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ABSTRACT: Objective: This study examines smoking behaviors, including the age of initiation, daily consumption, cessation attempts, and awareness of smoking-related health risks among male healthcare professional students in Alkharj, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 308 male students across four healthcare disciplines: Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, and Pharmacy. A structured questionnaire collected data on smoking status, initiation age, daily cigarette consumption, reasons for smoking, cessation attempts, and awareness of systemic and oral diseases caused by smoking. Descriptive statistics and Chi-Square tests were used to identify significant differences among disciplines. Results: The prevalence of smoking varied significantly among the different disciplines, with Pharmacy students having the lowest smoking rate (16.2%) and Dental students the highest (38.5%) (P = 0.005). Most smokers began smoking between the ages of 18-21. The majority of smokers consumed 3-5 cigarettes per day. Awareness of smoking-related systemic diseases, such as lung cancer, was high across all groups, though knowledge of smoking-related oral diseases varied. Attempts to quit smoking were most prevalent among Dental students (66.7%), indicating a significant difference in cessation efforts across disciplines (P = 0.04). Conclusion: The study highlights significant differences in smoking behaviors and awareness across healthcare disciplines. These findings underscore the critical need for targeted educational interventions to address smoking behaviors and improve health literacy among healthcare professional students. By focusing on discipline-specific approaches, it is possible to enhance the effectiveness of tobacco control programs and promote healthier lifestyles among future healthcare providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the absence of learning disabilities programs in secondary education on meeting students' needs. Additionally, the study sought to identify statistically significant differences impact of the absence of learning disabilities programs in secondary education on meeting students' needs, as perceived by their teachers, based on variables such as gender, educational qualifications. This study adopted a descriptive approach to achieve its objectives and used a questionnaire on the impact of the absence of learning disabilities programs in secondary education on meeting students' needs, prepared by the researcher, to collect data from the targeted study sample. The study sample was 251 teachers. The study revealed several key findings, including that the level of impact of the absence of learning disabilities programs in secondary education on meeting students' needs, as perceived by their teachers, which encompassed family and administrative impact, academic aspects, transitional skills, psychological, and social impact, was within a very high level of estimation. Furthermore, the results indicated no statistically significant differences in the means of responses from the study sample concerning the impact of the absence of learning disabilities programs in secondary education on meeting students' needs, as perceived by their teachers, attributed to gender. However, there were no statistically significant differences in the means of responses from the study sample concerning the impact of the absence of learning disabilities programs in secondary education on meeting students' needs, as perceived by their teachers, attributed to educational qualifications, except for the academic aspect, which showed statistical significance in favor of postgraduate degree holders. The study provided several recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report describes a clinical technique to facilitate the placement of direct composite resin restorations in structurally compromised posterior teeth, to restore proper anatomical contours and interproximal contacts using sectional matrix kit and thermoplastic impression material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With more than 1,700 laboratory-confirmed infections, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) remains a significant threat for public health. However, the lack of detailed data on modes of transmission from the animal reservoir and between humans means that the drivers of MERS-CoV epidemics remain poorly characterized. Here, we develop a statistical framework to provide a comprehensive analysis of the transmission patterns underlying the 681 MERS-CoV cases detected in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) between January 2013 and July 2014. We assess how infections from the animal reservoir, the different levels of mixing, and heterogeneities in transmission have contributed to the buildup of MERS-CoV epidemics in KSA. We estimate that 12% [95% credible interval (CI): 9%, 15%] of cases were infected from the reservoir, the rest via human-to-human transmission in clusters (60%; CI: 57%, 63%), within (23%; CI: 20%, 27%), or between (5%; CI: 2%, 8%) regions. The reproduction number at the start of a cluster was 0.45 (CI: 0.33, 0.58) on average, but with large SD (0.53; CI: 0.35, 0.78). It was >1 in 12% (CI: 6%, 18%) of clusters but fell by approximately one-half (47% CI: 34%, 63%) its original value after 10 cases on average. The ongoing exposure of humans toMERS-CoV from the reservoir is of major concern, given the continued risk of substantial outbreaks in health care systems. The approach we present allows the study of infectious disease transmission when data linking cases to each other remain limited and uncertain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Admixed populations arise when two or more previously isolated populations interbreed. Mapping asthma susceptibility loci in an admixed population using admixture mapping (AM) involves screening the genome of individuals of mixed ancestry