scholarly journals Stroke Seasonality and Weather Association in a Middle East Country: A Single Tertiary Center Experience

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeed A. M. Alghamdi ◽  
Mohammed A. Aldriweesh ◽  
Bayan A. Al Bdah ◽  
Muath A. Alhasson ◽  
Sultan A. Alsaif ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Cold Season ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Stroke Incidence ◽  
Tertiary Center ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Hot Season

Background: Stroke is a medical condition that leads to major disability and mortality worldwide. Some evidence suggests that weather and seasonal variations could have an impact on stroke incidence and outcome. However, the current evidence is inconclusive. Therefore, this study examines the seasonal variations and meteorological influences on stroke incidence and outcome in the largest city in Saudi Arabia.Methods: From February 2016 to July 2019, we retrospectively reviewed data from all patients with acute ischemic (AIS) or hemorrhagic stroke (HS) admitted to the stroke unit in a tertiary academic center in Saudi Arabia. The corresponding daily meteorological data were obtained for the same period. We considered the months from November to March as the cold season and April to October as the hot season.Results: The final cohort included 1,271 stroke patients; 60.89% (n = 774) cases occurred in the hot season, while 39.1% (n = 497) in the cold season. Males accounted for 69.6% (n = 884) of the cases. The proportion of ischemic stroke was 83.2% [hot season 83.9% (n = 649) vs. cold season 82.3% (n = 409)]. We found no statistically significant difference between seasons (hot or cold) in stroke incidence, severity [National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS)], hospital course (pneumonia, thromboembolism, intensive care stay, or length of stay), or outcome [modified Rankin scale (mRS) on discharge and death].Conclusions: In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, our study found no impact of weather or seasonal variations on stroke incidence, hospital course, or outcomes. However, our findings warrant further research in different country regions.

Predation ecology of large sympatric carnivores as influenced by available wild ungulate prey in a tropical deciduous forest of Central India

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 417-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aniruddha Majumder ◽  
Kalyanasundaram Sankar ◽  
Qamar Qureshi ◽  
Santanu Basu
Keyword(s):  
Prey Species ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Central India ◽  
Cold Season ◽  
Tropical Deciduous Forest ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Wild Ungulates ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Hot Season ◽  
Sympatric Carnivores

Abstract:Predation ecology of large sympatric carnivores, tiger, leopard and dhole, as influenced by available wild ungulates, chital, sambar, nilgai, gaur and wild pig, were studied between January 2007 and June 2010 in a tropical deciduous forest of Central India. Both line transect and vehicle transect methods were used to estimate population structure and sex ratios of wild ungulates. The observed adult sex ratio (female:male) was found to be skewed towards females for all ungulates. A total of 123 tiger kills were recorded in the cold season and 162 in the hot season, 32 leopard kills were recorded during the cold season and 48 during the hot season and 32 dhole kills were recorded in the cold season and 55 in the hot season. The age–sex class distribution of each ungulate species in the kill data was compared with the corresponding population age–sex distribution recorded from line transects and vehicle transects. All three large carnivores preferred medium-sized prey species, e.g. chital. A significant difference was observed when comparing different health conditions of prey species predated by the three large carnivores. The observed difference in prey choice as per their body size is a strategy adopted by large carnivores to partition prey resources, thus increasing the potential to avoid intra-guild competition.

scholarly journals OUTCOME OF TREATING PEDIATRIC LANGERHANS HISTIOCYTOSIS WITH LCH III IN TERTIARY CENTER, SAUDI ARABIA

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-50
Author(s):  
Abrar Almohammadi ◽  
Khalid Khalid ◽  
Moussa Shehadah ◽  
Abdullah Baothman
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis ◽  
Progressive Disease ◽  
Langerhans Cell ◽  
Single System ◽  
Excellent Outcome ◽  
System Involvement ◽  
Tertiary Center ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Oncology Center

