Saudi Vision 2030 is a game-changer for all aspects of the economy, including healthcare. This article provides a comprehensive overview of healthcare financing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). It identifies key healthcare financing challenges that must be addressed to achieve the initiative’s envisioned health system goals. The review also examines and demonstrates how healthcare funds in the KSA are allocated among different healthcare services, to offer a perspective on resource use efficiency at various healthcare levels. This research used a mixed-method design which includes a literature review and secondary data analysis. A literature review was conducted aligned with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines. The secondary data were gathered from the reports and websites of government agencies, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations. Despite implementing significant reforms in its healthcare system, the share of private healthcare expenditure in total healthcare spending has seen only marginal growth. The current healthcare financing system appears insufficient to adequately support the chronically ill and the poor. There is a significant imbalance in the allocation of government budgets between hospitals and primary care, with four-fifths of financial resources directed towards hospital services. The Ministry of Health’s budget allocation prioritizes personnel compensation, potentially reducing the available budget for medicines and other essential healthcare supplies. Ongoing reforms in the health sector, including privatization, public–private partnership initiatives, and the government’s commitment to developing a robust primary healthcare network, are expected to play a significant role in controlling rapidly increasing public healthcare expenditures in Saudi Arabia.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common type of dementia in older people, causes neurological problems associated with memory and thinking. The key enzymes involved in Alzheimer’s disease pathways are acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE). Because of this, there is a lot of interest in finding new AChE inhibitors. Among compounds that are not alkaloids, flavonoids have stood out as good candidates. The apple fruit, Malus domestica (Rosaceae), is second only to cranberries regarding total phenolic compound concentration. Computational tools and biological databases were used to investigate enzymes and natural compounds. Molecular docking techniques were used to analyze the interactions of natural compounds of the apple with enzymes involved in the central nervous system (CNS), acetylcholinesterase, and butyrylcholinesterase, followed by binding affinity calculations using the AutoDock tool. The molecular docking results revealed that CID: 107905 exhibited the best interactions with AChE, with a binding affinity of −12.2 kcal/mol, and CID: 163103561 showed the highest binding affinity with BuChE, i.e., −11.2 kcal/mol. Importantly, it was observed that amino acid residue Trp286 of AChE was involved in hydrogen bond formation, Van Der Walls interactions, and Pi–Sigma/Pi–Pi interactions in the studied complexes. Moreover, the results of the Molecular Dynamics Simulation (MDS) analysis indicated interaction stability. This study shows that CID: 12000657 could be used as an AChE inhibitor and CID: 135398658 as a BuChE inhibitor to treat Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders.

After one year, the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 is still the largest concern for the scientific community. Of the many recognized drug targets of SARS-CoV-2, the main protease is one of the most important target due to its function in viral replication. We conducted an in silico study with repurposing drugs of antibiotics class against virus protease and peptidase using AutoDock tool. The following significant binding energy interaction was observed with protease (PDB: 6LU7) like piperacillin –7.25; tobramycin –9.20 and doxorubicin (Doxo) –10.04 kcal/mol and with peptidase (PDB: 2GTB) piperacillin –7.08; tobramycin –8.54 and Doxo –9.89 kcal/mol. Furthermore, the interaction and stability behavior of the Doxo–protease and Doxo–peptidase complexes were analyzed for a 100-nanosecond (ns) time. Calculated RMSD values observed using molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) were found to be 0.15–0.25 nm, RMSF calculation per residues showed a value near 0.2 nm and R_g values remained approximately 2.25 nm. MM-PBSA analysis of total binding energy calculation of Doxo–protease and Doxo–peptidase complexes are found to be –148.692 and –105.367 kJ/mol, respectively. Moreover, amino acid residue ASP-197 showed the lowest contribution binding energy i.e. –18.1185 kJ/mol, and amino acid residue ASP-187 showed –17.0267 kJ/mol contribution energy. Thus, significant docking interaction and stable dynamicity of Doxo–protease complex with time was suggested that Doxo could be a choice to inhibit potentially the viral proteases that could prevent the entry inside the host cell to control the COVID-19 disease. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

: Keeping in view the public health-related issues of Alzheimer's disease (AD), its unpredictable occurrence and progression indicate the needs for best treatment options. The present bioinformatics study explores the binding pattern and molecular interactions between human acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) enzymes with natural compounds from Bacopa monnieri. The docking analysis between natural compounds as a ligand and AChE, BuChE as a receptor was completed using MGL tools Autodock 4.2 module. The analysis of the hydrophobic interactions, inhibition constants, and hydrogen bonds may indicates that they play a significant role in finding out the interacting position at the active site. However, after analyzing the binding energy (ΔG), the documented data shows that bacoside X, bacoside A, 3-beta-D-glucosylstigmasterol and daucosterol could be good inhibitors in the inhibition of AChE and BuChE activities. Therefore, our study indicates that the inhibition constants of the aforesaid natural compounds of Bacopa can be utilized for the development of inhibitors.

The Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that originated in Chinese city of Wuhan has caused around 906,092 deaths and 28,040,853 confirmed cases worldwide (https://covid19.who.int/, 11 September 2020). In a life-threatening situation, where there is no specific and licensed anti-COVID-19 vaccine or medicine available; the repurposed drug might act as a silver bullet. Currently, more than 211 vaccines, 80 antibodies, 31 antiviral drugs, 35 cell-based, 6 RNA-based and 131 other drugs are in clinical trials. It is therefore utter need of the hour to develop an effective drug that can be used for the treatment of COVID-19 before a vaccine can be developed. One of the best-characterized and attractive drug targets among coronaviruses is the main protease (3CL^pro). Therefore, the current study focuses on the molecular docking analysis of TAT-peptide^47–57 (GRKKRRQRRRP)-conjugated repurposed drugs (i.e., lopinavir, ritonavir, favipiravir, and hydroxychloroquine) with SARS-CoV-2 main protease (3CL^pro) to discover potential efficacy of TAT-peptide (TP) - conjugated repurposing drugs against SARS-CoV-2. The molecular docking results validated that TP-conjugated ritonavir, lopinavir, favipiravir, and hydroxychloroquine have superior and significantly enhanced interactions with the target SARS-CoV-2 main protease. In-silico approach employed in this study suggests that the combination of the drug with TP is an excelling alternative to develop a novel drug for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. The development of TP based delivery of repurposing drugs might be an excellent approach to enhance the efficacy of the existing drugs for the treatment of COVID-19. The predictions from the results obtained provide invaluable information that can be utilized for the choice of candidate drugs for in vitro, in vivo and clinical trials. The outcome from this work prove crucial for exploring and developing novel cost-effective and biocompatible TP conjugated anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic agents in immediate future.

Background: This study investigated the acceptance and use of massive open online courses (MOOCs) among health informatics educators and students in Saudi Arabian academic institutions. A theoretical model based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), self-determination theory (SDT), and channel expansion theory (CET) was used to identify factors that affect MOOC adoption in health informatics education. Methods: A survey research design was employed, and cross-sectional data were collected from health informatics instructors and students in academic institutions in Saudi Arabia. A total of 145 completed responses were used in the final analysis of the data. Results: The findings indicated that performance and effort expectancy were important factors that could predict the acceptance and use of MOOCs among health informatics instructors and students. Additionally, perceived media richness affected the actual use of health informatics MOOCs among students and instructors in Saudi Arabian academic institutions. The results of this study show that autonomy, relatedness, and competence must be considered in the design of health informatics MOOCs. Conclusions: A combination of these models can effectively explain the adoption and use of MOOCs in emerging fields such as health informatics.