Purpose: This study objective was to explore the pattern of self-medications among King Khalid University students, Saudi Arabia. Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted over five months among King Khalid University students, Abha, Saudi Arabia. Results: Among all the study participants, nearly 98.7% were practicing self-medication. Headache (75.9%), cough and cold (52.5%), and fever (35.6%) and body pain (24.6%) were the most reported symptoms. Use of painkillers (91.6%) was significantly predominant among the medical students, whereas non-medical students used antibiotics (35.4%).Time saving (64.2%), mild symptom (51.7%) and quick relief (36.9%) were the reasons behind seeking self-medication in this study. Conclusion: Self-medications was common in King Khalid University. Educational programs are highly recommended.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major health-care burden worldwide. AIM: The aim of the study was to explore how the quality of life (QoL) of DM patients could be affected in the Aseer Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). METHODS: A cross-sectional, multicenter study in DM patients of both sexes and all age groups in Aseer Province were done using a validated self-administered questionnaire. The study was conducted between April 1, 2018 and November 25, 2018. RESULTS: A total of 418 patients completed our questionnaire, of which 240 (58%) were male and 178 (42%) were female. Furthermore, 50.23% were married and 104 (24.16%) were illiterate. We found that 403 (96.42%) respondents had type-2 DM and 315 (75.35%) had a family history of DM. In addition, 132 (31.57%) respondents were on monotherapy whereas only 61 (14.59%) were using combination therapy. Hypertension was the most prevalent comorbidity (166, 39.71%) and peripheral neuropathy the most prevalent complication of DM (157, 37.56%). CONCLUSION: DM had a significant impact on QoL among patients from Aseer Province in KSA. Our study underscores the importance of generating data on QoL among DM patients.

The first conductive polymers (CPs) were developed during the 1970s as a unique class of organic substances with properties that are electrically and optically comparable to those of inorganic semiconductors and metals while also exhibiting the desirable traits of conventional polymers. CPs have become a subject of intensive research due to their exceptional qualities, such as high mechanical and optical properties, tunable electrical characteristics, ease of synthesis and fabrication, and higher environmental stability than traditional inorganic materials. Although conducting polymers have several limitations in their pure state, coupling with other materials helps overcome these drawbacks. Owing to the fact that various types of tissues are responsive to stimuli and electrical fields has made these smart biomaterials attractive for a range of medical and biological applications. For various applications, including the delivery of drugs, biosensors, biomedical implants, and tissue engineering, electrical CPs and composites have attracted significant interest in both research and industry. These bimodalities can be programmed to respond to both internal and external stimuli. Additionally, these smart biomaterials have the ability to deliver drugs in various concentrations and at an extensive range. This review briefly discusses the commonly used CPs, composites, and their synthesis processes. Further highlights the importance of these materials in drug delivery along with their applicability in various delivery systems.

Introduction: The recent multi-nation outbreaks of human monkeypox in non-endemic areas have created an emerging public health issue. Medical students who will become future healthcare providers are directly associated with community people and can easily sensitize the general population, so it is crucial to assess their degree of knowledge and attitudes regarding recently emerging infections or pathogens. However, studies on medical students' perception of the monkeypox virus are scarce in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the monkeypox virus-related knowledge and attitudes among medical students in the country. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from May to July 2022 among undergraduate medical students at King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia. A systematic random sampling technique was applied to select the study participants. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather data on sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge and attitudes toward the monkeypox virus. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were performed. Results: A total of 314 medical students were recruited for this study. The findings from this study showed that the vast majority of medical students (72%) had poor knowledge about the monkeypox virus. Respondents’ age, grade point average (GPA), fathers’ education level, and training received about the monkeypox virus were significantly associated with the level of knowledge about the monkeypox virus (p < 0.05). Nearly half of the respondents (45.9%) agreed that the monkeypox virus could be transmitted to Saudi Arabia. Overall, this study showed that the awareness levels regarding the monkeypox virus were significantly higher among seniors as compared to junior students. Conclusion: The study found poor knowledge of the monkeypox virus among currently enrolled medical students in the country’s highest-ranked medical school. This finding emphasizes the urgent need to increase their knowledge because controlling outbreaks requires significant cooperation from knowledgeable and skilled healthcare providers.

Antibacterial restorative materials against caries-causing bacteria are highly preferred among high-risk patients, such as the elderly, and patients with metabolic diseases such as diabetes. This study aimed to enhance the antibacterial potential of resin composite with Magnesium-doped Zinc oxide (Mg-doped ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) and to look for their effectiveness in the alloxan-induced diabetic model. Hexagonal Mg-doped ZnO NPs (22.3 nm diameter) were synthesized by co-precipitation method and characterized through ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. The Mg-doped ZnO NPs (1, 2.5 and 5% w/w) were then evaluated for antibacterial activity using a closed system in vitro biofilm model. Significant enhancement in the antibacterial properties was observed in composites with 1% Mg-doped ZnO compared to composites with bare ZnO reinforced NPs (Streptococcus mutans, p = 0.0005; Enterococcus faecalis, p = 0.0074, Saliva microcosm, p < 0.0001; Diabetic Saliva microcosm, p < 0.0001). At 1–2.5% Mg-doped ZnO NPs concentration, compressive strength and biocompatibility of composites were not affected. The pH buffering effect was also achieved at these concentrations, hence not allowing optimal conditions for the anaerobic bacteria to grow. Furthermore, composites with Mg-doped ZnO prevented secondary caries formation in the secondary caries model of alloxan-induced diabetes. Therefore, Mg-doped ZnO NPs are highly recommended as an antibacterial agent for resin composites to avoid biofilm and subsequent secondary caries formation in high-risk patients.

Quercetin (QtN) displays low systemic bioavailability caused by poor water solubility and instability. Consequently, it exerts limited anticancer action in vivo. One solution to increase the anticancer efficacy of QtN is the use of appropriate functionalized nanocarriers that preferentially target and deliver the drug to the tumor location. Herein, a direct advanced method was designed to develop water-soluble hyaluronic acid (HA)-QtN-conjugated silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). HA-QtN reduced silver nitrate (AgNO₃) while acting as a stabilizing agent to produce AgNPs. Further, HA-QtN#AgNPs served as an anchor for folate/folic acid (FA) conjugated with polyethylene glycol (PEG). The resulting PEG-FA-HA-QtN#AgNPs (further abbreviated as PF/HA-QtN#AgNPs) were characterized both in vitro and ex vivo. Physical characterizations included UV-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), particle size (PS) and zeta potential (ZP) measurements, and biopharmaceutical evaluations. The biopharmaceutical evaluations included analyses of the cytotoxic effects on the HeLa and Caco-2 cancer cell lines using the MTT assay; cellular drug intake into cancer cells using flow cytometry and confocal microscopy; and blood compatibility using an automatic hematology analyzer, a diode array spectrophotometer, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The prepared hybrid delivery nanosystem was hemocompatible and more oncocytotoxic than the free, pure QtN. Therefore, PF/HA-QtN#AgNPs represent a smart nano-based drug delivery system (NDDS) and could be a promising oncotherapeutic option if the data are validated in vivo.