Background: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disease affects any age and any organ; its presentations and outcome vary from self-healing lesions to life-threatening disseminated disease. This study evaluated the outcome of treating children diagnosed with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) at Oncology Center, Saudi Arabia. Methodology: Through a retrospective study design, the researchers reviewed the medical records and electronic files of all children (aged from 0-≤ 14 years) who had been diagnosed and treated for LCH at Princess Norah Oncology Center (PNOC), King Abdelaziz Medical City, Saudi Arabia, in the period from January 2000 to December 2019 (n=33). Findings: Males constituted (66.7%), with remarkable dominance of Saudis (93.9%). The median age at diagnosis was 28 months (IQR=49 months); (42.4%) were diagnosed before reaching their second birthday. Fourteen patients (42.4%) had multisystem (MS-LCH) involvement, of which 13 patients with risk organ (RO) (+) and one patient without risk organ (RO) (-). Most of the patients received LCH III protocols. Reactivation occurred in 11 patients (33.3%), and two deaths (6.1%) occurred in cases with MS (RO) (+) progressive disease. The overall survival was 93.9%; with no statistically significant difference in event free survival observed between patients with multisystem compared to single system involvement. Conclusion and recommendations: Excellent outcome of LCH is associated with single system involvement and worse outcome (reactivations, or morality) is determined by multi-organ involvement especially at younger age less than 24 months.  Better understanding of pathophysiology and genetic molecular background could lead to a striking transformation to novel therapy that warrants a prospective clinical trial. A high mortality in patients with progressive disease demands an earlier aggressive salvage in such group. Prospective clinical trials are required for improved treatment strategies in these subgroups

scholarly journals Seasonal Variation of Drug Prescription Rate for Overactive Bladder in Men Based on National Health Insurance Claims Data, 2012–2016

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 278-285
Author(s):  
Jong Won Kim ◽  
Hyun Kyu Ahn ◽  
Jongcheol Ko ◽  
Dongu Lee ◽  
Jee Soo Ha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Insurance ◽  
Overactive Bladder ◽  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
Claims Data ◽  
Drug Prescription ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Cold Season ◽  
Cold Weather ◽  
Prescription Rate ◽  
Hot Season

Purpose: Overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms might be affected by weather, but only a few clinical studies have investigated this issue. We investigated seasonal variations in OAB-drug prescription rate (DPR) in men using nationwide claims data in Korea.Methods: A total of 2,824,140 men aged over 18 years were included from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment service – National Patient Sample data between 2012 and 2016. Depending on the monthly average temperature, the seasons were divided into 3 groups, namely, hot (June, July, August, and September), intermediate (April, May, October, and November), and cold (January, February, March, and December) seasons. OAB-DPR was estimated using the claims data, and differences in its rate were examined among the 3 seasonal groups.Results: The overall OAB-DPR was 1.97% (55,574 of 2,824,140). The OAB-DPR were 0.38%, 0.63%, 0.92%, 1.74%, 4.18%, 7.55%, and 9.69% in the age groups of under 30, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, and over 80 years, respectively; thus, the prescription rate increased with age (P<0.001), with a steeper increase after 60 years of age. OAB-DPR was 1.02% in the hot season, 1.19% in the intermediate season, and 1.27% in the cold season, with significant differences among the 3 seasonal groups (P<0.001). These seasonal variations persisted in the subgroup analysis in each age decade (P<0.001).Conclusions: OAB-DPR varied with seasons and was significantly higher in the cold season than in the hot season, suggesting that cold weather may affect development and aggravation of OAB symptoms in men.

Behaviour of tsetse (Diptera: Glossinidae) during the hot season in Zimbabwe: the interaction of micro-climate and reproductive status

1999 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.J. Torr ◽  
J.W. Hargrove
Keyword(s):  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Glossina Pallidipes ◽  
Adult Mortality ◽  
Reproductive Status ◽  
Temperature Threshold ◽  
Peak Time ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Hot Season ◽  
Mopane Woodland

