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Background: Heartbeat abnormalities, such as when it beats too quickly or too slowly, are known as cardiac arrhythmias. Although certain arrhythmias are more common in neonates and young infants compared to older children and adults, all types of arrhythmias can occur. Many are benign and do not cause hemodynamic compromise. Others may compromise cardiac output and cause decreased blood pressure and decreased perfusion. Arrythmias can be due to abnormal structure of the heart, cardiomyopathy, inherited diseases, drugs, infections, inflammation, systemic diseases, autoimmune diseases, mechanical ventilation, central venous line insertion, electrolyte disturbance and others. Not all arrhythmias provide the same risk to the patient, despite the fact that they are frequently seen in critically ill patients. Certain arrhythmias, for instance, can be benign and selflimiting, whereas others might swiftly worsen and become potentially fatal. Aim:An overview of the most frequent causes of arrhythmias in children with acquired or structurally congenital cardiac disorders is provided in this article. Conclusion: In pediatric patients there are wide range of causes for arrhythmias. May be caused by primarily diseases or acquired factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Sudan has a high prevalence of hypertension or high blood pressure, a key risk factor for cardiovascular illnesses. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the socio-demographic characteristics, antihypertensive medication adherence, lifestyle changes, and the relationships between these factors and blood pressure control. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to August 2023 in tertiary care hospitals in Sudan. A structured questionnaire was used to gather information from 385 hypertensive individuals who participated in the study. RESULTS: The results estimated a positive correlation between the independent variables mea- suring medication adherence. Diet, stress management, and exercise also moderately correlated with each other and the independent variables. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels had a high correlation at 0.93, and most variables correlated moderately with the dependent variable of blood pressure control. The regression model (R = 0.698) using the dependent variable (blood pressure control) as the outcome strongly correlated with the independent variables, explaining almost 49% of the variance in hypertension control. It was observed that blood pressure control was significantly predicted by adherence to antihypertensive medication, proper diet, exercise, and stress reduction among the participants. CONCLUSION: The study emphasizes the significance of lifestyle changes for effective hypertension control, specifically adherence to antihypertensive medication, diet, exercise, and stress management. Hypertensive patients in Sudan experienced much better blood pressure control and a decreased risk of cardiovascular problems after changing their lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: When newborn sepsis occurs, the pathogen may trigger an uncontrollable systemic inflammatory response that results in oxidative damage. Melatonin released naturally, which acts as a safe antioxidant and free radical scavenger in newborns. The aim of the work was to evaluate the significance of plasma melatonin level in early diagnosis of late onset sepsis neonatal sepsis. Methods: 58 full-term babies were included in a case-control study at Zagazig University's neonatal intensive care unit. Twenty-nine newborns in the patient group had complete clinical and biochemical signs of sepsis. The control group included twenty-nine newborns with no clinical or biochemical signs of sepsis. Melatonin level was measured by ELISA, and a septic work-up was done for all the patients. Results: The best cutoff plasma melatonin level in the diagnosis of late onset sepsis was16.2 pg/ml with an area under the curve of 0.97, a sensitivity of 92.6%, specificity of 86.4%, positive predictive value of 90.5 %, negative predictive value of 87% and over all accuracy of 88.6%. Conclusions: A significant elevation of endogenous plasma melatonin level was found in lateonset neonatal sepsis, so early identification of late-onset sepsis could considerably help cases by allowing both the prevention of complications and avoiding multiple drug resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: Background: Patient satisfaction is the subjective evaluation of a patient's cognitive and emotional responses. This reflects their expectations regarding the ideal healthcare to be provided. This study aims to assess the satisfaction level of the attendees to the family medicine staff clinics at King Saud Medical City, Riyadh. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study recruited 378 participants. An adapted and piloted questionnaire was used to gather the data. The questionnaire enquires about the communication skills of the receptionist, the triage nurse, and the assigned physician. It included questions regarding the structure of the clinics. Results: Females represent the majority of about 255 (67.5%). About 2/3 of the respondents were within the age group of 18-34 years, 245 (64.8%). A high level of satisfaction was reported by the participants regarding the professionalism, kindness, interest of the staff member, and waiting time. Gender, marital status, and age group have no significant effect on the satisfaction level; the P value was uniformly more than 0.05. Conclusion: The result of this study identified high satisfaction responses regarding the communication skills of the receptionist, triage nurse, and physicians. The overall evaluation of the experience during staff clinic visits was satisfactory. Periodic evaluation of these attributes and other indicators that promote patient-centered care should be undertaken to improve the overall quality of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunization has been one of the most significant cost-effective and stimulatory public health interventions. Vaccine preventable diseases are major source of mortality among children throughout the developing world, causing an estimated 2.5 million death per year. Mothers play a major role in promoting the health of children. Several misconception, ignorance and inadequacy of knowledge in relation to optional vaccine is prevalent among mothers especially of under-five children, thus mothers ability to have the right knowledge will enhance their attitude and practice towards immunization. A cross-sectional study was carried out at Ahfad health center during 2016 to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of participating mothers regarding immunization of their under-five children. Sixty six (66) women were interviewed using pretested questionnaire and selected by systematic random sampling with an interval of 3. Knowledge of mothers concerning vaccination (timing and doses of childhood vaccines) and the socio-demographic data variables (Age, educational level and parity) were correlated by using chi square test. P value According to the findings of this study all mothers agreed that immunization is important to prevent childhood diseases, and vaccinated all the eligible children in their families and their children had vaccination card. 10 mothers representing about (15.2%) skipped or delayed some doses of vaccines. The study also showed that mothers who are young and illiterate were expected to be unaware of the expanded program of immunization therefore having poor attitude and practice towards it but mothers' age was found to have no relation with the knowledge about the number and timing of doses of childhood vaccines. Keywords: Immunization, under-five children, knowledge, attitude, practice, Introduction Immunization is an immunological process designed to produce specific protection against a given disease. Access to immunization services and up to date immunization coverage are essential for protecting every [...]

