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Integrating The Private Sector Into Surgical Residency Training: Insights From Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, Saudi Arabia, Nuha A. Alsaleh

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Covid-19–Associated Rhabdomyolysis In Hospitalized Patients: Retrospective Cohort Study, Paula Esquerdo-Serrano, Silvia Otero-Rodriguez, Hector Pinargote-Celorio, Sergio Reus, Esperanza Merino, José-Manuel Ramos-Rincón

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To determine the frequency of rhabdomyolysis in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and to characterize their clinical features and outcomes. Methods: All adults admitted to the hospital were included in this single-center retrospective cohort study with COVID-19 at a tertiary care institution in Alicante, Spain, between March 2020 and March 2024. A creatine kinase (CK) threshold of 1000 U/L or higher was used to define rhabdomyolysis. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, treatment, and outcome data were collected. Patients with and without rhabdomyolysis were compared, and factors associated with in-hospital mortality (IHM) were analyzed. Results: Among 7,590 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 20 developed rhabdomyolyses …

Coronary Artery Ectasia: A 10-Year Experience At A Single Center In Saudi Arabia, Talal F. Aljabbary, Meshal S. Alhamed, Mohamed H. Ismaeel, Abdulrahman O. Alhaqbani, Abdullah S. Alhumimidi, Nouf A. Alanazi, Ayman M. Alsaleh, Khalid M. Aljohani, Waleed M. Alharbi, Mostafa Q. Alshamiri

Saudi Medical Journal

Objective: To assess the incidence of coronary artery ectasia (CAE) and its associated clinical characteristics and outcomes over a long follow-up period in Saudi Arabia. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all coronary angiography procedures performed between January 2013 and June 2023. Patients with CAE were included in the final analysis. Results: During the 10-year period, 10,397 patients underwent coronary angiography. The CAE was diagnosed in 242 patients, yielding an incidence of 2.3%. The majority were male (92.6%). The average age was 57.15 ± 11.76 years. The right coronary artery (RCA) was the most involved vessel (65.2% of all patients). The most …

Tumor Markers And Pancreatic Enzymes Reflect Early Pancreatic Dysfunction In Type 2 Diabetes, Walaa Mohammedsaeed, Suliman Alharbi, Lama Alraddadi, Saja Aljohani, Talat Almehmadi, Sarah Alawfi

Saudi Medical Journal

Objective: To evaluate whether pancreatic enzymes and tumor markers reflect early pancreatic dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: In this cross-sectional study conducted between January 2023 and January 2024, 300 Saudi adults with T2DM were assessed for serum CA19-9, CA125, amylase, and lipase. Associations with glycemic control, insulin resistance (homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance [HOMA-IR]), and metabolic parameters were examined using multivariable linear and logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, diabetes duration, lipid profile, and medication use. Receiver-operating characteristic analyses evaluated biomarker performance for identifying poor glycemic control (HbA1c >8.5%). Exploratory analyses …

Male Pelvic Health In Saudi Arabia: Knowledge–Practice Gap In Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises And Implications For Preventive Physiotherapy And Health Policy, Wael A. S. Alghamdi

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Demographic Profiles, Clinical Characteristics, And Meteorological Context Of Heat-Related Illnesses Among Hajj Pilgrims In 2023, Ghadah Alsaleh, Majed Alsalamah, Fahad Alamri, Fatemah Alsaleh, Anas Khan

Saudi Medical Journal

Objective: To describe the demographic profiles, clinical characteristics, and meteorological context of heat-related illnesses among Hajj pilgrims in 2023.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using data from 1,129 pilgrims diagnosed with HRIs across healthcare facilities in Mecca, Mina, and Arafat. Demographic and clinical data were extracted from the Hajj Health Information System, while temperature, humidity, wind speed, and rainfall records were obtained from the National Center for Meteorology.

