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Background: Human papilloma viruses (HPV) are pathogens known to be the leading cause of cervical cancer. It is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide. It is becoming more prevalent in Saudi Arabia over the last few years. This study aimed to assess primary healthcare centers (PHC) physicians’ awareness of HPV infection, screening, and vaccinations in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted among primary healthcare physicians at 155 PHC in Qassim, Saudi Arabia. A validated questionnaire was distributed among physicians in PHC centers. The questionnaire includes socio-demographic characteristics, questions about the importance of the HPV vaccine and how often they recommend it to patients, and multiple questions about the knowledge toward HPV infection and vaccination. All statistical analyses were carried out using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26. Results: Most physicians (94.7%) perceived the HPV vaccine as necessary, while their routine practice toward the recommendation of the HPV vaccine to their patients was poor (26.2%). The overall knowledge about HPV infection and physicians’ vaccination was generally sufficient. The statistical test revealed that the older age group (Z = 3.108; p = 0.002), non-Saudis (Z = -2.710; p = 0.007) showed significantly better knowledge about HPV vaccine while family physicians exhibited better knowledge about HPV infection (Z = -3.286; p = 0.001). On the other hand, physicians who perceived vaccines as necessary were associated with increased knowledge about HPV infection and vaccination. Conclusion: The consensus of physicians’ knowledge about HPV infection and HPV vaccination was moderate. Their perception about the importance of vaccines is highly commendable; however, their recommendation of the HPV vaccine to their patients seems to be minimal.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common cancer among men and the third most common cancer among women in Saudi Arabia. Screening for CRC is essential for early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment to reduce healthcare costs and mortality. Objectives: The current study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of primary healthcare physicians toward CRC screening in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. Participants and Methods: A multicentric prospective, observational study was conducted among 284 primary healthcare physicians in the Qassim region. All participants completed a questionnaire that evaluated their knowledge level related to CRC. The questionnaire also included questions related to demographic data, CRC screening knowledge, and the attitude of the participants. Results: This study included 284 physicians. Their age ranged from 24 to 63 years. The majority were females (55.3%) and non-Saudi (79.2%), only 15.5% knew about the annual screening of fecal occult blood testing, and 33.8% knew about the performance of colonoscopy every 10 years, and 50.7% knew about the performance of flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years. The mean score of the knowledge assessment was 4.57 ± 2.23. The overall mean attitude score was found to be 5.69 ± 1.48. Physicians with Board or Ph.D. showed higher levels of positive attitude and knowledge. Conclusion: A low level of knowledge but a fair level of attitude could be noted among the study participants. We found that multiple factors, including nationality, gender, years of experience, and job title, influence the knowledge and attitude levels.

Introduction Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) are defined as conditions that the environment contributes significantly to / worsens due to work conditions. WMSD comes second in the source of disability in both developed and developing countries. The aim of this study is to measure the prevalence, patterns, and risk factors of musculoskeletal pain disorders among teachers in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among school teachers in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. A validated online Arabic questionnaire was distributed among teachers living in the Qassim region through multiple social networking applications like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram. The questionnaire consisted of Socio-demographic characteristics, the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, and a modified version of the Orebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening questionnaire. Results A total of 503 school teachers were recruited. The proportion of musculoskeletal pain was 91%, and the most common site of pain was back (74.4%), followed by the shoulder (57.5%) and leg (51.5%). The proportion of disabling pain was (80.1%) while the rest was non-disabling pain (19.9%). In the multiple regression model, the predictors of increased disabling pain were back pain, leg pain, neck pain, and those with 51-70 kg weight. In comparison, the predictors of decreased disabling pain were having more than 7 hours of sleep and those with 20-30 classes per week. Conclusion Musculoskeletal pain disorders were widely prevalent among school teachers in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. Most teachers considered pain as disabling, which negatively affected their attendance. The back, shoulder, and neck were the most painful sites associated with disabling pain.

Introduction Child abuse can include physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual assault, neglect, or failure to meet the child's basic needs. It can lead to major psychosocial problems resulting in long-lasting consequences for the child. Objective This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude (KA) of primary healthcare physicians and interns regarding child abuse in Al Qassim, Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods This multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted among primary healthcare physicians and interns in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia, from July to October 2020. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among the targeted physicians using either an online platform or face-to-face interviews. The questionnaire was devised from the pre-tested literature and formal discussions with experts. A total of 292 primary healthcare physicians and interns participated in our study. A consent form and brief details of the study were given ahead of the recruitment. Data were tabulated in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA); a separate codebook was prepared with a description of the variables and corresponding codes, and all statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results A total of 292 respondents were involved in the study. Among them, 45% (n=131) were medical interns, 39.4% (n=115) were residents, and the rest were either specialists (n=34; 11.6%) or consultants (n=12; 4.1%). Among the respondents, the KA level was found to be moderate, high, and low in 68.8%, 28.4%, and 2.7%, respectively. The overall mean KA score was 81.1 [standard deviation (SD): 9.56] out of a possible 115 points. Factors associated with high KA were age (>30 years), non-Saudi nationality, having children, and having studied outside Saudi Arabia; The only factor significantly associated with low levels of KA was being a pediatrician (p