Background Unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia is the most common cause of hospital admissions and readmissions among the newborns. The study aimed to evaluate weather levels of hydrogen peroxide in cord blood can be used to confirm the predictive warning sign of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and identify which babies require follow-up leaving the hospital. Methods: a cross-sectional study involved 30 healthy neonates. They were classified into two groups according to bilirubin level at the 5th day: less severe hyperbilirubinemia with a bilirubin level ≤ 17 mg/dl and severe hyperbilirubinemia with a bilirubin level > 17 mg/dl. Measurement of hydrogen peroxide in cord blood, at birth, and on the third and fifth days of life by colorimetric method was done. Results: in our study show that at the cutoff point of cord blood hydrogen peroxide ≥2.685 uMol/L, sensitivity was 90.0%, specificity was 83.3%, predicted values (both positive and negative) were 78.3% and 92.6%, positive and negative likelihood ratios were 5.4 and 0.12, and accuracy was 86.0%. Conclusions: The levels of cord hydrogen peroxide and further sampling were considerably greater in neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia. It is therefore possible to identify a subset of newborns who may be at risk of jaundice and require phototherapy or exchange at delivery by measuring the amounts of hydrogen peroxide in the umbilical cord blood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pulmonary function test (PFT) is used as a tool for pre-transplant risk assessment and as a predictor of post-transplant outcomes. As there are currently few studies that discuss the role of PFT in bone marrow transplantation (BMT) patients in Saudi settings, and as the number of transplant patients with benign and malignant conditions continues to increase, this study was conducted with the aim of assessing the local practice. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included all adult patients who underwent BMT at Princess Noorah Oncology Center, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, between 2014 and 2020. The association between established patient-related risk factors and the incidence of pulmonary complications among autologous and allogeneic groups was assessed. Results: A total of 186 patients were included (autologous = 143; allogenic = 43), of which 115 (61.8%) were male. At the pre-BMT phase, about 30% of the patients had comorbidities and 51% had received two rounds of salvage chemotherapy, while 16.1% had received radiation therapy. In the autologous group, the only PFT parameter that was a significant predictor of post-BMT pulmonary complications was forced vital capacity <80% (P = 0.012), while in the allogenic group, no parameter was significantly associated with pulmonary complications. The patient-related factors that were associated with respiratory distress in the autologous group were lung involvement (P = 0.03) and pre-transplant radiation (P = 0.044). Conclusion: The findings of this study indicated that forced vital capacity <80% was a significant factor in predicting non-infectious complications in the autologous group. Furthermore, lung involvement and pre-transplant radiation were the patient-related factors associated with pulmonary complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) describes infants who were only breastfed for 6 months. Many Saudi mothers have suboptimal breastfeeding practices. Therefore, this study aims to assess breastfeeding knowledge and determine barriers to EBF among mothers attending primary health care centers in Jazan City. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done that included all mothers attending the PHC centers. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. Results: Most study participants understand breastfeeding's health benefits for babies and mothers, but most believe that synthetic milk is the best alternative for working mothers to feed their babies. A percentage of 66.7 of mothers practiced breastfeeding during the first 6 months of the child's life. EBF shows a significant relationship with knowledge and barriers. Sixty percent of mothers have never had any information about breastfeeding; the primary source was from their mothers and only 31.4% from hospital staff. Most respondents disagreed with statements of barriers to EBF, which elicits an unexpected response. Conclusions: Most participants have good knowledge concerning breastfeeding benefits for both mother and infant and disagreed on the mentioned barriers for EBF that include lack of breastmilk, deficiency of information, and working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cowpea is one of the fast-growing legume crops during the summer and is well suited to the summer environmental conditions in Egypt. In addition, it is a high-quality crop for feeding sheep and cattle, also very important fodder for dairy cows. In this study, an experiment was designed to