Search

Introduction: Any types or process of activities that are performed by a group or an individual to enhance, promote, and improve the performance, competencies or skills of a health professional at an institute level are defined as faculty development which has many other names like staff development, academic development, and educational development. The importance of faculty development stressed by Harden is equivalent to curriculum development, which is a very difficult assignment. Objectives: To determine the pattern of faculty members' perception toward their weekly faculty development program. Methodology: Enrolling the faculty members of the College of Medicine, University of Bisha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (COM/UB,KSA). COM/UB adopting the innovative curriculum (problem-based learning, team-based learning, interactive lectures, and case-based learning and seminars. Each Tuesday, faculty members gather in the faculty development academic program (FDAP) room to discuss issues related to medical education and quality. Usually, there is a presentation on the selected topic over 25 min, followed by a discussion and workshop, and finally, a recommendation is drawn. The inclusion criterion is those staying in the college for a period of more than one year. New joiners and those staying for a period of less than one year were excluded. Faculty members were enrolled optionally and requested to fill a validated questionnaire. Results: The response rate was 92% of total staff. More than 89%, 87%, 86% and 74% thought that the FDAP is useful to them, helps them in addressing academic issues in the faculty, is an enriching experience, and thought that it helps them in constructing high-quality multiple choice questions (MCQs). Finally, 84% were interested in presenting topics in FDP. Conclusion: FDAP was positively perceived by the faculty members of the University Bisha/College of Medicine, since it enriches their experience and satisfies their academic job. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the effect of the 5-days intensive diabetes health education program on metabolic control among Saudi type 2 diabetic patients. Methodology: The study included 438 individuals, 158(36.1%) females and 280(63.9%) males with type 2 diabetes. All patients completed the 5-days diabetes education program. They did not require any change in their current therapy regimen, had not previously participated in any diabetes education programs, Saudi patients, of both genders, non-pregnant and older than 30 years. They were followed for one year after attending a 5-days structured education program conducted at University Diabetes Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected for each individual before attending the program, three months later, and one year after completion of the program. Results: After one year, all metabolic parameters had improved significantly (P<0.0001) except for high density lipoprotein(HDL) (P =0.097) as follows: body weight (mean ± SD) 78.72 ± 13.77 to 78.11 ± 13.33 Kg; systolic blood pressure 137.69 ± 15.56 to 129.5 ± 15.09 mmHg; diastolic blood pressure 77.27 ± 8.11 to 72.9 ± 7.30 mmHg; fasting blood sugar 10 ± 2.62 to 8.19 ± 2.04 mmol/l; HbA1c 8.78% ± 1.78% to 7.87% ± 1.56% ; triglycerides 1.98 ± 0.9 to 1.51 ± 0.67 mmol/l; total cholesterol 4.77 ± 0.83 to 3.9 ± 0.83mmol/l; low density lipoprotein 2.71 ± 0.66 to 2.15 ± 0.59mmol/l, and high density lipoprotein improved by an increase from 1.28 ± 0.4 to 1.31 ± 0.24 mmol/l. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that intensive education program provided by a trained professional healthcare team is an effective approach and reinforces the need for implementing such education program as an essential part for metabolic control among diabetic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Health promotion is the most important element of primary health care. Therefore, it is essential for the health team to apply such activity. Objective: To describe a newly established health promotion clinic at primary health care centers, in Abha city, KSA. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted during the year 2009. The files of 429 individuals were reviewed after one year from attending the health promotion clinics in Abha city, KSA. Master sheet was designed based on the relevant items of the file. The health promotion services used in the study were based on the recommendation of the relevant guidelines. Data entry and analysis was carried out using Statistical Program for the Social Sciences (SPSS). P-values less than 0.05 were selected for statistical significance. Results: After one year, the percentage of the individuals who intake imbalanced diet and did not perform any type of physical activity was more than 90% while 8% are currently smokers and 14% had depression. Clinical examination and investigation revealed that more than one quarter of our subjects were overweight. Obesity was 42% in males versus 51% in females (P<0.04). Pre-hypertension and hypertension were detected among 44 and 12% respectively. About one fifth of our subjects had pre-diabetes 21% and 3% were confirmed to have diabetes mellitus. Diet and physical activity counseling was given to all participants while referral to concerned clinics was done for individuals who suffer from high blood sugar, abnormal lipid profile, obesity and depression. