Awdah Al-Hazimi

Perceptions of the educational environment of the medical school in king Abdul Aziz university,Saudi Arabia

The present paper reports data from the undergraduate medical school at King Abdul Aziz University in Saudi Arabia using the 50-item Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM), which has been validated and found to be reliable in a range of cultural contexts. The mean total score was 102/200. The mean total score for Perception of Learning was 22/48; for Perceptions of Teaching 24/44; for Academic Self-perceptions 17/32; for Perceptions of Atmosphere 23/48 and for Social Self Perceptions 15/28. The mean score of 0.9 for Item 3—There is a good support system for students who get stressed—was the lowest and is indicative of the pressures felt by the students. These scores give a clear indication of the priorities for reform of the curriculum. These data can also serve as a baseline for a longitudinal quality assessment of students’ perceptions of the changes planned for the medical school at King Abdul Aziz University, Saudi Arabia. Further studies are needed to analyse educational environment down to the year levels and to detect any gender differences.

Chemopreventive effects of cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum L.) on chemically induced skin carcinogenesis in Swiss albino mice.

The chemopreventive potential of cardamom was evaluated on 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-initiated and croton oil-promoted mouse skin papillomagenesis. A significant reduction in the values of tumor incidence, tumor burden, and tumor yield and the cumulative number of papillomas was observed in mice treated orally with 0.5 mg of cardamom powder in suspension continuously at pre-, peri-, and post-initiational stages of papillomagenesis compared with the control group. The average weight and diameter of tumors recorded were also comparatively lower in the cardamom-treated mouse group. Treatment of cardamom suspension by oral gavage for 15 days resulted in a significant decrease in the lipid peroxidation level of the liver (P < .01). In addition, the reduced glutathione level was significantly elevated in comparison with the control group (P < .05) following cardamom suspension treatment. Taken together, these findings indicate the potential of cardamom as a chemopreventive agent against two-stage skin cancer.

Prevalence of Obesity in Hail Region, KSA: In a Comprehensive Survey

Background. Obesity contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. We, therefore, aimed to provide epidemiological data on the prevalence of obesity in Hail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Methodology. Data were collected during cross-sectional survey which included 5000 Saudi selected from 30 primary health care centers (PHCs) in Hail Region. Results. The overall prevalence of obesity in Hail was 63.6%. Moreover, the prevalence of males was 56.2% and the prevalence of females was 71%. Conclusion. Obesity is prevalent in the Hail Region which necessitates urgent interventions including health education.

Development and evaluation of study guide template for an integrated cardiovascular module

The undergraduate medical curriculum in the King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was reformed in 2002. It is integrated, organized in courses and modules, and has an increasing proportion of problem-based and self-directed learning. The new curriculum has presented the faculty and students with specific challenges. Accustomed to a traditional teacher-centred approach, and because the language of instruction is English, students needed much more support and encouragement in taking advantages of independent learning than their western counterparts would require. A well-designed study guide may be more effective student learning tool in the new integrated curriculum. This article describes to simplify and modern approach to the production of study guides. The approach is based on the development and the use of a study guide template. The guide is evaluated by second year medical students at King Abdulaziz University. The study guide is highly appreciated by student evaluations and ‘study guide template’ that includes a well-designed layout is a useful aid for medical teachers who have had no experience in producing a study guide. The template allows medical teachers to invest their time in the production of the content rather than in the layout and format of the guide.

Heart rate variability in patients with mitral stenosis: a study of 20 cases from King Abdulaziz University Hospital.

BACKGROUND Left atrial enlargement in mitral stenosis predisposes to atrial fibrillation (AF). Analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) prior to the onset of an arrhythmia may show alterations in autonomic balance that are known to predispose to the development of AF. The aim of this study was to determine whether HRV in patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS) is abnormal in comparison to normal controls, and to find the relationship between left atrial size and HRV in patients with MS in sinus rhythm and in AF. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A series of 24-hour ambulatory Holter electrocardiogram recordings were obtained for 10 consecutive, newly diagnosed untreated subjects with pure mitral stenosis in sinus rhythm, 10 with mitral stenosis complicated by atrial fibrillation and 10 age-matched normal controls. Digitized records were processed using time domain and power spectral analysis. RESULTS In patients with mitral stenosis in sinus rhythm, we observed significant decrease of the standard deviation of the RR intervals (SDRR), as well as of the root mean square of successive RR interval differences (RMSSD) and Edinburgh index (sNN50), while in patients with AF, the RMSSD and sNN50 were much larger than those in normal. The areas under all spectral bands were markedly increased in patients with AF compared with normal. Furthermore, the high low frequency/high frequency (HLF/HF ratio) ratio was very small compared to normal. HRV measures were independent of atrial size in both groups. CONCLUSION Decreased HRV in mitral stenosis patients with sinus rhythm suggests increased sympathetic activity in patients prone to atrial fibrillation, while marked increased of HRV in patients with AF may indicate that parasympathetic activity modulates the intrinsic behavior of the atrioventricular node during atrial fibrillation. The evaluation of HRV may be a useful tool for the identification of patients predisposed to AF.