A mixed methods study of the factors associated with HIV testing uptake among young people in Saudi Arabia

BackgroundDespite recent progress in enhancing the accessibility of HIV-related health services worldwide, opportunities to diagnose patients are often missed due to genuine barriers at different levels. The aim of this study is to explore the factors that affect the uptake of HIV testing by young people in Saudi Arabia.MethodsA sequential mixed methods design was used to reveal the factors that influenced HIV testing among young people aged 17-25 years. In terms of the quantitative strand of the study, a descriptive cross-sectional design was applied to identify the relevant and context-specific factors that influenced HIV testing among Umm- Al Qura University students. The students were selected using a convenience sampling technique. Self-completed online questionnaire was used. The questionnaire consisted of 52 items: 12 items for HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, 3 items for risk perception, and 37 items for attitudes toward HIV testing. For the qualitative strand of the study, semi-structured interviews were used to gather the perspectives of healthcare professionals working in the field of HIV/AIDS in the country.ResultsThree hundred and ninety four participants completed the questionnaire: 116 (29.4%) male and 278 (70%) female. 50.5% of the participants were aged from 20 to 22 years, 34.8% were 17-19 years and 14.7% were aged between 23-25 years. Only 20 (6%) participants had previously been tested for HIV. The main reasons for not being tested for HIV were: exposure to HIV was considered unlikely (48%), the HIV test was not offered (36%), and a lack of awareness of the locations of HIV testing centres (16%). With regard to HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, the male participants scored higher than the females as the mean score for males was (M = 6.4, SD = 2.4) while for females it was (M = 5.7, SD = 2.5); however, this difference was not significant. In terms of risk perception, female participants had lower levels of risk perception than male participants, with the mean score for males being (M = 11.7, SD = 2.5) and (M = 10.5, SD = 2.4) for females; this difference was statistically significant p < 0.01. The female participants showed slightly more positive attitudes towards HIV testing than male participants: the mean score for males was (M = 108.14, SD = 17.9) and was (M = 111.32, SD = 17.3) for females. However, this difference was not significant. Healthcare professionals who were interviewed indicated stigma, an HIV/AIDS knowledge gap and fear of the consequences of a positive result as the main factors hindering the uptake of the HIV test.ConclusionsKnowledge, attitudes and HIV risk perception are critical factors that inform the decision to undertake HIV testing. However, socio-cultural constraints constitute a significant additional burden that hinders the efforts to scale up the HIV testing uptake in Saudi Arabia

A mixed methods study of the factors associated with HIV testing among young people in Saudi Arabia

Despite recent progress in enhancing the accessibility of HIV-related health services worldwide, opportunities to diagnose patients are often missed due to genuine barriers at different levels. The aim of the study is to explore the factors that affect the HIV testing uptake by young people in Saudi Arabia. For the quantitative strand of the study a newly developed self-completed online questionnaire was used and the study sample was drawn using a convenience sampling technique. Then, a semi-structured interviews were used to gather the perspective of healthcare professionals working in the field of HIV/AIDS in the country. 394 participants completed the questionnaires: 30% male and 70% female. Only 20 participants had previously been tested for HIV. On HIV/AIDS-related knowledge scale, the male participants scored higher than the females (6.4 V 5.7). For the risk perception scale, female participants appeared to have lower levels of risk perception than male participants (10.5 V 11.7). The female participants showed slightly more positive attitudes towards HIV testing than male participants (111.32 V 108.14). On the other hand, healthcare professionals indicated; stigma, HIV/AIDS knowledge gap and fear of positive result consequences as the main factors hindering the HIV test uptake. Knowledge, attitudes and HIV risk perception are critical factors that inform the decision to undertake HIV testing however, socio-cultural constraints are significant additional burden that hinder the efforts to scale up the HIV testing uptake in Saudi Arabia

Phyto-therapeutics as anti-cancer agents in breast cancer: Pathway targeting and mechanistic elucidation

