Objectives: To evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) in Kuwait using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0 Generic Core Scale and PedsQL 3.0 Diabetes Module, and to identify the risk factors associated with unsatisfactory QoL and their effects on metabolic control. Subjects and Methods: A total of 436 patients (2-18 years) with T1DM (>6 months) and 389 healthy controls, with the parents of both groups, completed the Arabic Generic Core Scale. Those with T1DM also completed the Arabic Diabetes Module. Results: The mean total score of the PedsQL Diabetes Module was 70.2 ± 9.8 reported by children and 59.9 ± 11.1 reported by parents (higher scores indicate better QoL). Young age and long duration of diabetes were associated with poor QoL (p < 0.001). Boys had better total scores than girls in most age groups (70.3 ± 9.3 vs. 52.3 ± 7.2, p < 0.001); however, girls did better than boys regarding treatment barriers and adherence (71.3 ± 7.8 vs. 68.1 ± 6.2, p < 0.005). Higher HbA1c values were associated with lower QoL scores (31.1 ± 5.1 at HbA1c of 15% vs. 82.5 ± 6.1 at HbA1c of 6%, p < 0.0001). Conclusion: HRQoL of children and adolescents with T1DM was consistently poorer than controls. Parents consistently reported poorer QoL scores than their children. We recommend that more support should be provided for the care of children with diabetes in Kuwait.

In the last few decades, solid dispersion (SD) technology had been studied as an approach to produce an amorphous carrier to enhance the solubility, dissolution rate, and bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs. The use of suitable carrier and methodology in the preparation of SDs play a significant role in the biological behavior of the SDs. SDs have been prepared using a variety of pharmaceutically acceptable polymers utilizing various novel technologies. In the recent years, much attention has been paid toward the use of novel carriers and methodologies in exploring novel types of SDs to enhance therapeutic efficacy and bioavailability. The use of novel carriers and methodologies would be very beneficial for formulation scientists to develop some SDs-based formulations for their commercial use and clinical applications. In the present review, current literature of novel methodologies for SD preparation to enhance the dissolution rate, solubility, therapeutic efficacy, and bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs has been summarized and analyzed. Further, the current status of SDs, patent status, and future prospects have also been discussed.

Objectives: To investigate the level of awareness, sources of knowledge, and beliefs about the influenza vaccine in people ≥65 years in central Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study that used self-administered questionnaires conducted in 3 primary healthcare centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between May 2018 and August 2018. Results: There were 496 Saudis participants (70.2% male) were included, of whom, 47.8% had been vaccinated against influenza at least once. Of unvaccinated individuals, 46% believed that the vaccine was unnecessary. The majority of participants (70.2%) preferred to receive medical information on vaccination from doctors and health workers. Participants with higher levels of education were significantly more likely to have been vaccinated (p<0.05). Compared to the vaccinated participants, unvaccinated individuals were significantly less likely to be aware of the Ministry of Health campaign against influenza, believe that influenza vaccine does not weaken the immune system, know that elderly people and people with long-standing health problems should be regularly vaccinated against influenza, and believe that the influenza vaccine was the best way of prevention. Approximately 40% of the participants considered the influenza vaccine to be very effective and safe. Conclusions: There is a need for further programs in order to increase the awareness level of influenza vaccination. Also, health workers need to make more effort to educate patients because they are the preferred source of information.

Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the awareness of Saudi population in Riyadh regarding cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and their risk factors. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that used self-administered questionnaires conducted in universities, primary care centers, and electronic copies distributed in social media websites. Results: Overall, 47.1% of the respondents had a good awareness of CVD and associated risk factors. However, awareness of the symptoms of stroke and heart attack was low. Pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis were the most commonly identified types of CVD, with 39.2% aware of these conditions. The most well-known symptom of heart attack was shortness of breath (known by 54.4% of the respondents). In relation to stroke, the most commonly recognized symptom was “sudden dizziness, trouble walking, or loss of balance” (45.4%). Respondents’ awareness of CVD risk factors was moderate. The most common factors—identified by over two-thirds of participants—were unhealthy diet, smoking, dyslipidemia, and physical inactivity. Independent predictors of good CVD awareness were age 35–44 years, living in the north of Riyadh and following a healthy diet. Conclusions: The awareness of CVD and associated risk factors is insufficient among Saudis in Riyadh City. This study emphasizes the necessity for effective education to increase the awareness about CVD in Saudi Arabia. High awareness may lead to early recognition of the risk factors and lead to early implementation of primary prevention which the cornerstone of family medicine practice.

