Heart disease during pregnancy in the KSA: A suggested plan

AbstractObjectivesCongenital heart disease in pregnancy is a leading cause of maternal death in developed countries while rheumatic fever is the commonest cause of valvular disease in pregnancy in developing countries. Improvement in neonatal and paediatric cardiac surgery has increased the incidence of congenital heart disease in pregnancy worldwide. Published data regarding heart disease in pregnancy (HDP) in KSA are scant and relatively old. This study examines the current status of HDP in KSA and describes the rationale and design of the suggested plan for HDP in KSA, i.e., the Registry Of Saudi Heart Disease And Pregnancy (ROSHDAP).MethodsA systematic search was conducted through the ProQuest MEDLINE® database using the keyword phrase “cardiovascular disease in pregnancy”. An extensive literature review about heart disease in pregnancywas performed.ResultsThere are only 4 available Saudi studies of HDP. The ROSHDAP study is expected to establish a foundation for Saudi research in this field and will create an extensive database that will enrich knowledge about HDP. All Saudi women with HDP who wish to participate are eligible for enrolment in the registry. Five phases are planned for the registry, and data will be collected prospectively, confidentially, and electronically. The data will be transmitted from participating centres to a central coordinating office for data management and analysis.ConclusionThe ROSHDAP study suggested in this article will provide contemporary data on HDP in KSA that will promote research and encourage evidence-based medical care of pregnant women with heart disease

Quantifying the Echo Chamber Effect: An Embedding Distance-based Approach

The rise of social media platforms has facilitated the formation of echo chambers, which are online spaces where users predominantly encounter viewpoints that reinforce their existing beliefs while excluding dissenting perspectives. This phenomenon significantly hinders information dissemination across communities and fuels societal polarization. Therefore, it is crucial to develop methods for quantifying echo chambers. In this paper, we present the Echo Chamber Score (ECS), a novel metric that assesses the cohesion and separation of user communities by measuring distances between users in the embedding space. In contrast to existing approaches, ECS is able to function without labels for user ideologies and makes no assumptions about the structure of the interaction graph. To facilitate measuring distances between users, we propose EchoGAE, a self-supervised graph autoencoder-based user embedding model that leverages users' posts and the interaction graph to embed them in a manner that reflects their ideological similarity. To assess the effectiveness of ECS, we use a Twitter dataset consisting of four topics - two polarizing and two non-polarizing. Our results showcase ECS's effectiveness as a tool for quantifying echo chambers and shedding light on the dynamics of online discourse.Comment: 9 Pages, 3 Figure

A new model for enhancing student portal usage in Saudi Arabia universities

Portals are gateways that provide users with the information they need from different sources and display it on a single page. It is important to see that universities utilize the resources and services provided by their student portals. With the rapid development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia aims to develop and improve student portals by providing high-quality teaching services through the university portal systems. This paper discusses the importance of student portal usage in Saudi Arabian universities and investigates the factors that influence the utilization of student portals as perceived by the students of the Saudi universities. Based on these factors, a model is proposed which identifies students’ expectations about the Saudi university portals. A quantitative methodology was employed to develop the model. The results revealed that 8 out of 10 factors of the model are significant and positively affect student portal usage. The enhancement of student portals based on the identified significant factors will assist the universities to increase their utilization and their provided services

Adherence to antidiabetic medication during the month of Ramadan among diabetes mellitus patients in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Background: Ramadan may lead to reduced adherence to antidiabetic medications among Saudi diabetes patients due to fasting, changes in daily routine, social and cultural influences, health risks, and inadequate awareness. This study aimed to assess the Saudi population adherence to the diabetes management medication in Ramadan. Methodology: A convenience sampling method was used to recruit participants for the study. Participants were sourced from social media platforms, diabetes mellitus patient groups, and healthcare providers groups. The Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS), a tool, was used to assess medication compliance. Results: A total of 384 individuals were included in this study, 20.3% were from Riyadh, 52.3% were males, 35% aged 31-50 years, and 64.1% had type 2 diabetes mellitus of participants. Age between 31-50 years was negatively associated with compliance (β = -1.06, p = 0.002), while age between 51-65 years is positively associated ((β= 1.00, p = 0.003). Being male was negatively associated with compliance (β= -0.72, p = 0.001). Different fasting behaviors like non-fasting one day or more (β = -2.92, p < 0.001) and fasting all month (β = -2.90, p < 0.001), significantly affect compliance scores with negative associations indicating lower compliance during fasting periods. Various HbA1c levels were significant predictors of compliance. Higher HbA1c levels were associated with increased compliance. Conclusions: The study reveals that age, gender, fasting behaviors and HbA1c levels significantly impact medication compliance among patients with diabetes mellitus during Ramadan

Efficacy of tranexamic acid administration in traumatic brain injury patients: A review