Background: This study assessed the attitudes toward breastfeeding among mothers receiving healthcare services in Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCCs) in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia. It also examined the association between the mothers’ demographic characteristics and breastfeeding attitudes.Methods: This study utilized a descriptive cross-sectional design. A purposive sample of 415 breastfeeding mothers who were receiving healthcare services from the selected PHCCs during the conduct of the study were recruited in PHCCs in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia. A two-part self-administered questionnaire containing a demographic sheet and the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS) Arabic version was employed to collect data from the respondents. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used accordingly in data analyses.Results: The overall mean score of the women in the IIFAS was 60.50 (SD = 11.08), with individual scores ranging from 17.00 to 82.00. This finding implies good attitudes toward breastfeeding. Mothers who were divorced/widowed (M = 63.75, SD = 5.20) had significantly better breastfeeding attitudes than married mothers (M = 60.24, SD = 11.38). Mothers who were not working (M = 61.41, SD = 10.03) reported more positive breastfeeding attitudes compared with working mothers (M = 58.36, SD = 13.02).Conclusions: The mothers reported good attitudes toward breastfeeding, but expressed poor beliefs in some areas of breastfeeding. The present findings have implication to medicine, nursing, and healthcare policies.

Introduction: Risky behaviors are those that potentially expose people to harm, or significant risk of harm, which prevent them from reaching their potential in life and which can cause significant morbidity or mortality. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to determine the overall prevalence of risky behaviors among university students; to determine the prevalence of smoking, drifting, fast driving and physical inactivity among university students; and to determine the associations between such behavior and demographic characteristics. Materials and Methods: An observational cross-sectional study conducted in three colleges. The data were randomly collected from 340 students aged 18-30 years from February to March 2015 using a self-administered questionnaire in Arabic. The data were entered using SPSS v 22.0. Mean and standard deviation were calculated for quantitative variables, and frequency and percentages were computed for categorical variables. Chi-square or Fisher's Exact test, as appropriate, were used to test for statistical significance. Results: The overall prevalence of risky behaviors (smoking, drifting, fast driving, and physical inactivity) among students was 47.35%. Overall, 28% of the students were smokers, 25.2% were involved in drifting, 60.9% reported driving fast, and 66.4% were physically inactive. The age between 18-20 years was significantly associated with higher rates of drifting, fast driving, and physical inactivity. Conclusion: The prevalence of risky behaviors among university students was high. Physical inactivity and fast driving were the most common identified risky behaviors. Increasing awareness of these risks in the youth may significantly decrease related morbidities, complications, and even mortalities.

Introduction: End stage renal disease (ESRD) affects patient’s physical and psychological health. Depression is the most common psychiatric illness among patients with ESRD. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of depressive symptoms among patients undergoing peritoneal (PD) and hemodialysis (HD), also to correlate these symptoms with the demographic data. Methods: this is a cross-sectional study that includes 133 PD patients and 133 HD patients attending the King Fahad Dialysis Center at King Saud Medical Complex (KSMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Socio-demographic data were documented. Depression was evaluated by using the zung self- rating depression scale (Zung SDS). Results: using the Zung SDS; the prevalence of depression was significantly higher among PD patients (98.5%) in compare with HD patients (83.5%). Conclusion: the study reveals that there is a high prevalence of depressive symptoms among PD and HD patients. This will lead us to think of adding a system for screening, diagnosis and treatment of depression for all dialysis patients to improve their life. Keywords: depression, Zung SDS, peritoneal dialysis, Hemodialysis.

Background: To review the level of physical activity (PA) among adult diabetics and barriers to PA in this population.Methods: This survey was performed in 2017 and enrolled adult diabetics from primary health center of the National Guard in Qassim, Saudi Arabia. International Physical activity questionnaire was used to grade the level of PA. The three intensities of PA (walking, moderate and vigorous exercise), and number of days per week and hours per day were queried for each participant. Metabolic equivalent (MET), a proxy indicator of PA was calculated. Data were analyzed for associations to demographic and diabetes-related factors. Participants were queried on barriers to PA such as time, space, high cost, physical disability, preoccupation with other priorities and languor. Results: We interviewed 395 diabetic patients. The low and moderate levels of PA were noted for 320 (81%) and 75 (19%) participants respectively. None had a high level of PA. Gender (P=0.4), age (P=0.45), body mass index (P=0.66) were not associated to PA. Joint problems (43%), languor (35.2%) and family time (33.9%) were the main barriers that lowered PA. Conclusions: There was a low level of PA among diabetics in Qassim. Barriers to PA should be proactively addressed during patient counseling to improve PA in this population. Counseling direct towards increasing PA may mitigate the physically disabling complications of cardiovascular events among diabetics.

We used high hydrostatic pressure techniques to understand the deteriorating temperature performance with decreasing wavelength of short wavelength quantum cascade lasers. Influence of inter-valley scattering and distribution of the electron wave functions will be discussed.

Mid-infrared light emitting diodes based on the pentanary alloy GaInAsSbP have been engineered to provide a favourable band structure for the suppression of non-radiative Auger recombination which is dominant in narrow band gap III-V materials. Hydrostatic pressure measurements at room temperature and at 100 K were used to tune the band gap towards resonance with the spin-orbit band gap. Analysis of the resulting electroluminescence confirms that the non-radiative Auger recombination process involving the spin-orbit-split-off-band is suppressed under ambient conditions.