Objectives: To assess Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients' knowledge in Saudi Arabia (SA) and in which aspect of the disease do patient need more awareness. Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey has been conducted between June and August 2017. It consisted of 2 parts: sociodemographic and 23 multiple choice questions chosen from the previously validated MS Knowledge Questionnaire (MSKQ). The survey has been sent to 500 MS patients. Results: A total of 218 MS patients filled the questionnaire where only 200 included in the study. Female MS patient represents 66% of all the participants. More than half of the patients had achieved their bachelor degree. The total mean of the correct answer for both male and female found to be 58.98%(±SD 15.06%). Most patients were aware that MS is a disease of central nervous system (93%), autoimmune disease (79%), not contagious (90.5%), or inherited (64.5%). However, few patients were aware that there is no single test to diagnose MS (28.5%), and intravenous injection of contrast during MRI reveals new lesions (18.5%). Only (37%) knew what is ''Relapsing-remitting''MS. The MS knowledge is positively correlated with the educational level. Conclusion: Patients with MS in SA have less knowledge in the disease's types, workups, and treatment efficacy. While in contrast, they have more awareness of the disease's pathophysiology. Patient's awareness programs should aid more knowledge among MS patients in SA.

No abstract

Web attacks pose a significant threat to enterprises, as attackers often target web applications first. Various solutions have been proposed to mitigate and reduce the severity of these threats, such as web application firewalls (WAFs). On the other hand, software-defined networking (SDN) technology has significantly improved network management and operation by providing centralized control for network administrators. In this work, we investigated the possibility of using SDN to implement a firewall capable of detecting and blocking web attacks. As a proof of concept, we designed and implemented a WAF to detect a known web attack, specifically SQL injection. Our design utilized two detection methods: signatures and regular expressions. The experimental results demonstrate that the SDN controller can successfully function as a WAF and detect SQL injection attacks. Furthermore, we implemented and compared ModSecurity, a traditional WAF, with our proposed SDN-based WAF. The results reveal that our system is more efficient in terms of TCP ACK latency, while ModSecurity exhibits a slightly lower overhead on the controller.

Background: Drug interactions, which are generally encountered in medical prescriptions, may lead to severe health issues. Pharmacists in both the public and private pharmacy setting are by profession in a unique position to gain and use their competencies to find and prohibit drug interactions. Aim of the Study: To assess knowledge, attitude and practice of pharmacists toward drug interactions in Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self- administered questionnaire. Results: Two hundred sixty-three pharmacists participated in the survey and results were expressed in frequencies and percentages. The mean age of participant pharmacists was (31.7) years showing a relatively young participant’s population. Males were (75.3%), while females were (24.7%). Majority of pharmacists (67.3%) were working in public sector. Half of them had a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy as their latest academic degree. Participants’ averages of awareness, attitude and practice regarding drug interactions, correct knowledge of drug-drug, drug-food, drug-disease interactions were, (90.7%), (65.3%), (67.7%), (61.7%) respectively. Most (79.8%) of the participants asserted that the notified doctors usually agree with pharmacists’ opinion and decision. This percentage indicates a good cooperation when compared to other studies. Conclusion: Pharmacists’ knowledge about drug interactions was inadequate. Lack of knowledge of drug interactions may lead to improper patient counseling and the appearance of adverse effects. There is a need to improve the knowledge and to uplift the level of awareness of pharmacists about the potential drug interactions that are clinically related.