AbstractStudies were made of the behaviour of Glossina pallidipes Austen and G. morsitans morsitans Westwood during the hot season (September–November) in Zimbabwe, and attributes of samples of tsetse from refuges, odour-baited traps, targets and mobile baits were compared. Various arrangements of electric nets were used to study tsetse as they entered or left artificial refuges. The peak time of entry into a refuge varied between 0800 h and 1400 h and coincided with the time when the air temperature reached 32°C; the response was stronger if 32°C occurred earlier in the day. The peak time of exit varied between 1500 h and 1700 h, being significantly later on hotter days, but did not show a clear temperature threshold. Micro-meteorological measurements showed that refuges were significantly cooler than the surrounding riverine woodland during the day but warmer at night. There was no significant difference between the air temperatures in leafless mopane woodland and semi-evergreen riverine woodland during the day but at night the riverine woodland was significantly cooler. Combining the micro-meteorological data with the estimated local movements of tsetse suggested that during the hot season, tsetse experienced temperatures 2°C cooler than the daily mean in a Stevenson screen located in mopane woodland. Compared with the catches of tsetse from traps, refuges had higher proportions of G. m. morsitans, males, young flies and females in the later stages of reproduction, and it is suggested that during the hot season, samples from refuges were less biased than traps with respect to species and sex composition, age and reproductive status. During the hot season, tsetse populations declined by c. 90% and although air temperatures exceeded lethal levels (c. 40°C), the refuge-entering responses meant that adult flies probably experienced a maximum of only c. 35°C. It is suggested that the decline in numbers is not due to direct mortality effects of temperature on adults but may be due, in part, to a doubling in the rates of reproductive abnormality during the hot season and an increase in adult mortality related to a temperature-dependent decrease in pupal period.

(Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Banasik ◽  
Dariusz Jemielniak ◽  
Wojciech P?dzich
Keyword(s):  
Medical Condition ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Marginal Effect ◽  
Life Duration ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Academic Teachers ◽  
Length Of Life ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND There have been mixed results of the studies checking whether prayers do actually extend the life duration of the people prayed for. Most studies on the topic included a small number of prayers and most of them focused on people already struggling with a medical condition. Intercessory prayer’s influence on health is of scholarly interest, yet it is unclear if its effect may be dependent on the number of prayers for a named individual received per annum. OBJECTIVE We sought to examine if there is a noticeable increased longevity effect of intercessory prayer for a named individual’s well-being, if he receives a very high number of prayers per annum for an extended period. METHODS We retrieved and conducted a statistical analysis of the data about the length of life for 857 Roman Catholic bishops, 500 Catholic priests, and 3038 male academics from the US, France, Italy, Poland, Brazil, and Mexico. We obtained information for these individuals who died between 1988 and 2018 from Wikidata, and conducted an observational cohort study. Bishops were chosen for the study, as they receive millions of individual prayers for well being, according to conservative estimates. RESULTS There was a main effect for occupation F(2, 4391) = 4.07, p = .017, ηp 2 = .002, with pairwise comparisons indicating significant differences between the mean life duration of bishops (M=30489) and of priests (M=29894), but none between the academic teachers (M=30147) and either of the other groups. A comparison analysis between bishops from the largest and the smallest dioceses showed no significant difference t(67.31)=1.61, p = .11. Our main outcome measure is covariance of the mean length of life in each of the categories: bishops, priests, academic teachers, controlled for nationality. CONCLUSIONS The first analysis proved that bishops live longer than priests, but due to a marginal effect size this result should be treated with caution. No difference was found between the mean length of life of bishops from the largest and the smallest dioceses. We found no difference between bishops and male academics. These results show that the impact of intercessory prayers on longevity is not observable.

scholarly journals Comparative Tissue Responses of Marine Mollusks on Seasonal Changes in the Northern Adriatic Sea

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 2874
Author(s):  
Natalija Topić Popović ◽  
Martina Krbavčić ◽  
Josip Barišić ◽  
Blanka Beer Ljubić ◽  
Ivančica Strunjak-Perović ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
Antioxidant Defense ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Northern Adriatic ◽  
Gonadal Maturation ◽  
Marine Mollusks ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Tissue Responses ◽  
Antioxidant Defense Systems