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that health promotion clinics provided by trained professional health care team can be used as a new approach for early detection and management of the common health problems in primary health care centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In the past few decades, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has increased dramatically in many countries. While primary preventive measures can reduce the prevalence of diabetes, knowledge of the risk factors of diabetes mellitus has many benefits for patients with diabetes. The study aimed to assess diabetes mellitus risk factors (DM‑RFs) awareness among adults residing in Bisha, Southwestern Saudi Arabia. Awareness of the risk factors of diabetes mellitus was reported to be highest for obesity, sweet intake, and family history of diabetes. Methods: The study participants were 404 adults (225 males and 179 females) with an age range of 18–65 (mean age: 40.83+/−9.3). People with diabetes and those without diabetes were involved in the study. The study was conducted in Bisha city, southwestern Saudi Arabia, using an online random sampling technique and a structured and validated questionnaire, and analysis was by SPSS V 24. Results: This study showed that 168 (41.6%) participants had diabetes and 236 (58.4%) were non‑diabetics; 64.9% of the respondents were aware of the DM‑RFs. Among the people with diabetes, 128 (76.2%) agreed that obesity is a DM‑RF, while 210 (89%) of the non‑diabetics were aware that obesity was a DM‑RF. Further, 77.7% of the respondents agreed that the risk factors were avoidable, with 50.7% willing to know more about DM‑RFs. Conclusion: The study found a high level of awareness of DM‑RFs among diabetes and non‑diabetics in Bisha, southwestern Saudi Arabia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, myocardial infarction (MI) and other cardiovascular illnesses have long been considered the top killers. Heart failure and mortality are the results of myocardial apoptosis, cardiomyocyte fibrosis, and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, all of which are caused by MI. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial regulatory function in the progression and advancement of heart disease following an MI. By consolidating the existing data on miRNAs, our aim is to gain a more comprehensive understanding of their role in the pathological progression of myocardial injury after MI and to identify potential crucial target pathways. Also included are the primary treatment modalities and their most recent developments. miRNAs have the ability to regulate both normal and pathological activity, including the key signaling pathways. As a result, they may exert medicinal benefits. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of the role of miRNAs in MI with a specific emphasis on their impact on the regeneration of cardiomyocytes and other forms of cell death, such as apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy. Furthermore, the targets of pro- and anti-MI miRNAs are comparatively elucidated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent coronavirus outbreak from Wuhan China in late 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) resulted in a global pandemic of coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19). Understating the underlying mechanism of the pathogenesis of coronavirus infection is important not only because it will help in accurate diagnosis and treatment of the infection but also in the production of effective vaccines. The infection begins when SARS-CoV-2 enters the cells through binding of its envelope glycoprotein to angiotensin-converting enzyme2 (ACE2). Gene variations of ACE2 and microRNA (miR)-196 are associated with viral infection and other diseases. The present study investigated the association of the ACE2 rs4343 G>A and miR-196a2 rs11614913 C>T gene polymorphisms with severity and mortality of COVID-19 using amplification refractory mutation system PCR in 117 COVID-19 patients and 103 healthy controls from three regions of Saudi Arabia. The results showed that ACE2 rs4343 GA genotype was associated with severity of COVID-19 (OR=2.10, P-value 0.0028) and ACE2 rs4343 GA was associated with increased mortality with OR=3.44, P-value 0.0028. A strong correlation between the ACE2 rs4343 G>A genotype distribution among COVID-19 patients was reported with respect to their comorbid conditions including sex (P<0.023), coronary artery disease (P<0.0001), oxygen saturation <60 mm Hg (P<0.0009) and antiviral therapy (0.003). The results also showed that the CT genotype and T allele of the miR-196a2 rs11614913 C>T were associated with decreased risk to COVID-19 with OR=0.76, P=0.006 and OR=0.54, P=0.005, respectively. These results need to be validated with future molecular genetic studies in a larger sample size and different populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by persistent hyperglycemia and is associated with serious complications. The risk factors for T2DM include both genetic and lifestyle factors. Genome-wide association studies have indicated the association of genetic variations with many