Post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage after bipolar diathermy vs. cold dissection surgical techniques in Alahsa region, Saudi Arabia

Introduction: Tonsillectomy is a common surgical procedure done by  totolaryngologists. Tonsillectomy is a relatively simple procedure. The concept of implementing it as a day case operation has become increasingly popular.Material and Methods: This is a cross sectional study done in Alahsa city, eastern province, Saudi Arabia during the period from January 2014 to March 2015,This study reported the postoperative hemorrhage after Bipolar diathermy and Cold dissection surgical techniques to evaluate the incidence of the hemorrhage and to identify the possible risk factors associated with its occurrence.Results: Postoperative bleeding occurred in 45 (3.6%) out of 1232 patients. Post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage according to operation technique was significantly higher among patients who underwent bipolar diathermy than cold dissection technique (p< 0.05).Conclusion: Bleeding after operation by bipolar diathermy technique was occurring more frequently within the first five days. Hemoglobin level was significantly decreased in posttonsillectomy hemorrhage

The Neoproterozoic Keraf Suture in NE Sudan: Sinistral Transpression along the Eastern Margin of West Gondwana

The Keraf Suture, formed during the Neoproterozoic consolidation of Gondwana, is a ~500 km long, ~50 km wide, N-trending suture between the Neoproterozoic Arabian-Nubian Shield in the east and the older Nile Craton to the west. The Keraf Suture is superimposed on E- and NE-trending structures on both sides. The northern part of the suture is dominated by N-trending, upright folds, whereas the southern part is characterized by N- and NNW-trending, sinistral, strike-slip faults. A major antiform defines a structural divide between the northern and southern parts of the suture. 40Ar/39Ar ages on biotite and hornblendes separated from a deformed granitic body indicate that the sinistral movement along the N- and NNW-trending faults took place at ~580 Ma. The difference in structural styles along strike is due to formation of the Keraf Suture by sinistral transpression, which accompanied early NW-SE oblique collision between East and West Gondwana at ~650-600 Ma and terminal collision at ~580 Ma

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 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 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

Comparative Analysis and Conclusion

Nowadays, people across the globe are living longer, particularly because of positive development of the health care system in many parts of the world, technology advancement, new cost-effective medicines, better lifestyles, better understanding of diseases, various research discoveries, and better trained health care personnel. Population structure in most countries is generally showing fewer children and larger elderly populations. Life expectancy generally in many countries has reached the mid-80s, while the life expectancy in some low-income countries can be below 60. As the population ages, it will experience more chronic diseases and consume more medicines. The world population in 2013 was 7.125. billion, with an annual change of 1.2%. It is estimated that developing countries accounted for 97% of this growth because of the dual effects of high birth rates and young populations. The improvement in the quality and responsible use of medicines in society is very much dependent on the overall quality of the health care and pharmaceutical system. There is a great need for an effective pharmacy practice to ensure responsible and quality use of medicines from all angles.Scopu

Preface

[No abstract available]Scopu

Introduction

[No abstract available]Scopu

Global assessment of chemical quality of drinking water: the case of trihalomethanes

Trihalomethanes (THM), a major class of disinfection by-products, are widespread and are associated with adverse health effects. We conducted a global evaluation of current THM regulations and concentrations in drinking water. We included 120 countries (∼7000 million inhabitants in 2016), representing 94% of the world population. We searched for country regulations and THM routine monitoring data using a questionnaire addressed to referent contacts. Scientific and gray literature was reviewed where contacts were not identified or declined participation. We obtained or estimated annual average THM concentrations, weighted to the population served when possible. Drinking water regulations were ascertained for 116/120 (97%) countries, with 89/116 (77%) including THM regulations. Routine monitoring was implemented in 47/89 (53%) of countries with THM regulations. THM data with a varying population coverage was obtained for 69/120 (58%) countries consisting of ∼5600 million inhabitants (76% of world's population in 2016). Population coverage was ≥90% in 14 countries, mostly in the Global North, 50–89% in 19 countries, 11–49% among 21 countries, and ≤10% in 14 countries including India, China, Russian Federation and Nigeria (40% of world's population). An enormous gap exists in THM regulatory status, routine monitoring practice, reporting and data availability among countries, especially between high- vs. low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). More efforts are warranted to regulate and systematically assess chemical quality of drinking water, centralize, harmonize, and openly report data, particularly in LMICs.We acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the “Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2019–2023″ Program (CEX2018–000806-S) and support from the Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Program, and from the University of South Carolina's Magellan scholarship and Honors College. This work was funded by the 7th Framework Programme EXPOSOMICS Project (Grant agreement 308610)