In the shallow Northern Adriatic, marine mollusks are affected by bottom trawling and seafood disturbance. Seasonal oscillations of oceanographic factors additionally influence their physiology, stress responses and survival. Tissue responses to seasonal variations in green ormer (Haliotis tuberculata L.) and Mediterranean scallop (Pecten jacobaeus L.) in the Northern Adriatic have not been reported. Hence, their biochemical and antioxidant defense properties over seasons were studied and the microanatomical structure of their tissue was correlated with function. Histological analysis of gonads revealed two peaks of gonadal maturation and spawning during the spring/summer period and winter season for scallops, and one peak during the fall for ormers. The gonadal maturation of both species was correlated with their seasonal variations of metabolic demands and antioxidant capacity. The lipid vacuoles of tubuloacinar terminations in the digestive gland differed between the two species; in scallop they are several-fold larger in size and number. Low temperatures in winter contributed to a decline in enzymatic antioxidant defense in scallop tissues, having lower superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, and higher concentrations of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and total antioxidant status (TAS). In ormers, winter induced lower TAS, TBARS, SOD and GPx concentrations. The significant difference of winter TAS and TBARS levels between ormers and scallops was correlated with variations in their reproductive cycles, as well as in antioxidant defense systems. The most important factor for stress-related parameters for both species in this work was found to be the season-induced temperature change.

scholarly journals Vitamin C in the Treatment of COVID-19

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1172
Author(s):  
Gregorio Paolo Milani ◽  
Marina Macchi ◽  
Anat Guz-Mark
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Vitamin C ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Vitamin C Supplementation ◽  
Essential Nutrient

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that serves as antioxidant and plays a major role as co-factor and modulator of various pathways of the immune system. Its therapeutic effect during infections has been a matter of debate, with conflicting results in studies of respiratory infections and in critically ill patients. This comprehensive review aimed to summarize the current evidence regarding the use of vitamin C in the prevention or treatment of patients with SARS-CoV2 infection, based on available publications between January 2020 and February 2021. Overall, 21 publications were included in this review, consisting of case-reports and case-series, observational studies, and some clinical trials. In many of the publications, data were incomplete, and in most clinical trials the results are still pending. No studies regarding prevention of COVID-19 with vitamin C supplementation were found. Although some clinical observations reported improved medical condition of patients with COVID-19 treated with vitamin C, available data from controlled studies are scarce and inconclusive. Based on the theoretical background presented in this article, and some preliminary encouraging studies, the role of vitamin C in the treatment of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection should be further investigated.

scholarly journals DESIGNING A TEMPORARY COLD PROTECTIVE GEAR CONSTRUCTED BY FOLDING NEWSPRINT PAPER CONSIDERING HEAT-RETAINING PROPERTY AND RIGIDITY

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1123-1132
Author(s):  
Tatsuya Oda ◽  
Shigeru Wesugi
Keyword(s):  
Natural Disaster ◽  
Cold Season ◽  
Apex Angle ◽  
The Body ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Protective Gear ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Body Shapes

AbstractDuring the cold season, the cold protective products are often short during evacuation life after a natural disaster. If evacuees can make and wear simple cold protective gears by using materials obtainable on site, it will reduce the burden on the evacuees in emergent situation. Therefore, we investigated the structure constructed by folding newsprint paper, which can improve the heat retention effect and be applied to various body shapes. Focusing on the glide reflection structure repeating a smaller chamber, the basic size was determined by experiments with reference to the accordion shape, and the experimental results indicated that the heat retention effect was significantly greater than that of a mere air layer and those of ordinary fabrics. Next, it was found that the apex angle of structure had no significant difference in the heat retention effect. Then, the dimensions of the structure were determined to maintain the air layer under the pressure of the clothes by simulation of structural analyses. Finally, we made a temporary cold protective gear that can practically cover the trunk of the body and found that the heat retention effect was significantly higher than that of unprocessed newsprint and that of accordion shape.

scholarly journals Evaluation of e-health (Seha) application: a cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abeer Alharbi ◽  
Joharah Alzuwaed ◽  
Hind Qasem
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Advanced Technology ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Ease Of Access

Abstract Background The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia is expanding the country’s telemedicine services by using advanced technology in health services. In doing so, an e-health application (app), Seha, was introduced in 2018 that allows individuals to have face-to-face visual medical consultations with their doctors on their smartphones. Objective This study evaluated the effectiveness of the app in improving healthcare delivery by ensuring patient satisfaction with the care given, increasing access to care, and improving efficiency in the healthcare system. Methods A cross-sectional study design was used to assess the perceptions of users of the Seha app and non-users who continued with traditional health services. The data were collected using an online survey via Google Forms between June 2020 and September 2020. Independent t tests and chi-square (χ2) tests were conducted to answer the research questions. Results There was a significant difference between users and non-users in terms of ease of access to health services (t =  − 9.38, p < 0.05), with app users having a higher mean score (4.19 ± 0.91) than non-users (3.41 ± 1.00); satisfaction with health services (t =  − 6.33, p < 0.05), with users having a higher mean score (3.96 ± 0.91) than non-users (3.45 ± 0.94); and efficiency (only one visit needed for treatment) (t =  − 3.20, p < 0.05), with users having a higher mean score (3.71 ± 0.93) than non-users (3.45 ± 0.93). There were significant associations between the use of the Seha app and age (χ2 = 8.79, p < 0.05), gender (χ2 = 22.19, p < 0.05), region (χ2 = 19.74, p < 0.05), and occupation (χ2 = 22.05, p < 0.05). There were significant relationships between the three items (on access, satisfaction, and efficiency) and experiencing technical issues (t = 4.47, t = 8.11, and t = 3.24, respectively, p < 0.05), with users who faced technical problems having significantly lower mean scores for all three items. Conclusion This study provided evidence that the Seha app improved the delivery of healthcare in Saudi Arabia. Users of the app had a better health experience in terms of their perceived ease of access to healthcare services; their satisfaction with healthcare services; and the efficiency of the system, measured by the number of required doctor visits. Other factors that appeared to influence the use of the app included age, gender, usual source of care, and technical difficulties.

scholarly journals Radiologically Inserted Gastrostomy (RIG) at a Tertiary Center: Periprocedural Safety including Rationalization of Antibiotic Prophylaxis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Warren Clements ◽  
Yasmin Shvarts ◽  
Jim Koukounaras ◽  
Tuan D. Phan ◽  
Gerard S. Goh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Prophylaxis ◽  
Gastric Wall ◽  
Intravenous Sedation ◽  
Minor Bleeding ◽  
Endoscopic Gastrostomy ◽  
Peristomal Infection ◽  
Tertiary Teaching ◽  
Tertiary Center ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Wall Injury

Abstract Introduction Long-term percutaneous enteral nutrition forms an important part of treatment for patients with an inability to meet nutrient requirements orally. Radiologically inserted gastrostomy (RIG) is an alternative to the traditionally performed percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy technique. However, there is marked heterogeneity in the way that RIG is performed. In addition, the role for antibiotic prophylaxis during RIG insertion is not clearly established. This study aimed to assess the safety of RIG insertion using our technique including the role of antibiotics in RIG insertion. Method Retrospective study over 5 years at a tertiary teaching hospital. Periprocedural or early complications within the first 2 weeks of the procedure were collected and correlated with the use of prophylactic antibiotics. Results A total of 116 patients met the inclusion criteria. 18-French tube was used in 96.6%. Note that 58.6% of procedures were done with intravenous sedation. Prophylactic 1 g cefazolin was used in 70 patients with 1 case of infection. Procedures were performed without antibiotics in 46 patients with 3 infections, p = 0.20.There were two major complications (1.7%) consisting of right gastric artery injury requiring embolization and gastric wall injury requiring laparotomy. There were 12 minor complications (10.3%) including 4 cases of infection, 3 of severe pain, 1 of minor bleeding, 2 of early dislodgement, and 2 of leak/bypass of gastric contents around the tube. Conclusion The technique used for RIG insertion at our institution results in a low complication rate. In addition, this study shows no significant difference in early peristomal infection rate with the use of antibiotic prophylaxis.

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