Managing congestion and service location at the Hajj using GIS and spatial modelling

Crowd management techniques have become a major concern for decision makers at major events. In this research, the application of a Location-Allocation Model and an Agent Based Model is used to locate services in an optimal fashion at the religious festival in Mina and to explore whether or not these service locations have any implications for pilgrims’ movement across the Mina road network. The first focus is on producing different demand layers within the location-allocation model (LAM), ultimately producing a dynamic layer which can represent pilgrims’ movement across Mina networks more realistically, in turn contributing to the allocation of different services such as health services and civil defence centres at different times of the day. It is argued that taking time into account is important for planning services more effectively throughout the festival. Second, we well focus specifically on the use of an agent-based model ( ABM) to look at the dynamics of crowd movements along the most congested routes and to explore how much congestion is ‘acceptable’. To define the ‘acceptable’ term here, we will use Fruin’s LOS category breakdown, which has become a standard tool for interpreting crowd congestion. Different scenarios in the analysis using both LAM and ABM will be explored to optimise services provision taking into account the safety of crowd moving around these services. From a planning point of view, the use of ABM is vital to support optimisation using LAM. ABM is a very important tool for investigating the appropriateness of a specific location for the centres or the roads themselves The results indicate how, decision makers should take both the results from LAM and ABM, in an integrated fashion, to improve pilgrims’ accessibility and safety while they are performing their ritual in Mina city and Mashaer

Variations in choroidal thickness between emmetropic and myopic eyes after caffeine intake

Purpose: To investigate the variations in choroidal thinning between emmetropic and myopic subjects after caffeine intake. Methods: Forty-five healthy participants (age mean ± standard deviation [SD]: 20.75 ± 1.6 years) recruited in a prospective cross-sectional study. They were divided into three groups, based on refractive error status, emmetropes (spherical equivalent [SE] -0.25 to +0.25D), myopes (SE ≥-0.50D to ˂-6.00D), and high myopes (SE ≥-6.00D). The participants underwent choroidal thickness [ChT] measurements using optical coherence tomography [OCT] (Topcon 3D OCT-1 Maestro System) at baseline, 20, 40, and 60 minutes after consuming 200 mg of caffeine. The measurements of ChT were taken from five different areas horizontally. Results: Compared to baseline measurement, the ChT significantly decreased after 200 mg caffeine intake in all conditions (P 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the reduction in ChT due to caffeine consumption is not significantly affected by the refractive status of the eye. Thus, it is safe to hypothesize that the vascular part of the choroid behaves identically to vasoconstrictive in both emmetropic and myopic eyes. The choroidal thinning found in myopic and high myopic eyes and/or the reduced choroidal vascularity index were not apparent in this study. Therefore, further longitudinal studies recruiting greater numbers of participants, including myopes and high myopes, and measuring both vascular and stromal layers to investigate such variations are warranted

Alleviation of cisplatin-induced neuropathic pain, neuronal apoptosis, and systemic inflammation in mice by rapamycin

Platinum-based chemotherapeutic treatment of cancer patients is associated with debilitating adverse effects. Several adverse effects have been well investigated, and can be managed satisfactorily, but chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) remains poorly treated. Our primary aim in this study was to investigate the neuroprotective effect of the immunomodulatory drug rapamycin in the mitigation of cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity. Pain assays were performed in vivo to determine whether rapamycin would prevent or significantly decrease cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity in adult male Balb/c mice. Neuropathic pain induced by both chronic and acute exposure to cisplatin was measured by hot plate assay, cold plate assay, tail-flick test, and plantar test. Rapamycin co-treatment resulted in significant reduction in cisplatin-induced nociceptive-like symptoms. To understand the underlying mechanisms behind rapamycin-mediated neuroprotection, we investigated its effect on certain inflammatory mediators implicated in the propagation of chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity. Interestingly, cisplatin was found to significantly increase peripheral IL-17A expression and CD8- T cells, which were remarkably reversed by the pre-treatment of mice with rapamycin. In addition, rapamycin reduced the cisplatin-induced neuronal apoptosis marked by decreased neuronal caspase-3 activity. The rapamycin neuroprotective effect was also associated with reversal of the changes in protein expression of p21Cip1, p53, and PUMA. Collectively, rapamycin alleviated some features of cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity in mice and can be further investigated for the treatment of cisplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy.This grant was awarded by Ministry of Education as part of funding fellowship programs in Saudi Arabia. We extend their appreciation to RDO-MOE Postdoctoral Fellowship Program PFP for funding this research work and also acknowledge the Deanship of Scientific Research, King Saud University for their support

