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Introduction: Preventive behaviour is vital to the success of any intervention in the control of the COVID-19 pandemic addressing community health. Objectives: To answer the extent to which the Saudi Population is aware and complies with the preventive measures of COVID-19, and to identify the associated factors. Methodology: This is a descriptive, community-based survey of the Saudi Population. The data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire that included respondent characteristics, and questions about the preventive behaviour towards COVID-19. The IRB of the University of Bisha, College of Medicine gave the ethical clearance. Result: A total of 1200 people participated in the online survey. Females were 607 (50.6%) and 593 (49.4%) were males. The majority of the Saudi Population had adequate knowledge of COVID-19 preventive measures (71.4%), adherence to preventive measures of COVID-19 was (47.5%). Factors associated with adequate adherence to the preventive measures of COVID-19 were age, occupation, education level, previous suspicion of COVID-19, and contact with infected persons, and a risk factor (p-value <0.05). Adherence to preventive measures as a daily routine practice was significantly associated with age, residence, occupation, suspected COVID-19, and previous infection (p-value <0.05). Conclusion: Although most of the Saudi Population has adequate knowledge of COVID-19 preventive measures, adherence to preventive measures was low. Therefore, we recommend increasing the awareness and compliance of the people to the preventive measures of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In the past few decades, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has increased dramatically in many countries. While primary preventive measures can reduce the prevalence of diabetes, knowledge of the risk factors of diabetes mellitus has many benefits for patients with diabetes. The study aimed to assess diabetes mellitus risk factors (DM‑RFs) awareness among adults residing in Bisha, Southwestern Saudi Arabia. Awareness of the risk factors of diabetes mellitus was reported to be highest for obesity, sweet intake, and family history of diabetes. Methods: The study participants were 404 adults (225 males and 179 females) with an age range of 18–65 (mean age: 40.83+/−9.3). People with diabetes and those without diabetes were involved in the study. The study was conducted in Bisha city, southwestern Saudi Arabia, using an online random sampling technique and a structured and validated questionnaire, and analysis was by SPSS V 24. Results: This study showed that 168 (41.6%) participants had diabetes and 236 (58.4%) were non‑diabetics; 64.9% of the respondents were aware of the DM‑RFs. Among the people with diabetes, 128 (76.2%) agreed that obesity is a DM‑RF, while 210 (89%) of the non‑diabetics were aware that obesity was a DM‑RF. Further, 77.7% of the respondents agreed that the risk factors were avoidable, with 50.7% willing to know more about DM‑RFs. Conclusion: The study found a high level of awareness of DM‑RFs among diabetes and non‑diabetics in Bisha, southwestern Saudi Arabia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent coronavirus outbreak from Wuhan China in late 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) resulted in a global pandemic of coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19). Understating the underlying mechanism of the pathogenesis of coronavirus infection is important not only because it will help in accurate diagnosis and treatment of the infection but also in the production of effective vaccines. The infection begins when SARS-CoV-2 enters the cells through binding of its envelope glycoprotein to angiotensin-converting enzyme2 (ACE2). Gene variations of ACE2 and microRNA (miR)-196 are associated with viral infection and other diseases. The present study investigated the association of the ACE2 rs4343 G>A and miR-196a2 rs11614913 C>T gene polymorphisms with severity and mortality of COVID-19 using amplification refractory mutation system PCR in 117 COVID-19 patients and 103 healthy controls from three regions of Saudi Arabia. The results showed that ACE2 rs4343 GA genotype was associated with severity of COVID-19 (OR=2.10, P-value 0.0028) and ACE2 rs4343 GA was associated with increased mortality with OR=3.44, P-value 0.0028. A strong correlation between the ACE2 rs4343 G>A genotype distribution among COVID-19 patients was reported with respect to their comorbid conditions including sex (P<0.023), coronary artery disease (P<0.0001), oxygen saturation <60 mm Hg (P<0.0009) and antiviral therapy (0.003). The results also showed that the CT genotype and T allele of the miR-196a2 rs11614913 C>T were associated with decreased risk to COVID-19 with OR=0.76, P=0.006 and OR=0.54, P=0.005, respectively. These results need to be validated with future molecular genetic studies in a larger sample size and different populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by persistent hyperglycemia and is associated with serious complications. The risk factors for T2DM include both genetic and lifestyle factors. Genome-wide association studies have indicated the association of genetic variations with many diseases, including T2DM. Glucokinase (GCK) plays a key role in the regulation of insulin release in the