Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent clinical complication lacking early diagnostic tests and effective treatments. Novel biomarkers have shown promise for enabling earlier detection, risk stratification, and guiding management of AKI. We conducted a systematic review to synthesize evidence on the efficacy of novel biomarkers for AKI detection and management. Database searches yielded 17 relevant studies which were critically appraised. Key themes were biomarker efficacy in predicting AKI risk and severity before functional changes; potential to improve clinical management through earlier diagnosis, prognostic enrichment, and guiding interventions; emerging roles as therapeutic targets and prognostic tools; and ongoing challenges requiring further validation. Overall, novel biomarkers like neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), and cell cycle arrest markers ([TIMP-2] •[IGFBP7]) demonstrate capability for very early AKI prediction and accurate risk stratification. Their incorporation has potential to facilitate timely targeted interventions and personalized management. However, factors influencing biomarker performance, optimal cutoffs, cost-effectiveness, and impact on patient outcomes require robust validation across diverse settings before widespread implementation. Addressing these limitations through ongoing research can help translate novel biomarkers into improved detection, prognosis, and management of AKI in clinical practice.

Background and Aims: Antibiotic resistance in Saudi Arabia has led to decreased efficacy of conventional triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication, prompting the development of alternative treatments like levofloxacin‐based triple and bismuth‐based quadruple therapies. However, comparative data regarding its efficacy are lacking. Therefore, this study's goal was to compare the efficacy of levofloxacin‐based triple therapy with that of standard bismuth‐based quadruple therapy as first‐line regimens.Methods: This retrospective analysis included 197 treatment‐naïve adults with H. pylori infection who received levofloxacin‐based triple (levofloxacin + amoxicillin + PPI) therapy (n = 81) or standard bismuth‐based quadruple (bismuth + tetracycline + metronidazole + PPI) therapy (n = 116). H. pylori eradication was evaluated 4–8 weeks after medication administration using the ¹³C‐urea breath test, and variables that could affect the rate of success were examined.Results: There were no differences between groups in terms of age, sex, nationality, or type of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) used. The bismuth‐based quadruple therapy group exhibited a markedly superior success rate compared to the levofloxacin‐based triple therapy group when the latter was administered for 7 or 10 days (81.03% vs. 6.66%, p < 0.001, and 81.03% vs. 36.1%, p < 0.001, respectively). However, when the levofloxacin‐based triple therapy was extended to 14 days, its H. pylori eradication rate became comparable to that of the 10‐day bismuth‐based quadruple therapy (81.03% vs. 80%, p = 0.898). Eradication rates for both regimens were similar for patients aged ≥ 60, non‐Saudi, when using omeprazole and those treated with levofloxacin‐based triple therapy for 14 days.Conclusion: Quadruple treatment based on bismuth is superior to triple therapy based on levofloxacin for eradicating H. pylori in Saudi Arabia and should be used as a first‐line treatment. However, the 14‐day levofloxacin‐based triple treatment had an H. pylori eradication rate comparable to that of the 10‐day bismuth‐based quadruple therapy.

Introduction: Nutrition threatens the quality of life (QOL) in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients on haemodialysis (HD). The aim of the study is to assess which nutritional parameters associate with the health-related QOL category score using Arabic translated, adapted, and validated version of the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short-Form 36 (KDQOL-36). Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study with a total of 60 ESKD patients in one haemodialysis centre in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. The health-related QOL of the five components of the KDQOL-36 are as follows: physical component score (PCS), mental component score (MCS), the burden of kidney disease (BKD), symptoms and problems of kidney disease (SPKD), and effects kidney disease (EKD) which were grouped into three categories (good, average and poor) based on the score. Results: Of the 60 HD patients, 43 (71.7%) were between 19 and 59 years old and 41 patients (68.3%) were males. This study revealed that high haemoglobin impact PCS, MCS, SPKD, and EKD in favour of poor health-related QOL, but normal haemoglobin impacts BKD in favour of good QOL. In addition, patients who had a normal serum albumin level had good scores for MCS, BKD, SPKD, and EKD. Also, there was a significant association between Kt/V value with EKD (p=0.001). Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, patients with HD have poor health-related QOL outcomes than those with good nutritional status. This finding demonstrates the critical need for further articles to study this particular group of population.

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) TUG1 acts as a proto-oncogene, allowing the proliferation of tumor cells, and it has been related to inflammation. Therefore, we aimed in this study to investigate for the first time the role of TUG1 gene polymorphism and the TUG1 level as biomarkers in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and their link to lupus nephritis 145 SLE. A total of 145 healthy controls were subjected to clinical and laboratory evaluation. The disease activity was assessed by the SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) score. SLE patients were divided into two subgroups according to the presence of lupus nephritis. The TUG1 gene polymorphisms rs5749201 and rs886471 were determined by Sanger sequencing, and TUG1 expression was assessed by qRT-PCR. There was a significant increase in the risk of SLE AA, TA, dominant genotypes, and the A allele of rs5749201 (p < 0.001) by 4.9-, 10.1-, 6.5-, and 2.5-fold in comparison to the relative control. GG and TG, dominant genotypes and the G allele of rs886471 (p < 0.01) increased the risk by 5.09-, 11.9-, 6.5-, and 2.6-fold. AA, A allele, dominant and recessive rs5749201genotypes increased the risk of lupus nephritis by 16.6-, 7.4-, 7.1-, and 12.2-fold, respectively (p < 0.05). GG, dominant and recessive genotypes, and the G allele of rs886471 increased the risk of lupus nephritis by 17.04-, 7.8-, 9.4-, and 6.08-fold, respectively (p < 0.05). Additionally, the AG haplotype increased the risk of SLE and lupus nephritis by 2.7- and 7.8-fold, respectively. The AA rs5749201 and GG rs886471 variants are significantly associated with more severe disease (p < 0.001). TUG1 expression was significantly higher in SLE than in the control and in the lupus nephritis than in non-lupus nephritis cases (p < 0.05). Interestingly, AA rs5749201 and GG rs886471 were significantly associated with higher TUG1 levels (p < 0.001). It was also found that AA rs5749201 and high SLEDAI were predictors of lupus nephritis. Overall, our findings illustrated for the first time that TUG1 gene rs5749201 and rs886471 variants were associated with increased risk of SLE, more severe disease, and lupus nephritis, and the TUG1 level could be used as a diagnostic biomarker of SLE and lupus nephritis.

Nursing workforces worldwide are ageing, yet little is known about how senior nurses experience ageing at work and adapt their professional roles within ra

Listening beyond words is central to culturally safe nursing care, particularly in rural hospital settings where communication with Bedouin patients is sha