Showing papers by "King Saud University published in 2006"
01 Jan 2006
TL;DR: Recently, a growing body of empirical research attests to the role of schemata in EFL/ESL reading comprehension as discussed by the authors, with a focus on interactive approaches to reading, which argue that reading comprehension is a combination of identification and interpretation skills.
Abstract: Research conducted over the last three decades has changed our view of reading as a mere process of decoding. As Carrell and Eisterhold state EFL/ESL reading theory has been influenced during the past decades by Goodman (from the midto late 1970s) who views reading as a “guessing game” in which the “reader reconstructs, as best as he can, a message which has been encoded by a writer.” (1983, p. 554) As Grabe describes Godman’s perception of reading which is seen as an active process of comprehending [where] students need to be taught strategies to read more efficiently (e. g., guess from context, define expectations, make inferences about the text, skim ahead to fill in the context, etc. (1991, p. 377) Paran opposes Godman’s view of reading as an “activity involving constant guesses that are later rejected or confirmed. This means that one does not read all the sentences in the same way, but one relies on a number of words – or ‘cues’ to get an idea of what kind of sentence (e.g. an explanation) is likely to follow” (1996, p.25). Zhang (1993) explains that Afflarbach compares comprehension process to hypothesis testing (or draft-and-revision) where the reader arrives at the main idea after revising the initial hypothesis, provided the reader has adequate background knowledge. Moreover, research and practice in TESOL was greatly influenced by Stephen Krashen’s hypotheses on language acquisition, and particularly the effect of “the Schema Theory” on studies dealing with reading comprehension. Today, a growing body of empirical research attests to the role of schemata in EFL/ESL reading comprehension. Most of the research was made on reading comprehension of the first language. However, insights were adapted to suit SL reading comprehension studies. Most important of all, specific attention is given to interactive approaches to reading, which argue that reading comprehension is a combination of identification and interpretation skills. Grabe (1991) lists the five most important areas of current research which are still prominent: “schema theory, language skills and automaticity, vocabulary development, comprehension strategy training, and reading-writing relations” (p. 375) Automaticity may be defined as “occurring when the reader is unaware of the process, not consciously controlling the process, and using little processing capacity. (ibid, p. 379-380) ISSN 1475 8989
257 citations
TL;DR: Thymoquinone is effective in protecting rats against transient forebrain ischemia-induced damage in the rat hippocampus, and this spectacular protection makes thymoquone a promising agent in pathologies implicating neurodegenaration such as cerebral ischemIA.
207 citations
TL;DR: A new series of quinazoline analogs was designed to resemble methotrexate (MTX, 1) structure features and fitted with functional groups believed to enhance inhibition of mammalian DHFR activity to produce potent new leads for anticancer drugs.
171 citations
TL;DR: The effect of temperature dependent viscosity on laminar mixed convection boundary layer flow and heat transfer on a continuously moving vertical surface is studied in this article, where the fluid viscosities are assumed to vary as an inverse linear function of temperature.
138 citations
TL;DR: The present investigation gives the proof for the effectiveness of TEMPOL as anti-inflammation and analgesic agents in carrageenan-induced model of inflammation and hyperalgesia and indicated the importance of superoxide anion and peroxynitrite in acute inflammation and inflammatory pain.
123 citations
TL;DR: There is only moderate knowledge of risk and protective factors for breast cancer and that knowledge and practice of BSE and mammograms vary according to marital and educational status, and frequent community-based awareness programs are needed so that all women can know and practice BSE, which in turn helps to prevent breast cancer.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: We conducted this study to assess knowledge of breast cancer and sources of information about breast cancer among women in Riyadh. We also analyzed whether associations existed between ...
118 citations
TL;DR: This review almost covers what is actually known to date about the black seed and its constituents and may stimulate the beginning of the era of pilot clinical studies to evaluate the clinical potential of the volatile oil, some of the protein fractions and the dethymoquinoneated volatile oil.
116 citations
TL;DR: The model developed has been used to evaluate locations for the Saudi Arabian Red Crescent Society, Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia and Erlang's loss formula is used to identify the arrival rates when it is necessary to add an ambulance in order to maintain the performance level for the availability of ambulances.