Cancer of the breast is the mainly prevalent class of cancer in females diagnosed over the globe. It also happens to be the 2nd most prevalent reason of cancer-related deaths among females worldwide. Some of the most common type’s therapies for carcinoma of the breast involve radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and resection. Many studies are being conducted to develop new therapeutic strategies for better diagnosis of breast cancer. An enormous number of anticancer medications have been developed as a result of growing understanding of the molecular pathways behind the advancement of cancer. Over the past few decades, the general survival rate has not greatly increased due to the usage of chemically manufactured medications. Therefore, in order to increase the effectiveness of current cancer treatments, new tactics and cutting-edge chemoprevention drugs are required. Phytochemicals, which are naturally occurring molecules derived from plants, are important sources for both cancer therapy and innovative medication development. These phytochemicals frequently work by controlling molecular pathways linked to the development and spread of cancer. Increasing antioxidant status, inactivating carcinogens, preventing proliferation, causing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and immune system control are some of the specific ways. This primary objective of this review is to provide an overview of the active ingredients found in natural goods, including information on their pharmacologic action, molecular targets, and current state of knowledge. We have given a thorough description of a number of natural substances that specifically target the pathways linked to breast carcinoma in this study. We've conducted a great deal of study on a few natural compounds that may help us identify novel targets for the detection of breast carcinoma

Endoscopic versus open surgical approaches for colloid cyst of the third ventricle: A 10-years retrospective study

Colloid cysts are benign lesions of the anterior part of the third ventricle. Surgery is the main line of treatment. Endoscopic treatment gained wide acceptance among neurosurgeons. However, open microsurgical approaches still recommended by many surgeons. Each approach had its own advantages and drawbacks. The current study designed to explore the outcome of endoscopic versus open colloid cystectomy for the colloid cyst of the third ventricle. This is a retrospective study of patients who submitted to third ventricle colloid cystectomy during a duration of 10 years. A total number of 41 patients were included (20 managed by endoscopic approach and 21 by open surgery). Files were reviewed for preoperative (clinical examination and radiological investigations), operative (e.g, operative time, the size of the cyst and additional interventions) and postoperative outcome. Both approaches were comparable regarding demographics, preoperative, operative and postoperative data, except significant reduction of operative time and total duration of hospital stay among endoscopy than open group (127.95±18.32, 5.30±1.69 vs 178.33±20.51 and 8.95±1.62 respectively). The recurrence was reported among 3 patients (7.3%) (2 in the endoscopy and 1 in the open group). Among 90.0% of endoscopy group, their neurological condition was improved compared to 95.2% of open group

Elucidation of interleukin-19 as a therapeutic target for breast cancer by computational analysis and experimental validation

Interleukin 19 (IL-19) is a cytokine produced by monocytes and belongs to the family of IL-10. The IL-19 protein stimulates fibronectin (FN) expression and assembly, metastasis, and cell division in breast cancer (BC) cells. IL-19, which is connected to breast pathogenesis and has an autocrine action in BC cells, is a key predictor of prognosis for many tumour forms, including breast cancer. Augmented IL-19 expression has been related to poorer clinical outcomes for patients with BC and directly enhances proliferation and migration while also serving as a microenvironment for tumour formation. The main aim of our study was to examine the expression profile, functional role, and prognostic significance of interleukin-19 in BC pathogenesis and also to find out the molecular mechanism of IL-19 in BC. In this work, we used the various computational approach and tools, to evaluate the expression profile and prognostic implication of IL-19 in BC and discover the role of IL-19 in BC pathogenesis. IL-19 was shown to be highly upregulated in BC as compared to other interleukins. Also, its levels were highly overexpressed in liminal BC patients, mostly in 3rd stage groups under the age group of 21–40 years. IL-19 levels were increased in BC and elevated expression of IL-19 was examined to have worse overall survival (OS). The KEGG analysis and gene ontology of IL-19 depict that IL-19 is significantly augmented in cytokine activity and receptor-ligand activity and also in the JAK-STAT signaling pathway. Moreover, IL-19 showed a high correlation with IL20RA, as later is involved with the JAK-STAT signaling pathway. The in-vivo and in-vitro studies have also reflected that upregulation of IL-19 enhances tumor development and affects clinical outcomes in BC patients through several pathways including the JAK TAT signalling pathway. Overall, our study indicates that IL-19 increases tumour growth and that inhibiting it in addition to standard treatments will greatly improve BC patient’s therapeutic responses