Results: Heat exhaustion (48.2%) and heatstroke (37.4%) were the most common diagnoses, with 24.9% of the cases requiring hospitalization. Males represented 55.4% of cases and accounted for 51.2% of …

Obesity's Role In Stroke Incidence Among Smokers: An Assessment Of Confounding, Interaction, And Mediation Effects, Saeed Awad M. Alqahtani, Moutasem Salih Aboonq

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To examine the association between body mass index (BMI) category and history of stroke among current smokers, while assessing potential confounding, effect modification by age, and mediation by cardiovascular comorbidities. Methods: Data were analyzed from 53,939 current adult smokers participating in the 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Survey-weighted logistic regression estimated the association between BMI categories (underweight, normal, overweight, obese) and self-reported stroke history. The study assessed multicollinearity and adjusted for sociodemographic and health variables. Interaction terms were tested to evaluate effect modification by age, and exploratory decomposition analysis was used to assess mediation by conditions such …

Prevalence And Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns Of Nosocomial Bacteria Across Different Units At King Faisal Complex Hospital, Taif, Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Nahed Hawsawi, Renad N. Al-Jaiud, Layal L. Khyyat, Kholoud Alsulimany, Manhal Shabat

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: Nosocomial infections significantly impact patient morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. To determine the prevalence, bacteriological profiles, antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, and resistance distribution of pathogens causing nosocomial infections at King Faisal Medical Complex, Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2023 and March 2024 at different hospital units following ethical approval. Samples (n = 667) were collected from patients (both genders; all ages) exhibiting infection symptoms ≥ 48 h post-admission and pre-antibiotic administration. Bacterial identification involved culture, Gram staining, and biochemical tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility was tested using the Phoenix100 system. Results: Of 667 patients, …

From Early Adversity To Adult Health: Quality-Of-Life Consequences In A Mental Illness In Saudi Arabia, Rawan Saad Alghamdi, Ahmad A. Mirza, Ibrahim Fae Asiri, Fatemah Samir Alghamdi, Nawaf Abdulaziz Alharthi, Shaymaa A. Abdalal, Iman K. Ramadan

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: Childhood trauma (CT) is prevalent among bipolar disorder (BD) patients and exacerbates clinical outcomes, which may impact the quality of life (QoL). This study explores the prevalence of CT and its association with QoL among BD patients in Saudi Arabia. Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted among adults with BD during the euthymic phase. Sample size was estimated using a single-proportion approach (target n=141), and participants recruited by convenience sampling of eligible outpatients. CT was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and QoL using the the Brief Quality of Life in Bipolar Disorder (Brief QoL.BD). Results: The CT prevalence was …

Re-Emergence Of Pertussis In The Pediatric Population: A Tertiary Care Center's Experience, Haya S. Alshaibani, Tahir K. Hameed, Khaled H. Alsager, Mohammed A. Alshaalan, Syed F. Jamil

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To describe the 2024 surge in pertussis cases in the pediatric population in a large tertiary care center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted on children aged 0–14 years with PCR-confirmed Bordetella pertussis infection diagnosed at a tertiary hospital in Riyadh between January and December 2024. Patients older than 14 years, with negative or indeterminate PCR results, or diagnosed outside the study period were excluded, and demographic, immunization, clinical, and outcome data were analyzed. Results: A total of 36 children were diagnosed with pertussis, with 35 (97.2%) requiring hospital admission. The median age was …

A Retrospective Cohort Study Of Uterine Cancer Epidemiological Analysis And Age-Based Disparities In Saudi Arabian Population Across 32 Years, Sallwa M. Alshehre, Mohammad A. Althubiti

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To investigate the burden of uterine tumour in Saudi Arabia during the past 32 years (1990–2021), with an emphasize on the prevalence, incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Knowing these patterns strengthen the national aims of cancer control under Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) Vision 2030. Methods: A retrospective study was performed using data retrieved from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database. The work included population from Saudi Arabia between 1990 and 2021 and tested standardization age-specific metrics, involving uterine tumour incidence, prevalence, mortality, and DALYs. Results: Uterine tumour cases raised from 507 in 1990 to 6,366 …

Seroprevalence Of Hepatitis B And Hepatitis C In Patients Hospitalized In Palliative Care Service, Meryem Betos Koçak, Burcu Güler

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: Patients receiving palliative care often have complex comorbidities and frequent healthcare exposure, which may place them at risk for blood-borne infections such as hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). However, data on the seroprevalence and prognostic impact of these infections in palliative populations remain limited. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of HBV and HCV markers in patients hospitalized in a palliative care unit and to assess their association with mortality. Methods: This retrospective study conducted on 545 adult patients a tertiary palliative care unit between 2018 and 2024. Demographic characteristics, comorbidities, nutritional support, mobility, …