for chromosomal regions that have a higher frequency of alleles from a parental population with higher asthma risk as compared with parental population with lower asthma risk. AM takes advantage of the admixture created in populations of mixed ancestry to identify genomic regions where an association exists between genetic ancestry and asthma (in contrast to between the genotype of the marker and asthma). The theory behind AM is that chromosomal segments of affected individuals contain a significantly higher-than-average proportion of alleles from the high-risk parental population and thus are more likely to harbor disease-associated loci. Criteria to evaluate the applicability of AM as a gene mapping approach include: (1) the prevalence of the disease differences in ancestral populations from which the admixed population was formed; (2) a measurable difference in disease-causing alleles between the parental populations; (3) reduced linkage disequilibrium (LD) between unlinked loci across chromosomes and strong LD between neighboring loci; (4) a set of markers with noticeable allele-frequency differences between parental populations that contributes to the admixed population (single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the markers of choice because they are abundant, stable, relatively cheap to genotype, and informative with regard to the LD structure of chromosomal segments); and (5) there is an understanding of the extent of segmental chromosomal admixtures and their interactions with environmental factors. Although genome-wide association studies have contributed greatly to our understanding of the genetic components of asthma, the large and increasing degree of admixture in populations across the world create many challenges for further efforts to map disease-causing genes. This review, summarizes the historical context of admixed populations and AM, and considers current opportunities to use AM to map asthma genes. In addition, we provide an overview of the potential limitations and future directions of AM in biomedical research, including joint admixture and association mapping for asthma and asthma-related disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) who showed partial response to pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions need a trial of neuromodulation therapies (NTs). Objective: This paper aims to review evidence-based data on the use of NTs in TRD. Method: Using keywords and combined-word strategy, multiple computer searches of PubMed, Google Scholar, Quertle(R), and Medline were conducted for retrieving relevant articles published in English-language peer-reviewed journals (2000-2012). Those papers that addressed NTs in TRD were retained for extensive review. Results: Despite methodological challenges, a range of 30%-93% of TRD patients showed substantial improvement to one of the NTs. One hundred-percent improvement was reported in two single-case studies on deep brain stimulation. Some studies reported no benefits from transcranial direct current stimulation. NTs were reported to have good clinical efficacy, better safety margin, and benign side-effect profile. Data are limited regarding randomized clinical trials, long-term efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of these approaches. Both modified electroconvulsive therapy and magnetic seizure therapy were associated with reversible but disturbing neurocognitive adverse effects. Besides clinical utility, NTs including approaches on the horizon may unlock the biological basis underlying mood disorders including TRD. Conclusion: NTs are promising in patients with TRD, as the majority of them show good clinical response measured by standardized depression scales. NTs need further technological refinements and optimization together with continuing well-designed studies that recruit larger numbers of participants with TRD [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with major depression respond to antidepressant treatment, but 10%-30% of them do not improve or show a partial response coupled with functional impairment, poor quality of life, suicide ideation and attempts, self-injurious behavior, and a high relapse rate. The aim of this paper is to review the therapeutic options for treating resistant major depressive disorder, as well as evaluating further therapeutic options. Methods: In addition to Google Scholar and Quertle searches, a PubMed search using key words was conducted, and relevant articles published in English peer-reviewed journals (1990-2011) were retrieved. Only those papers that directly addressed treatment options for treatment-resistant depression were retained for extensive review. Results: Treatment-resistant depression, a complex clinical problem caused by multiple risk factors, is targeted by integrated therapeutic strategies, which include optimization of medications, a combination of antidepressants, switching of antidepressants, and augmentation with non-antidepressants, psychosocial and cultural therapies, and somatic therapies including electroconvulsive therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, magnetic seizure therapy, deep brain stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, and vagus nerve stimulation. As a corollary, more than a third of patients with treatment-resistant depression tend to achieve remission and the rest continue to suffer from residual symptoms. The latter group of patients needs further study to identify the most effective therapeutic modalities. Newer biomarker-based antidepressants and other drugs, together with non-drug strategies, are on the horizon to address further the multiple complex issues of treatment-resistant depression. Conclusion: Treatment-resistant depression continues to challenge mental health care providers, and further relevant research involving newer drugs is warranted to improve the quality of life of patients with the disorder [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]