114 citations
TL;DR: It was concluded that the resistance of endodontically treated mandibular molars restored with composite resins is mainly affected by the number of residual walls.
113 citations
TL;DR: A History of English Language Teaching (2nd ed) as mentioned in this paper is a survey of the teaching of English to speakers of other languages from the Renaissance to the present day, starting in 1400, when English was a minority language spoken by a population of no more than 3 million people.
Abstract: A History of English Language Teaching (2nd ed). A. P. R. Howatt (with H. G. Widdowson). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. Pp. xix + 417. £19.20 paper.This volume, a record of the teaching of English to speakers of other languages from the Renaissance to the present day, starts in 1400, when English was a minority language spoken by a population of no more than 3 million people. The book describes the process of making the language teachable and documents the developments in language teaching theory and practice that led to the emergence of English language teaching (ELT) as an autonomous profession.
111 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a multiple step procedure for joint modeling of surface wave group velocity dispersion curves and teleseismic receiver functions for lithospheric velocity structure is presented, which relies on an initial grid search for a simple crustal structure, followed by a formal iterative inversion, and finally, forward modeling of transverse isotropy to resolve Love-Rayleigh surface wave dispersion discrepancy.
Abstract: [1] We present a multiple step procedure for joint modeling of surface wave group velocity dispersion curves and teleseismic receiver functions for lithospheric velocity structure. The method relies on an initial grid search for a simple crustal structure, followed by a formal iterative inversion, an additional grid search for shear wave velocity in the mantle, and finally, forward modeling of transverse isotropy to resolve Love-Rayleigh surface wave dispersion discrepancy. It considers longer-period surface wave group velocity (SWGV) dispersion, allowing for the resolution of deeper structure compared to previous joint inversions. The grid search for simple crustal structure is facilitated using a library of precomputed receiver functions and SWGV dispersion curves. The iterative inversion improves fit to the data by increasing the number of layers in the crust when necessary. In order to fit the SWGV for periods greater than about 50 s, we perform a grid search over mantle velocities including the mantle lid and low-velocity zone, keeping the crustal structure fixed to the values from the previous step. In some cases a clear Love-Rayleigh discrepancy prevents a simultaneous fit of the group velocities with an isotropic model. The Love-Rayleigh discrepancy can be resolved by allowing shear wave transverse isotropy with a vertical symmetry axis (vSH − vSV differences) in the uppermost mantle. The method is applied to 10 stations in the Arabian Peninsula sampling various tectonic environments including active continental rifting and stable regions. The resulting shear velocity models confirm rapid crustal thinning of the Arabian Shield toward the Red Sea; however, we do not find strong evidence for crustal thickening toward the Arabian Platform. Our results suggest that the mantle lithosphere thickness varies regionally but that the mantle shear velocities beneath the Arabian Shield and Red Sea coast are generally anomalously low. Furthermore, our results indicate the presence of strong polarization anisotropy (up to about 10%) in the lithospheric upper mantle, in the vicinity of, as well as farther away from, the Red Sea. Our modeling yields vSV > vSH in the southwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula, consistent with vertical flow, and vSH > vSV in the northwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula and the continental interior, consistent with horizontal flow, indicating that the mantle flow pattern is not uniform along the axis of the Red Sea.
TL;DR: It appears that the susceptibility of E. faecalis and S. sanguis to MTA differed and that GMTA requires lower concentrations than WMTA to exert the same antibacterial effect against each of the microorganisms tested.
TL;DR: A Bayesian analysis in the context of record statistics values from the two-parameter Weibull distribution is developed and Bayesian predictive density function, which is necessary to obtain bounds for predictive interval of future record is derived and discussed using a numerical example.
TL;DR: Data from this study suggest for the first time that carnitine deficiency and oxidative stress are risk factors and should be viewed as mechanisms during development of CDDP-related cardiomyopathy and that Carnitine supplementation, using PLC, prevents the progression ofCDDP-induced cardiotoxicity.
TL;DR: Fusidic acid, the local antibiotic, gentamicin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole should not be relied upon for treatment of MRSA infections, at least empirically as the percentage of susceptible isolates is very low.
Abstract: Background
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates with rapid development of resistance.
