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Bullying in schools is a serious global health issue that jeopardizes youth and future adult health and negatively impacts academic outcomes. This cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence, forms, and associated factors of bullying among students aged 7-17 in public schools in Shaqra City, Saudi Arabia, where no prior data existed. A total of 372 students participated, with a median age of 11 years (interquartile range 9--14), of whom 187 were girls. 27 students (12.6%) reported being bullied in the past month, primarily through verbal abuse (89.4%), followed by physical bullying (10.6%). Cyberbullying was prevalent, with all students bullied experiencing it through social media, and some through texting (6 students, 1.6%) or email (3 students, 0.8%). Factors like student and parent age, student sex, school level, class level, nationality, chronic diseases, polygamy, and smartphone ownership were not associated with bullying. Cyberbullying and bullying affected 12.6% of students. Verbal bullying, the most common, occurred in restrooms and halls. Victims were hesitant to discuss their worries with anyone. Bullying incidents both within and outside of schools were more likely to result in positive adult intervention. Bullying among adolescents was attributed to factors such as physical strength and size. The possible reactions of bystander peers to a bullying incident include alerting the school administration and directly intervening independently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intravenous cannulation (IVC) is a common medical procedure for administering fluids and medications, but it carries risks such as phlebitis and infection, particularly in children. This study aimed to determine the incidence of complications associated with IVC in children and identify associated risk factors. Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, from January 2023 to March 2023. Data were collected from pediatric surgery and pediatric medicine units. A standardized Proforma was used to collect patient demographics, IVC insertion details, and complications. Data were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods (quantitative data as mean and standard deviations, qualitative data as frequency and percentages). Chi square test was used to determine significance with p-value less than 0.05 as significant at 95% confidence interval. Results: Among 279 patients, the most common complication was phlebitis (53.4%). The predominant insertion sites were the right and left hand dorsum (23.3% each), with 24G cannula being most frequently used (94.6%). Complications were more prevalent in patients with comorbidities. Longer duration of catheter placement correlated with increased complication rates. Phlebitis incidence rose from 2.3% on day 1 to 83.7% on day 3. Interestingly, complications were higher with glove use during insertion. Conclusion: Complications associated with IVC insertion are higher in children with comorbid, using dominant hand and IVC on bony prominences or joints. Use of aseptic measures decreases the incidence of these complications. Further research is needed to explore preventive strategies and improve patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The patient's understanding of the illness may mediate beliefs towards its treatment. There is a paucity of studies examining the relationships between these variables in depression. This study was conducted to know the relationships between explanatory models and attitude to medication in depression. Methods: 494 patients with depression in remission were assessed with sociodemographic proforma, Drug Attitude Inventory, and Mental Distress Explanatory Model Questionnaire. Results: A favorable attitude toward medication was observed in 57.49% of participants. Mean scores on MDEMQ subscales Stress, Western Physiology, Non-Western Physiology, and Supernatural were 32.96, 21.87, 10.06, and 47.55, respectively. Statistically significant associations were found between attitude towards medication and the patient's marital status (more negative attitude with single status, χ2 = 11.72, df = 3, P = 0.008) and occupation (more negative attitude among unemployed patients, χ2 = 4.17, df = 1, P = 0.041). The scores of explanatory models did not differ based on positive or negative drug attitude. Conclusion: Though explanatory models are not linked to patient attitudes toward medication, patients who are single or unemployed have a negative attitude toward medications. Such negative attitude may impair compliance and worsen patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Information Technology (IT) professionals commonly encounter occupation-related issues that adversely affect psychological health and well-being. Aim and Objective: To study the level and relationships of life satisfaction with cognitive flexibility and resilience in IT professionals. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 457 IT professionals were assessed with Sociodemographic proforma, Cognitive Flexibility Scale (CFS), Cognitive Resilience Scale (CRS), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive statistics, Student's t-test, ANOVA, and linear regression analysis. Results: The mean score on CRS was high (4.5), whereas on CFS was low (49.36). The mean score on SWLS was also low (17.36) particularly with widowed and disrupted family status, positively linked to the scoring of CFS & CRS, and negatively linked to hours of work. Conclusions: Among Indian IT professionals, cognitive flexibility and life satisfaction are low and influenced by family. Life satisfaction is proportionately linked to cognitive flexibility and resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Younger generations are an important market for the tobacco products industry since most smokers try their first cigarette before the age of 18. Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are a common mode of smoking among teens, and the number of users is increasing exponentially., Objective: This study aimed to estimate the current prevalence of e-cigarettes and vaping usage among adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia., Methods: This study was conducted among 534 students at four high schools. They were asked to complete a 23-item questionnaire retrieved from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were conducted. The study was approved by the Ministry of Health Saudi Arabia Medical Research Center Institutional Review Board committee on October 10, 2018 (research number 18-506E)., Results: A total of 109 (20.6%) of the participants reported being smokers of e-cigarettes. Being a male (OR = 1.55; 95% CI: [1.01-2.37]), in the second year of high school (OR = 2.91; 95% CI: [1.61-5.24], ever experimenting with regular tobacco cigarettes, being a current shisha smoker, living with a smoker, and believing that e-cigarettes are less addictive than traditional cigarettes are all factors independently associated with e-cigarette use in this sample of adolescents., Conclusion: Among adolescent smokers, even minimal experience with smoking is correlated with pro-smoking attitudes. E-cigarette use is common in adolescents and related to the use of other combustible tobacco products. Tobacco control efforts at all levels should eliminate factors fostering future tobacco use to minimize the burden of disease and disability in vulnerable populations.

Purpose: The antimicrobial prescription in urinary tract infections (UTI) is driven by local data on its pathogenic spectrum and the resistance pattern exhibited by the disease-causing pathogens. We aimed to determine the bacteriological diversity of UTI causing pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in mostly gram-negative bacteria., Methods: This retrospective hospital-based cross-sectional study analyzed the culture and sensitivity reports of urine samples from a referral centre in the Aljouf region of Saudi Arabia. All the antibiograms from January 1, 2020, to December 31st 2020, were included. The bacterial identification and antimicrobial testing were carried out by the BD Phoenix system (BD Diagnostics, Sparks, MD, USA). Antimicrobial testing was performed as per the Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute recommendations. Frequencies of multidrug- and extensive drug resistance were calculated., Results: Of the 1334 non-duplicate urine samples received, 422 (31.6%) bacterial growths were observed. Of these, 383 (90.8%) and 39 (9.2%) were gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial isolations, respectively. E. coli 161 (38.1%), K. pneumoniae 97 (23.0%), and E. faecalis 18 (4.3%) were frequent aetiologies of UTI. 309 (80.7%) of gram-negative bacteria were multidrug-resistant including 88 (23.0%) extensively drug-resistant. Overall, a resistance rate of > 55 % to 1st through 4th generation cephalosporins was observed except for cefoxitin (43.7%). A resistance rate of 37.6% was observed towards carbapenems, with the lowest rate (34.0%) to meropenem., Conclusion: Multi-drug resistant gram-negative bacteria dominate the pathogenic spectrum of UTI in the region. A high resistance rate to cephalosporins and carbapenems exists in gram-negative organisms, causing UTI., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)