BackgroundAnti-fibrinolytic medications decrease traumatic intracranial haemorrhage (ICH). Tranexamic acid (TXA) is an anti-fibrinolytic, which recently has shown effectiveness in management of traumatic haemorrhage‎.AimsTo summarize the randomized control trials (RCTs) that evaluate the efficacy of tranexamic acid administration in traumatic brain ‎injury (TBI) patients‎.‎Methods An electronic literature review, including PubMed, Google Scholar, and EBSCO that examining RCTs, observational, and experimental studies which study the efficacy of TXA administration in (TBI) patients.ResultsThe current review included 7 randomized studies reported the efficacy of TXA in management of TBI. TXA limit secondary brain injury by preventing the expansion of ICH. Administration of TXA exhibited a tendency to decrease head trauma-related mortality.ConclusionTXA significantly lower the risk of ICU expansion m and prevent brain injury related deaths

Mitral valve annular caseous calcification causing severe mitral valve stenosis and familial multiple lipomatosis: Case report and literature review

تقدم رجل في سن الـ ٥٥ بتضيّق شديد في الصمام التاجي، سببه حالة نادرة تعرف بالتكلس الجبني لحلقة الصمام التاجي. تم تشخيص الحالة مبدئيا باستخدام طرائق تصويرية متعددة، وبعدها تم تأكيد التشخيص بالتشريح النسيجي. احتاج المريض للاستئصال الجراحي للتكلس الجبني لحلقة الصمام التاجي، واستبدال الصمام التاجي. كما أن المريض نفسه أظهر صورة تقليدية لحالة نادرة أخرى، تعرف بتعدد الشحميات العائلي. لم يتم مسبقا تسجيل ارتباط كهذا بين هاتين الحالتين النادرتين. ينبغي أخذ الحالات النادرة مثل التكلس الجبني لحلقة الصمام التاجي في الاعتبار كتشخيص محتمل لأي كتلة متكلسة تشمل حلقة الصمام التاجي٬ سواء شمل ذلك اعتلالا وظيفيا للصمام أو لم يشمل

8. Response of left ventricular strain, strain rate and myocardial twist after transcatheter aortic valve implantation

Clinical research. Presentation Type: Oral presentation. Introduction: Severe aortic stenosis (AS) causes Impairment of left ventricular (LV) myocardial deformation and associated with adverse outcome. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the impact of TAVI on the recovery of myocardial mechanics. Methodology: Speckle-tracking echocardiography was used to assess global longitudinal strain (GLS), circumferential strain (CS) and rotational mechanics (apical rotation, basal rotation and twist) before and at midterm follow-up after TAVI. Predictors of myocardial recovery, defined as a 20% relative increase in the magnitude of GLS compared to baseline, were examined. Results: Fifty-nine patients (mean age, 80.2 ± 11.7 years) with severe AS and high surgical risk (mean Euro score, 12.9 ± 5.3%) were evaluated. At 8 ± 3 months after TAVI, GLS had significantly improved in patients with normal and depressed LVEF. The patients with baseline LVEF ⩾50%: GLS improved from 9.5 ± 3% to 12.2 ±  3.3% (P = .0001). The patients with baseline LVEF >50%: GLS improved from 13.9 ± 3.3% to 15.2 ± 3.3% (P = .003). In patients with LVEF >50%, LV twist was supraphysiologic at baseline and moved towards normal after TAVI (from 21.2 ± 6.9 to 15.6 ± 7.6, P = .001). In patients with LVEF ⩾50% there is no significant change in LV twist P = .853. In patients with LVEFs ⩾50%, CS was impaired before TAVI and improved after TAVI from −17.3 ± 6.6 to −20.7 ± 6.1, P = .01. Baseline GLS (odds ratio, 0.65, P < .001), base line LVEF (odds ratio, 0.34, P < .01) and LV twist (odds ratio, 0.46, P < .02) were significant predictors of myocardial recovery. Conclusion: TAVI restores LV function toward more physiologic myocardial mechanics in both normal and depressed LVEF groups. Patients with lower systolic function derive the most benefit in terms of longitudinal reverse remodeling. Baseline GLS, LVEF and LV twist wear predictors of myocardial recovery

Factors determining the need for general anesthesia to deliver dental treatment for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities

AIM: To investigate factors determining the need for general anesthesia (GA) to deliver dental treatment for adult people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). METHODS: This study involved a retrospective review of medical records of adult patients with IDD who received dental treatment under GA at Tabuk Specialist Dental Center, Saudi Arabia, between 2018 and 2020. Demographic characteristics and dental-related details, level of cooperation, and methods of delivering dental treatment were collected. RESULTS: A total of 86 adult patients with IDD were included. The mean age of the study participants was 34.8 years (standard deviation [SD] 6.5), and the majority were males (n = 47, 54.7%). Eighteen patients had aphasia (20.9%), 16 had epilepsy (18.6%), and 10 had cerebral palsy (11.6%). Most dental treatments delivered were complex dental treatments (n = 39, 45.3%) followed by dental extraction (n = 25, 29.1%), and non-surgical periodontal therapy (n = 22, 25.5%). Females had higher odds of undergoing GA compared to males (Odds ratio (OR) =6.79, 95% Confidence intervals (CI): 1.62–28.41). Furthermore, patients who had aphasia had higher odds of undergoing GA compared to patients who had no medical conditions (OR = 14.03, 95% CI: 1.05–186.7). CONCLUSION: Being female or having aphasia are independent factors related to the need for GA to deliver dental treatment for Saudi adults with IDD