Annals of Saudi medicine
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Annals of Saudi medicine · Nov 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialBahraini school teacher knowledge of the effects of smoking.
Tobacco smoking is one of the important health problems among school-age children. Wrong perceptions promoted by tobacco industry sponsorship increase smoking initiation amongst adolescents despite awareness of the risks involved. School teachers' awareness of the hazards of smoking and school educational programs and curricula on control and prevention of diseases caused by smoking help in discouraging students from smoking. We assessed school teachers' knowledge of the effects of smoking and attitudes towards smoking. ⋯ School teachers are a main source of health information for students. Therefore, any anti-smoking campaign should involve continuous teacher training to increase their awareness of the hazards of smoking.
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Annals of Saudi medicine · Sep 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialSteroid therapy for post-tonsillectomy symptoms in adults: a randomized, placebo-controlled study.
Post-operative morbidity following tonsillectomy remains an important clinical problem despite advances in anesthetic and surgical techniques. This study investigated the effect of a one-day course of intravenous dexamethasone on recovery from tonsillectomy. ⋯ Application of 3 doses of dexamethasone within 24 hours during and after tonsillectomy is advisable because of the reduction of postoperative morbidity, especially pain and edema.
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Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic prevalent condition that affects the synovial joints and can lead to disability. There is no single treatment that is known to cure OA. Most treatments have aimed at reducing symptoms or slowing the progression of the disease and its consequences. ⋯ We review the underlying process of exercise treatment and its importance for OA disability. A brief description of OA disease and an OA disability model are introduced, and then the importance of exercise and trends in prescribing exercises for OA are discussed. Finally, future directions and suggestions for research in this field are described.
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Annals of Saudi medicine · Sep 2004
Advancing age and the risk of nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus among patients on long-term hospital-based hemodialysis.
Elevated nasal carriage rates of Staphylococcus aureus and ensuing complications among the elderly and in those on long-term hemodialysis (HD) are well recognized. The aim of the present study was to determine the extent to which advancing age is associated with the risk of persistent S. aureus nasal carriage among end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on long-term HD. ⋯ Significantly higher persistent MSSA and MRSA nasal carriage rates among ESRD patients >75 years of age are suggestive of an elevated risk of potentially serious S. aureus- related complications among the very elderly during long-term HD. These findings might be helpful in the identification of elderly HD patients as a high-risk group for S. aureus-linked vascular access-related septicemia (VRS) and to evolve appropriate preventive strategies.
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Annals of Saudi medicine · Sep 2004
Emerging nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin resistance in non-typhoidal Salmonella isolated from patients having acute diarrhoeal disease.
Non-typhoidal Salmonella are one of the key etiological agents of diarrhoeal disease. The appearance of multiple drug resistance along with resistance to quinolones in this bacterium poses a serious therapeutic problem. We determined the prevalence of nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin resistance in non-typhoidal Salmonella isolated from faecal samples of patients with acute diarrhoeal disease attending the outpatient and inpatient department of a hospital in Saudi Arabia during the years 1999 to 2002. ⋯ The increasing rates of antimicrobial resistance encountered among non-typhoidal Salmonella necessitate the judicious use of these drugs in humans. Moreover, these findings support the concern that the use of quinolones in animal feed may lead to an increase in resistance and should be restricted.