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Background: Effective medication management, disposal, and donation are vital for public health and environmental sustainability. Improper handling of medications can lead to drug misuse, accidental poisoning, and environmental damage. This study examines current practices and challenges in Saudi Arabia, identifying opportunities for improvement. Method: A cross-sectional survey conducted in October and November 2023 targeted the general population in Saudi Arabia. This study employed convenience sampling to explore medication usage, storage, disposal practices, and awareness of donation procedures. Data were analyzed through both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Results: This study involved 430 respondents. Of these, 73.0% held a university degree, yet 66.3% were unaware of drug donation programs, and 84.2% lacked knowledge about proper medication disposal. Despite this, 71.4% believed that drug donation programs positively impact healthcare, and 87.9% saw them as reducing drug waste and environmental pollution. However, 48.1% expressed concerns about the potential misuse of donated medicines. Awareness and knowledge were significantly higher among participants aged 30 and above. Conclusions: The findings highlight the need for enhanced public awareness, clear medication disposal guidelines, and ethically governed donation practices in Saudi Arabia. These measures can improve healthcare outcomes, protect the environment, and support global health and sustainability goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Professional certification programs play a crucial role in helping pharmacists develop specialized skills and establish their expertise in the field. This study explores how pharmacists in Saudi Arabia engage with these programs by examining their levels of awareness, attitudes, and participation. It also identifies the key barriers and motivators that influence their decision to pursue certification. Methods: An online survey was conducted among pharmacists in Saudi Arabia to assess participants' knowledge of certification programs, their perceived benefits, the actual participation rates, and their preferences regarding certification areas and assessment methods. Results: Out of 394 participating pharmacists, around 47% had never participated in a professional certification program, and about 27% of our sample were unaware of such programs in Saudi Arabia. Financial constraints and a lack of awareness were noted as the primary barriers to participation. Almost 55% showed an interest in Clinical Pharmacy Specialties certification, while 54% were inclined toward Pharmacy Management and Leadership certifications. A preference for practical assessments in certification programs was suggested by 55% of participants. Conclusions: This study highlights a significant need for increased awareness and accessibility to professional certification programs among pharmacists in Saudi Arabia. Addressing participation barriers is vital to foster professional development and meet the healthcare sector's evolving demands in Saudi Arabia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanocomposite materials have demonstrated excellent performance in many application fields. Metal nanoparticle/graphene oxide composites are among the most promising composite materials for catalytic applications. In this study, nanocomposites of Au-Pd bimetallic particles/graphene oxide were prepared from an aqueous bath and used as catalysts in the oxidation reactions of some chemical compounds. The oxidation and exfoliation of graphite were controlled by varying the acid treatment time. The effects of the treatment time on the properties and performance of the prepared bimetallic-nanoparticle-supported graphene oxide catalysts were very obvious. Depending on the treatment time, a significant improvement in the conversion efficiency ranging from 65% to about 480%, along with a high oxidation selectivity, were achieved. The obtained findings show that the catalytic performance of metal/graphene oxide nanocomposites can be easily maximized by controlling the oxidation and exfoliation of graphene sheets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene derivatives have demonstrated high potential for various applications, including environmental ones. In this work, graphene oxide nano-sheets were obtained by utilizing a simple chemical method and were tested for water treatment applications. The pollutant adsorption ability of the produced GO was adjusted through a proper oxidation treatment of the graphene nano-sheets. The GO treatment time was systematically varied to control the oxidation level of the graphene nano-sheets and was found to considerably affect the GO's properties and performance in removing methylene blue. The microscopic studies showed well-exfoliated, few-layer GO nano-sheets. EDS and FTIR