Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (LC) and the Risk Factors in the Conversion to Open Cholecystectomy (OC) Surgery: Jordan Statistical Review

This study aimed at exploring the risk factors in the conversion from laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) to open cholecystectomy (OC) Surgery, and overview the Jordanian statistics for patients over the year 2016 in the Jordanian hospitals. Results show that male gender with symptomatic cholelithiasis was associated with higher conversion rates. And results also showed that the age (>65 years) to be a risk factor for increased perioperative morbidity and conversion rates because of associated acute cholecystitis. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a safe procedure in patients, with no increased risk of complications compared with the open procedure. The recovery is faster and the hospital stay, shorter

Awareness, attitudes and perceptions about HPV and anti-HPV vaccine among women living in Taif, Saudi Arabia

There has been a recent surge in the number of cases of Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in Saudi Arabia, despite the country's reputation for conservatism and lower incidence of other sexually transmitted diseases.. The study aimed to assess the awareness and knowledge of HPV and acceptability HPV vaccination among the female population in the Taif region. A survey was conducted among females aged 18-58 years who were residents of Taif city. A pretested questionnaire was used that included sociodemographic details and items that recorded awareness, knowledge, attitude, and perceptions related to HPV and anti-HPV vaccination. A mixture of convenience and snowball sampling techniques was used to collect responses. About 47.1% had awareness regarding HPV and only 14.8% knew that HPV is a common infection in Saudi Arabia. However, 78.2% knew that unsafe sexual relations could increase the risk of infection with HPV. But only 15.8% believed that there is a treatment for HPV infection. The knowledge related to HPV was found to be poor among 58.5%, and only 10.9% demonstrated poor knowledge. Campaigns to educate people of all ages about human papillomavirus to remain essential for increasing HPV vaccination rates, particularly among women of reproductive age

Impact of clinical pharmacist intervention on clinical outcomes in the critical care unit, Taif City, Saudi Arabia: a retrospective study

(1) Objectives: Clinical pharmacists are now playing a significant role in hospitals aiming to reduce medication errors, adverse drug reactions, and healthcare costs. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to assess the interventions provided by a clinical pharmacist in the intensive care unit at the King Faisal Hospital in Taif city. (2) Methods: For this single-center retrospective study, patients were included from December 2021 to May 2022. In the present study, all the interventions of clinical pharmacists made over six months were included. The Intensive care unit (ICU) ward was covered by three clinical pharmacists, and the interventions made were categorized into four groups: (1) interventions related to indications; (2) interventions regarding safety; (3) interventions regarding dosing, and (4) miscellaneous. Descriptive statistics was applied to evaluate the results in the form of frequencies and percentages. Analysis was performed using the statistical package SPSS 20.0. (3) Results: Overall, a total of 404 interventions were recommended for 165 patients during the six- month period of study. Among them, 370 interventions (91.5%) were accepted by physicians. Among all the interventions, the majority were suggested regarding ‘indication’ (45.7%), including the addition of drugs, drugs with no indications, and duplication. The acceptance rate of clinical pharmacist intervention was 98.5%. (4) Conclusions: This retrospective study shows that clinical pharmacists played a critical role in optimizing drug therapy which could subsequently help to prevent drug-related issues and lower drug costs. More research is needed to do a thorough cost-benefit analysis

Study of Co-Doped K2Ti6O13 Lead-Free Ceramic for Positive Temperature Coefficient Thermistor Applications

Cobalt-doped potassium hexa-titanate (Cox:K2Ti6O13 (x = 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 mole%)) ceramics were synthesized by the solid-state reaction method. The XRD patterns confirmed single-phase development in a monoclinic symmetry of various samples, and they were used for different structural calculations of Cox:K2Ti6O13 ceramics. The dielectric constant, tanδ, electrical modulus, and ac conductivity of Co-doped K2Ti6O13 were studied in the temperature range of 100–500 °C. Anomalies were observed in graphs of the dielectric constant versus temperature, showing the transition phase in the studied samples. Dielectric peaks at transition temperature decreased with an increasing frequency, and the peaks shifted toward higher temperatures, illustrating the relaxation of the dielectric materials. The composition with x = 0.10 showed low dielectric loss and a higher dielectric constant and can be utilized for high-temperature dielectric material. Small doping of cobalt improved the ac conductivity of K2Ti6O13 ceramics due to the increase in the spin–phonon interaction and dominant electron hopping conduction; however, the conductivity diminished with substantial doping because of the contraction of the tunnel space and ambushing of conduction electrons. The uniqueness of this study is in the high dielectric optimization of lead-free ceramic Cox:K2Ti6O13 and the discovery of positive temperature coefficients of the resistivity of these ceramic samples

Comparison between Blood, Non-Blood Fluids and Tissue Specimens for the Analysis of Cannabinoid Metabolites in Cannabis-Related Post-Mortem Cases

Cannabis use is widespread and is one of the most common drugs encountered in forensic-related analysis (antemortem and postmortem cases). However, the correlation between illicit cannabis use and death is rarely investigated, even while taking into consideration its role in the central nervous system depression and cardiovascular disorders. Few studies have discussed other non-blood specimens; this has brought a special interest in analyzing THC and its metabolites in different body parts in order to make precise forensic decisions. Herein, we are investigating the presence of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its metabolites:(11-hydroxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-OH) and 11-nor-Δ9- tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxy (THC-COOH)) in different postmortem specimens. Forty-three cases of bodily fluids and tissue post-mortem samples, previously found to be cannabinoid-positive were analyzed in the current investigation using alkaline hydrolysis followed by solid phase extraction and LC-MS/MS for THC and its metabolites concentration. In the current study, the highest median THC-COOH and THC-OH concentrations were detected in bile samples (1380 ng/mL and 8 ng/mL, respectively), while the highest THC median concentration was detected in gastric contents (48 ng/mL). This can be explained due to the postmortem distribution of blood to other bodily fluids and tissues and the accumulation in bile following multiple doses. Furthermore, high THC levels in gastric contents can be explained by the undergoing cycles of entero-hepatic circulation which resulted in a significant increase in THC in gastric contents. THC-COOH can be the best indicator to detect cannabinoids in toxicology studies, thus the inclusion of active THC metabolites is essential in death investigations. Additionally, THC-OH concentrations in postmortem cases could be influenced by body mass index. In this study, all types were specimens found to be suitable for testing cannabinoid metabolites, except for vitreous humor which showed low rates of detectability for cannabinoid metabolites