Background: Smoking is a preventable cause of chronic morbidity. Patient empowerment is a process through which people establish greater control over their health-related decisions and actions. To assess the effect of patient empowerment versus health education on the nicotine dependence score and progress of patients under different stages of smoking cessation. Methods: This was a single-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial that included 76 smokers attending family medicine clinics. Participants were divided into two groups: empowerment and health education groups. Their nicotine-dependence score and smoking cessation stage were identified. All study participants were subjected to five health education sessions with a 3-month follow-up period. Results: The mean nicotine-dependence score decreased significantly in both groups after the intervention. This decrease was slightly higher in the empowerment group; however, the difference was not statistically significant. After the intervention, 16.7% of the health education and 30.0% of the empowerment group transitioned from stage 1 to stages 2–4 of smoking cessation, with the change being statistically significant only in the empowerment group. There was no statistically significant difference in the number of study participants who stopped smoking between the health education and empowerment groups. Conclusion Both the empowerment model and traditional health education have similar positive effects on decreasing the nicotine-dependence level. There was a significant improvement in the stage of change for patients under the empowerment model, although there was no statistically significant difference between the groups regarding the number of participants who stopped smoking.

Background: Smoking is a preventable cause of chronic morbidity. Patient empowerment is a process through which people establish greater control over their health-related decisions and actions. To assess the effect of patient empowerment versus health education on the nicotine dependence score and progress of patients under different stages of smoking cessation. Methods: This was a single-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial that included 76 smokers attending family medicine clinics. Participants were divided into two groups: empowerment and health education groups. Their nicotine-dependence score and smoking cessation stage were identified. All study participants were subjected to five health education sessions with a 3-month follow-up period. Results: The mean nicotine-dependence score decreased significantly in both groups after the intervention. This decrease was slightly higher in the empowerment group; however, the difference was not statistically significant. After the intervention, 16.7% of the health education and 30.0% of the empowerment group transitioned from stage 1 to stages 2–4 of smoking cessation, with the change being statistically significant only in the empowerment group. There was no statistically significant difference in the number of study participants who stopped smoking between the health education and empowerment groups. Conclusion Both the empowerment model and traditional health education have similar positive effects on decreasing the nicotine-dependence level. There was a significant improvement in the stage of change for patients under the empowerment model, although there was no statistically significant difference between the groups regarding the number of participants who stopped smoking.

Our previous studies have shown that subthreshold concentrations of two platelet agonists exert synergistic effects on platelet aggregation. Here we studied the mechanism of synergistic interaction of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and epinephrine mediated platelet aggregation. We show that 5-HT had no or little effect on aggregation but it did potentiate the aggregation response of epinephrine. The synergistic interaction of 5-HT (1-5 microM) and epinephrine (0.5-2 microM) was inhibited by alpha2-adrenoceptor blocker (yohimbine; IC50= 0.4 microM), calcium channel blockers (verapamil and diltiazem with IC50 of 10 and 48 mM, respectively), PLC inhibitor (U73122; IC50=6 microM) and nitric oxide (NO) donor, SNAP (IC50=1.6 microM)). The data suggest that synergistic effects of platelet agonists are receptor-mediated and occur through multiple signalling pathways including the activation PLC/Ca2+ signalling cascades.
Blotting, Western ; Calcium Channel Blockers/pharmacology ; Calcium Signaling* ; Drug Synergism ; Enzyme Activation ; Enzyme Inhibitors/pharmacology ; Epinephrine/pharmacology ; G-Protein, Inhibitory Gi/metabolism* ; GTP-Binding Proteins/metabolism* ; Human ; Phospholipase C/metabolism* ; Phospholipase C/antagonists & inhibitors ; Platelet Aggregation/physiology ; Platelet Aggregation/drug effects* ; Serotonin/pharmacology ; Signal Transduction

