Antiepileptic drugs, epilepsy, nonadherence, Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry, and RC321-571

Context: Medication nonadherence is a significant barrier in achieving seizure freedom in patients with epilepsy. There is a deficiency of data about the reasons for nonadherence in Saudi population. Aims: The aim of this study is to prove the existence of nonadherence to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in patients with epilepsy and identify the responsible factors. Setting and Design: This is a prospective, cross-sectional study carried in the Department of Neurology at King Fahd Hospital of the University affiliated with Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University. Subjects and Methods: Patients of all ages diagnosed to have epilepsy as mentioned in their medical record and taking antiepileptic medications were interviewed using a questionnaire. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical analysis was performed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Statistical significance was defined as two-tailed with a P ≤ 0.05. Results: Among 152 participants, 52.6% were male and 47.4% were female. Mean age of the patients was 28 ± 14.3 (mean ± standard deviation) years. Of 152 patients, 48.7% were found to be nonadherent to their AED therapy. The most commonly identified factor was forgetfulness. Nonadherence was significantly associated with poor seizure control (P = 0.002). Conclusion: Nonadherence to the AED is common among patients with epilepsy and affects seizure control adversely.

Cerebral venous thrombosis, etiology, gender, risk factors, Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry, and RC321-571

Objective: Our study aims to evaluate the etiologic and clinical features of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) in Saudi Arabia, and secondarily whether gender plays a role in CVST. Materials and Methods: Data were collected retrospectively from the stroke registry during the period from January 2008 to April 2018, and the patients with the diagnosis of CVST were identified, and data were analyzed for any gender-specific differences in clinical presentation and etiology of cerebral venous thrombosis. Results: There were 15 females while 11 males with a female:male ratio of 1.4:1. The mean age was 29.4± standard deviation 8.9 with the age range of 15–49. Headache was the most common and usually the first presenting symptoms present in 65% followed by hemiparesis and cranial nerve palsies. The first neurological examination was normal in 9/26 (34.6%) of the patients, while the common abnormality was cranial nerve palsies. Infections and trauma played an important part in risk factor analysis of our patient after the pregnancy- and hormone-related conditions. Some significant differences between the clinical presentation and risk factors among males and females were noted as age at presentation was higher in females while trauma and infections were common in male patients, although the involvement of the sinuses and response to treatment did not prove to be statistically significant. Conclusion: The results of this study were similar to the available literature with few differences. The relatively higher proportion of males in our study can be explained partly with more cases of traumatic CVST. Some important differences were noted between the risk factors and clinical presentation among genders. Large-scale prospective studies are needed to further clarify these differences.

Medicine

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the relationship between glycaemic control and carotid atherosclerotic disease among patients with acute ischaemic stroke (AIS). Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study took place in the Neurology Department of King Fahad Hospital of University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia, from April to October 2017. Data were collected from the medical records of 244 patients with a diagnosis of AIS confirmed by computed tomography. Doppler ultrasounds of the carotid artery were performed to determine the presence of increased carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) and plaques. Results: Significantly higher mean glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels were noted in cases with high CIMT values (P = 0.002), but not in cases with carotid plaques (P = 0.360). In addition, there was a significant association between diabetes mellitus (DM) and high CIMT (P = 0.045), but not with carotid plaques (P = 0.075). Finally, while dyslipidaemia and age were independently correlated with high CIMT values (P = 0.034 and 0.050 each). Conclusion: High HbA1c levels were associated with high CIMT values, but not with carotid plaques. Therefore, HbA1c levels may be useful as an indirect marker of the initial stages of carotid artery atherosclerosis. Keywords: Glycated Hemoglobin A1c; Diabetes Mellitus; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; Atherosclerotic Plaque; Stroke.

dotatate, drugs, inotersen, Lutathera, oligonucleotides, Onpattro, patisiran, peptides, pharmaceutical market, Tegsedi, Pharmacy and materia medica, and RS1-441

In 2018, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a total of 59 new drugs, three of them (5%) are TIDES (or also, -tides), two oligonucleotides and one peptide. Herein, the three TIDES approved are analyzed in terms of medical target, mode of action, chemical structure, and economics.

Accelerated orthodontics, low-level laser therapy, photobiomodulation, root resorption, Dentistry, and RK1-715

Purpose: The effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) with light-emitting diode (LED) delivery (Biolux OrthoPulse® device) were tested for no differences from sham-controlled conventional orthodontics in maxillary anterior alignment treatment efficiency and maxillary central incisor root resorption after 6 months of treatment. Materials and Methods: Two prospective clinical trial samples were matched for pretreatment irregularity index with (n = 14) and without (n = 12) photobiomodulation therapy (850 nm wavelength, 0.065 J/cm2, 5 min per-arch-per-day) and examined every 2 weeks for reduction of irregularity index to < 1 mm. The sham control sample was provided with LED devices that did not deliver infrared light. Standardized periapical radiographs of maxillary central incisors were compared at initial and 6 months of treatment. Results: Photobiomodulation resolved maxillary anterior crowding with 35.2% greater efficiency (41.0 vs. 63.3 days, P= 0.028) at nearly double the tooth movement rate-per-week (1.02 vs. 62 mm/week, P= 0.045). Mean maxillary central incisor root lengths were significantly shorter at the 6-month treatment interval after LLLT (19.63 vs. 20.85 mm, P= 0.021). Conclusions: LED photobiomodulation therapy at 850 nm wavelength resulted in 1.7X more rapid maxillary anterior alignment.

