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Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) following cardiac surgery is a well-described phenomenon, usually associated with hemodynamic changes ultimately leading to ischemic injury to the kidneys. In this study, we assessed the occurrence of AKI in a cohort of patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery at a single center., Methods: Patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery (coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and/or valve repair) between the years 2016 and 2022 were retrospectively included in the study., Results: During the study, 167 patients underwent CABG, valve replacement, or both procedures. The majority were male (85.0%). Post-operative AKI was observed in 27.5% of patients, with 2.4% requiring continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT)/dialysis. The majority of AKI cases were staged as Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) stage 1. Among patients needing CRRT/dialysis, 1.8% recovered renal function within 3 months, with 0.6% experiencing 30-day mortality. In univariate analysis, factors associated with AKI included older age (P = 0.003), severe anemia (P < 0.0001), pre-operative creatinine elevation (P < 0.0001), complex surgeries (P < 0.0001), blood product transfusion (P < 0.0001), longer cross-clamp (XC) and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) times (P < 0.0001), and inotropes usage (P < 0.0001). Classical risk factors like diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension did not show significant differences. The majority of these factors (severe anemia, age, pre-operative creatinine, post-operative inotrope usage, and cross-clamp times) were consistently significant (P < 0.05) in logistic regression analysis., Conclusion: Post-operative AKI following cardiac surgery is frequent, with significant associations seen especially with pre-operative anemia. Future investigations focusing on the specific causes of anemia linked to AKI development are essential, considering the high prevalence of hemoglobinopathy traits in our population., Competing Interests: None to declare., (Copyright 2024, Mohrag et al.)

Background: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors are a new class of medications that have been proven to improve both glycemic control and cardio-renal outcomes. The knowledge, attitude, and perception toward their prescriptions in Jazan, Saudi Arabia, are still unknown., Objective: The study aimed to measure the level of knowledge and attitude toward sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors prescription among physicians in the Jazan region, Saudi Arabia., Methods: Data analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, SPSS 23rd version. Frequency and percentages were used to display categorical variables. Minimum, maximum, mean, and standard deviation were used to test numerical variables. Independent t-test and ANOVA test were both utilized to test the factors associated with knowledge and attitude toward the use of SGLT-2 inhibitors., Results: A total of 65 participants were included in the study. 26.2% had a low knowledge level, 30.8% had a moderate knowledge level, and 43.1% had a high knowledge level of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors. 9.2% had a low attitude level, 43.1% had a moderate attitude level, and 47.7% had a high attitude level toward sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors. Age, professional status, years of experience, and specialty were significantly associated with attitude but not with the knowledge of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors prescription., Conclusion: While the study cohort scored high in the knowledge and attitude domains of the survey, a large proportion failed to answer very essential questions in type 2 diabetes management. An educational awareness program needs to be carried out to strengthen the physicians' knowledge of SGLT2 inhibitors prescription., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Background: Sodium-glucose cotransporter inhibitors are promising medications for improving cardiovascular outcomes in diabetic and non-diabetic patients. The baseline characteristics associated with its prescription in Jazan, Saudi Arabia, are still lacking., Objectives: This study aims to determine the baseline characteristics associated with its prescription among type 2 diabetic patients in the Jazan region., Methods: A retrospective cohort study of adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Jazan region, Saudi Arabia, who received a prescription of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) from June 2016 to December 2021 was conducted. Categorical baseline characteristics are reported as frequencies, and proportion and continuous variables are reported as means (SD). The crude odds and adjusted ratio (OR) (95% CI) for SGLT2i prescription were then calculated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis., Results: A total of 370 patients who satisfied the inclusion criteria were included in this study. There were 133 patients (36%) who had been prescribed SGLT2i over a median follow-up of five years. Characteristics associated with the prescription were female gender (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.2, 95% Cl: 1.3-3.9), endocrinologist doctors (aOR: 2.4, 95% Cl: 1.3-4.5), patients who had visited the center four times or more (aOR: 10.9, 95% Cl: 4.6-25.9), patients who have evidence of DM retinopathy (aOR: 9.7, 95% Cl: 2.9-31.7), or patients who are morbidly obese (aOR: 4.1, 95% Cl: 1.1-14.8)., Conclusion: The sodium-glucose cotransporter inhibitors are under-prescribed among type 2 diabetic patients in the Jazan region despite their availability. Further studies are warranted to address the potential barriers to prescriptions among different medical specialties., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, Somaili et al.)

Introduction: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a digestive disorder that is commonly seen in adults and characterized by heartburn and regurgitation. The epidemiological aspects of GERD have been studied over the past decade due to the increasing prevalence and complications of the disease. Thus, we aimed in this study to assess the prevalence, risk factors of GERD, and its relationship with academic performance among students at Jazan University., Methods: This is a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study that was conducted among Jazan university students in Jazan Province, Saudi Arabia. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analysis was performed using SPSS (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY)., Results:  A total of 953 students participated in this study. The prevalence of GERD was found to be 23.1%. Our findings showed that five or more physical activities for ≥ 30 minutes per week, and fiber-rich foods were found to decrease the odds of developing GERD. However, more than three meals per day and having a family history of GERD were found to increase the odds of GERD. Moreover, age, use of proton pump inhibitors (PPI), and Khat chewing were also statistically significant risk factors for GERD (p<0.05)., Conclusion: Our results demonstrated a high prevalence of GERD among Jazan university students. However, risk factors were almost similar to those reported by previous studies. Thus, raising awareness about the modifiable risk factors of GERD is warranted., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, Otayf et al.)