Objective: This study aims to evaluate the knowledge and awareness of female university students in Saudi Arabia about breast self-examination (BSE). Methods: From January to March 2022, an online self-administered questionnaire covering socio-demographic data and BSE Knowledge was distributed to female students enrolled in Saudi universities. The survey link was disseminated online and through student leaders. Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to determine associations between the categorical variables and the BSE knowledge scores. Logistic regression was used to report the best predictor(s) for BSE knowledge. Results: Among 668 respondents, 65.5% were aged between 20 and 24 years, 47.8% were taking health-related courses, 69.2% were from urban localities, and 90.6% had no family history of breast cancer. Only 4.2% showed adequate knowledge about BSEs. Students studying in health sciences had a significantly better BSE knowledge score (p = 0.01). Moreover, 26.5% knew that a BSE has to be completed each month, and a similar percentage of students were aware that a BSE should not be completed during the menstrual cycle. Approximately half of the students knew that 20 years old is the recommended age to start BSEs. Seventy-two percent were aware that they must look for abnormal breast changes and the importance of feeling the axillary area when performing a BSE. Additionally, 55.2% were aware that most breast masses are detected by women themselves. Conclusion: Saudi female students’ knowledge about BSEs is inadequate. It is advisable that BSE knowledge and practice be incorporated into the curriculum of middle and high schools, as well as university students’ programs.

Brain computed tomography (CT) is a diagnostic imaging tool routinely used to assess all paediatric neurologic disorders and other head injuries. Despite the continuous development of paediatric CT imaging, radiation exposure remains a concern. Using diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) helps to manage the radiation dose delivered to patients, allowing one to identify an unusually high dose. In this paper, we propose DRLs for paediatric brain CT examinations in Saudi clinical practices and compare the findings with those of other reported DRL studies. Data including patient and scanning protocols were collected retrospectively from three medical cities for a total of 225 paediatric patients. DRLs were derived for four different age groupings. The resulting DRL values for the dose–length product (DLP) for the age groups of newborns (0–1 year), 1-y-old (1–5 years), 5-y-old (5–10 years) and 10-y-old (10–15 years) were 404 mGy cm, 560 mGy cm, 548 mGy cm, and 742 mGy cm, respectively. The DRLs for paediatric brain CT imaging are comparable to or slightly lower than other DRLs due to the current use of dose optimisation strategies. This study emphasises the need for an international standardisation for the use of weight group categories in DRL establishment for paediatric care in order to provide a more comparable measurement of dose quantities across different hospitals globally.

The aim of this study was to report the diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) corresponding to different compressed breast thickness (CBT) ranges. To achieve this, mammographic examinations with 187,788 exposures were analysed. The mean average glandular (AGD) dose was calculated per view, examination, and center. Moreover, the DRL values corresponding to different CBT ranges were reported. The result of the mean AGD per view was found to be 1.36 mGy for craniocaudal (CC) and 1.54 mGy for Mediolateral oblique (MLO), while the mean AGD per examination for all women was 1.45 mGy. The DRL values corresponding to CBTs between 20 to 79 mm ranges were below 2 mGy. These results were from a population of mean age = 49 ± 8 years and mean CBT = 58 ± 8 mm, and was imaged with mean exposures of 29 ± 1 kVp and 74 ± 31 mAs, and a mean compression force of 135±37 N. In conclusion, good mammography practice has been shown, as DRL values are within the limits suggested by the international organizations.