Glucose-Potassium Ratio (GPR) has emerged as a biomarker in several pathophysiological conditions. However, the association between GPR and long-term outcomes in stroke patients has not been investigated. Our study evaluated the applicability of baseline GPR as a predictive prognostic tool for clinical outcomes in ischemic stroke patients. The multicenter retrospective cohort study included acute-subacute adult ischemic stroke patients who had their baseline serum GPR levels measured. Eligible patients were categorized into two sub-cohorts based on the baseline GPR levels (<1.67 vs. ≥ 1.67). The primary outcome was the incidence of 30-day hemorrhagic transformation, while stroke recurrence, and all-cause mortality within twelve months, were considered secondary. Among 4083 patients screened, 1047 were included in the current study. In comparison with GPR < 1.67 group, patients with ≥ 1.67 GPR had a significantly higher ratio of all-cause mortality within twelve months (aHR 2.07 [95 % CI 1.21–3.75] p = 0.01), and higher ratio of 30-day hemorrhagic transformation but failed to reach the statistical significance (aHR 1.60 [95 % CI 0.95–2.79], p = 0.08). Overall, baseline GPR serum is an independent predictor of all-cause mortality within twelve months in patients with acute and subacute ischemic stroke. Further clinical studies are necessary to validate these findings.

Behavioral addiction is identified as any compulsive, repeated, and persistent behavior that leads to significant and functionally impairing harm or distress. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of internet, video-gaming, and pornography addictions among medical students in Western region. In addition, we intend to investigate the relationship between these behavioral addictions with stress and anxiety. Our study was a cross-sectional study with a sample size of 225. The study participants were medical students in their 3rd, 4th, and 5th academic years from five different medical colleges in Western region. The questionnaire included demographics and adapted five different pre-validated scales: Young's Internet Addiction Test – Short Version (IAT-SV), Internet Gaming Disorder Scale 9 – Short Form (IGDS9-SF), (PPC scale), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7). The IAT-SV scale showed: 71 (31.6%) of the participants had normal internet usage, 51 (22.7%) participants showed problematic usage, and 103 (45.8%) used the internet pathologically. The IGDS9-SF scale had observed the following values: 220 participants (97.8%) were non-disordered, and 5 participants (2.2%) were found to be disordered. Statistical analysis showed a highly significant association between stress and problematic pornography consumption (P < 0.01), and internet addiction (P <0.001). Moreover, there was a significant association between anxiety and internet gaming disorder (P < 0.01). This study showed high prevalence of internet addiction and low prevalence of internet gaming disorder. Also, it gave more understanding to a possible association between these behavioral addictions with stress and anxiety.

Background: Obesity and its complications are associated with several adverse effects that may cause a serious impact on health. Antipsychotics-induced weight gain (AIWG) is one of the major, yet often neglected side effects of first and second generations antipsychotics. Importantly, several researches have shown metformin to be effective in managing weight gain especially, with AIWG. This study investigated the effect of antipsychotics use on weight gain and the theory of metformin concomitant use on the prevention of AIWG.Methods: A retrospective cohort review of the medical records of patients from the psychiatry outpatient clinics in the King Abdulaziz Medical city, a tertiary hospital in Jeddah from May 2016 to August 2021. The population of patients in Psychiatry section was 4,141. The sampling technique was a non-random consecutive sampling technique. Moreover, the included patients’ records were divided to group 1 (patients on antipsychotics) and group 2 (patients using antipsychotics with Metformin).Results: According to the study criteria, 395 patients’ records were included. A total of 309 (78%) patients were using antipsychotics without metformin, which in this study were depicted as group 1. In addition, a total of 86 (22%) were using antipsychotics with metformin, which in this study were assigned as group 2. Out of Group 1 patients (n= 309), only 67 patients experienced weight loss (21.68%), 43 remained with no weight change (13.92%), and 199 experienced weight gain (64.4%). Out of Group 2 patients (n= 86), 35 patients experienced weight loss (40.7%), 18 patients remained with no weight change (20.93%), and 33 experienced weight gain (38.37%). In addition, group 1 had a mean weight change of 2.5 kg, whereas group 2 had a mean weight change of −0.04 kg.Conclusion: Statistical analysis revealed that patients on antipsychotics alone experienced weight gain, whereas the concomitant use of metformin showed reduction in the weight gain tendency. Thus, study outcomes indicate that concomitant use of metformin with antipsychotics might significantly reduce the AIWG.

