Objectives-To study the prevalence and determinants of cigarette smoking among Saudi nationals in three regions of Saudi Arabia. Participants-A sample of 8310 individuals aged 15 years and above from both sexes, randomly selected from the three regions, using a stratified cluster sampling technique. Design-A cross-sectional, household, community-based survey. Using a predesigned and tested questionnaire, the participants were interviewed by primary care physicians. The interview covered personal, social, and educational characteristics of the respondents, and also included questions about their smoking status, duration of smoking, and daily cigarette consumption. Main outcome measures-Association between current smoking and sociodemographic variables, in univariate and multivariate analysis. Degree of interaction between the diVerent determinants of cigarette smoking. Results-The overall prevalence of current smoking was 21.1% for males and 0.9% for females. Most smokers (78%) were young to middle-aged (21-50 years old). Smoking prevalence was higher among married people, among uneducated people, and among those in certain occupations: manual workers, businessmen, army oYcers, and oYce workers. Conclusions-Cigarette smoking is an important public health problem in Saudi Arabia. A more intense and comprehensive tobacco control eVort is needed. (Tobacco Control 1999;8:53-56)

BackgroundSaudi Arabia is considered one of the most influential Muslim countries being as the host of the two most holy places for Muslims, namely Makkah and Madina. This was reflected in the emphasis on teaching medical ethics in a lecture-based format as a part of the subject of Islamic culture taught to medical students. Over the last few years, both teaching and evaluation of medical ethics have been changing as more Saudi academics received specialized training and qualifications in bioethics from western universities.MethodsThis study aims at studying the current teaching methods and evaluation tools used by the Saudi public medical schools. It is done using a self-administered online questionnaire.ResultsOut of the 14 medical schools that responded, the majority of the responding schools (6; 42.8%), had no ethics departments; but all schools had a curriculum dedicated to medical ethics. These curricula were mostly developed by the faculty staff (12; 85.7%). The most popular teaching method was lecturing (13; 92.8%). The most popular form of student assessment was a paper-based final examination (6; 42.8%) at the end of the course that was allocated 40% or more of the total grade of the ethics course. Six schools (42.8%) allocated 15-30% of the total grade to research.ConclusionAlthough there is a growing interest and commitment in teaching ethics to medical students in Saudi schools; there is lack of standardization in teaching and evaluation methods. There is a need for a national body to provide guidance for the medical schools to harmonize the teaching methods, particularly introducing more interactive and students-engaging methods on the account of passive lecturing.

Intralesional treatment is as effective as the standard systemic antimonials. It offers a less expensive alternative and a low side effects profile. Our findings confirmed the findings of earlier workers. It is recommended for treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis in endemic areas.

No abstract

Introduction: Hydrocephalus is a common central nervous system disorder in children. In spite of its importance, it has not been subjected to sufficient epidemiological studies, particularly in the developing countries. The aim of this study was to provide information from a representative series of newly diagnosed cases of infantile hydrocephalus on the birth prevalence, associated factors and mortality. Methodology: A prospective study was conducted over a 1-year period from April 1996 to March 1997 in the city of Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia. Except for neural tube defects and brain tumors, all cases of hydrocephalus diagnosed within the first 28 days of life were included. A control group of 104 subjects was studied for comparison. Information about antenatal, natal and early postnatal periods were obtained by interviewing the mothers of the newborns. Results: During the study period, 26 cases of infantile hydrocephalus were detected. The birth prevalence was 1.6 per 1,000 live births. There was no sex preponderance as the male to female ratio was 1.2:1. Multiple pregnancies were detected in 21 (81%) cases. Nineteen (73%) cases were the product of consanguineous parent and 4 patients had a positive family history of hydrocephalus. The number of preterm infants was 16 (62%). The number of low birth weights (less than 2,500 g) was 18 (69%). An Apgar score of less than 8 occurred in 18 (69%) cases. The mode of delivery was vaginal in 15 (58%) women. The 6 months mortality rate was 23% (6 infants). Conclusion: The birth prevalence of infantile hydrocephalus in this study was significantly higher than in the developed countries. A positive family history of hydrocephalus, low birth weight, low Apgar score and abdominal delivery were found to be associated factors. The mortality rate in the first 6 months of life was significantly higher in hydrocephalus infants than in controls.