Search

We aimed to examine the concordance between beliefs and practices of physicians regarding the timing of referring cancer patients to a PC team. We reviewed records of cancer deaths in a palliative care unit (PCU) over three years. Physicians who initiated the referral to PC completed a questionnaire. The referral time was categorized into early (> 90 days), intermediate (31–90 days) or late (≤ 30 days). For 208 cancer deaths (63% females), the median age was 55 years. The median referral time was 33 days. Only 9.6% of patients were referred early, while the majority were either referred late (47.1%) or fell in the intermediate category (43.3%). All of the referring physicians believed that a PC service is essential in an oncology center and 73.7% stated that cancer patients should be referred to PC at diagnosis or when cancer becomes incurable. No patient- or physician-related factors were significantly associated with the referral time. Despite the unanimous belief among this group of physicians that cancer patients should be referred to PC at or before diagnosing its incurability, initiation of early referrals to PC was remarkably rare. Such a striking discordance between beliefs and practices merits further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epilepsy is a common neurologic disorder, which is efficiently treated with carbamazepine and valproic acid. Moreover, Saudi Ministry of Health implemented a new E-system for Poison Control Centers called Awtar to enhance technology utilization in ensuring patients' satisfaction and to improve treatment outcomes. Therefore, we conducted this study to assess appropriateness of indication of requests and therapeutic levels of carbamazepine and valproic acid in Tabuk area, North West Saudi Arabia. This is a retrospective observational study conducted in Poison Control & Forensic Chemistry Center, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Patients' data were obtained for years 2018 and 2019. The blood levels of carbamazepine and valproic acid were measured by Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) Unit. We selected patients treated with either valproic acid or carbamazepine alone without any history of drug allergy. Data of 264 patients were extracted from Awtar E-system. Serum carbamazepine levels were within therapeutic range in 114 patients (75.50%), above-therapeutic range in 13 patients (8.61%) and sub-therapeutic levels in 24 patients (15.89%). Regarding serum valproic acid, it is within therapeutic range in 62 patients (54.87%), above-therapeutic range in 11 patients (9.73%) and sub-therapeutic levels in 40 patients (35.40%). In conclusion, this study gives information about partial appropriateness of usage of carbamazepine and low level of appropriateness of valproic acid. However, more efforts are needed to improve results of appropriateness of indication of antiepileptic drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many empirical correlations and models have been developed to estimate solar radiation around the world. The most commonly used parameter for estimating global solar radiation is sunshine duration since it is easily and reliably measured with widely available data. This paper reports the performance of 52 sunshine models for estimating monthly global solar radiation on horizontal surfaces in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (24°43′N, 39-38′E; altitude: 600 m). It was found that some of the models were totally unsuitable for use in this region, while others differ in performance. Two best models were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study describes for the first time the toxin production by Microcystis aeruginosa blooms in three rainwater ponds in Saudi Arabia. The cell density of M. aeruginosa correlated with chlorophyll-a, temperature and nutrient concentrations. Microcystis blooms produced the hepatotoxin microcystin (MCYST) with concentrations of 0.988-3.04 mg g-1 dry weight, and a toxin profile consisting mainly of MCYST-RR, -YR and -LR. MCYSTs were also detected in pond waters at levels exceeding the WHO guideline value (11.2-34.6 µg l-1). The study suggests the monitoring of toxic cyanobacteria in such potable water sources to protect the public from potent toxins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Occurrence of toxic cyanobacteria in drinking and recreational waters poses human health at risk as they can release potent toxins into the water. In the present study, open and covered treated-water storage reservoirs as well as their relevant tap waters in Abha city, Saudi Arabia, were surveyed for the presence of cyanobacteria and their toxins. The results revealed the contamination of most open reservoir and tap waters by algae and cyanobacteria, with an abundance of toxigenic species of cyanobacteria. Depending on the results of the Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), endotoxins and microcystins (MCYSTs) were found in most open reservoir and tap waters at concentrations up to 32EUml−1 and 0.3μgml−1, respectively. The extracts of axenic cultures of most cyanobacterial species isolated from these reservoirs showed activity to LAL assay, with large endotoxin amounts obtained in Calothrix parietina (490EUg−1) and Phormidium tenue (210EUg−1). Based on ELISA and HPLC analysis for these extracts, only C. parietina can produce MCYSTs (202μgg−1) with a profile consisting of MCYST-RR and -LR. This study suggests that open treated-water storage reservoirs should be covered to prevent the presence of cyanobacteria and their toxins in such drinking and recreational waters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To characterize and reduce the harmful effects of Erythemal ultraviolet radiation (EUV), it is vital to recognize the spatial distribution and temporal variation of EUV radiation under various meteorological conditions. In light of these requirements, the problem we address here is to understand the results of a study performed to assess the influence of stratospheric ozone and aerosol loading on the receipt of EUV at six sites located in Saudi Arabia. The selected sites were chosen to represent the climatic zones of the north, middle, and south of Saudi Arabia. Intensive satellite-based measurements of the atmosphere over the period 1979–2005 obtained from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) website ( ftp://toms.gsfc.nasa.gov ) were used, with a four year gap from 1993 to 1996. The results hint that, in spite of the significant decrease in stratospheric ozone, there is a clear decreasing trend in the EUV data series due to the increase in the aerosol loading during summer months. For the other months the correlation is not clear and in all cases there was no decrease in the EUV radiation trend outside summer months, with few exceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]