Background: Breast cancer occurs when abnormal breast cells grow rapidly and uncontrollably. Early detection and intervention have been established to significantly decrease mortality rates. Objective: There is a lack of focused research investigating the degree of breast cancer awareness among Saudi women. Thus, this study aimed to fill this gap by conducting a nationwide survey on a large pool of women. Design: A cross-sectional web-based nationwide study. Methods: This study targeted Saudi women from all regions of the country and was conducted from 20 August to 3 September 2021. The study used the Breast Cancer Awareness Measure questionnaire to measure breast cancer awareness. This study was approved by the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center institutional review board. Results: Overall, poor breast cancer awareness scores were demonstrated by 71% of the participants. Unemployed women were more likely to have poor breast cancer awareness. Conclusion: Our study reports an alarmingly high level of poor overall breast cancer awareness in Saudi women. Interventions should be implemented to combat this lack of awareness.

Objective. We aimed to assess the quality of life (QoL) and its predictors in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah. Methods. A total of 118 CRC patients at King Abdulaziz Medical City, a tertiary hospital in Jeddah, participated in this study. The participants were provided with the online questionnaire via WhatsApp by trained researchers and data collectors in February 2021. All participants were required to answer the three-section questionnaire comprising of (a) demographic data and a validated Arabic version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) quality of life questionnaires, (b) a general version (QLQ-30), and (c) a CRC-specific version (QLQ-CR29). Results. Statistical analysis revealed that the most common comorbidity among the participants was diabetes mellitus (42.4). In addition, the mean global health status was 63.91±24.75. For the global health tool QLQ-C30, results exhibited that physical functioning [62.94 (30.04)] and social functioning [63.56 (31.95)] scored below the threshold, while the cognitive functioning scale scored the highest [74.86 (25.11)]. In addition, on the QLQ-C30 scales, fatigue and insomnia were distressing, with fatigue scoring the highest. For the disease-specific tool QLQ-CR29, it was found that for the symptom scale, urinary frequency and embarrassment scored the highest. Conclusion. The participants reported high global quality of life on both the EORTC QLQ-30 and QLQ-CR29 scales. This study identifies the factors and predictors that affect the quality of life of CRC patients in Saudi Arabia. Recognizing these factors and predictors may empower those patients to maintain positive perception towards the impact of colorectal cancer and improve their survival.

Epilepsy is a chronic neurologic condition with different risk factors and genetic predispositions. It is characterized by the occurrence of an epileptic seizure. To our knowledge, most studies have focused on revealing epilepsy prevalence in Saudi Arabia, but the etiological prevalence is still not well-studied in the region. Thus, this research aims to raise awareness and provide more insights into the etiological prevalence of this disorder. A cross-sectional study was performed among 431 adult patients diagnosed with epilepsy in the Neurology Department at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Patients’ data were retrospectively collected from electronic medical files covering the period between May 2016 and April 2021. Epilepsy etiologies were classified as suggested by the International League Against Epilepsy 2017. The most commonly identified seizures were generalized (25.3%) and focal (8.9%). However, 66.1% of seizure types were unidentifiable. The most common etiology was structural (42.9%), followed by genetic (7.2%), with strokes (24.3%) and tumors (23.8%) being the most prevalent structural etiologies. However, 47.6% of the patients were classified under unknown etiology. This study suggested that epilepsy diagnosed as generalized was by far the most common seizure type in our cohort. Structural etiology was evident in most patients, with stroke being the highest presented etiology.