A comprehensive analysis of notch signaling genes in breast cancer: Expression pattern and prognostic significance

The most recurrent type of cancer among women is breast cancer which is an intricate disease with high intertumoral and intratumoral heterogeneity. Such variability is a key factor in the failure of current treatments and the emergence of resistance. It is crucial to develop novel therapeutic options to enhance the prognosis for breast cancer patients due to the limitations of current therapy and the unavoidable formation of acquired drug resistance (chemo and endocrine) as well as radio resistance. Poor clinical results in the treatment of breast cancer, that is resistance are associated with deregulated Notch signalling within the breast tumor and its tumor microenvironment (TME). In this research, a bioinformatics approach was used to check the expression pattern, the role, as well as the prognostic and diagnostic significance of the deregulated Notch-related genes in BC patients. The various bioinformatic tools include; UCSC XENA, GEPIA 2, UALCAN, bc Genexminer, KM Plotter, ENRICHR, STRING and Cytoscape. The study demonstrates that highly dysregulated genes (NOTCH4, CCND1, JAG1, DLL1, MAML2, and EGFR) can be used as biomarkers to identify breast cancer patients with poor prognosis and as potential targets for therapeutic intervention. The study found that 6 genes—NOTCH4, CCND1, JAG1, DLL1, MAML2, and EGFR—out of 22 tested genes showed a significant log2 fold change. Our study revealed that Luminal Breast Cancer patients display a high expression of the CCND1 gene in comparison to its expression in normal. The results of our study also depicted that the patients with elevated levels of NOTCH-related gene expression displayed better relapse-free survival with p < 0.05. Moreover, we analysed the deregulated notch genes that play an important role in various cellular and molecular processes. The study shows that these highly deregulated screened genes could be utilized as the Biomarkers that help to reveal poor prognosis and could act as targets for treating BC. However, the identification of these dysregulated genes involved in notch signallibng through insilico approach is not sufficient

Metronomic chemotherapy and drug repurposing: A paradigm shift in oncology

Cancer represents a significant global health and economic burden due to its high mortality rates. While effective in some instances, traditional chemotherapy often falls short of entirely eradicating various types of cancer. It can cause severe side effects due to harm to healthy cells. Two therapeutic approaches have risen to the forefront to address these limitations: metronomic chemotherapy (MCT) and drug repurposing. Metronomic chemotherapy is an innovative approach that breaks from traditional models. It involves the administration of chemotherapeutic regimens at lower doses, without long drug-free intervals that have previously been a hallmark of such treatments. This method offers a significant reduction in side effects and improved disease management. Simultaneously, drug repurposing has gained considerable attraction in cancer treatment. This approach involves utilizing existing drugs, initially developed for other therapeutic purposes, as potential cancer treatments. The application of known drugs in a new context accelerates the timeline from laboratory to patient due to pre-existing safety and dosage data. The intersection of these two strategies gives rise to a novel therapeutic approach named ‘Metronomics.’ This approach encapsulates the benefits of both MCT and drug repurposing, leading to reduced toxicity, potential for oral administration, improved patient quality of life, accelerated clinical implementation, and enhanced affordability. Numerous clinical studies have endorsed the efficacy of metronomic chemotherapy with tolerable side effects, underlining the potential of Metronomics in better cancer management, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This review underscores the benefits and applications of metronomic chemotherapy and drug repurposing, specifically in the context of breast cancer, showcasing the promising results of pre-clinical and clinical studies. However, we acknowledge the necessity of additional clinical investigations to definitively establish the role of metronomic chemotherapy in conjunction with other treatments in comprehensive cancer management