Artificial Intelligence In Dialysis Therapies: Applications In Hemodialysis And Peritoneal Dialysis For Managing Infectious Diseases And Complications, Waleed H. Mahallawi

Saudi Medical Journal

This narrative review synthesizes evidence from a systematic literature search (2019–2025) on artificial intelligence (AI) applications in hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis for managing infections and complications. Dialysis patients face infection rates 100-fold higher than the general population and sepsis mortality exceeding 35%. The AI, utilizing machine learning algorithms such as XGBoost, deep neural networks, and explainable AI tools, revolutionizes care through precise diagnostics, prognostics, and therapeutics. Key models demonstrate high accuracy in predicting bloodstream infections (area under the curve [AUC] 0.914), classifying peritonitis (F1 0.93), detecting SARS-CoV-2 (AUROC 0.82), and forecasting mortality (AUC 0.979). Therapeutically, AI guides antibiotic stewardship, reducing …

Post-Stroke Fatigue In Saudi Arabia: A Call To Action, Saad Z. Alqahtani

Saudi Medical Journal

Post-stroke fatigue (PSF) is a major consequence of stroke, with a prevalence of approximately 42–53% among stroke survivors. However, over the last 2 decades, only a few studies have explored PSF in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Findings from these studies show that PSF negatively impacts the quality of life of individuals with stroke. Furthermore, they emphasize the need for education for both health care providers and patients regarding PSF. This call-to-action mini narrative review identifies knowledge gaps and provides recommendations for both researchers and policymakers, including the need for standardized management and the exploration of hospital environment settings. Specifically, …

Contribution Of Interleukin-6 (Il-6) To Body Defense And Healing In Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Hasrah Junaidi, Annis C. Adi, Soedarsono Soedarsono, Soetjipto Soetjipto, Chatarina U. Wahyuni, Fariani Syahrul, Mahmudah Mahmudah, Zakiyuddin Zakiyuddin, Iskandar Arfan, Abdullah A. Mamun, Rubia Sari

Saudi Medical Journal

Objective: To examine the contribution of IL-6 to host defense and healing in pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Pulmonary tuberculosis continues to pose a significant global health challenge, with disease outcomes determined by complex host–pathogen interactions. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a multifunctional cytokine, has been implicated in immune regulation and tissue recovery during TB, but its specific role is not fully established. This review aimed to examine the contribution of IL-6 to host defense and healing in pulmonary TB. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Medline following PRISMA guidelines, covering publications from 2015 to 2025. …

Impact Of Treatment On The Health-Related Quality Of Life Of Children With Cancer In Saudi Arabia, Fayzah Hussain Alhussain, Amany Anwar Saeed Alabdullah

Saudi Medical Journal

Objective: The impact of cancer on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is considerable, particularly for children undergoing oncological treatment. While research has addressed HRQOL in childhood cancer survivors, less attention has been given to those actively undergoing treatment, including in Saudi Arabia. This systematic review aimed to address this gap by quantitatively evaluating studies reporting on the HRQOL of children in Saudi Arabia during their active cancer treatment phase. We also compare these findings with studies from around the world, emphasising demographic, medical and parental predictors of HRQOL. Methods: A comprehensive search of relevant databases (MEDLINE, CENTRAL, Embase, PsycINFO and …

Deep Learning-Based Detection Of Juniperus Procera Dieback In Uav Imagery Using An Ensemble Approach, Halima Alzubaidi

UB Journal for Humanities

Juniper trees are essential in many ecosystems, and any changes in the vegetation cover of juniper trees must be detected. Deep learning models were used in this study for detecting dieback in Juniperus procera in natural forests in the southern region of Saudi Arabia was examined. The goal in this study was to develop a reliable method for automated tree cover detection for large-scale environmental monitoring. Various deep learning models, including DenseNet121, InceptionResNetV2, custom convolutional neural network, Xception, ResNet50, and EfficientNetB2, were applied to classify images of juniper trees. The performance of each model was evaluated using metrics including accuracy, …

The Suit Of Independence From Revelation In Ibn Ṭufayl’S Ḥayy Ibn Yaqẓān. Analytical Study, Eman Alkhalide