evaluate the effect of biofertilizers on cowpea productivity cultivated under sandy soil conditions at Ismailia Governorate. To reach such aim, an identified Streptomyces strain was used with a mixture of biochar, and organic fertilizer in several different treatments compared to bradyrhizobia. The experiment was carried out at the Ismailia Research Station, ARC. Results showed that the number of nodules at the 2nd cutting was always higher than that of the 1st cutting. No results were recorded indicating the presence of root nodules in cowpea plants to which bradyrhizobia was not added. Results showed that the fresh weight of cowpea plants under investigation as shown in the 16 treatments was inconsistent and reflects the importance of biofertilizers. Percentages of nitrogen and crude protein among two cutting of cowpea plants cultivated under showed that the 2nd cut was always higher in the percentage of crude protein than the 1st cut. Treatment T16 containing bradrhizobia and actinomycetes as biofertilizers, organic fertilizer, low concentration of nitrogen fertilizer and biochar appeared the highest fresh weight per Feddan compared to all treatments. Results of the yield (Ton/Fed) of dry weight of the cowpea plants has become in the same trend as the results of fresh weight. As a conclusion, treatment coded T16 which containing Bradyrhizobiumsp. (Vigna)and actinomycetes as biofertilizers, organic fertilizer, low concentration of nitrogen fertilizer and biochar appeared the highest levels of no. of nodules, nodules dry weight, fresh and dry weights of cowpea shoots, percentage of crude protein and yield of fresh and dry weight (Ton/Feddan). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have shown that berseem clover is one of the most important winter leguminous crops as fodder for animals due to its high content of crude protein. In Egypt, its cultivation is abundant in soils whether ancient or reclaimed soils. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of biofertilizers on berseem clover productivity cultivated under sandy soil conditions in Ismailia Research Station, Ismailia Governorate. To reach such aim, an identified actinomycete strain (Streptomyces luteogriseus-08) was used with a mixture of biochar, and organic fertilizer in several different treatments compared to rhizobia. The experimental results revealed that the percentages of crude protein in the two cuts indicated that the 2nd cutting was always higher in the percentage of crude protein than the 1st cutting. On planting and treating, the microbial total counts, dehydrogenase activity and NPK contents were developed in the soil samples collected from the 15 fertilizer treatments compared to the control-soil sample. In addition, treatments containing rhizobium as a biofertilizer showed a high percentage of crude protein compared to rhizobium-free treatments. The presence of organic fertilizer was more suitable for improving the growth of berseem clover plants compared to biochar. Combination of Rhizobium legumin Sarum bv. trifolii, Streptomyces luteogriseus-08, organic fertilizer, biochar in the presence of low nitrogen fertilizer (T16 treatment) gave the highest numbers of nodules, dry weight of nodules, and fresh weight of berseem clover nodules. Dry and fresh weights of berseem clover shoots, crude protein (%) and expected yield (Ton/Feddan) were higher in T16 compared to the control and the other 14 treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Motor vehicle repair workers are a vulnerable group for developing occupational dermatoses. They are exposed to a wide range of chemical, physical and mechanical hazards. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of occupational dermatoses among motor vehicle repair workers and their risk factors, and to evaluate the effect of a health educational program. Methods. The study was conducted among 106 motor vehicle repair workers. All participants were personally interviewed at their workshops and were subjected to the Nordic occupational skin questionnaire, dermal exposure knowledge, attitudes and perceptions questionnaire, dermatological examination and health educational program. Then, evaluation of the effects of health the program was done after 2 months. Results. Exclusively occupational dermatoses (18.9%) were followed by work-related dermatoses (17.9%). Chronic contact dermatitis was the most frequent exclusively occupational dermatoses (12.26%), followed by tar/oil acneform rash (3.77%) and mechanical injury (3.77%). Xerosis (6.6%) and hyperpigmentation (4.71%) were the most frequent work-related dermatoses. Lack of use of personal protective equipment, older age, longer duration of work, exposure to chemical hazards and car mechanics were the independent risk factors. Conclusions. A significant improvement occurred in the participants' knowledge about dermal exposure, behavioral action for prevention and overall belief (pre/post intervention) (p < 0.01). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]