Intensive farming generally needs large addition of organic matter to maintain fertility and enhance crop yields. Sewage sludge/biosolids are by-products of municipal and industrial wastewater treatment and a rich source of organic nutrients. Sewage sludge having high content of organic matter, macro- and micro-nutrients, can be used as fertilizer/soil conditioner for food, vegetable crop, horticultural plants and pasture, which in most cases can be beneficially recycled. In the past sewage sludge was regarded as a waste product due to expected high level of contaminants such as pathogens, pollutants and synthetic materials discharged in sewer from homes and industries, which were often incinerated, dumped in occasion or land fill. As a result of rapidly increasing population, urbanization and industrialization, wastewater production and sewage sludge generation have increased manifold. Due to high cost of mineral fertilizers and escalating trends in their prices, there is an increasing trend of using sewage sludge in agriculture, especially under intensive cropping in arid and semi arid regions of the country. Therefore, application of sewage sludge to agricultural soils may be sustainable and economical due to nutrient cycling and disposal of sewage sludge. However, there may be a risk in use of sewage sludge due to potentially harmful contents present in the sludge such as heavy metals and pathogens. This paper, therefore, presents a review on various aspects of sewage sludge used in agriculture

Objective:To review and analyze the neurological complications from bariatric surgery in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.Methods:This cross sectional study was carried out in King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from January 2009 to December 2015. Important personal and clinical data were collected from the charts of the patients who underwent bariatric surgery. Data on follow up visit and remote complication if present, was also collected. All patients with neurological complications were reviewed in detail. The significant difference was calculated by using T-test and p-value<0.05 was considered significant.Results:A total of 451 patients underwent bariatric surgery, 15 cases had neurological complications (3%). Axonal polyneuropathy was the most frequent neurological complication, but cases of Wernicke syndrome, vitamin B12 deficiency, Guillain-Barre syndrome and copper deficiency were also identified. Fourteen patients (93.3%) had full recovery from the neurological signs and symptoms; one patient died.Conclusions:Bariatric surgery is not free of potential neurological complications. Complications may affect both central and peripheral nervous system and death is a possibility. Multidisciplinary care including consultation of different teams is highly recommended.

Introduction: E-learning is the use of the internet and associated devices for educational purposes without geographical constraints. This study aims to assess the perception of students at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, about E-learning as a teaching modality. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2017 and June 2018. The inclusion criteria consisted of healthcare students (medicine, nursing, and college of sciences and health professions). A 40-item closed-ended questionnaire was distributed to the participants and was divided into six main parts: perception, diversity, implications, efficiency, acceptability, and accessibility of E-learning. Results: The response rate was 94.4% (total = 410, retrieved = 387), of which 61.8% (n = 239) stated that they had heard something about E-learning. Meanwhile, 52.2% (n = 202) of students had no idea about virtual patients. Notably, 73.1% (n = 283) agreed that cell phones can be used as a teaching modality, whereas 52.2% (n = 202) opined that cell phones can play a role in stimulating critical thinking among medical students. Sixty percent (n = 232) of students believed that E-learning has the potential to expand educational opportunities. Compared to male students, female students had a higher perception of cheating and fraud (p = 0.039) during E-learning as well as perception of a decline in personal efforts in quest of knowledge (p = 0.032). Conclusion: There is a growing positive perception of E-learning, but the level of acceptance remains low. Further research is required on how to enhance and maximize the confident utilization of ever-increasing opportunities in E-learning. Establishing well-developed E-learning facilities in Saudi educational institutions will tremendously enhance educational opportunities for its students.

Objectives:To evaluate medical students’ satisfaction with simulation based learning strategy (SBL).Methods:A cross-sectional survey was conducted between October and November 2013 at the College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All third and fourth year medical students (n=185) both males and females were included. A self-developed questionnaire on the effect of SBL was used. Items included were related to knowledge, skill, environment, resources, and faculty. The questionnaire was validated by an expert reviewer, and the reliability was calculated for all the questionnaire items. Responses were measured on a 5 point Likert-type scale, and statistical analysis was carried out.Results:The response rate for this study was 62% (n=115). The alpha coefficient for all items was 0.73. Overall, respondents from both years’ students were satisfied with teaching strategy, use of mannequins, and learning environment. The challenges reported were lack of skill-laboratories facilities, students’ cooperation, allocated time for skill-laboratories, and knowledge of instructor. There was a small, but significant difference between the satisfaction scores among genders (p=0.001). Whereas no difference was identified between the participants’ scores on satisfaction with SBL and year of education (p=0.62).Conclusion:Although there were few challenges, most of the students were satisfied that SBL improved their knowledge retention, skills, and communication.