Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has forced the urgent lockdown of schools and colleges worldwide. To ensure the continuity of education a shift from traditional teaching to e-learning was required. This study aims to identify factors that affect students’ satisfaction and continued intention towards e-learning. A questionnaire was distributed to medical and dental students (second to sixth year) from different universities in Saudi Arabia. The study synthesizes the expectation-confirmation theory (ECT) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to predict students’ satisfaction and intention to continue using e-learning using a validated self-administered questionnaire. We used the structural equation model to analyze the results and assess the study’s hypotheses. A total of 870 completed questionnaires were received (67% response rate). The results showed that students were at a moderate level of satisfaction (median = 3.5). According to the ECT, both perceived usefulness and confirmation significantly influenced students’ satisfaction (β = −.69 and β = .82, respectively). Satisfaction was the strongest predictor of students’ continued intention (β = 1.95). Among the TPB constructs, perceived behavioral control (β = .51), attitudes (β = .39), and subjective norms (β = .36) had a significant positive influence on their intention to use e-learning. The results suggest efforts to increase students’ satisfaction and intention with e-learning should be directed to adopting easy and useful e-learning platforms. In addition, training and motivating students to continue e-learning and increasing their confidence to ensure the effective and efficient use of such teaching modalities.

The purpose was to measure the prevalence and related risk factors of low back pain (LBP) among health care workers (HCWs) at different levels of health care in southwestern Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted among HCWs providing primary, secondary and tertiary health care services in the Aseer region, southwestern Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire collected data regarding having LBP in the past 12 months, socio-demographics, work conditions and history of chronic diseases, regular physical exercise and overexertional back trauma. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. Out of 740 participants, the overall prevalence of LBP in the past 12 months amounted to73.9% (95% CI: 70.7–77.0). The prevalence of LBP with neurological symptoms reached 50.0%. The prevalence of LBP necessitating medications and or physiotherapy was 40.5%, while the prevalence of LBP requiring medical consultation was 20%. Using multivariable logistic regression, the following risk factors were identified: working in secondary and tertiary hospitals (aOR = 1.32, 95% CI:1.01–1.76), increased BMI (aOR = 1.10, 95% CI:1.01–3.65), and positive history of overexertional back trauma (aOR = 11.52, 95% CI:4.14–32.08). On the other hand, practising regular physical exercise was a significant protective factor (aOR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.42–0.89). LBP is a common problem among HCWs. Many preventable risk factors have been identified, including exertional back trauma, increased BMI and lack of regular physical exercise. Occupational health and safety programmes to build ergonomically safe working conditions and encourage regular physical exercise are needed.

Dementia is among the leading causes of severe and long-term disability worldwide, decreasing the quality of life of individuals and families. Moreover, it induces an enormous economic burden on societies. The most prevalent cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease (AD). Because current treatment options for AD are limited, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been considered. The aim of this review is to survey the current understanding regarding the effects of DBS in AD and possibly shed light on the mechanisms of DBS in AD. We searched PubMed and Cochrane for various studies in English literature describing DBS in patients with AD and relevant preclinical studies. All related studies published from December 2013 to March 2017 were included in this review. Our understanding of the neural circuitry underlying learning and memory in both rodent models and human patients has grown over the past years and provided potential therapeutic targets for DBS such as the fornix and the nucleus basalis of Meynert. Clinical results indicate that DBS is most beneficial for patients who are in the early stages of AD. Potential mechanisms of action of DBS in AD comprise long-term structural plasticity, including hippocampal enlargement as well as enhanced neurotransmitter release. It is still premature to conclude that DBS can be used in the treatment of AD, and the field will wait for the results of ongoing and future clinical trials.

Background. Head injuries contribute to almost 50% of all injuries. Head injuries are still one of the major causes of loss of life and loss of function among young adults. Nowadays, head injury has become a major community problem. Recently, head injury has become one of the biggest issues of almost more than 57 million people in the whole world living with the neurological problem raised by TBI, in which 10 million people require hospital base care. Objectives. To determine the epidemiological aspects of patients with head injury (HI) in Aseer Central Hospital (ACH). Materials and Methods. This is a retrospective cross-sectional study. Data were gathered from patients’ files and the registrar’s database of ACH. The study duration was January 2015–December 2017. All patients with head injury admitted to ACH during the study duration were included in the study. SPSS software was used for analysis. Descriptive statistics were obtained (mean SD frequencies, percentages). Statistical tests, t test, and chi-squared test were applied to measure the significant difference among the variables. P-value less than 0.05 was considered as a significant difference. Results. There were 353 patients with head injury, and the mean ± SD of age was 27.01 ± 13.9. Motor vehicle accidents (MVA) accounted for (89.3%) of head injury. A total of 87.3% of the patients were male while 12.7% were female. Conclusion. In this study, we observed that MVA is the leading cause of brain/head injuries in the KSA, despite the implementations of new speed rules. However, with new regulations of forbidding cell phone use while driving and forcing the seat belt regulations, a major impact on these numbers is expected in the future. Thus, a future study is recommended to assess these expectations.

Background: Neurosurgery is considered one of the most admired surgical specializations. Still, as evidenced by observations over the years, it is not amongst the top choices of medical students in Saudi Arabia. This study will help in understanding the perception and attitudes of medical students and interns toward the neurosurgery specialization, which will aid in developing strategies to increase the interest of undergraduates in neurosurgery specialization and bridge the human resource gap in this vital specialty. Objectives: This study aimed to assess perceptions, attitudes, and gender differences of medical students and interns toward neurosurgery. The influence of demographic factors on perceptions of neurosurgery of interns and senior medical students in Saudi Arabia was also investigated. Methodology: We conducted a cross-sectional study on a convenience sample of medical students (clinical years) and interns studying in different colleges of medicine in Saudi Arabia. A total of 1014 responses were included in this study (518 males and 496 females). The questionnaire comprised of two parts: the first part carried general descriptive questions, while the second part had 24-item Likert scale-based questions. Results: Around 40% of medical students and 26% of interns agreed or strongly agreed to the statement ‘I would consider a career in neurosurgery. Around 70% of both interns and students agreed or strongly agreed with the statement ‘Huge prestige is attached to neurosurgery’. The responses to the statement ‘Neurosurgery is a male specialty’ was significantly different between genders, as 36.5% of the male respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement while just 12.5% of the females responded likewise (p = 0.000). Only 23% of participants reported having completed a rotation in neurosurgery. About 44.7% of respondents were interested in taking an elective rotation in neurosurgery, while the remaining respondents (55.3%) responded with a negative answer. Only 23% of participants had completed an undergraduate rotation in neurosurgery. More males (65.3%) agreed or strongly agreed with the statement ‘Work as a neurosurgery specialist can impede family life as compared to females (57.5%), which was highly significant (p = 0.000). More medical students (45.1%) responded in the agreement or strong agreement in response to the statement’ Neurosurgery should be a compulsory rotation during internship’ as compared to interns (25.8%). Around 65% of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that teachers/seniors have a great influence on students’ specialization choices. Around 67% of the respondents foresaw a purely clinical role for themselves after graduation, while 17% were interested in a clinical–academician role. Conclusions: The study reflected a generally positive attitude towards neurosurgery amongst medical students and interns. Interest in neurosurgery as a specialization can be strengthened by enhancing the exposure of students and interns to the specialty. Teachers and seniors can be useful influencers to motivate students to consider neurosurgery specialization.