Medicine

BACKGROUND: Drug shortages are a serious and complex issue in any healthcare system. We conducted this study because the prevalence of drug shortages in Saudi Arabia is largely unknown, while there have been reports of shortages. OBJECTIVE: To explore the prevalence and characteristics of drug shortages as well as identify strategies to minimize their impact on patient care and safety in large hospitals. DESIGN: Questionnaire-based cross-sectional study. SETTING: Pharmacy departments in secondary and tertiary care hospitals in the city of Riyadh. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Pharmacists in ten hospitals, categorized as Ministry of Health [MOH], MOH-affiliated medical cities, and non-MOH, were recruited using convenience sampling. The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists drug shortage questionnaire was administered to survey pharmacists about drug shortages in their hospitals. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Percentages of drug class shortages, characteristics, and strategies to minimize impact on patient care and safety across each hospital sector. RESULTS: Of 200 pharmacists invited to participate, 120 pharmacists completed the questionnaire (60% response rate). Twenty-four percent were from MOH hospitals, 32% from MOH-affiliated medical cities, and 44% from non-MOH hospitals. A significantly higher percentage of pharmacists from MOH-affiliated medical cities (42.11%) reported encountering drug shortages on a daily basis compared to 13.79% and 15.09% of participants from MOH-hospitals and non-MOH hospitals, respectively (P=.001). The top three drug classes that ≥ 25% of participants reported having shortages of were cardiovascular, antineoplastic, and endocrine drugs. The two most common strategies that were reported to minimize the impact of drug shortages on patient care by more than 70% of participants were informing prescribers and recommending alternative drugs, and alerting hospital staff about the presence of drug shortages using new communication tools. CONCLUSIONS: The relatively high reported rates of drug shortages in some hospitals should encourage health policymakers to address this serious public health problem. LIMITATIONS: The generazibility of the study's findings were limited by the small sample size, convenience sampling technique, self-reported data, and the fact that only pharmacists were invited to participate.

creativity, business, education, training, professional development, creative thinking, theories, arts, arts-based methods, innovation, Management. Industrial management, HD28-70, Business, and HF5001-6182

Creativity has become one of the most sought-after skills from graduates across business and industry. It is therefore imperative to infuse creativity training within business programs of study and professional development experiences, to remind people of their eternally curious and creative nature. The objective of this paper is to explore the literature around theories of creative potential and performance—including creative identity, creative mindset, and creative self-efficacy. We consider perspectives that reveal that creativity is a mindset predicated on beliefs and ways of thinking. Educational psychology literature and theories of creative self-belief illustrate how creative identity, mindset, and self-efficacy form the core of an individual’s belief system to think, act, and develop creatively in the world. This connects to the potential of arts-based methods as a means to infuse creative learning into business education. We illustrate how our findings can be put into practice by sharing an example of an art-based intervention that is currently in progress to develop creative capacity among students in an internationally known business program. We conclude with the idea that its incumbent upon business education, professional development, and training to incorporate methodologies that enhance creative capacity by initially eliminating or minimizing self-perceived limitations in people, such as fear, negative personal judgement, and chattering of the mind—and theories of creative self-belief provide a foundation that can undergird arts-based methods toward this goal.

General Works

Algorithms and data-driven technologies are increasingly being embraced by a variety of different sectors and institutions. This paper examines how algorithms and data-driven technologies, enacted by an organization like Facebook, can induce similarity across an industry. Using theories from organizational sociology and neoinstitutionalism, this paper traces the bureaucratic roots of Big Data and algorithms to examine the institutional dependencies that emerge and are mediated through data-driven and algorithmic logics. This type of analysis sheds light on how organizational contexts are embedded into algorithms, which can then become embedded within other organizational and individual practices. By investigating technical practices as organizational and bureaucratic, discussions about accountability and decision-making can be reframed.

pharmaceutical market, drugs, drug discovery, solid-phase peptide synthesis, Pharmacy and materia medica, and RS1-441

2017 was an excellent year in terms of new drugs (chemical entities and biologics) approved by the FDA, with a total of 46. In turn, one of the highlights was the number of peptides (six) included in this list. Here, the six peptides are analyzed in terms of chemical structure, synthetic strategy used for their production, source, therapeutic use, and mode of action.

