Sedentary life style and consequent obesity prevail in both developed and developing nations; gender- and age-independently. Physical inactivity in a population in a life style transition-like Saudi Arabia-causes metabolic syndrome with its immediate and long-term complications. Healthcare workers are in a better position for role modeling and counseling of appropriate health behaviors. Personal physical activity and body built among physicians influences to some degree their exercise counseling. Realizing such principle necessitates gauging the extent of physical activity among physicians and assessing the likelihood of counseling the patients on physical activities. A cross-sectional study enrolled primary health care physicians (PHCPs) from primary health care centers and general hospitals of two cities (Sakaka and Dumat Al-Jandal) of Aljouf region, Saudi Arabia. Both genders were included. English version of step-wise questionnaire of World Health Organization was used for data collection. The response rate was 64.2%. 65.2% of respondent PHCPs were doing moderate to vigorous physical exercise and 34.8% of them were physically inactive. Majority of physically inactive PHCPs had intention to increase their physical activity. Neither gender, nationality nor city-wise significant differences were recorded. However, physically active PHCPs significantly impart advice and role modeling on physical activity to their patients compared to physically inactive PHCPs (p<0.01). Most PHCPs in Sakaka and Dumat Al-Jandal cities were physically active and were able to impart the healthy behavior counseling to their patients. A strong intention prevailed to increase physical activity among physically inactive Primary Health care Physicians (PHCPs).

The pathogenic spectrum of bloodstream infections (BSIs) varies across regions. Monitoring the pathogenic profile and antimicrobial resistance is a prerequisite for effective therapy, infection control and for strategies aimed to counter antimicrobial resistance. The pathogenic spectrum of BSIs in blood cultures was analysed, focusing on the resistance patterns of Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, in Aljouf region. This descriptive cross-sectional study analysed the culture reports of all non-duplicate blood samples collected from January 1 to December 31, 2019. Antibiograms of A. baumannii, E. coli, and K. pneumoniae were analysed for antibiotic resistance. The frequency and percentages of multi-drug, extensively-drug, pan-drug and carbapenem resistance were calculated. Of the 222 bloodstream infections, 62.2% and 36.4% were caused by gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, respectively. Most BSIs occurred in patients aged ≥60 years (59.5%). Among the 103 isolates of the studied Gram-negative bacteria (GNB), 47.6%, 38.8%, and 2.9% were multi-drug, extensively drug and pan-drug resistant respectively. 46% of K. pneumoniae isolates were carbapenemase producers. Resistance to gentamycin, 1^st–4^th generation cephalosporins, and carbapenems was observed for A. baumannii. More than 70% of E. coli isolates were resistant to 3^rd- and 4^th-generation cephalosporins. Klebsiella pneumoniae presented a resistance rate of >60% to imipenems. Gram-negative bacteria dominate BSIs, with carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae most frequently detected in this region. Resistant GNB infections make it challenging to treat geriatric patients. Regional variations in antimicrobial resistance should be continually monitored.

As to determine the timeliness of vaccination and reasons for delay in vaccinating children under the age of 2 years in Sakakah, Northern Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 195 children under 2 years of age consecutively taken from four randomly selected primary health centers in Sakaka, Al Jouf province. A pretested proforma was used to screen the vaccination cards of the children for any delays in vaccination. Parents of children whose vaccinations had been delayed for more than 4 weeks were interviewed to determine the reasons for the delay. The reasons for delay were grouped under three different themes, i.e., child related, facility related and social issues. RESULTS: The mean age of the children was 8.6 ± 5 months; 45% were girls and 38% were first or second order babies. In our sampled population, 23% children had delayed vaccinations of more than 4 weeks. The delay was similar for both male and female children (21.5% of males and 25% of females). High education of parents, working mothers and low birth order were positively associated with timeliness of vaccine uptake (P < 0.05). Of those with delayed vaccination, only 15.6% mentioned facility or appointment related reasons; illness of the child was reported by 46.7%. CONCLUSION: There is considerable delay in vaccination of children in Sakakah, Northern Saudi Arabia. A third or more birth order of the child, parents having less than university education, and child's mother being home maker are related with increased risk of delayed vaccination....

Antimicrobial-resistance in Enterobacterales is a serious concern in Saudi Arabia. The present study retrospectively analyzed the antibiograms of Enterobacterales identified from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019 from a referral hospital in the Aljouf region of Saudi Arabia. The revised document of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) CR-2015 and Magiorakos et al.’s document were used to define carbapenem resistance and classify resistant bacteria, respectively. The association of carbapenem resistance, MDR, and ESBL with various sociodemographic characteristics was assessed by the chi-square test and odds ratios. In total, 617 Enterobacterales were identified. The predominant (n = 533 (86.4%)) isolates consisted of 232 (37.6%), 200 (32.4%), and 101 (16.4%) Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Proteus mirabilis, respectively. In general, 432 (81.0%) and 128 (24.0%) isolates were of MDR and ESBL, respectively. The MDR strains were recovered in higher frequency from intensive care units (OR = 3.24 (1.78–5.91); p < 0.01). E. coli and K. pneumoniae resistance rates to imipenem (2.55 (1.21–5.37); p < 0.01) and meropenem (2.18 (1.01–4.67); p < 0.04), respectively, were significantly higher in winter. The data emphasize that MDR isolates among Enterobacterales are highly prevalent. The studied Enterobacterales exhibited seasonal variation in antimicrobial resistance rates towards carbapenems and ESBL activity.

Jouf University. Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among medical and nonmedical students of the Jouf University. Study targeted 200 medical and nonmedical students using the convenience sampling technique. A self-administered questionnaire was adopted for the study and consisted of three parts with questions on demographic characteristics, lifestyle, eating habits, academics, and irritable bowel syndrome. Descriptive statistics were carried out to present the demographic characteristics. Chi-square test, odds ratio with 95% CI was calculated for analyzing differences between study variables using SPSS version-16. Multivariate analysis of lifestyle and dietary predictors of IBS was carried out by the enter method. Results: With a response rate of 90.5%, 181 students completed the questionnaire. Around 53 (29.28%) were found to be suffering from IBS with 41 (77.35%) being males. Male gender, married status, and living status of participants were significantly associated with the occurrence of IBS. Prevalence of IBS was found to be more in students who were from the medical college (P = 0.000), students who smoke (P = 0.003), who slept less than 8 h (P = 0.042), and students who often take carbonated drinks (P = 0.003). Smoking, frequency of exercise, coffee intake, and intake of carbonated drinks were strong predictors of IBS on multivariate analysis of lifestyle and dietary factors. Conclusion: We conclude that there is an increased prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome among medical students. Male gender, married status, living in hostel, smoking, less than 8 h sleep, and carbonated drinks were predictive factors for IBS in our study. We recommend screening of medical students for irritable bowel syndrome and institution of interventional measures....