pancreas and catalyzes the first step in glycolysis in the liver. Genetic alterations in the GCK gene have been implicated in both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that are involved in the important physiological processes including glucose metabolism. In the present study, the association of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the GCK, MIR-196A-2 and MIR-423 genes with susceptibility to T2DM in patients from two regions of Saudi Arabia were examined, using the tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system. The results showed that the AA genotype and the A allele of GCK rs1799884 were associated with T2DM [odds ratio (OR)=2.25, P=0.032 and OR=1.55, P=0.021, respectively]. Likewise, the CT genotype and T allele of MIR-196A-2 rs11614913 were associated with an increased risk of T2DM (OR=2.36, P=0.0059 and OR=1.74, P=0.023, respectively). In addition, the CA genotype of MIR-423 rs6505162 C>A was found to be linked with T2DM (OR=2.12 and P=0.021). It was concluded in the present research study that gene variations in GCK, MIR-196A-2 and MIR-423 are potentially associated with an increased risk of T2DM. These results, in the future, may help in the identification and stratification of individuals susceptible to T2DM. Future longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes and in different ethnic populations are recommended to validate these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the effect of the 5-days intensive diabetes health education program on metabolic control among Saudi type 2 diabetic patients. Methodology: The study included 438 individuals, 158(36.1%) females and 280(63.9%) males with type 2 diabetes. All patients completed the 5-days diabetes education program. They did not require any change in their current therapy regimen, had not previously participated in any diabetes education programs, Saudi patients, of both genders, non-pregnant and older than 30 years. They were followed for one year after attending a 5-days structured education program conducted at University Diabetes Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected for each individual before attending the program, three months later, and one year after completion of the program. Results: After one year, all metabolic parameters had improved significantly (P<0.0001) except for high density lipoprotein(HDL) (P =0.097) as follows: body weight (mean ± SD) 78.72 ± 13.77 to 78.11 ± 13.33 Kg; systolic blood pressure 137.69 ± 15.56 to 129.5 ± 15.09 mmHg; diastolic blood pressure 77.27 ± 8.11 to 72.9 ± 7.30 mmHg; fasting blood sugar 10 ± 2.62 to 8.19 ± 2.04 mmol/l; HbA1c 8.78% ± 1.78% to 7.87% ± 1.56% ; triglycerides 1.98 ± 0.9 to 1.51 ± 0.67 mmol/l; total cholesterol 4.77 ± 0.83 to 3.9 ± 0.83mmol/l; low density lipoprotein 2.71 ± 0.66 to 2.15 ± 0.59mmol/l, and high density lipoprotein improved by an increase from 1.28 ± 0.4 to 1.31 ± 0.24 mmol/l. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that intensive education program provided by a trained professional healthcare team is an effective approach and reinforces the need for implementing such education program as an essential part for metabolic control among diabetic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Health promotion is the most important element of primary health care. Therefore, it is essential for the health team to apply such activity. Objective: To describe a newly established health promotion clinic at primary health care centers, in Abha city, KSA. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted during the year 2009. The files of 429 individuals were reviewed after one year from attending the health promotion clinics in Abha city, KSA. Master sheet was designed based on the relevant items of the file. The health promotion services used in the study were based on the recommendation of the relevant guidelines. Data entry and analysis was carried out using Statistical Program for the Social Sciences (SPSS). P-values less than 0.05 were selected for statistical significance. Results: After one year, the percentage of the individuals who intake imbalanced diet and did not perform any type of physical activity was more than 90% while 8% are currently smokers and 14% had depression. Clinical examination and investigation revealed that more than one quarter of our subjects were overweight. Obesity was 42% in males versus 51% in females (P<0.04). Pre-hypertension and hypertension were detected among 44 and 12% respectively. About one fifth of our subjects had pre-diabetes 21% and 3% were confirmed to have diabetes mellitus. Diet and physical activity counseling was given to all participants while referral to concerned clinics was done for individuals who suffer from high blood sugar, abnormal lipid profile, obesity and depression. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that health promotion clinics provided by trained professional health care team can be used as a new approach for early detection and management of the common health problems in primary health care centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence and consequences of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) among Saudi women are not well understood. Consequently, the purpose of this research is to ascertain the frequency, course, and contributing factors of PMDD and PMS in the Asir area of Saudi Arabia., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Asir, Saudi Arabia, using a pre-designed questionnaire distributed among adult female patients to five primary healthcare facilities (PHCs) that were chosen at random in the Asir Region. Data were analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, version 15)., Results: The study included 506 participants; 81% of them were Saudi and 19% were non-Saudi. A percentage (46.2%) of the participants were aged between 21 and 30 years old. A total of 369 (72.9%) participants have PMS. Regarding PMS symptoms, 79.1% reported mood changes, 59.3% tantrums, 56.7% change in appetite, 47% acne, 41.9% back and joint pain, and 43.1% reported sleep disorders. Almost half (42.1%) of the participants receive treatment to relieve the symptoms of PMS (72% of them receive paracetamol and 6.1% receive nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)). Some (6.4%) exercise during the menstrual cycle to relieve symptoms of PMS, while 31% eat healthy foods at the time of period to relieve the symptoms of PMS., Conclusion: The prevalence of PMS/PMDD was among the reported figures worldwide. There was a significant association between age and the use of contraceptives with symptoms of PMS/PMDD among the studied sample., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Research Ethics Committee at King Khalid University issued approval ECM#2023-3242. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Zarfishan et al.)

Objective: Breast cancer (BC) is a major public health problem in Saudi Arabia and worldwide and significantly affects the health of Saudi women. This study investigates the awareness and predictors of breast cancer among medical students at the University of Bisha, Saudi Arabia., Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 391 medical students from the University of Bisha (Medicine and Applied Medical sciences) conducted from June to December 2022. Data were collected using a questionnaire with 27 questions. Data were analyzed using Stata/ BE 17.0 for Mac (Intel 64-bit) 1985-2021 Stata Corp LLC. All ethical issues were addressed honestly, including IRB and student consent., Results: In our study, almost half of the participants (49.36%) had suboptimal knowledge of general BC awareness, which was statistically significantly related to gender and previous participation in BC education (p-value < 0.05). Of the students (57%) showed a positive intention to participate in BC activities. Logistic regression models were used to identify factors that positively predicted student participation and engagement in BC activities. These factors showed a statistically significant relationship (p-value < 0.05), including previous participation (OR =1.557143), female (OR =1.412844), living in rural areas (OR =1.7075471), and medical applied sciences students (OR =1.439252)., Conclusion: Despite half of the participants having suboptimal awareness of BC, there was a significant willingness to engage in BC prevention activities. Therefore, we recommend further analysis to identify gaps in the medical curriculum and update it accordingly, as well as to plan an extracurricular activity to increase student awareness of breast cancer as part of the University of Bisha's social accountability., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2023 Miskeen and Al-Shahrani.)

The sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted educational institutions to close down worldwide. This unprecedented step led to a feeling of anxiety in the student community that encountered obstacles in shifting to an online education mode. Saudi Arabia also followed these steps to minimize the loss of life, but simultaneously, the administration also assured people that they had nothing to fear as the country was prepared to support them in every way. The current study was accordingly commissioned between April 21, 2020, and May 20, 2020, to assess the impact of the new developments on the anxiety of 119 students from the College of Medicine, University of Bisha, Saudi Arabia, using an adapted Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale - 7 (GAD-7). The findings showed that 46.22% of respondents had minimal anxiety, 26.89% had mild anxiety, 12.60% had moderate anxiety, and 14.29% had severe anxiety. The findings indicate that Saudi University students had minimal anxiety issues concomitant to the pandemic. The results also significantly show that students' anxiety or its absence was a factor of gender and the students' current level of education in the university., Context: The sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted educational institutions to close down worldwide. This unprecedented step led to a feeling of anxiety in the student community that encountered obstacles in shifting to an online education mode. Saudi Arabia also followed these steps to minimize the loss of life, but simultaneously, the administration also assured people that they had nothing to fear as the country was prepared to support them in every way., Aim: To assess the impact of the new developments on the anxiety., Settings and Design: An exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted between April 21, 2020, and May 20, 2020 at the College of Medicine, University of Bisha, Saudi Arabia., Methods and Material: The students were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire form, using an adapted GAD-7., Results: The findings showed that 46.22% of respondents had minimal anxiety, 26.89% had mild anxiety, 12.60% had moderate anxiety, and 14.29% had severe anxiety. The findings indicate that Saudi University students had minimal anxiety issues concomitant to the pandemic., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Background and Aims: Worldwide, medical education and assessment of medical students are evolving. Psychometric analysis of the adopted assessment methods is thus, necessary for an efficient, reliable, valid and evidence based approach to the assessment of the students. The objective of this study was to determine the pattern of psychometric analysis of our courses conducted in the academic year 2018-2019, in an innovative curriculum., Methods: It was a cross-sectional-design study involving review of examination items over one academic session -2018/2019. All exam item analysis of courses completed within the three phases of the year were analyzed using SPSS V20 statistical software., Results: There were 24 courses conducted during the academic year 2018-2019, across the three academic phases. The total examination items were 1073 with 3219 distractors in one of four best option multiple choice questions (MCQs). The item analysis showed that the mean difficulty index (DIF I) was 79.1 ± 3.3. Items with good discrimination have a mean of 65 ± 11.2 and a distractor efficiency of 80.9%. Reliability Index (Kr20) across all exams in the three phases was 0.75. There was a significant difference within the examination items block (F = 12.31, F critical = 3.33, P < 0.05) across all the phases of the courses taken by the students. Similarly, significant differences existed among the three phases of the courses taken (F ratio = 12.44, F critical 4.10, P < 0.05)., Conclusion: The psychometric analysis showed that the quality of examination questions was valid and reliable. Though differences were observed in items quality between different phases of study as well as within courses of study, it has generally remained consistent throughout the session. More efforts need to be channeled towards improving the quality in the future is recommended., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2020 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Professionalism is the relationship that is built on trust between the medical profession and their community. We aim to assess the understanding and the perception of professionalism by the medical students at University of Bisha (UB) in Saudi Arabia. This was an observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study conducted among the medical students at UB. A validated questionnaire containing nine questions was distributed to all medical students. The questionnaire addresses the knowledge, attitudes, and perception toward professionalism. Out of the all 122 students studying at the university, 97 responded by filling the questionnaire giving a response rate of 79.5%. Most of the responders gave a positive attitude and perception when asked about presumed scenarios addressing professionalism. The majority of the participants (83.5%) mentioned that it is necessary for the medical student to wear lab coat in the hospital, 67.0% disagreed on medical student to wear accessories during work, and 67.0% disagreed to request your friend to sign on behalf of you when you are absent. Only 15.5% accepted to report on an incidence during daily activities or exam, and 72.2% did not accept to discuss patients issues in public. Most of the medical students enrolled in this study seems to have positive attitude and perception regarding professionalism., Competing Interests: None., (Copyright © Sudanese Association of Pediatricians.)

Background: Students' opinions about their medical curriculum is essential process for evaluating program strength and weakness. Aim: We aimed to assess the benefits and effectiveness of PBL in acquisition of knowledge and soft skills during basic (Phase I) and preclinical (Phase II) sciences., Methods: Across-sectional study was conducted at the University of Bisha, College of Medicine, Saudi Arabia. Students at Phase I and Phase II were involved. A validated self-administered questionnaire used for data collection. Responses to the questionnaire items regarding PBL benefits, preferences and effectiveness in acquisition of knowledge and soft skills were ordinal following a four-point Likert scale format. Independent and paired t tests were used to compare between the means and SD of each two variables. A p value ≤ 0.05 considered as statistically significant., Results: Most of students (86.3%) reported a positive perception on all the items assessing the benefits of PBL approach. Students' responses on PBL relating to the acquisition of knowledge (3.27±0.46) and soft skill (3.32±0.45) were high. There were no significant differences determined in the mean score and SD of acquisition of knowledge (p=0.768) and soft skills (p=0.297) between second and third year students. PBL was preferred in Phase II comparable to Phase I modules (3.371±0.299 vs. 3.026±0.627; p=0.001)., Conclusion: Effectiveness of PBL found to be high and increasing after taking a series of modules. Although PBL methodology has impact in acquisition of knowledge and skills, intended program outcome should be determined to assess the effects of PBL.