Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is the most lethal and common form of cancer in the world. It was responsible for almost 881,000 cancer deaths in 2018. Approximately 25% of cases are diagnosed at advanced stages with metastasis—this poses challenges for effective surgical control and future tumor-related mortality. There are numerous diagnostic methods that can be used to reduce the risk of colorectal carcinoma. Among these, targeted nanotherapy aims to eliminate the tumor and any metastasis. Active targeting can increase the effectiveness and quantity of drugs delivered to the target site. Antibodies that target overexpressed receptors on cell surfaces and indicators are coupled with drug-loaded carriers. The major target receptors of chemotherapeutic drugs delivery include VEGFR, EGFR, FGFR, HER2, and TGF. On account of its major and diverse roles in cancer, it is important to target EGFR in particular for better tumor selection, as EGFR is overexpressed in 25 to 82% of colorectal carcinoma cases. The EGFR monoclonal immunoglobulins cetuximab/panitumumab can thus be used to treat colorectal cancer. This review examines carriers that contain cetuximab-conjugated therapeutic drugs as well as their efficacy in anticancer activities.

Introduction Plasma cholesterol and triglycerides are clinically important because their abnormally high levels are major treatable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to evaluate the awareness, general knowledge, and attitudes about regular lipid profile screening among adult individuals in Al-Riyadh. Material and methods This is a cross-sectional study collected by convenience sampling method. Residents of Riyadh region older than 20 years were targeted through an electronic questionnaire distributed via Twitter and WhatsApp. The study was conducted between November 28, 2016 and December 31, 2016. Study results were analysed using the SPSS system. Results This study included 1383 participants; 646 (46.7%) were male and 737 (53.3%) female. Of them, 905 (65.4%) did not screen for their lipid profiles, while 478 (34.6%) screened. A visit to a primary health care facility or hospital was the reason for screening of lipid profile in 195 (14.1%) of the participants, whereas 64 (4.6%) of them were ordered by doctors. Conclusions More educated participants were found to be more aware of the importance of screening lipid profile. Our results reflect poor awareness among the population regarding the importance of regular screening of lipid profiles. A visit to primary health care or hospital was the most frequent reason for screening of lipid profile. Screening lipid profiles was predominant among males and it was significantly related to the gender, age, and educational level. This shows the strong need in the community for health education about the importance of screening lipid profile at different levels of health care delivery.

Background Vitamin D and calcium are essential dietary components for human body, and their deficiency is linked to poor bone health and osteoporosis. Adequate knowledge of health staff regarding vitamin D and calcium is critical for general population awareness. The current work was to evaluate the awareness regarding the importance of vitamin D and calcium among undergraduate health science students in Al Kharj. Methods A self-distributed validated questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted. Undergraduate health science students in Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University from the College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, College of Dentistry, and College of Applied Medical Science were included in the study. Students between the age of 18 and 25 years have participated in the study. Results Four hundred fifty-seven undergraduate health science students participated in the study. The vast majority of students knew about the importance of calcium (96.7%) and vitamin D (95.4%), whereas only 89.4% knew about osteoporosis. The participant students reported in their answers that the sources of knowledge were the Internet (42.8%), physicians (41.5%), textbooks (21.2%), teachers (19.1%), family and relatives (18.3%), and/or other sources (6.1%). The overall attitude was poor in about (54%) of the participants showing gender differences regarding sun-exposure duration and supplementation of calcium and vitamin D. Conclusion The study revealed that both male and female undergraduate health science students in Al Kharj were familiar with the importance of vitamin D and calcium; however they reported improper attitude that warrants further health guidance and educational programs.

BackgroundIllness perception questionnaires for various medical conditions have become more useful in recent years. However, very few have addressed this issue for Type 2 diabetes in Saudi Arabia.MethodsA self-administered questionnaire was distributed to Type 2 diabetic patients attendees of primary health care centers and Al Kharj Military Industries Corporation Hospital in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia, from November 24th 2016 to April 24th, 2017.ResultsOverall, 383 of the 500 distributed questionnaires were returned, and 187 were males (48.8). Most participants understood that what led to diabetes was hereditary, including diet or eating habits. The Cronbach’s alpha value for identity, timeline (cyclical), and emotional factors were relatively high, showing that these scales had a strong level of internal consistency; it also showed that the timeline (acute/chronic) and treatment control scales were low, thus showing internal consistency of these scales. Cronbach’s value of coherence and consequences scales were low.ConclusionSaudis with type 2 diabetes mellitus had appropriate knowledge of their disease. They agreed that diabetes was likely to be permanent and would have major consequences on their lives.

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