Background. Violence against health-care workers (HCWs) showed increasing worldwide concern. No previous studies addressed violence against HCWs in the Northern region, Saudi Arabia. Objectives. To determine the prevalence of violence against HCWs in public hospitals and primary health-care centers in Arar city, KSA, and to identify its associated factors. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 352 HCWs in the Ministry of Health (MOH) facilities in Arar city from 1st October to 31st December 2018. Consented HCWs completed a structured self-administered questionnaire which was modified from the WHO questionnaire for violence. Results. Out of 352 health-care workers, 171 (48.6%) reported exposure to violence during work in the past year. The verbal violence was the most common form experienced (83%). Physicians were the main exposed group (59%). Being non-Saudi HCWs, older with longer duration of experience, working in hospitals, working in the emergency room, and working in evening or night shifts were significantly associated with more exposure to violence. The unmet demand for the patient and deficient staff number were the leading reasons for aggression. Only 16.4% of assaulted HCWs reported the violent acts to the higher health affairs authority with the most frequent reasons for nonreporting were their perception that it was useless and their fear of negative consequences. Conclusions. Violence against HCWs in Arar city, KSA, is a prevalent problem. Improving health security system and increasing staffing and their training on proper dealing with violence are highly recommended. Also, enforcing rules and regulations is an important demand to control and prevent violence against HCWs.

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The impact of different sociodemographic and clinical characteristics on the COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality rates have been studied extensively around the world; however, there is a dearth of data on the impact of different clinical and sociodemographic variables on the COVID-19-related outcomes in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to identify those at high risk of worse clinical outcomes, such as hospitalization and longer length of stay (LOS) among young and middle-aged adults (18 to 55 years). In this questionnaire-based cross-sectional study, 706 patients with real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed COVID-19 infection were interviewed. Patients’ demographic characteristics, dietary habits, medical history, and lifestyle choices were collected through phone interviews. Patients with chronic health conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, reported a higher rate of hospitalization, ICU admission, oxygen-support needs, and a longer period of recovery and LOS. Multiple logistic regression showed that diabetes, hypertension, and pulmonary disease (e.g., asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)) were associated with a higher risk of hospitalization and longer LOS. Multiple logistic regression showed that symptoms of breathlessness, loss of smell and/or taste, diarrhea, and cough were associated with a longer recovery period. Similarly, breathlessness, vomiting, and diarrhea were associated with higher rates of hospitalization. The findings of this study confirm the similarity of the factors associated with worse clinical outcomes across the world. Future studies should use more robust designs to investigate the impact of different therapies on the COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality in Saudi Arabia.

Poly (lactic acid) (PLLA) is the best important bioplastics derived from renewable resources like blackstrap molasses (sugar beet, date palm and sugar cane). PLLA is brittle and has a low elongation at break, which hinders its applications in the industry. One method to solve this problem is to improve its mechanical properties by adding plasticizers. The PLLA blends were prepared at first by solution blending as a solvent casting method and then melting using a hydraulic hot press. PLLA was blended with a plasticizer (GMS/ TA) to obtain a higher ductile of PLLA. The addition of lubricant and plasticizer (GMS/TA) leads to reduce the glass transition temperature (T g ), melting point (T m ), and the cold crystallization temperature (T cc ) in PLLA blends. The mechanical properties of PLLA have been investigated. The results indicated compatibility between PLLA and additives. The elongation at the break of the PLLA blend is stretched 270% with a tensile strength of 16 MPa. The addition of lubricant with the plasticizer leads to sliding the chain of PLLA, which causes to increase the strain. The physical blending has been demonstrated to be an effective technique to obtain an environmentally friendly PLLA blend with good mechanical properties, therefore it can be used in the food packaging sector.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the level, sources of information, awareness, and acceptance of dental implant therapy among dental patients in Aseer region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods: Information on demographic variables, level and sources of information, awareness, and acceptance of dental implant therapy as a treatment modality was obtained by self-explanatory survey containing 17 questions. The data were collected at five government dental health centers at Aseer region. The survey forms were distributed by in-charge dentist to the patients who were on routine visit. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed out of which 479 were included in the survey. Results: The survey analysis demonstrated that 87% of participants were aware of dental implant therapy. Participants with high education level showed more awareness compared with lower education level (p < 0.05); 22.2% of participants were well informed about dental implants, 59.3% of them were moderately informed, 16.1% of them were poorly informed, and 2.4% were not informed about dental implants. The high cost (41.5%) was the major reason for people not choosing implant therapy followed by other reasons, such as fear of unknown side effects (33.0%), the need for surgery (13.5%), and long duration of treatment (12.0%). Conclusion: The surveyed participants in Aseer region were well aware about dental implants as a treatment option in replacing missing teeth. However, the dentists should provide accurate information to the patients regarding implant therapy irrespective of the patient's willingness to undergo therapy or not. High treatment cost for dental implant therapy was the main reason for patients refraining from implant therapy.