Quality Improvement Attitudes among Saudi Nurses in Hospitals in Qassim, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Background: This study aimed to provide an overview of perceptions of quality improvement among nurses working in Saudi Arabia. Methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study of 497 Saudi nurses working in public and private hospitals in Al-Qassim Province. Descriptive statistics were computed for quality improvement nursing attitude items and demographic factors. Results: A total of 497 nurses took part in the study; 29.1% of participants were females, and half of the participants were between the ages of 25–30 years. Most respondents were employed in governmental hospitals (98.7%), and 41.9% of participants had work experience ranging between 1 and 5 years. Nurses involved in providing direct patient care recognize the quality improvement attitudes related to changes in the healthcare delivery processes. Saudi nurses’ quality improvement nursing attitudes were moderate. Female, married, and older age group nurses and nurses who were working fewer hours per week showed better quality improvement attitudes. Conclusions: Saudi nurses’ quality improvement nursing attitudes are found to be moderate. Age, gender, marital status, and working hours of nurses are associated with their quality improvement attitudes. To empower nurses to improve healthcare, nursing administrators need to focus on improving the quality improvement attitudes environment

Side-by-side boxplots for the SPEED scores for the subjects with a high BMI before (SPEED1) and after (SPEED2) wearing a surgical face mask.

Side-by-side boxplots for the SPEED scores for the subjects with a high BMI before (SPEED1) and after (SPEED2) wearing a surgical face mask.</p

A survey of drive-thru pharmacy services: Evaluating the acceptance and perspectives of community pharmacists in Saudi Arabia

Background: The practice of dispensing drugs in primary healthcare centers has shifted to community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia. These changes increase demand and mandate improving their services; one such is establishing pharmacy drive-thru services. To explore the effects of drive-thru services on the pharmacy profession, this study aimed to measure community pharmacists' acceptance, perception, and satisfaction regarding drive-thru services. Methods: This cross-sectional study design was conducted in Saudi Arabia between January 2023 and May 2023—comparing the perception, acceptance, and satisfaction of pharmacists who work in a community pharmacy that provides a drive-thru service versus no drive-thru service. Community pharmacists were invited to complete an online questionnaire consisting of four sections developed from previous studies with some modifications. Descriptive statistical analysis and an independent t-test were utilized to test the difference between the two groups (providing drive-thru service vs. non) in their responses. Results: This study included 380 community pharmacists, of whom 33 % provided drive-thru services and 67 % did not. Pharmacists' perceptions of drive-thru services differed significantly. Those with drive-thru services perceived lower convenience for delivering drug information and patient counseling, and they were concerned about the potential impact on their health effects (M = 3.15, SD = 1.34) compared to those without (M = 3.58, SD = 1.10), t (378) = -3.32, p < 0.01). However, they recognized the convenience of serving sick patients, the elderly, disabled individuals, and mothers with children in cars (M = 3.71, SD = 1.17), which was higher than those without (M = 4.04, SD = 1.21), t (378) = -2.70, p < 0.01). Regarding the current pharmacy layout suitability, pharmacists with drive-thru services found it more suitable (M = 3.13, SD = 1.14) than those without (M = 2.49, SD = 1.14), t (378) = 5.1, p < 0.01). However, the two groups had no significant difference in overall satisfaction. Conclusion: Pharmacists working in pharmacies offering drive-thru services recognized certain benefits but also expressed concerns about health effects and decreased convenience for counseling. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and pharmacy management, highlighting the nuanced views of pharmacists in adopting drive-thru services

The median (IQR) for the SPEED, PRT, and TF scores in the control group (n = 25).

The median (IQR) for the SPEED, PRT, and TF scores in the control group (n = 25).</p

Side-by-side boxplots for the TF grades for the subjects with a high BMI before (TF1) and after (TF2) wearing a surgical face mask.

Side-by-side boxplots for the TF grades for the subjects with a high BMI before (TF1) and after (TF2) wearing a surgical face mask.</p

Fig 4 -

Representative TF images of the tears collected from four subjects with a high BMI before (a, c, e, and g) and after (b, d, f, and h) wearing a surgical face mask.</p