Purpose: Atherosclerotic stenosis of the extracranial carotid artery accounts for approximately 20% of all strokes. Both carotid artery endarterectomy and carotid artery angioplasty with stenting (CAAS) are recommended for symptomatic patients with 50% or more stenosis or asymptomatic patients with 70% or more stenosis. CAAS is under-reported in Saudi Arabia, as evidenced by a thorough literature search. In this article, we aim to share our experience of CAAS to call for the necessity of conducting more research on stroke and emphasize the local need of utilizing more endovascular treatments like CAAS. Materials and Methods: A retrospective single-center observational study was conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The inclusion criteria consisted of all adult patients (18 years and above) with carotid stenosis who were treated with CAAS. Results: A total of 16 patients were included in the study. The mean age of the participants was 66.9±13.5 years (range 30–87 years). All patients were symptomatic (had a previous stroke or transient ischemic attack). The procedure was successful in 14 patients (87.5%), while it failed in 2 patients (12.5%) due to technical reasons. All patients had no stroke or myocardial infarction within 30 days of the procedure. Conclusion Despite the advancement in medicine with free healthcare services in Saudi Arabia, the interventional procedures for secondary prevention of strokes are underutilized. Collaboration between different hospitals will be extremely helpful since few centers in each city are providing such treatments by an expert neurointerventionist and/or strokologist. The good selection of candidates, optimal management of comorbid conditions, and multidisciplinary care may improve outcomes and reduce mortality.

Objective: This study aimed to present and evaluate a new deep learning model for determining cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) degree and growth spurts by analyzing lateral cephalometric radiographs. Methods: The study sample included 890 cephalograms. The images were classified into six cervical stages independently by two orthodontists. The images were also categorized into three degrees on the basis of the growth spurt: pre-pubertal, growth spurt, and post-pubertal. Subsequently, the samples were fed to a transfer learning model implemented using the Python programming language and PyTorch library. In the last step, the test set of cephalograms was randomly coded and provided to two new orthodontists in order to compare their diagnosis to the artificial intelligence (AI) model’s performance using weighted kappa and Cohen’s kappa statistical analyses. Results: The model’s validation and test accuracy for the six-class CVM diagnosis were 62.63% and 61.62%, respectively. Moreover, the model’s validation and test accuracy for the three-class classification were 75.76% and 82.83%, respectively. Furthermore, substantial agreements were observed between the two orthodontists as well as one of them and the AI model. Conclusions The newly developed AI model had reasonable accuracy in detecting the CVM stage and high reliability in detecting the pubertal stage. However, its accuracy was still less than that of human observers. With further improvements in data quality, this model should be able to provide practical assistance to practicing dentists in the future.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with high mortality, morbidity, poor general health, and loss of health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The objective of the study was to assess the factors associated with HRQOL among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: This was a cross sectional study conducted among 283 T2DM patients during June 2011 and September 2012 at a major tertiary hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The respondents were purposively and conveniently selected according to their availability during their routine visit to the outpatient clinics and they were interviewed using the Arabic version of the Short-Form 36-item survey (SF-36) to assess the HRQOL. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 56.4+/-13.2 years. Around 63% (178) were males and 37% (105) were females. Glycosylated hemoglobin level was found to be significantly higher among female and HRQOL was higher among male. Respondents who were more than 50 years old had poor HRQOL than less than 50 years age group. Poor economic status, reported diabetic complications and longer duration of diabetes were significantly associated with poor HRQOL. The respondents treated with combination of therapies (oral medication plus insulin) indicated better HRQOL than patients with insulin therapy alone. Multivariate analysis indicated that gender, economic status (except subscale energy), and complications of DM (except subscale energy) as independent risk factor for HRQOL. CONCLUSION: Gender, economic status, and complication of DM were independent risk factors for majority of the subscales of HRQOL.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Anxiety ; Arabs ; Cross-Sectional Studies* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Diabetes Complications ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* ; Female ; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated ; Humans ; Insulin ; Male ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Quality of Life* ; Risk Factors ; Saudi Arabia ; Tertiary Care Centers

