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Background and Objectives: Persistent high-risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV) can cause cancers in the cervix, vulva, vagina, anus, penis, and oropharynx. A lack of knowledge about HPV can lead to vaccine hesitancy, which is detrimental to combating HPV-related diseases. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an HPV educational intervention to enhance university students’ awareness of HPV. Materials and Methods: We conducted a quasi-experimental one-group pre-test and post-test study on male and female college students from the College of Applied Medical Science and the College of Nursing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at King Saud University. Data were collected from May 2023 to March 2024. The first section of the survey assessed sociodemographic factors, and the second section measured knowledge regarding HPV. Results: A total of 271 students completed the surveys, with 71 males (26.2%) and 200 females (73.8%) participating. Students aged 22 years or older had better HPV awareness. Gender significantly predicts HPV awareness, with female students being four times more likely to be aware of HPV compared to male students. After the educational intervention, significant improvements in HPV knowledge were observed in all items (p-values < 0.0001) and across all demographic groups. Misconceptions about HPV were corrected, and the overall knowledge score increased from 29.3% to 82.0%. Conclusions: Our results suggest that similar interventions could benefit other populations in the kingdom, potentially increasing vaccination rates.

Background: Acinetobacter baumannii infection is a serious public health problem because it is highly resistant to antimicrobial therapy and causes a high fatality rate in critically ill patients. The aim of the study is to examine the demographics, microbiological findings, clinical presentation, and outcomes of multi-drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii respiratory infections in adult ICU intubated patients during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study included 115 mechanically ventilated adult ICU patients who had multi-drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii retrieved from respiratory samples during the COVID-19 pandemic in Albaha, Saudi Arabia. The information was obtained from medical and laboratory files. Univariate analysis was used to compare gender, COVID-19 infection, and outcomes. Results: The rate of Acinetobacter baumanni respiratory infections among adult ICU patients was 6.2 %. Almost 93 % developed ventilator-associated pneumonia, and five of them developed bacteremia. The isolates had significant antibiotic resistance patterns, of which 3 % were pandrug-resistant bacteria. The death rate was 74 %, with major risk factors including sepsis, septic shock, VAP, liver diseases, and the use of inappropriate antibiotic therapy that lacked both colistin and tigecycline. Patients with COVID-19 coinfection had worse outcomes compared to non-COVID-19 patients. Conclusions: The identification of MDR-AB as a threat highlights the importance of surveillance studies in this region.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype distribution varies according to the assessment method and the population targeted. This study aimed to assess HPV infection prevalence in women aged 23 to 82 with abnormal cytology attending King Fahad Medical City (KFMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, using retrospective data collected from January 2021 to December 2022. Cytological distribution included 155 samples of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) (n = 83), low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) (n = 46), high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) (n = 14), atypical squamous cells cannot exclude high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (ASC-H) (n = 10), and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (n = 2). All samples were submitted to HPV detection and genotyping using Xpert HPV assay specimens. The most prevalent epithelial abnormalities were ASCUS (53.50%). Positive HPV infection results were observed in 52.9% of the samples. The highest prevalence of HPV genotypes, accounting for 31%, was attributed to the other high-risk genotypes, including 31, 33, 35, 39, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, and 68, followed by high-risk genotype 16, which counted in 11.60% of cases. Individuals who tested positive for HPV 16 were at a high risk of ASC-H, HSIL, and LSIL. Those testing positive for HPV 18–45 exhibited an elevated risk of LSIL, and those with positive results for other high-risk HPV genotypes were at an increased risk of ASCUS and LSIL, suggesting a low oncogenic potential. The results suggest that the percentage of association between samples with abnormal cervical presentation and negative high-risk HPV diagnosis is noticeably increasing. This underscores the need for effective screening programs and an understanding of the impact of specific HPV genotypes on cervical abnormalities.

Despite previous studies showing that Helicobacter pylori influences iron consumption, it is unknown what causes iron deficiency anemia in response to H. pylori infection. The goal of the study was to find out whether having an infection with H. pylori was linked to a drop-in serum iron level. Detection of H. pylori infection presented by serological test to detect titers of IgG and IgA in blood serum. The determination of iron serum level was performed by using biochemistry spectrophotometry test. Additionally, a full blood count was done to assess the haemoglobin concentration and establish whether the patient was anemic. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and Mann–Whitney U test. Approximately 35% of the H. pylori group reported a low serum iron level against a 5% only in the control group. Also, the total bilirubin levels were 2.6-fold more among H. pylori positive cases than controls. H. pylori can cause a decrease in serum iron levels in infected individuals and eventually lead to iron deficiency anemia. Moreover, high total bilirubin levels are recorded among H. pylori-infected patients.

The expression of a group 2 capsule (K antigen), such as the K1 or K5 antigen, is a key virulence factor of Escherichia coli responsible for extra-intestinal infections. Capsule expression confers resistance to innate host defenses and plays a critical role in invasive disease. Capsule expression is temperature-dependent being expressed at 37°C but not at 20°C when outside the host. Group 2 capsule gene expression involves two convergent promoters PR1 and PR3, the regulation of which is critical to capsule expression. Temperature-dependent expression is controlled at transcriptional level directly by the binding of H-NS to PR1 and PR3 and indirectly through BipA with additional input from IHF and SlyA. More recently, other regulatory proteins, FNR, Fur, IHF, MprA, and LrhA, have been implicated in regulating capsule gene expression in response to other environmental stimuli and there is merging data for the growth phase-dependent regulation of the PR1 and PR3 promoters. The aim of the present Mini Review is to provide a unified update on the latest data on how the expression of group 2 capsules is regulated in response to a number of stimuli and the growth phase something that has not to date been addressed.

Background. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is an emerging pathogen classified as a public health concern, that infects critically ill patients and has expressed resistance against antimicrobial therapy. The aim of this study was to examine the epidemiological pattern, resistance characteristics and clinical outcomes of S. maltophilia infections in hospitalized patients. Methods. The study included 393 S. maltophilia isolates from different clinical specimens as well as the clinical data of 209 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients. The patients’ data were obtained from medical and laboratory files. Descriptive statistics and a univariate analysis were used to report and compare the demographics, clinical data, and outcomes. Results. The S. maltophilia was mostly isolated from the respiratory specimens of ICU patients. The adult patients were more likely to develop serious infections and worse outcomes than were pediatric patients. The most common co-infecting pathogens were SARS-CoV2 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The death rate was 44.5% and increased to 47.1% in the case of a respiratory infection. Septic shock was the most significant predictor of mortality. Older age and mechanical ventilation were independent and significant risk factors that worsened the outcomes in patients with respiratory infections. Conclusions. The identification of S. maltophilia as a threat highlights the importance of surveillance studies in this region.