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Biomedical subjects

Saleh A Al-Damegh

Publications and source records attributed to Saleh A Al-Damegh.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Cigarette smoking behavior among male secondary school students in the Central region of Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to examine the smoking habits among male secondary school students in Al-Qassim, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and to assess their knowledge and attitudes towards smoking. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Al-Qassim region, KSA during March 2003. Randomly selected was 14 out of 110 government male secondary schools. In the sample section, care was taken to represent urban and rural communities. In urban areas, 8 schools with the largest number of students were selected. This is in addition to 3 schools, which were the only schools with special education on Islamic, Commercial and Technical programs. In the rural areas the 3 most distant schools were included in the sample. Data were obtained through self-administered questionnaires that contained questions on personal background, smoking behavior, knowledge and attitude towards cigarette smoking. A total of 2203 students responded to the questionnaires with 83% response rate. RESULTS: Of the studied group, 606 (29.8%) were current smokers and among these 83.7% started smoking at the age of 15 years or less. Technical and commercial secondary school students had higher prevalence of the habit of smoking than those in general and Islamic secondary schools. It was found that the more pocket money received by the students, the higher was the prevalence of smoking. The most common reason given for cigarette smoking behavior (CSB) was the influence of friends (63.5%). Family factor, especially the brother's smoking habit (24.8%) was also important. Most of the students knew that smoking is harmful to their own health (89.3%), and to others (73.9%). The association between smoking and lung cancer was 84.3%, 80.9% for chest disease and 78.2% for heart disease, while the relation to other diseases was less known. CONCLUSION: We conclude that onset of smoking in the young is alarming. This is of immense importance in formulating health education strategies, which should be directed towards pupils, teachers and parents. The religious aspect should also be an integral part of such programs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration using 25G needle as a new technique for a wide range of pathological conditions.

OBJECTIVE: This study is to report on the use of 25 gauge (G) needle in ultrasound (US) guided fine needle aspiration (FNA), as a new technique for a wide range of pathological conditions, and to assess the yield of positive tissue material and the complications compared to those reported in the literature using larger needles. METHODS: One hundred and seventy-two patients presented consecutively at King Saud University Teaching Hospitals, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, during the period 2000 to 2002, with various pathological conditions, underwent US guided FNA using 25G needle. The adequacy of the tissue obtained, and the pathological outcome were tabulated. The patients were discharged in the same day and followed for 4-6 weeks for complications. RESULTS: Adequate tissue was obtained from 165 (96%) patients. Seven (4.1%) patients had to be examined twice, to obtain a sufficient sample. The 172 patients also included 14 patients (8.1%) who had repeated procedure on the request of the clinician, who needed confirmation of the pathological diagnosis. Adequate sampling was obtained in the first attempt in 89%, in liver problems, and in other regions, and 86.8% in lung problems. The percentages of diagnostic categories revealed by the cytological analysis are similar to those obtained by other larger fine needles. CONCLUSION: No complications have been encountered. The technique can safely be repeated if the amount is inadequate or diagnosis is inconclusive, to reach 100% correct sampling. The results of positive findings are comparable to other studies using larger needles. The use of 25G needle is recommended for use under ultrasound guidance.

Adolescent↗