Medicine

Background and objectives: In Kuwait, information regarding public knowledge and attitudes towards organ donation are scanty. This study aimed to evaluate public knowledge and attitude regarding organ donation and determine factors which predict them. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 630 participants recruited from 27 randomly selected public cooperative societies and private supermarkets in Kuwait. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Results: The prevalence rate of knowledge about organ donation was 68%, with a significantly higher rate among females than males (73% vs. 63%, respectively, p = 0.01). A composite score of knowledge was also higher among females than males (8.4 ± 5.8 vs. 6.8 ± 5.8, respectively, p = 0.001). In multivariate analysis, female gender (OR = 1.7; 95% CI =1.2, 2.4) and an educational level of bachelor’s degree or higher (OR = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.7, 3.9) were significant predictors of the knowledge. Among the barriers, more females than males mentioned about the fear of the operative procedures (p

Communication. Mass media and P87-96

While few studies examine the online privacy practices or attitudes of young people of low socio-economic status (SES), they are often at the most risk of and most susceptible to privacy violations. This participatory, collaborative study of 28 low-SES young adults in the New York City area investigates how they view online information sharing. Like most Americans, our participants viewed online privacy as an individual responsibility. We make two primary contributions. First, participants revealed extensive awareness of the risks of sharing information online, and many avoided social media, self-censored, or obfuscated their contributions as a result. Second, many participants had extensive experience with policing and physical surveillance and were aware they could not avoid such encounters through their own efforts. This window into structural discrimination provides an alternate frame to that of “individual responsibility” that educators and researchers can use to conceptualize how privacy is violated online. Framing online privacy violations as inevitable and widespread may not only help foster activist anger and strategic resistance but also avoid the victim-blaming narratives of some media literacy efforts. By examining the experiences of these young people, who are often left out of mainstream discussions about privacy, we hope to show how approaches to managing the interplay of on- and offline information flows are related to marginalized social and economic positions.

Geography. Anthropology. Recreation, Folklore, and GR1-950

Biology (General) and QH301-705.5

Medicine and Science

INTRODUCTION:Polyneuropathy is one of the most prevalent neurologic disorders. Although several studies explored the role of the neurological examination in polyneuropathy, they were mostly restricted to specific subgroups of patients and have not correlated examination findings with symptoms and electrophysiological results. OBJECTIVES:To explore the sensitivity and specificity of different neurological examination components in patients with diverse etiologies for polyneuropathy, find the most sensitive combination of examination components for polyneuropathy detection, and correlate examination findings with symptoms and electrophysiological results. METHODS:Patients with polyneuropathy attending the neuromuscular clinic from 01/2013 to 09/2015 were evaluated. Inclusion criteria included symptomatic polyneuropathy, which was confirmed by electrophysiological studies. 47 subjects with no symptoms or electrophysiological findings suggestive for polyneuropathy, served as controls. RESULTS:The total cohort included 312 polyneuropathy patients, with a mean age of 60±14 years. Abnormal examination was found in 95%, most commonly sensory findings (86%). The most common abnormal examination components were impaired ankle reflexes (74%), vibration (73%), and pinprick (72%) sensation. Combining ankle reflex examination with vibration or pinprick perception had the highest sensitivity, of 88%. The specificities of individual examination component were generally high, excluding ankle reflexes (62%), and vibration perception (77%). Abnormal examination findings were correlated with symptomatic weakness and worse electrophysiological parameters. CONCLUSION:The neurological examination is a valid, sensitive and specific tool for diagnosing polyneuropathy, and findings correlate with polyneuropathy severity. Ankle reflex examination combined with either vibration or pinprick sensory testing is the most sensitive combination for diagnosing polyneuropathy, and should be considered minimal essential components of the physical examination in patients with suspected polyneuropathy.

Communication. Mass media and P87-96

The phenomenon of “social media” has more to do with its cultural positioning than its technological affordances. Rooted in the broader “Web 2.0” landscape, social media helped engineers, entrepreneurs, and everyday people reimagine the role that technology could play in information dissemination, community development, and communication. While the technologies invoked by the phrase social media have a long history, what unfolded in the 2000s reconfigured socio-technical practices in significant ways. Reflecting on the brief history of social media, this essay argues for the need to better understand this phenomenon.

Strategic Risk Reduction, Strategic Method, Defect Detection and Prevention, Risk Reduction Leverage, Ant Colony Optimization, Electronic computers. Computer science, and QA75.5-76.95

Risk Management is one of the key cares of any organization strategic management; proper benefit of risk management is finding risks and their solutions. In this article, we will suggest a new Strategic Risk Reduction technique for producing optimal risk reduction strategies; which reduce risk exposure for expected income by allowing several countermeasures per risk rather than one countermeasure as previous works did. Our Strategic Risk Reduction will be optimized using Ant Colony Optimization approach.