Table1_Targeting p53 misfolding conundrum by stabilizing agents and their analogs in breast cancer therapy: a comprehensive computational analysis.XLSX

Cancer continues to be a major global public health concern and one of the foremost causes of death. Delays in the diagnosis and cure may cause an increase in advanced stage disease and mortality. The most common cancer found in women currently is breast carcinoma. Breast carcinoma has surpassed lung carcinoma and currently represents the chief type of cancer diagnosed (2.3 million new cases, which amount to 11.7% of all cancer cases). In addition, by 2040, the incidence will increase by more than 46% as per the estimates of GLOBOCAN. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents a highly aggressive and invasive subtype of breast cancer, characterized by rapid progression, short response time to the available treatment, and poor clinical results. Thus, it is very crucial to develop novel diagnostic tools and therapeutics with good efficacy. A majority of cancers display malfunction along the p53 pathway. Moreover, p53 not only loses its function but is also prone to misfolding and aggregation, leading to formation of amyloid aggregates as well. Research is being carried out to find ways to restore the normal action and expression of p53. Here, we have explored PhiKan-083 for its possible stabilizing effect on p53 in order to address the problem with its misfolding. Thus, examining the analogs of PhiKan-083 that have a role in p53 stability will help update our understanding of cancer progression and may expedite the progress of new anticancer treatments. We anticipate that the drug molecules and their analogs targeting p53 aggregation may be used in combination with other anticancer compounds to solve the problem with p53 aggregation. In this study, by employing ADMET analysis, the compounds were screened, and we further examined the chosen compounds with the help of molecular docking. By using databases like UALCAN, TIMER, GEPIA, and PredictProtein, we investigated TP53’s expression pattern and prognostic relevance in various cancer settings.</p

High fat diet induced resistance to helminth infection via alternative induction of Type 2 immunity

Gastrointestinal nematode infections cause morbidity and socio-economic loss in the most deprived communities. The shift in context of obesity has led to spatial overlap with endemic gastrointestinal nematode regions resulting in the emergence of a novel comorbidity. Despite this, the impact of high fat diet (HFD) on immune-regulated protection against gastrointestinal infections remains largely unknown. We employed the murine model of nematode infection, Trichuris muris, to investigate the effect of a HFD on the immune response against chronic infection. Surprisingly, diet induced obesity drove parasite expulsion in both single and repeated trickle low doses of T. muris eggs. Mechanistically, a HFD increased expression of the ST2 receptor on CD4+ T-cells priming an enhanced Th2 cytokine production following IL-33 stimulation ex vivo. Despite IL-33-/- mice demonstrating that IL-33 is not critical for host protective immunity to T. muris under a conventional diet, HFD fed T-cell deplete mice adoptively transferred with ST2-/- CD4 T-cells were unable to expel a T. muris infection unlike those transferred with ST2 sufficient cells. Collectively, this study demonstrates a HFD primes CD4+ T-cells to utilise the IL-33-ST2 axis in a novel induction of Type 2 immunity, providing insights into the emerging comorbidities of obesity and nematode infection

Immunogenicity and Protective Efficacy of an Intranasal Live-attenuated Vaccine Against SARS-CoV-2

SUMMARY Global deployment of an effective and safe vaccine is necessary to curtail the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Here, we evaluated a Newcastle disease virus (NDV)-based vectored-vaccine in mice and hamsters for its immunogenicity, safety and protective efficacy against SARS-CoV-2. Intranasal administration of recombinant (r)NDV-S vaccine expressing spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 to mice induced high levels of SARS-CoV-2-specific neutralizing immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgG2a antibodies and T cell-mediated immunity. Hamsters immunised with two doses of vaccine showed complete protection from lung infection, inflammation, and pathological lesions following SARS-CoV-2 challenge. Importantly, administration of two doses of intranasal rNDV-S vaccine significantly reduced the SARS-CoV-2 shedding in nasal turbinate and lungs in hamsters. Collectively, intranasal vaccination has the potential to control infection at the site of inoculation, which should prevent both clinical disease and virus transmission to halt the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic