Background: According to computer vision syndrome (CVS). Due to constant use of computers by the students, it has become one of the growing health risks associated with technology (cell phones and tablets). CVS is a combination of eye and vision disorders associated with activities that affect near vision and is experienced in relation to or during the use of computers. The main aim of the study was to find the risk factors of CVS, its symptoms, and other factors associated with CVS. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, data was collected using a purposely constructed E-questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of demographic items and items related to the usage of E-devices and the symptoms of eye problems. After data collection, data was coded and entered in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) ver. 20 software for analyses. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation, frequencies and percentages) were computed. To measure the significant differences, Chi-square test was used at 5% level of significance. Results: The mean (SD) age of 400 respondents was 22.5 (11.5) years. We computed the internal consistency, and the overall Cronbach alpha was 0.81. Also, 40% of the respondents were females, while 60% were males. Results showed that 20% of the respondents had multiple symptoms of eye problems, while 9% had no symptoms, 9% had eye pain, 8% had dryness of eye, and 6% had watering of eyes and redness of eye symptoms. The rest of the symptoms was found in less than 5% of the respondents. Conclusion: This worldwide issue requires immediate attention. Long-term computer use has been linked to significant visual impairments, particularly in people who use computers and similar gadgets for extended periods of time.

Background: Neurosurgery is considered one of the most admired surgical specializations. Still, as evidenced by observations over the years, it is not amongst the top choices of medical students in Saudi Arabia. This study will help in understanding the perception and attitudes of medical students and interns toward the neurosurgery specialization, which will aid in developing strategies to increase the interest of undergraduates in neurosurgery specialization and bridge the human resource gap in this vital specialty. Objectives: This study aimed to assess perceptions, attitudes, and gender differences of medical students and interns toward neurosurgery. The influence of demographic factors on perceptions of neurosurgery of interns and senior medical students in Saudi Arabia was also investigated. Methodology: We conducted a cross-sectional study on a convenience sample of medical students (clinical years) and interns studying in different colleges of medicine in Saudi Arabia. A total of 1014 responses were included in this study (518 males and 496 females). The questionnaire comprised of two parts: the first part carried general descriptive questions, while the second part had 24-item Likert scale-based questions. Results: Around 40% of medical students and 26% of interns agreed or strongly agreed to the statement ‘I would consider a career in neurosurgery. Around 70% of both interns and students agreed or strongly agreed with the statement ‘Huge prestige is attached to neurosurgery’. The responses to the statement ‘Neurosurgery is a male specialty’ was significantly different between genders, as 36.5% of the male respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement while just 12.5% of the females responded likewise (p = 0.000). Only 23% of participants reported having completed a rotation in neurosurgery. About 44.7% of respondents were interested in taking an elective rotation in neurosurgery, while the remaining respondents (55.3%) responded with a negative answer. Only 23% of participants had completed an undergraduate rotation in neurosurgery. More males (65.3%) agreed or strongly agreed with the statement ‘Work as a neurosurgery specialist can impede family life as compared to females (57.5%), which was highly significant (p = 0.000). More medical students (45.1%) responded in the agreement or strong agreement in response to the statement’ Neurosurgery should be a compulsory rotation during internship’ as compared to interns (25.8%). Around 65% of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that teachers/seniors have a great influence on students’ specialization choices. Around 67% of the respondents foresaw a purely clinical role for themselves after graduation, while 17% were interested in a clinical–academician role. Conclusions: The study reflected a generally positive attitude towards neurosurgery amongst medical students and interns. Interest in neurosurgery as a specialization can be strengthened by enhancing the exposure of students and interns to the specialty. Teachers and seniors can be useful influencers to motivate students to consider neurosurgery specialization.

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) microvascular complications can impair corneal sensitivity and lacrimal gland functioning, leading to dry eye disease (DED). Hence, this study aimed to measure the prevalence and severity of DED symptoms, and the related risk factors, among the Saudi diabetic population. Methods: This is a retrospective, cross-sectional, survey-based study which targeted Saudi adults (20 years and older) previously diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 DM. It was conducted in eight primary healthcare centers (PCHs) scattered around eight different provinces of Saudi Arabia (SA). The prevalence and severity of DED were measured by the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI). Results: The total study population was 389 subjects, of which 182 (46.8%) were males and 207 (53.2%) were females. The overall prevalence of DED was 51.7%. Among those, 20.3% of patients had mild dryness, 11.1% had moderate dryness, and 20.3% had severe dryness. Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels of 6.5% or higher proved to be an independent risk factor for the development of DED symptoms, 3.6-folds higher for HbA1c levels of 6.5% to 9% (AOR=3.573; p=0.001), and 2.3-folds higher for HbA1c levels higher than 9% (AOR=2.293; p=0.013). The long duration of diabetes did not show a significant association with manifesting DED symptoms (p=0.263). Conclusion: Half of the diabetic population complained of DED symptoms, compared to one-third of the previously studied general Saudi population. Patients with mild to moderate HbA1c elevation were more likely to report DED symptoms than those with severe elevation, which could be related to impaired corneal sensation. Therefore, a routine ophthalmological examination is recommended.

Urinary incontinence among women is a widespread clinical condition that is frequently associated with marked physical, social, and psychological adverse impact that significantly worsens their quality of life. This study is conducted to identify the prevalence of urinary incontinence and associated risk factors among Saudi women in Asir Region, Saudi Arabia. Following a cross-sectional design, 1,964 healthy non-pregnant females aged above 13 years attending primary healthcare centers in Asir Region, Saudi Arabia were included. A self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used, which included sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, questions related to voiding habits, and the validated Arabic version of the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire (ICIQ). Almost half of the participants (47.5%) had urinary incontinence, of which 26.8% was slight, 16.3% was moderate, and 4.3% was severe. About 15.2% used to leak urine once a week or less, 3.6% used to leak two to three times a week, and 5.6% leaked daily. The leaked amount of urine was small in 26% of participants, while it was moderate and large in 8% and 1.4% of participants, respectively. Leaking urine moderately affected the daily life of 21.9% of participants, while it severely affected 14.7% of participants. Their grades of urinary incontinence differed significantly according to their age group, with the highest prevalence of severe incontinence among those aged 50 years or more (p < 0.001). Grades of urinary incontinence also differed significantly according to participants’ marital status, with those married or widowed having the highest prevalence of severe incontinence (8.5% and 19%, respectively; p < 0.001). Moreover, its grades differed significantly according to participants’ number of pregnancies, with severe incontinence being highest among those with twice gravidity or three times or more (8.3% and 7.9%, respectively; p = 0.004). Grades of urinary incontinence also differed significantly according to the presence of associated diabetes mellitus and renal/urinary tract diseases (p = 0.001 for both). Urinary incontinence is common among Saudi females. Older age, multiparty, and menopause are significant risk factors for urinary incontinence.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a disabling joint disease that results in degeneration of the joint cartilage. Many studies demonstrate the risk factors and complications of knee osteoarthritis, but how physical activity impacts the osteoarthritis severity needs to be studied. The study aimed to assess the impact and association of physical activity level with the severity of knee osteoarthritis among patients attending a single center in the Aseer region, southwest Saudi Arabia. An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted targeting all patients clinically diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis in the Aseer region from June 2021 to September 2021. Data was collected using a pre-structured online questionnaire. The questionnaire included patients' socio-demographic data and clinical data on knee osteoarthritis. The level of physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The severity of knee osteoarthritis was assessed using the index of severity for osteoarthritis of the knee. Out of 473 patients clinically diagnosed with knee OA, only 145 patients met our inclusion criteria. Patients' ages ranged from 35 years to 71 years, with a mean age of 44.3 (±12.9) years. A total of 122 (84.1%) patients were females. Sixty-five (44.8%) patients complained of knee OA for less than two years, 46 (31.7%) for two to five years, and 34 (23.4%) were diagnosed for more than five years. A total of 96 (66.2%) had a low level of physical activity, 32 (22.1%) had a moderate level of physical activity, while 17 (11.7%) had a high level of physical activity. Thirty-eight (26.2%) cases complained of extremely severe knee OA, 37 (25.5%) had very severe knee OA, 28 (19.3%) complained of severe knee OA, 36 (24.9%) had mild to moderate knee OA, while six (4.1%) had minimal knee OA. There was a significant beneficial effect of physical activity on the severity of knee OA. The study revealed that physical activity, especially at high levels, was associated with lower knee OA severity which means a beneficial effect. Most of the patients included in the study had severe to extremely severe knee OA with low physical activity levels.

Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is the gold standard for detecting thyroid nodules. It is a cost-efficient approach that affords prompt and accurate evaluation. It is crucial in deciding to treat patients with suspected malignancy of thyroid nodules that might have thyroid surgery. According to findings in cytology, patients may be observed when the cytology is benign, and surgery can be performed if the cytology is malignant, which leads to a reduction in the incidence of unneeded surgery. The current study aims to assess the concordance between FNAC of thyroid nodules with final histopathology and identify the different types of detected thyroid lesions. A retrospective record-based study reviewed the medical files of all patients presenting to the Armed Forces Hospital, Southern region, with suspected thyroid nodules from April 2018 to January 2020. Data were extracted using pre-structured data extraction sheet to avoid inconsistency. Data extracted included patients' demographic data, swelling laterality, size, ultrasound, and histopathological findings. The baseline characteristics of studied samples in the present study: Forty-seven samples had a mean age of 44.27 (SD=±13.5) years, and 85.1% were female gender. The study showed that 12.5% of benign samples were lymphocytic in histopathology, 25% suspicious for follicular neoplasm samples were benign multi-nodular goiter in histopathology, and all 100% of samples suspicious for malignancy were malignant in final histopathology. The current study showed that the malignancy rate of the examined nodules was not uncommon in FNAC and histopathology. Where papillary carcinoma was the most detected malignancy, the diagnosis of malignancy using FNAC is a cost-efficient approach that affords prompt and accurate evaluation. Once diagnosed, these cases should be subjected to surgery.