and human studies.</p

Analysis of Root Canal Anatomy of Mandibular Permanent Incisors in Saudi Subpopulation: A Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) Study

This study aimed to evaluate the root canal anatomy of central and lateral mandibular incisors in a Saudi population using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Overall, 1370 CBCT images of central (687) and lateral (683) mandibular incisors of Saudi patients who attended the Dental College at King Saud University in Riyadh were examined. The number of roots and canals, canal configuration types, symmetry between bilateral incisors, and the effect of gender and age were determined. For data analysis, the chi-square test was applied, and the p value was set at ≤0.05. Only one tooth had two roots, and 41% of mandibular incisors had two canals. The most common canal configuration type observed was type I (58.83%), followed by type III (28.24%). Type V was more common in men (8.31%) than women (3.9%). Bilateral symmetries were higher in the mandibular central incisors regarding the root and canal numbers and the canal configuration types (100, 100, and 97.92%, respectively) than in the lateral incisors (99.69, 98.16, and 97.24%, respectively). The 21–40 age group showed a higher proportion of teeth with more complicated root canal anatomy than the other age groups. More than one canal in mandibular incisors is a common finding in the Saudi subpopulation, with the type III canal configuration as the most common type

Analysis of Root Canal Anatomy of Mandibular Permanent Incisors in Saudi Subpopulation: A Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) Study

This study aimed to evaluate the root canal anatomy of central and lateral mandibular incisors in a Saudi population using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Overall, 1370 CBCT images of central (687) and lateral (683) mandibular incisors of Saudi patients who attended the Dental College at King Saud University in Riyadh were examined. The number of roots and canals, canal configuration types, symmetry between bilateral incisors, and the effect of gender and age were determined. For data analysis, the chi-square test was applied, and the p value was set at ≤0.05. Only one tooth had two roots, and 41% of mandibular incisors had two canals. The most common canal configuration type observed was type I (58.83%), followed by type III (28.24%). Type V was more common in men (8.31%) than women (3.9%). Bilateral symmetries were higher in the mandibular central incisors regarding the root and canal numbers and the canal configuration types (100, 100, and 97.92%, respectively) than in the lateral incisors (99.69, 98.16, and 97.24%, respectively). The 21–40 age group showed a higher proportion of teeth with more complicated root canal anatomy than the other age groups. More than one canal in mandibular incisors is a common finding in the Saudi subpopulation, with the type III canal configuration as the most common type.</jats:p

Time Pressure Experienced by Internal Medicine Residents in an Educational Hospital in Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative Study

Purpose: Residents suffer from high workload and extended working hours, which have several negative consequences on their mental health and patients' safety. Similarly, time pressure, which is also part of the clinical training of medical residents, may have adverse effects on their performance. The aim of this study was to explore internal medicine residents’ perceptions of time pressure sources in the workplace, its negative effects on them and their patients and finally what strategies they adopt to cope with them. Method: This was a focus group qualitative study. Seventeen internal medicine residents from all four years of the residency training were recruited. A semi-structured interview approach was used, and data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Participants perceived their work as stressful and very demanding. Four major themes emerged to explain the sources of time pressure in the workplace: patient-related factors; practice-related factors; training-related factors; and resident-related factors. In addition, two main themes arose to show the negative effects of time pressure on residents: the effects on residents' health and the effects on residents’ performance. Data also showed two main coping strategies, which can be summarized as: active adaptive coping and avoidant maladaptive coping. Discussion: This in depth-qualitative study highlights the sources and consequences of perceived time pressure in clinical training of internal medicine residents. Residents feel this adverse working condition could have substantial adverse effects on their health and performance