techniques were used to probe the presence of oxygen functional groups on the GO surface. The XRD investigations revealed various crystallinity levels of the prepared GO nano-sheets depending on the treatment time. The MB degradation efficiency was maximized by optimizing the GO treatment time. The results showed that the oxidation treatment parameters of GO play a major role in adjusting its properties and can be effectively utilized to boost its performance for water purification applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the structural and nonlinear behavior of Sn1−x−yZnxMyOz varistors with x = 0.00, 0.50, y = 0.00, 0.25 and M = Fe, Co, Ni and Mn. The crystallite and grain sizes and porosity of SnO2 are decreased by Zn doping, followed by a further decrease by (Zn + M) co-substitution. The breakdown field (EB), nonlinear coefficient (α), leakage current (IK) and residual voltage (Kr) of SnO2 are respectively 333.35 V/cm, 5.6, 900 μA/cm2 and 5.32. When SnO2 was substituted by Zn, IK and Kr are decreased to 816 μA/cm2 and 3.62, whereas EB and α are increased to 666.67 and 11.48. The EB and α values are increased by co-substitution in the SnZnMn sample, whereas IK and Kr are decreased. Rather than containing many elements and compounds, the current varistors are based on only two well-known ions co-substituted into SnO2. These findings are discussed in terms of the oxygen vacancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report here the structural, FTIR, optical, mechanical, and magnetic properties of Zn1−xFexO with various Fe nanopowder additions (0.00 ≤ x ≤ 0.30). The wurtzite structure and compressive stress are clearly conformed in all samples. Further, the lattice constants, crystallite size, porosity, strains, grain size, Debye temperature, and elastic modulus are increased as x increases to 0.05, followed by a decrease at x = 0.30, but they are higher than those of ZnO. Interestingly, two electronic transitions were observed for all samples corresponding to two values of energy gaps, Eg1 and Eg2. They were decreased from 3.25 and 3.72 eV to 3.00 and 3.60 eV, respectively. In contrast, an enhancement of the lattice constant ϵL, the density of charge carriers (N/m*), and the optical and electrical conductivities as x increases was obtained. For example, ϵL and charge carriers density (N/m*) for x = 0.30 doped sample are, respectively, 10 and 15 times more than those of ZnO. The refractive index (n) increases as x is increased, and a good correlation between n and Eg was obtained. Other parameters, such as the dissipation factor, surface and bulk loss functions, were also controlled by the variation of x. The non-linear optical parameters were also increased by increasing x, indicating not only the interesting optical properties of these materials but also the possibility of their optoelectronic applications. The Vickers hardness Hv is increased by increasing x to 0.30 and applying load to 9.8 N. In contrast, the surface energy γ, elastic indentation de, and resistance pressure decrease as x increases to 0.10, followed by an increase at x = 0.30. A noticeable ferromagnetic behavior with evaluated magnetization parameters is clearly obtained for the x = 0.10 sample. The saturation magnetization Ms is about 250 times greater than that of ZnO, which supports the room temperature ferromagnetic (RTFM) for the Fe-doped sample. These findings indicate that the addition of Fe as nanopowder to ZnO is promising for altering plastic flow region, optoelectronic, high-power operating and spintronic devices, which highlights the present investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social support from family, friends, and others enhances the quality of life and acts as an important protective mechanism against mental health problems. The purpose of this study is to investigate how social support is related to mental health outcomes among Jordanian adolescents. Data were collected in 2020 from public and private schools in Irbid governorate, Jordan. Multistage cluster sampling was used to recruit students from 8th – 12th grades (N = 2741; ages 13–18 years). The study finds social support is related to higher levels of life satisfaction and self-esteem. The negative association between social support and depressive symptoms is also significant. Our findings underscore the importance of the role of social support, especially support from family. This support is important to adolescents' mental health and underscores the importance of policymakers giving greater attention to the family dynamic and its impact on student well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current study, a comparison between the different Mn3O4/ZnO, CuO/ZnO and Fe2O3/ZnO nanocomposites with respect to their structural, morphological, optical and photocatalytic properties is presented. The nanostructure nature of the investigated composites was confirmed by the XRD and SEM analysis. The nanocrystalline ZnO, M3O4, CuO and Fe2O3 phases were observed with different crystalline structure, including hexagonal, tetragonal, monoclinic and rhombohedral, respectively. The morphology of ZnO based nanocomposites was found to be dependent on the type of the metal oxide added to ZnO nanostructure. In addition, the studied nanocomposites showed different optical properties. The highest and lowest band gap of 3.14 and 2.00 eV were obtained for ZnO nanoparticles and Fe2O3/ZnO nanocomposite. Concerning the photocatalytic properties, the ZnO nanoparticles, Mn3O4/ZnO, CuO/ZnO and Fe2O3/ZnO nanocomposites showed an efficiency of 49.63, 29.8, 11.61 and 95.34%, respectively, for the photodegradation of methylene blue. The Fe2O3/ZnO nanocomposites exhibited the highest activity for water purification compared to the other nanocomposites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The improvement of the surface properties of ferrous metallic materials has become a crucial criterion for advanced engineering applications. The interfacial microstructure and corrosion behaviour of mild steel coated with alumina nanoparticles doped in tin composite using the direct tinning technique were investigated. A coating layer of tin composite containing different loads of Al2O3 nanoparticles (0.25 wt.%, 0.50 wt.%, 1.00 wt.% and 1.5 wt.%) was prepared and directly deposited on a mild steel substrate. This type of a direct tinning process is considered to be a simple and low-cost route for protecting metallic materials from corrosion. It was found that the thickness of both the composite layer and Fe-Sn intermetallic layer at the coated interfaces was highly affected by the presence of alumina nanoparticles that effectively inhibit the diffusion of Sn atoms into the Fe substrate. For the samples coated with lower content of alumina nanoparticles (0.25 wt.% and 0.50 wt.%), the thickness of the Fe-Sn intermetallic coating (IMC) layer is decreased due to Fe-Sn IMC suppression. Otherwise, for the addition of more alumina nanoparticles (1.00 wt.% and 1.50 wt.%), the thickness of the Fe-Sn IMC layer is slightly increased because of nanoparticle's agglomeration and flotation. It can be reported that the presence of alumina nanoparticles in the coating layer improves, to a great extent, the corrosion resistance of Sn-composites surface on mild steel substrates. Although the tin composite coating layer with a high quantity of alumina nanoparticles (1.0 wt.%) exhibited better corrosion resistance than the other tested samples, such nanoparticle additions have become increasingly difficult to obtain. It was observed that the Al2O3 nanoparticles agglomeration and flotation that were detected in the coating surface may be related to high fraction nanoparticles loading and to the difference in the gravity for Sn and Al2O3 nanoparticles. However, based on our investigation, a coating layer that contains 0.50 wt.% alumina nanoparticles is highly recommended for achieving long lasting and high-performance corrosion resistance for coated mild steel with minimal coating layer defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current study, we investigated the partial decomposition of GaN layers grown on SiN-treated sapphire substrate in an atmospheric pressure metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (AP-MOVPE) vertical reactor under N 2 ambient at 1200 °C. Under these experimental conditions, we studied the decomposition of different coalescence degrees GaN layers and the early thermal decomposition stages of GaN films. By the help of the scanning electron microscope (SEM), the surface morphology of the decomposed GaN epilayers was examined. We demonstrated that the thermal decomposition leads to an irregular etching process, which was carried out step by step. The optical properties of the decomposed films were then studied by using the photoreflectance (PR) technique at room temperature and at 11 K. We determined a logarithmic relation between the built-in electric field in the surface of GaN layers and the stress value. A model is also proposed to extract the stress value from PR spectra. It should be noted also that by using the thermal decomposition process, the stress inside GaN layers can be reduced by a factor of 6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: As the pharmaceutical advertising landscape evolves with digital advancements, this study examines public awareness and perceptions of medication advertisements in Saudi Arabia. It focuses on the effects of regulatory frameworks and evaluates how they influence public understanding and attitudes toward these advertisements., Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an electronic survey in Saudi Arabia in December 2023. The survey was distributed on social media platforms and reached a diverse sample of 440 participants. It covered public perception and attitudes toward drug advertisements, knowledge of regulatory laws, and preferences regarding advertising mediums., Results: Out of the 440 participants in the study, who were primarily employees with bachelor's degrees, there was a clear awareness of drug advertisements. The average age of the group was 33 years, and a significant portion (71.1%) held a bachelor's degree, with 51.1% being employed. The findings revealed that 25.5% of participants frequently noticed drug ads, while 22.7% saw them very often. Although many found the ads informative, there were significant concerns about unrealistic expectations and the risk of overmedication; 89.8% believed the ads set unrealistic expectations about the effectiveness of medications. Additionally, 60.7% thought that celebrity endorsements might mislead the audience, and 91.1% felt that ads should provide more detailed information about potential risks and side effects. Regarding preferred advertising platforms, mobile apps and websites were favored (47%), followed closely by social media (46.4%). A striking 93.2% of participants believed that drug ads on social media should be subject to stricter regulations, and 96.4% wanted more proactive monitoring of online advertising. Many also reported using other sources, such as medical review sites, to verify medication information., Conclusions: Pharmaceutical advertising in Saudi Arabia must balance ethical transparency with educational value. The influence of digital platforms underscores the necessity for stricter regulation and accurate information dissemination. A collaborative approach is essential to align advertising practices with public health interests and regulatory standards.

Degenerative disc disease and low back pain are common challenges that persist even after a discectomy. However, characterizations and quantifications of these illnesses from the patients' perspective are insufficient. We aimed to perform a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis to determine the frequency of chronic pain after spinal surgery. We searched MEDLINE (PubMed), Google Scholar, and the Saudi Digital Library to retrieve research articles describing the frequency of persistent back pain, reoccurring disc herniation, and undergoing another operation following primary lumbar discectomy. We excluded articles that did not disclose the proportion of patients who experienced ongoing back or leg pain for over six months after the operation. We included 16 studies evaluating 85,643 patients. The pooled prevalence of persistent pain was 14.97% (95% confidence interval: 12.38-17.76). With all advancements in technology and operation techniques, many patients (14.97%) still have failed back surgery syndrome. Appropriate preoperative communication and multidisciplinary and coordinated treatment strategies yielded the best results., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Alshammari et al.)

Background: School climate is one of several important factors influencing adolescent well-being and life satisfaction. Although a growing number of studies investigate the role of school climate, they often apply a global scale and only a few of them measure any specific elements. Likewise, most studies are focused on well-being and not life satisfaction., Aim: The purpose of this study is to investigate how different elements of school climate (teacher responsiveness, disruptive behavior, positive mutual bonds, classroom atmosphere, growth) are related to life satisfaction among a sample of Jordanian high school students., Methods: Using a self-administered and online questionnaire, the sample consists of adolescents from public schools located in northern Jordan (N = 2141, aged 13-18 years)., Results: Jordanian high school students' levels of life satisfaction were higher for girls [ t (2139) = -8.2, p < .001]. Disruptive behavior correlated negatively with classroom atmosphere ( r = -0.50; p < .001 among girls and r = -0.45; p < .001 for boys); teacher responsiveness was positively correlated with growth ( r = 0.49; p < .001 for girls and r = 0.61; p < .001 for boys). However, the role of disruptive behavior was different for girls (negative) compared to boys (positive), although these correlations were weak. In multiple regression analyses, teacher responsiveness ( β = 0.22; p < .001) and positive mutual bonds ( β = 0.19; p < .001) were largest contributors to life satisfaction beyond self-assessed socioeconomic status ( β = 0.27; p < .001). Age ( β = -0.08; p < .01) and growth ( β = 0.27; p < .001) were significant only for boys., Conclusions: These results demonstrate the importance of examining different elements of school climate in an effort to better understand adolescents' life satisfaction. Certain gender differences may highlight differences in social needs across different classroom settings which require further investigation., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2021 The Author(s).)