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Raf proto-oncogene serine/threonine kinase 1 (RAF1 or c-Raf) is a serine/threonine protein kinase crucial in regulating cell growth, differentiation, and survival. Any disruption or overexpression of RAF1 can result in neoplastic transformation and other disorders such as cardiomyopathy, Noonan syndrome, leopard syndrome, etc. RAF1 has been identified as a potential therapeutic target in drug development against various complex diseases, including cancer, due to its remarkable role in disease progression. Here, we carried out a multitier virtual screening study involving different in-silico approaches to discover potential inhibitors of RAF1. After applying the Lipinski rule of five, we retrieved all phytocompounds from the IMPPAT database based on their physicochemical properties. We performed a molecular docking-based virtual screening and got top hits with the best binding affinity and ligand efficiency. Then we screened out the selected hits using the PAINS filter, ADMET properties, and other druglike features. Eventually, PASS evaluation identifies two phytocompounds, Moracin C and Tectochrysin, with appreciable anti-cancerous properties. Finally, all-atom molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) followed by interaction analysis was performed on the elucidated compounds in complex with RAF1 for 200 ns to investigate their time-evolution dynamics and interaction mechanism. Molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA) and Dynamical Cross-Correlation Matrix (DCCM) analyses then followed these results from the simulated trajectories. According to the results, the elucidated compounds stabilize the RAF1 structure and lead to fewer conformational alterations. The results of the current study indicated that Moracin C and Tectochrysin could serve as potential inhibitors of RAF1 after required validation.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Objective: Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is a type of abnormal cervical epithelial development that can lead to cervical malignancy. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the cytological pattern of cervical smears from a group of Saudi women who visited a single gynecologic center., Patients and Methods: From May 2020 to May 2021, 300 women were referred to the cytopathology laboratory and their cytological materials were collected. Because of gynecologic concerns, the women in the study were referred for Pap smears. As part of the obligatory investigations in conjunction with the clinical assessment, a Pap smear is requested., Results: CIN of various grades was found in 11% of the women. High-grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions (HSIL) were the most detected modifications, followed by Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance (ASUS) and Low-grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions (LSIL), accounting for 36.4%, 33.3%, and 30.3%, respectively. In 23.7% of the women, inflammatory cell infiltrations were found. Infection with Candida Albicans was identified in 2.3% of the women. In 15.8% of the patients, cytological evidence of bacterial infection was found., Conclusions: The prevalence of CIN has been growing in Saudi Arabia in recent years, implying a probable involvement in the spread of HPV. Most CIN cases associated with middle age point to HPV infection at a younger age. There is no link between estrogen and/or progesterone levels and CIN.

Objective: This study aimed to associate the expression of P53, BCL2, PTEN, and HER2/neu tumor markers in specific breast cancer lesions., Methods: This study analyzed the immunohistochemical expression of P53, BCL2, PTEN, and HER2/neu tumor markers for 306 patients who presented with lesions. Tissue blocks and patients' identification data were retrieved from the department of pathology, AL Madinah Almonwarah hospital, Al Madinah, UAE., Results: Of the 306 patients, 104 had benign lesions and 202 had malignancy (including 194 females and 6 males). Most females were presented with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), followed by infiltrating ductal carcinoma, and invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), representing 70%, 23.2%, and 3.7%, respectively. Positive P53, BCL2, PTEN, and HER2 were identified in 20.8%, 11.9%, 91%, and 18.3%, respectively., Conclusion: : The expression of P53, BCL2, PTEN, and HER2/neu tumor markers among Saudi patients with breast cancer is relatively similar in many parts of the world., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Mohamed Ahmed Bealy et al.)

Objective: HPV is responsible for over 90% of cervical cancer worldwide. HPV has numerous subtypes with great variety distribution in different geographical regions. Thus, the present study aimed at assessing Human Papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes associated with cervical intraepithelial lesions among Saudi women., Patients and Methods: The current study collected cervical smears from 300 women transferred to a cytopathology laboratory between May 2020 and May 2021. The studied women were referred to do Pap smear because of gynecologic complaints., Results: Positive HPV testing was established in 4.7%. Most positive cases were identified in the age range of 14-50 years, followed by 51-60 years, representing 50% and 35.7%, respectively. The risk of HPV infection was significantly high in the age between 40-50 years, the odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (95% CI), OR (95% CI) = 3.0137 (1.0228 to 8.8797), p = 0.0454, z statistic = 2.001. About 57% of the cases of HPV were found with cytological atypia. The risk of HPV in inducing cytological atypia, the OR (95%CI) = 1.8546 (2.9386 to 27.0952), p = 0.0001, z statistic = 3.862. Inflammatory cells infiltrate was identified in 43% of HPV-positive cases. The risk of HPV in inducing inflammatory changes, the OR (95% CI) = 2.6423 (0.8850 to 7.8887), p = 0.0817, z statistic = 1.741., Conclusions: The prevalence of High-risk human papillomavirus is relatively low in the AL-Madinah area, Saudi Arabia. Cervical cytological atypia corresponds to the positive HR-HPV findings. HR-HPV infection or cervical cytological atypical changes induce inflammatory cell infiltrates. HR-HPV infection is more common among elderly Saudi women.

Objectives: To assess the role of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)  pandemic in improving personal hygiene in Saudi Arabia. Methods: We administered a questionnaire distributed online between 19 and 28 May 2020 to determine alterations in personal hygiene practices during this pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic phase. Results: We included 211 respondents from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in this study.  Improvement at different levels was detected in all examined personal hygiene items compared to the pre-pandemic stage. The percentages of respondents who always washed their hands after coming back home (34.1%), used soap to wash their hands (58.8%), used a hand sanitizer outside (5.2%), wore a face masks while outside (1.4%) and washed their hands before preparing and/or eating food (74.9%) was increased before the pandemic to 89.6%, 90%, 63.5%, 59.2% and 89.1% during the pandemic, respectively. The percentage of respondents who never shake hands with people they know increased from 0% before the pandemic to 62.6% during the pandemic. The mean duration of washing hands with soap significantly increased from 13.31 seconds before the pandemic to 28.01 seconds during the pandemic (p less than 0.0001)., Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a noticeable improvement in the personal hygiene habits in Saudi Arabia mainly those related to COVID-19 prevention.

Routine infectious diseases screening of Sudanese pregnant women has been patchy due to scarcity of healthcare resources and social stigma. We sought to determine the seroprevalence of HIV, hepatitis B, and syphilis among pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) at El Obeid Maternity Hospital in western Sudan. We also explored the association between these infections and a set of socio-demographic and maternal variables. Unlinked anonymous testing for HIV-1/2 antibodies, hepatitis B surface antigen, and Treponema pallidum antibodies was performed on residual blood samples collected during routine ANC (August 2016-March 2017). Seroprevalence of HIV was 1.13% (5/444; 95% CI 0.37-2.61%), hepatitis B 2.93% (13/444; 95% CI 1.57-4.95%), and syphilis 7.43% (33/444; 95% CI 5.17-10.28%). On bivariate analysis, there were no statistically significant associations between hepatitis B, syphilis, or a composite outcome including any of the three infections and age, stage of pregnancy, gravidity, parity, previous mode of delivery, history of blood transfusion, or husband polygamy. Urgent action is needed to scale up routine maternal screening for HIV, hepatitis B, and syphilis on an opt-out basis. Further research into the socio-demographic and behavioural determinants of these infections as well as their clinical outcomes is needed.