UB Journal for Humanities

This study aims to explore the epistemological, ontological, and metaphysical dimensions in Ḥayy ibn Yaqẓān, and to demonstrate that divine revelation cannot be dispensed with in affirming the existence of God, since there is no contradiction between sound reason and authentic transmitted revelation in this regard. The significance of this topic lies in the fact that the story of Ḥayy ibn Yaqẓān represents a rational argument and a natural proof for the existence of God, while also emphasizing the necessity of guidance through revelation in order to understand the divine law and the proper manner of worship as ordained by …

Perception Verbs, Light Verbs, And Aspect In Modern Standard Arabic, Jaber Ahmed Harthi

UB Journal for Humanities

This paper investigates the interaction between lexical aspect and viewpoint aspect in perception verbs in Modern Standard Arabic, with a particular focus on the role of light verb constructions in shaping aspectual interpretation. Adopting Viberg’s (1983) typology and a two‑component model of aspect (Comrie 1976; Smith 1997), the study classifies core perception verbs as activity, experiential stative, or copulative stative and examines how their situation types combine with perfective and imperfective morphology. The data consist of constructed Modern Standard Arabic examples checked with native speakers. The analysis shows that activity perception verbs are generally dynamic, durative, and atelic, while experiential …

Linguistic Analysis Of Translating Food Product Labels From English To Arabic In Saudi Arabian Market, Majdah M. Aseeri

UB Journal for Humanities

This study examines the interpretations of eight English-Arabic labels for food products available in the Saudi market. The analysis of translations focuses on the translation methods employed within Venuti’s frameworks of domestication and foreignization. The study analyzes explicitly prevalent translation procedures used for food product labels and evaluates their alignment with Venuti’s favored approach of foreignization. Moreover, it examines whether these procedures have resulted in any modification of the original message. This study performs a quantitative analysis that contrasts different aspects. Calculations are performed on the frequencies and percentages of procedures identified to achieve precise statistical outcomes. While transliteration, borrowing, …

Effects Of A Basketball Match On Heart Rate Variability In Collegiate Intramural Players, Unobatsha Mbaiwa

Master's Theses

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a standard non-invasive physiological marker used to asses the autonomic nervous system (ANS) function and cardiovascular adaptability. HRV reflects the natural variations in time between successive heartbeats (R-R intervals), which come as a result of the interaction between sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the ANS (Shaffer & Ginsberg, 2017). Higher HRV compared to an individual's baseline is normally considered an indicator of greater parasympathetic (rest/digest) influence and more effective physiological recovery, whereas lower HRV relative to baseline is associated with sympathetic (fight/flight) dominance, fatigue, and increased physiological strain. Since the standardized HRV measurement criteria were …

God In The Margins: Exploring The Intersection Between Christian And Secular Music, Christina Barnes

Composition/Recording Projects

This recording project paper explores the intersection between Christian theology and secular popular music through a practice-led investigation into how faith-informed themes can be communicated authentically within mainstream musical contexts. Drawing on scholarship surrounding Contemporary Christian Music (CCM), popular music studies, authenticity, and lament theology, this study examines how Christian ideas emerge within secular music through both explicit and implicit forms of expression. Case studies include Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” Selena Gomez’s “Nobody,” Lauren Daigle’s “You Say,” and U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” each representing different approaches to integrating spirituality into mainstream culture. Through …

The Political Economy Of Fashion Sustainability Regulation, Meital Peleg Mizrachi, Rachel Chambers

UC Law Business Journal

The global fashion industry is one of the world’s most polluting and exploitative sectors, emitting more greenhouse gases than all international flights and maritime shipping combined, driving extensive water contamination and waste, and relying on labor conditions that remain chronically unsafe and underpaid. Regulation has attempted to respond, but with limited success. Existing sustainability oversight—ranging from import bans and human rights due diligence statutes to environmental taxes and voluntary industry frameworks—remains fragmented and unevenly enforced, shaped by geopolitical tensions, protectionist agendas, and shifting policy priorities. This Article reviews the rapidly evolving landscape of fashion sustainability regulation over the past decade …

The Effects Of Food Insecurity And Child Health On Educational Achievement In Virginia Counties, Peyton T. Randall

