Saudi mothers' preferences about breaking bad news concerning newborns: a structured verbal questionnaire

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Breaking bad news (BBN) to parents whose newborn has a major disease is an ethical dilemma. In Saudi Arabia, BBN about newborns is performed according to the parental preferences that have been reported from non-Arabic/non-Islamic countries. Saudi mothers' preferences about BBN have not yet been studied. Therefore, we aimed to elicit the preferences of Saudi mothers about BBN concerning newborns.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We selected a convenience sample of 402 Saudi mothers, aged 18-50 years, who had no previous experience with BBN. We selected them via a simple number-randomization scheme from the premises of a level III Saudi hospital between October of 2009 and January of 2011. We used a hypothetical situation (BBN about trisomy 21) to elicit their preferences about BBN concerning newborns via a structured verbal questionnaire composed of 12 multiple-choice questions. We expressed their preferences as percentages (95% confidence interval), and we used the Kendall's W test (W) to assess the degree of agreement in preferences.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The Saudi mothers preferred that BBN be conducted with both parents together (64% [60-69]), albeit with weak levels of agreement (W = 0.29). They showed moderate agreement in their preferences that BBN should be conducted early (79% [75-83], W = 0.48), in detail (81% [77-85], W = 0.52), in person (88% [85-91], W = 0.58), and in a quiet setting (86% [83-90], W = 0.53). With extremely weak agreement, they preferred to have a known person present for support during BBN (56% [51-61], W = 0.01), to have close bodily contact with their babies (66% [61-70], W = 0.10), and to have no another patients present (64% [59-68], W = 0.08). They showed moderate levels of agreement in their desires to detail, in advance, their preferences about process of BBN by giving a reversible, written informed consent that could be utilized for guidance, if needed (80% [76-84], W = 0.36).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In our experience, Saudi mothers' preferences about BBN concerning newborns are varied, suggesting that a "one-size-fits-all" approach is inappropriate. A reversible, written informed consent detailing their preferences about BBN that would be kept in their medical records and utilized for guidance, if needed, may be the best solution, given this level of diversity. These findings merit further study.</p

The Social And Psychological Effects Of Mothers To Monitoring Their Children\u27s Academic Achievement In The Time Of Covid-19

The research aims to know the psychological and social factors that affect mothers when they follow up on their children’s academic achievement during the Covid-19 period, and other factors that accompany mothers and affect their psychology. A questionnaire was created using the Google Drive application, and it was distributed electronically via the social networking service application (WhatsApp) to 500 people (men and women),from16-55years old, in the city of Mecca, and responses to this questionnaire were obtained via the researcher’s email from 450 participants. The current study concluded the following: Nervousness and irritability affect the psychological and nervous state of mothers. They affect mothers at a rate of 93.5%, which is a very high percentage, affecting them while their children continue their academic studies. And that the financial situation of the family affects them at a rate of 64.4%. The study recommended training mothers by creating guidance programs to train them in modern educational methods

The Effect of Hepatitis B on Humans

The aim of the study is to know the effect of the hepatitis B virus on humans, how the virus is transmitted, what is the method of preventing it, and what treatment is used to alleviate the severity of the disease. The questionnaire was designed via the Google Drive application and distributed via the social networking application (WhatsApp), with complete transparency to the population targeted by the research. The city of Mecca, from the age of (25-55 years), where 550 questionnaires were distributed via social media application groups (WhatsApp) according to available conditions (distancing), and answers to 525 questionnaires were obtained

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10&nbsp;years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37&nbsp;years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020

Efficacy and safety of treatment of hepatitis C virus infection in renal transplant recipients

AIM: To assess the efficacy and safety of combined pegylated interferon and ribavirin therapy in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in renal transplant recipients

Efficacy of <i>Azadirachta indica</i> and <i>Punica granatum</i> Extracts in the Control of <i>Cuminum cyminum</i> Wilt Disease Caused by <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>cumini</i>

Punica granatum and Azadirachta indica are plants rich in phytochemicals, which directly contribute to antioxidant activity. The aim of this study was to test A. indica and P. granatum against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cumini (Foc), the causal pathogen of Fusarium wilt in cumin plants, in vivo and in vitro. After screening different concentrations of both plants, three concentrations (250, 500, and 1000 µg·mL−1) of P. granatum and A. indica were selected to study their effectiveness against Fusarium wilt in cumin plants. The in vitro study showed that both extracts have the ability to reduce mycelium growth of the pathogen with different degrees of efficacy, but less than the positive control. Under greenhouse conditions, all treatments of cumin plants significantly reduced Fusarium wilt compared to the infected control. The most effective concentration for P. granatum was 1000 µg·mL−1. The use of both extracts significantly increased the fresh and dry weight of cumin plants (g plant−1) compared to infected plants. Total phenols and flavonoids increased in inoculated cumin plants after treatment with both extracts. The results revealed that both extracts are rich in phytochemicals and possess potent in vitro antioxidant activity. Both are rich in carbohydrates, saponins, amino acids, proteins, alkaloids, and terpenoids. In conclusion, the application of methanolic extracts of P. granatum and A. indica can provide an alternative to chemical fungicides to mitigate the Fusarium wilt of cumin and, therefore, future studies should focus on the study of both extracts on different pathogens, as well their ability to reduce disease under field conditions