diseases, including T2DM. Glucokinase (GCK) plays a key role in the regulation of insulin release in the pancreas and catalyzes the first step in glycolysis in the liver. Genetic alterations in the GCK gene have been implicated in both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that are involved in the important physiological processes including glucose metabolism. In the present study, the association of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the GCK, MIR-196A-2 and MIR-423 genes with susceptibility to T2DM in patients from two regions of Saudi Arabia were examined, using the tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system. The results showed that the AA genotype and the A allele of GCK rs1799884 were associated with T2DM [odds ratio (OR)=2.25, P=0.032 and OR=1.55, P=0.021, respectively]. Likewise, the CT genotype and T allele of MIR-196A-2 rs11614913 were associated with an increased risk of T2DM (OR=2.36, P=0.0059 and OR=1.74, P=0.023, respectively). In addition, the CA genotype of MIR-423 rs6505162 C>A was found to be linked with T2DM (OR=2.12 and P=0.021). It was concluded in the present research study that gene variations in GCK, MIR-196A-2 and MIR-423 are potentially associated with an increased risk of T2DM. These results, in the future, may help in the identification and stratification of individuals susceptible to T2DM. Future longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes and in different ethnic populations are recommended to validate these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The ongoing outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 represents a significant challenge to international health. Several reports have highlighted the importance of ACE2 on the pathogenesis of COVID-19. The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 efficiently binds to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors and facilitates virus entry into the host cell. In the present study, we hypothesize that a functional insertion/deletion polymorphism-rs4646994 I/D and rs4240157 T > C in the ACE gene could be associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality. Methodology: This study included 117 consecutive COVID-19 patients and 150 age matched healthy controls (ACE2-rs4646994 I/D) and 100 age matched healthy controls with ACE2 rs4240157 T > C. We used Mutation specific PCR (MSP) for ACE2-rs4646994 I/D genotyping and amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS-PCR) for ACE2 rs4240157 T > C genotyping. Results: Results indicated that there were significant differences in the genotype distributions of ACE2-rs4646994 I/D polymorphisms (p < 0.030) and ACE2 rs4240157 T > C between COVID-19 patients and controls (p-values < 0.05). Higher frequency of DD genotype (48.71%) and D allele (0.67) was reported in COVID-19 patients than controls. Our results showed that the ACE2-DD genotype was strongly associated with increased COVID-19 severity (OR 2.37 (95%) CI = (1.19–4.70), RR = 1.39 (1.09–1.77), p < 0.013) and also a strong association was seen with ACE2-ID genotype with COVID-19 severity (OR 2.20 (95%) CI = (1.08–4.46), p < 0.020) in the codominant model. In allelic comparison, the D allele was strongly associated with COVID-19 severity (OR 1.58 (95% CI) (1.11–2.27), RR 1.21 (1.05–1.41) p < 0.010). A significant correlation of ACE2-I/D genotypes was reported with Age (p < 0.035), T2D (p < 0.0013), hypertension (p < 0.0031) and coronary artery disease (p < 0.0001). Our results indicated ACE2-DD genotype was strongly associated with increased COVID-19 mortality (OR 8.25 (95%) CI = (2.40 to 28.34), p < 0.008) and also ACE2-DD + DI genotype was strongly associated with increased COVID-19 mortality with OR 4.74 (95%) CI = (1.5214 to 14.7915), p < 0.007. A significant correlation was reported between COVID-19 patients and age matched controls (p < 0.0007). Higher frequency of heterozygosity TC (40%) followed by ACE2-CC genotype (24.78%) was reported among COVID-19 patients. Using multivariate analysis, ACE2–CT genotype was strong associated with SARS-CoV-2 severity with an OR 2.18 (95% CI) (1.92–3.99), p < 0.010 and also ACE2–CC genotype was linked with COVID-19 severity with an OR 2.66 (95% CI) (1.53–4.62), p < 0.005. A significant correlation of ACE2-T > C genotypes was reported with gender (p < 0.04), T2D (p < 0.035). ACE2-CC genotype was strongly associated with increased COVID-19 mortality OR 3.66 (95%) CI = (1.34 to 9.97), p < 0.011 and also ACE2-C allele was associated with COVID-19 mortality OR 2, 01 (1.1761–3.45), p < 0.010. Conclusions: It is concluded that ACE-DD genotype and D allele was strongly associated with increased COVID-19 patient severity. In addition, ACE I/D polymorphism were strongly associated with advanced age, diabetes and ischemic heart disease in COVID-19 patients whereas ACE-II genotype was a protective factor against the development of severe COVID-19. ACE2-DD genotype was strongly associated with increased COVID-19 mortality. Additionally, ACE2–CC and CT genotypes were strongly associated with COVID-19 severity. Therefore, our study might be useful for identifying the susceptible population groups for targeted interventions and for making relevant public health policy decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]