Background The ongoing armed conflict in Sudan, which began on April 15, 2023, has severely impacted the nation's health care system, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities and creating new public health challenges. Objective: This rapid review aims to assess the impact of this conflict on health services and evaluate the health consequences for Sudan's population. Methods A rapid review protocol guided the search and defined the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Electronic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and Global Health) were searched for relevant articles from April 2023 to November 2024. Articles focusing on the impact of armed conflict on health care services were included. Data extraction and narrative synthesis were used to report the findings. Results: Thirty articles met the inclusion criteria. Key findings include the closure of 70% of healthcare facilities in war-affected states, severe shortages of medical supplies, and significant disruptions in essential health services. This conflict has increased the risk of infectious diseases, malnutrition, and mental health issues. Violations of humanitarian corridors have impeded aid delivery, and the healthcare financing system is strained by reduced government contributions and rising out-of-pocket expenses. The humanitarian crisis has led to increased displacement, with over six million internally displaced persons and 1.57 million refugees in neighboring countries. Conclusion The conflict in Sudan has critically undermined the healthcare system, resulting in severe public health challenges. There is an urgent need for coordinated international intervention to strengthen health systems, ensure essential services, and address the root causes of conflict. Sustainable solutions must focus on immediate relief and long-term resilience, leveraging lessons from other conflict-affected regions to support Sudan’s healthcare recovery and reform.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex endocrine disorder affecting ≈8% to 13% of women of reproductive age. PCOS has multifaceted effects that extend beyond reproductive health. Women with PCOS are at an elevated risk for various metabolic conditions, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, as well as psychological challenges, such as anxiety, depression, and reduced quality of life. This systematic review examined the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions, including dietary, exercise, and behavioral modifications, in improving reproductive outcomes, mental well-being, and quality of life in women with PCOS. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases, identifying observational and interventional studies published in English through December 2022. Studies were evaluated for methodological quality and categorized according to the type of lifestyle intervention and outcome measures. Results: Of the 24 studies reviewed, with 16 focusing on reproductive outcomes, 4 on quality of life, and 4 on combined outcomes, encompassing 1373 participants with the mean age in the included studies ranged from 21.7 to 36.5 years. Dietary modifications, either alone or in combination with exercise, resulted in significant improvements in reproductive health, including a 5% reduction in body weight (P < .001), increased menstrual regularity, higher pregnancy rates, and decreased testosterone levels (P < .01). Exercise interventions further contributed to positive outcomes; a 20-week exercise program improved ovulation rates by 49.1% and significantly reduced testosterone and free androgen indices (P < .001). In addition, structured exercise programs increased menstrual regularity by 60% and reduced body mass index and testosterone levels. Conclusion: This review underscores the efficacy of integrated lifestyle interventions, including dietary, exercise, and behavioral approaches, in improving reproductive health, psychological well-being, and quality of life in women with PCOS. These findings highlight the potential of comprehensive nonpharmacological management strategies to address the multifaceted health challenges posed by PCOS. Future research should prioritize long-term studies to assess sustained outcomes and examine personalized intervention strategies that account for the clinical diversity and heterogeneity of PCOS presentations.

Telemedicine has transformed obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to synthesize evidence on the adoption, effectiveness, barriers, and technological innovations of telemedicine in OB/GYN across diverse healthcare settings. This scoping review synthesized 63 peer-reviewed studies (2010–2023) using PRISMA-ScR guidelines to map global applications, outcomes, and challenges. Key modalities included synchronous consultations, remote monitoring, AI-assisted triage, tele-supervision, and asynchronous communication. Results demonstrated improved access to routine care and mental health support, with outcomes for low-risk pregnancies comparable to in-person services. Adoption surged >500% during pandemic peaks, stabilizing at 9–12% of services in high-income countries. However, significant disparities persisted: 43% of rural Sub-Saharan clinics lacked stable internet, while socioeconomic, linguistic, and cultural barriers disproportionately affected vulnerable populations (e.g., non-English-speaking, transgender, and refugee patients). Providers reported utility but also screen fatigue (41–68%) and diagnostic uncertainty. Critical barriers included fragmented policies, reimbursement variability, data privacy concerns, and limited evidence from conflict-affected regions. Sustainable integration requires equity-centered design, robust policy frameworks, rigorous longitudinal evaluation, and ethically validated AI to address clinical complexity and systemic gaps.

Introduction: Birth defects are a significant concern since they can lead to permanent disability and death. This study comprehensively reviews the prevalence and patterns of birth defects in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A systematic analysis of the literature retrieved from three databases (Pub Med, Science Direct, and the Saudi digital library) published between 1989 and 2022 was performed. Observational studies that addressed the prevalence and patterns of birth defects in Saudi Arabia were chosen based on the eligibility criteria, while systematic reviews, review articles, non-relevant articles, and studies that did not fulfill the eligibility criteria were excluded. Quality and risk of bias were evaluated based on the JBI and GRADE tools, respectively. Results: We identified 26 eligible publications of 1277 records that included 297,668 patients from different regions of Saudi Arabia. The highest overall prevalence of birth defects was 46.5 per 1000 live births compared to a lowest rate of 8.6 per 1000 in one study. Several studies have reported positive associations of consanguinity, maternal folic acid supplementation, family history of birth defects or genetic abnormalities, and maternal co-morbidities. The most frequent birth defects include cardiac, genitourinary, craniofacial, and nervous system defects. Conclusion: Robust findings have improved our understanding of the prevalence and pattern of birth defects in Saudi Arabia. Importantly, future studies will likely require multicenter collaboration to arrive at appropriate sample sizes in the context of the effects of risk factors on elevated prevalence. Furthermore, quantitative data require careful evaluation in more complex statistical models.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly positioned as a transformative force in healthcare. The translation of AI from technical validation to real-world clinical impact remains a critical challenge. This systematic review aims to synthesize the evidence on the AI translational pathway in healthcare, focusing on the systemic barriers and facilitators to integration. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore for studies published between 2000 and 2025. We included peer-reviewed original research, clinical trials, observational studies, and reviews reporting on AI technical validation, clinical deployment, implementation outcomes, or ethical governance. While AI models consistently demonstrate high diagnostic accuracy (92–98% in radiology) and robust predictive performance (AUC 0.76–0.82 in readmission forecasting), clinical adoption remains limited, with only 15–25% of departments integrating AI tools and approximately 60% of projects failing beyond pilot testing. Key barriers include interoperability limitations affecting over half of implementations, lack of clinician trust in unsupervised systems (35%), and regulatory immaturity, with only 27% of countries establishing AI governance frameworks. Moreover, performance disparities exceeding 10% were identified in 28% of models, alongside a pronounced global divide, as 73% of low-resource health systems lack enabling infrastructure. These findings underscore the need for systemic, trustworthy, and equity-driven AI integration strategies.

Introduction: Previous studies have identified several risk factors for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This study was intended to examine the potential risk of ACS associated with khat and tobacco use. Methods: A case-control study of 344 people (172 cases and 172 controls) was conducted at...