Career Readiness Among Saudi Pharmacy Students: Exploring the Need for and the Impact of Career Counseling Services

Purpose: Employers place emphasis on graduates’ work experience and interpersonal skills while academia mainly focuses on developing students’ learning ability. One proposed strategy is through career guidance by universities; however, supportive evidence is lacking. This study explored the career readiness of pharmacy students for the Saudi job market. It also examined the availability of career guidance services for pharmacy students and alumni in Saudi Arabia and the impact of such services on recipients’ career path choices and development of competencies. Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized an online-based survey. Pharmacy students in the last three years of their program and recent graduates participated in the survey. The study used descriptive statistics to describe participants’ demographic data. Respondents were asked to rate aspects related to career readiness on a 5-point Likert scale, and their responses were reported as frequencies with percentages or means as appropriate. Comparisons between groups were made using t-test or one-way ANOVA as required. Results: A total of 576 responses were collected. About 25% of participants acknowledged the career guidance services provided at their pharmacy college, whereas the majority indicated that they have never reached out to a career counselor at their university (89.6%). The highest level of disagreement was noticed in impact of career guidance services on participants’ establishment of their CV/portfolio (50.7%). Using the work readiness scale, the lowest mean was seen in the social intelligence domain (3.64 ± 0.94). Conclusion: Although substantial proportion of students reported the presence of career guidance services in their university or college, very few stated that they had utilized such services. This could have impacted the students’ career readiness for the rapidly changing Saudi job market. Therefore, proper measures to advertise the availability of career guidance services in Saudi pharmacy schools have to be implemented

Detection of H. Pylori by Different Conventional Staining Methods and Immunohistochemistry in Sudanese Patients with Chronic Gastritis

Abstract Background: H.pylori is a major cause of chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric cancer, i

Direct DNA Sequencing-Based Analysis of Microbiota Associated with Hematological Malignancies in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

Introduction. Bloodstream infections (BSI) among patients with hematological malignancies (HM) could predispose them to higher morbidity and mortality for various underlying conditions. Several microorganisms, either pathogenic or opportunistic normal human flora, could cause severe bacteremia and septicemia. While conventional methods have their own limitations, molecular methods such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) can detect these blood infections with more reliability, specificity, and sensitivity, in addition to information on microbial population landscape. Methodology. Blood samples from HM patients (n=50) and volunteer blood donor control individuals with no HM (n=50) were subjected to 16S rRNA gene amplification using standard PCR protocols. A metagenomic library was prepared, and NGS was run on a MiSeq (Illumina) sequencer. Sequence reads were analyzed using MiSeq Reporter, and microbial taxa were aligned using the Green Genes library. Results. 82% of the patients showed BSI with Gram-negative bacteria as the most predominant group. E. coli comprised a major chunk of the bacterial population (19.51%), followed by K. pneumoniae (17.07%). The CoNS and Viridans Streptococci groups are 17.07% and 14.63%, respectively. Other major species were S. aureus (9.75%), P. aeruginosa (7.31%), A. baumannii (4.87%), E. cloacae (4.87%), and P. mirabilis (4.87%). 34.14% of the cases among patients showed a Gram-positive infection, while 14.63% showed polymicrobial infections. Conclusion. Most of the BSI in patients were characterized by polymicrobial infections, unlike the control samples. Molecular methods like NGS showed robust, fast, and specific identification of infectious agents in BSI in HM, indicating the possibility of its application in routine follow-up of such patients for infections