Honors Projects

This study examines the relationship between county-level socioeconomic and demographic factors and student performance on Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) math and reading assessments in 2023. Using data from 127 of Virginia’s 133 independent counties and cities, this study conducts an ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. The analysis shows a strong negative association between food insecurity, measured by the Identified Student Percentage eligible for free school lunch (ISP), and chronic absenteeism with SOL pass rates. These findings show food insecurity and absenteeism as key drivers for achievement disparities, suggesting a need for further interventions and broader research using school-level and …

A Novel Machine-Learning Based Method For Resolving Secondary Structure Topology In Medium-Resolution Cryo-Em Density Maps, Bahareh Behkamal, Mohammad Parsa Etemadheravi, Ali Mahmoodjanloo, Amin Mansoori, Mahmoud Naghibzadeh, Kamal Al Nasr, Mohammad Reza Saberi

Computer Science Faculty Research

Medium-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) density maps preserve substantial information about protein secondary-structure organization; however, accurately recovering the topology and connectivity of α-helices and β-strands remains challenging due to noise, structural heterogeneity, and the intrinsic resolution limitations that obscure residue-level detail. Topology determination is a key intermediate step toward building atomic protein models from medium-resolution cryo-EM density maps. It requires identifying the correct correspondence and orientation between secondary-structure elements (SSEs), i.e., α-helices and β-strands, predicted from the amino-acid sequence and those detected in the three dimensional (3D) density map. Despite significant advances in cryo-EM reconstruction and molecular modelling, this correspondence problem …

Service And Scholarship: Lindenwood Announces 2026 Faculty Awards, Lindenwood University

Archived Lindenwood Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Building A Road To Mitigate Ambulance Patient Offload Time (Apot), William J. Manguil

Doctoral Projects

Emergency departments (EDs) worldwide are experiencing increased utilization resulting in care delays for patients seeking urgent treatment. Despite critical circumstances that warrant emergency medical services (EMS) response, patients arriving to the ED via ambulance remain vulnerable to delays in care due to prolonged ambulance patient offload times (APOTs). The amount of health care providers and treatment space necessary to initiate care are both limited and often strained resources which dictate the need for innovative interventions to prevent patient harm. The following project outlines the interventions implemented at the project site to improve APOT as a means to enhance patient safety …

School-Based Teen Dating Violence Prevention Programs: A Systematized Review, Chloe L. Marsh

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Teen Dating Violence (TDV) is a prevalent issue for many adolescents and can be defined as physical, sexual, and psychological aggression and harm that can occur in-person, online, or through technology. TDV victimization can have devastating impacts for youth, and school-based TDV prevention efforts have been highlighted as a means of addressing this issue. However, there is limited research on how prevention programming influences student beliefs and behavior. This study sought to reveal how programming influences student outcomes and which elements of highlighted prevention efforts are associated with greater benefits. A systematized review was conducted to address these research questions. …

Building Strength: A Systematized Review Of Resilience Intervention Programs For Students, Rachel Christian

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

School-based resilience programs have emerged as a promising vehicle for promoting social-emotional development and buffering the effects of adversity among students. However, a systematic understanding of common program components, associated student outcomes, and implementation factors remains limited. This systematized review examined peer-reviewed research on resilience-building interventions for students in preschool through 12th-grade school settings. Following a structured search across four databases, nine studies met inclusion criteria and were analyzed using structured narrative synthesis. Findings were organized by four research questions addressing program components, student outcomes, implementation factors, and implementation–outcome relationships. Results indicated that resilience interventions consistently strengthened protective competencies, including …

Barriers And Bridges: Exploring Factors That Shape Mental Health Service Utilization In Rural America, Margaret Wiwuga

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Despite disproportionately higher suicide mortality rates and comparable prevalence of mental illness across urban and rural communities in the United States, rural populations across the nation experience significantly lower access to and utilization of mental health services, naturally leading to worse comprehensive outcomes. This literature review examines multifaceted factors shaping mental health service use in rural America, taking note of both barrier and enabling factors that impede or enable these unique populations’ willingness and ability to access and use mental health services. Ten articles published prior to September 9, 2025, were selected from the James Madison University Libraries’ Psychology and …