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a significant global health issue, affecting over 30% of the population worldwide due to the rising prevalence of metabolic risk factors such as obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. This spectrum of liver disease ranges from isolated steatosis to more severe forms such as steatohepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Recent studies highlight the role of gut microbiota in MASLD pathogenesis, showing that dysbiosis significantly impacts metabolic health and the progression of liver disease. This review critically evaluates current microbiome-centered therapies in MASLD management, including prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation, and emerging therapies such as engineered bacteria and bacteriophage therapy. We explore the scientific rationale, clinical evidence, and potential mechanisms by which these interventions influence MASLD. The gut-liver axis is crucial in MASLD, with notable changes in microbiome composition linked to disease progression. For instance, specific microbial profiles and reduced alpha diversity are associated with MASLD severity. Therapeutic strategies targeting the microbiome could modulate disease progression by improving gut permeability, reducing endotoxin-producing bacteria, and altering bile acid metabolism. Although promising, these therapies require further research to fully understand their mechanisms and optimize their efficacy. This review integrates findings from clinical trials and experimental studies, providing a comprehensive overview of microbiome-centered therapies’ potential in managing MASLD. Future research should focus on personalized strategies, utilizing microbiome features, blood metabolites, and customized dietary interventions to enhance the effectiveness of these therapies.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a significant global health issue, affecting over 30% of the population worldwide due to the rising prevalence of metabolic risk factors such as obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. This spectrum of liver disease ranges from isolated steatosis to more severe forms such as steatohepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Recent studies highlight the role of gut microbiota in MASLD pathogenesis, showing that dysbiosis significantly impacts metabolic health and the progression of liver disease. This review critically evaluates current microbiome-centered therapies in MASLD management, including prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation, and emerging therapies such as engineered bacteria and bacteriophage therapy. We explore the scientific rationale, clinical evidence, and potential mechanisms by which these interventions influence MASLD. The gut-liver axis is crucial in MASLD, with notable changes in microbiome composition linked to disease progression. For instance, specific microbial profiles and reduced alpha diversity are associated with MASLD severity. Therapeutic strategies targeting the microbiome could modulate disease progression by improving gut permeability, reducing endotoxin-producing bacteria, and altering bile acid metabolism. Although promising, these therapies require further research to fully understand their mechanisms and optimize their efficacy. This review integrates findings from clinical trials and experimental studies, providing a comprehensive overview of microbiome-centered therapies’ potential in managing MASLD. Future research should focus on personalized strategies, utilizing microbiome features, blood metabolites, and customized dietary interventions to enhance the effectiveness of these therapies.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a significant global health issue, affecting over 30% of the population worldwide due to the rising prevalence of metabolic risk factors such as obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. This spectrum of liver disease ranges from isolated steatosis to more severe forms such as steatohepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Recent studies highlight the role of gut microbiota in MASLD pathogenesis, showing that dysbiosis significantly impacts metabolic health and the progression of liver disease. This review critically evaluates current microbiome-centered therapies in MASLD management, including prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation, and emerging therapies such as engineered bacteria and bacteriophage therapy. We explore the scientific rationale, clinical evidence, and potential mechanisms by which these interventions influence MASLD. The gut-liver axis is crucial in MASLD, with notable changes in microbiome composition linked to disease progression. For instance, specific microbial profiles and reduced alpha diversity are associated with MASLD severity. Therapeutic strategies targeting the microbiome could modulate disease progression by improving gut permeability, reducing endotoxin-producing bacteria, and altering bile acid metabolism. Although promising, these therapies require further research to fully understand their mechanisms and optimize their efficacy. This review integrates findings from clinical trials and experimental studies, providing a comprehensive overview of microbiome-centered therapies’ potential in managing MASLD. Future research should focus on personalized strategies, utilizing microbiome features, blood metabolites, and customized dietary interventions to enhance the effectiveness of these therapies.

Introduction: The Gallbladder stone (GBS) disease is most commonly asymptomatic that may lead to several complications such as ascending cholangitis and obstructive jaundice. In this study the frequency of gallbladder stones among patients referred for abdominal ultrasound at the University of Science and Technology hospital (USTH), Sana’a – Yemen, have been estimated during the period between January and June 2013. Methods: This study is a record-based and conducted at the radiology department in USTH, on cases underwent abdominal ultrasound during the period from January – June 2013. Information were collected from abdominal ultrasonography reports. Results: In this study 4935 patients’ records are included. Of them, 2541 were males and 2394 were females. The frequency of patients with GBS was 5.53%. Multiple stones were observed in 3.57% of patients and 4.34% patients had large stones with size ≥ 5 mm. Females had significantly higher frequency of GBS (8.0%: 191/2394) than males (3.2%: 82/2541) (P < 0.001). It was found that, no significant difference between males and females in harboring small stones (< 5mm) (P = 0.251). However, significantly higher frequency of large GBS (≥ 5 mm) was found among females compared to males (P < 0.001). The frequencies of GBS, small size of GBS and large size of GBS have significantly increased with increasing age (P < 0.001). Conclusion: In this study it was found that females had significantly higher frequency of GBS than males. No significant difference between males and females in harboring small stones. There was a significantly higher frequency of large GBS was found among females compared to males. The frequencies of GBS, small size of GBS and large size of GBS have significantly increased with increasing age.