TL;DR: This study provided information on the most common causes of hospitalization, pattern of diseases, and required medical services for pilgrims in Hajj and it is hoped that this data will be of help to health sector planners and officials to provide optimal and cost-effective health care services to pilgrimsin Hajj.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Approximately 2 to 3 million pilgrims perform Hajj every year. Planning for health care requires knowledge of the pattern of diseases, complications, and outcome of pilgrims who require...
Journal Article•
TL;DR: There is an urgent need to promote multi-disciplinary health education activities at different age groups in order to prevent young age students from smoking, and to help smokers to quit.
Abstract: OBJECTIVES
To estimate the prevalence of smoking habits among male medical students at the College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
METHODS
We carried out this cross-sectional study using Arabic questionnaires distributed to the medical students in the College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, KSA at different educational levels from September 13 to September 25, 2005. A total of 322 medical students completed the questionnaires (response rate 80.5%).
RESULTS
The study shows that 13% of male medical students were currently active smokers, 5.3% were ex-smokers, and 38.2% were passive smokers. The types of smoking included sheesha 44.1%, cigarette 32.2%, and both 23.7%. The common reason given for the smoking behavior was the influence of friends (35.6%). The study shows that 57.1% of current smokers were motivated to stop smoking.
CONCLUSIONS
There is an urgent need to promote multi-disciplinary health education activities at different age groups in order to prevent young age students from smoking, and to help smokers to quit.
TL;DR: Melanin significantly induced TNF-alpha and IL-6 protein production and inhibited VEGF production by monocytes and PBMC and in the THP-1 cell line melanin induced production of all three cytokine proteins.
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that curcumin treatment attenuates forebrain ischemia-induced neuronal injury and oxidative stress in hippocampal tissue and may have the potential to be used as a protective agent in fore brain ischemic insult in human.
Abstract: Oxidative stress is believed to contribute to neurodegeneration following ischemic injury. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the possible antioxidant neuroprotective effect of curcumin (Cur) on neuronal death of hippocampal CA1 neurons following transient forebrain ischemia in rat. Treatment of Cur (200 mg/kg/day, i.p.) at three different times (immediately, 3 h and 24 h after ischemia) significantly (P<0.01) reduced neuronal damage 7 days after ischemia. Also, treatment of ischemic rats with Cur decreased the elevated levels of MDA and increased GSH contents, catalase and SOD activities to normal levels. In the in vitro, Cur was as potent as antioxidant (IC50 = 1 μM) as butylated hydroxytoluene. The present study demonstrates that curcumin treatment attenuates forebrain ischemia-induced neuronal injury and oxidative stress in hippocampal tissue. Thus treatment with curcumin immediately or even delayed until 24 h may have the potential to be used as a protective agent in forebrain ischemic insult in human.
TL;DR: There was a significant correlation between OCT patterns of clinically significant diabetic macular edema and severity of retinopathy, CMT, and visual acuity.
Abstract: To investigate the correlation between the features of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and the severity of concurrent retinopathy, central macular thickness (CMT), and best-corrected visual acuity in clinically significant diabetic macular edema. In a prospective study, OCT was performed in 55 eyes of 55 patients with clinically significant diabetic macular edema, in 58 eyes of 30 patients with diabetes without retinopathy, and in 40 eyes of 21 healthy control subjects. The OCT features were categorized into: type 1, sponge-like retinal swelling; type 2, cystoid macular edema; type 3, serous retinal detachment; and type 4, vitreofoveal traction. The CMT in eyes with diabetic macular edema was significantly higher than in eyes of healthy controls or in eyes of diabetic patients without retinopathy (P < 0.001). Visual acuity correlated with CMT in diabetic macular edema (r = 0.558, P < 0.001). The prevalence of OCT type 1 was significantly higher in eyes with mild-to-moderate non-proliferative retinopathy (NPDR) than in eyes with severe NPDR to proliferative retinopathy (PDR) (P = 0.0069). The prevalence of OCT types 3 and 4 was significantly higher in eyes with severe NPDR to PDR than in eyes with mild-to-moderate NPDR (P = 0.0056). OCT type 1 showed the least CMT (P < 0.001) and the best visual acuity (P = 0.002). There was a significant correlation between OCT patterns of clinically significant diabetic macular edema and severity of retinopathy, CMT, and visual acuity.
TL;DR: A comprehensive study of mantle anisotropy along the Red Sea and across Saudi Arabia was performed by analyzing shear-wave splitting recorded by stations from three different seismic networks.
Abstract: A comprehensive study of mantle anisotropy along the Red Sea and across Saudi Arabia was performed by analyzing shear-wave splitting recorded by stations from three different seismic networks: the largest, most widely distributed array of stations examined across Saudi Arabia to date. Stations near the Gulf of Aqaba display fast orientations that are aligned parallel to the Dead Sea Transform Fault, most likely related to the strike-slip motion between Africa and Arabia. However, most of our observations across Saudi Arabia are statistically the same, showing a consistent pattern of north-south oriented fast directions with delay times averaging about 1.4 s. Fossilized anisotropy related to the Proterozoic assembly of the Arabian Shield may contribute to the pattern but is not sufficient to fully explain the observations. We feel that the uniform anisotropic signature across Saudi Arabia is best explained by a combination of plate and density driven flow in the asthenosphere. By combining the northeast oriented flow associated with absolute plate motion with the northwest oriented flow associated with the channelized Afar plume along the Red Sea, we obtain a north-south oriented resultant that matches our splitting observations and supports models of active rifting processes. This explains why the north-south orientationmore » of the fast polarization direction is so pervasive across the vast Arabian Plate.« less
TL;DR: Ginkgo biloba may be effective in the treatment of UC through its scavenging effect on oxygen-derived free radicals, and significantly decreased colonic MPO activity, TNF-alpha, and IL-1beta levels and increased GSH concentration.
TL;DR: This review will focus on the particular clinical and/or neuropathological features of the phenotype caused by mutations in each of these genes, which might guide molecular diagnosis in demyelinating ARCMT.
Abstract: Autosomal-recessive forms of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (ARCMT) account for less than 10% of the families in the European CMT population but are more frequent in the Mediterranean basin and the Middle East because of more widespread consanguinity. Until now, demyelinating ARCMT was more extensively studied at the genetic level than the axonal form. Since 1999, the number of localized or identified genes responsible for demyelinating ARCMT has greatly increased. Eight genes, EGR2, GDAP1, KIAA1985, MTMR2, MTMR13, NDRG1, PRX, and CTDP1, have been identified and two new loci mapped to chromosomes 10q23 and 12p11-q13. In this review, we will focus on the particular clinical and/or neuropathological features of the phenotype caused by mutations in each of these genes, which might guide molecular diagnosis.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: Nighttime sleep duration is shorter in Saudi school children compared to published data, and several factors appeared to affect sleep duration, including mother's educational level, daytime naps and watching TV at night.
Abstract: Introduction: This study was conducted to estimate sleep duration in Saudi elementary school children, sleep habits and practices that may affect it, and compare our results to published data in other societies Methods: Parents of elementary school children were surveyed regarding their children's bedtime, rise time, sleep duration at night and daytime nap duration during weekdays and weekends A questionnaire inquiring about demographical data, specific sleep problems and habits, and home environment was completed by the parents Results: The study comprised 511 (505 percent) boys and 501 (495 percent) girls During weekdays, bedtime for the whole group was 213 +/- 18 hours, rise time was 59 +/- 05 hours, total sleep time (TST) was 84 +/- I I hours, and TST and nap was 998 +/-13 hours Multivariate analysis revealed that TST was affected by regularity of bedtime, mother's level of education, daytime naps, and the habits of watching television (TV) and playing computer games after 2000 hours Conclusion: Nighttime sleep duration is shorter in Saudi school children compared to published data Several factors appeared to affect sleep duration, including mother's educational level, daytime naps and watching TV at night
TL;DR: Infliximab is efficient and safe for long-term treatment of refractory uveitis associated with Behçet’s disease and Repeated infusions are required to maintain long- term remission.
