Social media (SM) is one of the most powerful tools of communication and learning in the recent era. Different types of information can be shared through these social networking sites in the form of texts, videos, pictures, audios, and references (contacts). Due to the constant increase in the use of these social networking sites in our daily routine life especially during the COVID 19 pandemic, their use in teaching and learning has become inevitable. Social media has immense potential to enhance its role in educational settings. Both the students and educators use it for communication, education, sharing and expressing knowledge, and recreation. Therefore, the present study aims to find out the most frequently used social network sites for learning and easy communication between medical students and educators. This study sought to explore the most frequently used social networking sites by the medical students and educators at Batterjee Medical College. A cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the trends of usage of SM as an extracurricular way of enhancing learning and teaching experience among medical students and educators in Batterjee Medical College; Saudi Arabia from November 2020 to March 2021. A pre-validated self-administrated questionnaire was built using Google Drive forms and distributed to medical students and educators via emails and WhatsApp. Convenient sampling was used to collect the data. Social media has immense potential to enhance its role in educational settings. Students in our study preferred YouTube and WhatsApp for their learning and communication especially, during COVID 19 pandemic. However, to further enhance their utility choosing the right platform, the amount and quality of the information shared to ensure optimal benefit, providing ethical guides, and professional standards for SM use at institutional levels are the few challenges that need to address.

Introduction: Self-medication is a growing public health concern worldwide. Studies have shown a gap between best practice and the current practice of using over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Despite being a well-recognised problem in Saudi Arabia, few studies have investigated OTC medication use in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the attitudes and knowledge of parents regarding OTC medication use in the Jeddah region, Saudi Arabia. Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out via an electronic questionnaire sent randomly to parents over four months, from 1 January to 30 April 2022. The participants’ characteristics and categorical variables were represented descriptively by frequency and percentage. A Chi-square test was used to test the relationship between the variables. Results: In total, 211 questionnaires were included in this study. Females represented 54.5% of the participants included in the study. Parents belonging to the 18-to-30-year-old group comprised the highest percentage (37.9%), and most of the parents (72.9%) had received an undergraduate education. Family physicians were the most common source (37.3%) of information about OTC medications, whereas more than half of parents purchased OTC medications from the community pharmacy (58.8%). While almost half of the parents (52.1%) visited a family physician when side effects of OTC medications appeared in their children, only (33.6%) stopped giving their children the OTC medicine. The relationship between the sociodemographic characteristics (including educational level, marital status, and employment status) and OTC drug consumption was significant (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Educational campaigns are needed to guide patients about the proper use of OTC medications. Studies on OTC medication use are lacking in Saudi Arabia in terms of its frequency, reasons for use, type of self-medication, and contributing factors.

Intracranial aneurysms are serious vascular conditions that pose a significant risk of life-threatening subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) if ruptured. Over the past century, the surgical management of aneurysms has undergone remarkable advancements, with aneurysm clipping emerging as a cornerstone treatment. This review traces the historical evolution of aneurysm clipping, from the formidable challenges of early 20th-century brain surgery to the sophisticated techniques used today. Key milestones include Victor Horsley’s pioneering ligation methods, Harvey Cushing’s foundational neurosurgical principles, and Walter Dandy’s groundbreaking intracranial aneurysm clipping in 1937. Technological innovations have played a crucial role in advancing the field. The introduction of the operating microscope by M.G. Yasargil in the 1960s and Charles Drake’s fenestrated clip design in 1969 significantly improved surgical precision and outcomes. The emergence of endovascular techniques, particularly Guglielmi’s detachable coils (GDC) in the 1990s, provided a minimally invasive alternative to clipping. Today, both approaches remain valuable, with treatment selection based on aneurysm characteristics and patient-specific factors. Modern aneurysm clipping has further benefited from cutting-edge imaging technologies, intraoperative monitoring systems, and refined clip designs, enhancing both safety and efficacy. Landmark comparative studies, such as ISAT and BRAT, have provided critical evidence guiding treatment strategies and optimizing patient outcomes.

Insulin serves multiple functions as a growth-promoting hormone in peripheral tissues. It manages glucose metabolism by promoting glucose uptake into cells and curbing the production of glucose in the liver. Beyond this, insulin fosters cell growth, drives differentiation, aids protein synthesis, and deters degradative processes like glycolysis, lipolysis, and proteolysis. Receptors for insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 are widely expressed in the central nervous system. Their widespread presence in the brain underscores the varied and critical functions of insulin signaling there. Insulin aids in bolstering cognition, promoting neuron extension, adjusting the release and absorption of catecholamines, and controlling the expression and positioning of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Importantly, insulin can effortlessly traverse the blood-brain barrier. Furthermore, insulin resistance (IR)-induced alterations in insulin signaling might hasten brain aging, impacting its plasticity and potentially leading to neurodegeneration. Two primary pathways are responsible for insulin signal transmission: the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) pathway, which oversees metabolic responses, and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, which guides cell growth, survival, and gene transcription. This review aimed to explore the potential shared metabolic traits between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and IR disorders. It delves into the relationship between AD and IR disorders, their overlapping genetic markers, and shared metabolic indicators. Additionally, it addresses existing therapeutic interventions targeting these intersecting pathways.

Background: Palliative care is the branch of medicine which has a target of setting focus on the improvement of the quality of life of patients, particularly toward their end of life, such as cases of terminal diseases with low prognosis. Despite growing recognition of the importance of palliative care, a gap remains in medical education. Our study aims to evaluate the current level of knowledge of medical students in regard to palliative care.Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in Batterjee Medical College, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, through a period of three months from December 2021 to March 2022.Results: A total of 254 students participated in our study. Psychosocial and spiritual needs of the patient alongside definition of palliative care were perceived the most important by the students with a mean score of 3.9 each.Conclusion: Our study concludes that there is an overall lack of confidence among medical students in providing palliative care. We recommend further enhancement and implementation of palliative care as part of undergraduate mandatory courses.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a debilitating disease that alters an individual's functionality. Parkinsonism is a complex symptom consisting of numerous motor and non-motor features, and although several disorders are responsible, PD remains the most important. Several theories have been proposed for the characteristic pathological changes, the most important of which is the loss of dopaminergic neurons associated with a reduced ability to perform voluntary movements. Many drugs have been developed over the years to treat the condition and prevent its progression, but drug delivery is still a challenge due to the blood–brain barrier, which prevents the passage of drugs into the central nervous system. However, with the advances in nanotechnology in the medical field, there is growing hope of overcoming this challenge. Summary: Our review highlights the potential role of three commonly studied nanoparticles in laboratory-induced animal models of PD: chitosan, PLGA, and iron oxide nanoparticles as potential PD therapy in humans.