Abstract: Purpose To evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of infliximab therapy for refractory uveitis associated with Behcet’s disease (BD). Methods We prospectively enrolled six patients who failed to respond to conventional immunosuppressive treatment. Infliximab infusions (5 mg/kg) were administered at weeks 0, 2, 6, and then every 8 weeks. The outcome variables were visual acuity, control of inflammation, reduction of macular edema, tapering of immunosuppressive therapy, and adverse effects. Results The follow-up period ranged from 16 to 36 months (mean ± SD, 23 ± 7.4 months). The number of infliximab infusions ranged from 10 to 23 (14 ± 4.6). By the 2-month follow-up, all patients had achieved remission, the cystoid macular edema had resolved, and visual acuity had improved dramatically. Throughout the follow-up period, three patients remained attack-free. One patient had one relapse, and another patient had two relapses before the scheduled infusions; all three relapses resolved rapidly after the subsequent infusion. One patient developed five relapses, and infusions at 6-week intervals were necessary to achieve sustained remission. At the end of the follow-up period, visual acuity improved in five patients. Concomitant immunosuppressive therapy was substantially reduced. Antinuclear antibodies developed in two patients who received 17 and 23 infusions. No major adverse effects requiring withdrawal of infliximab were observed. Conclusion Infliximab is efficient and safe for long-term treatment of refractory uveitis associated with BD. Repeated infusions are required to maintain long-term remission.
TL;DR: The theory is applied to show that it is, in principle, possible to construct an invisibility device without infinite phase velocity of light and show that scattering is a tomographic projection.
Abstract: Invisibility devices exploit ambiguities in the inverse scattering problem of light in media. Scattering also serves as an important general tool to infer information about the structure of matter. We elucidate the nature of scattering ambiguities that arise in central potentials. We show that scattering is a tomographic projection: The integrated scattering angle is a projection of a scattering function onto the impact parameter. This function depends on the potential but may be multivalued, allowing for ambiguities where several potentials share the same scattering data. In addition, multivalued scattering angles also lead to ambiguities. We apply our theory to show that it is, in principle, possible to construct an invisibility device without infinite phase velocity of light.
TL;DR: Results obtained on the study of gastric mucus and indomethacin-induced ulcers demonstrated that the gastro protective activity of Coriander might not be mediated by gastric membranes and/or endogenous stimulation of prostaglandins, and the protective effect against ethanol-induced damage of the gastric tissue might be related to the free-radical scavenging property of different antioxidant constituents.
TL;DR: This letter describes the first isolation of S. maltophilia resistant to TMP – SXT from two patients treated at Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital which is a major tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia.
Abstract: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (S. maltophilia) has recently emerged as an important nosocomial pathogen. Treatment of invasive infections caused by this organism is difficult as the bacterium is frequently resistant to a wide range of commonly used antimicrobials. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP – SXT) is recommended as the agent of choice for the treatment of S. maltophilia infections. However, the development of resistance to this antibiotic represents a real challenge to laboratorians and clinicians.
TL;DR: The findings of research conducted to assess changes in sleep pattern, chronobiology, circadian rhythms, daytime sleepiness and function and sleep architecture during the month of Ramadan are discussed.
Abstract: Experimental fasting has been shown to alter the sleep-wakefulness pattern in various species. As fasting during Ramadan is distinct from experimental fasting, the physiological and behavioural changes occurring during Ramadan fasting may differ from those occurring during experimental fasting. There has been increased interest in recent years in sleep changes and daytime sleepiness during Ramadan. Moreover, many of those who fast during Ramadan associate this fasting with increased daytime sleepiness and decreased performance. This raises the question of whether Ramadan fasting affects sleep. In this review, we discuss the findings of research conducted to assess changes in sleep pattern, chronobiology, circadian rhythms, daytime sleepiness and function and sleep architecture during the month of Ramadan. Where applicable, these findings are compared with those obtained during experimental fasting.
TL;DR: This article reviews the basic science elements involved in the pathogenesis of Dupuytren's disease and attempts to summarize many of these findings together in a schema of pathogenesis.
Abstract: This article reviews the basic science elements involved in the pathogenesis of Dupuytren's disease. Dupuytren's contracture is effected by a multitude of complex processes at the cellular level and the exact relative contribution of each is unknown. Various investigators have proposed different theories and documented individual findings regarding the pathophysiology of Dupuytren's contracture. The current report attempts to summarize many of these findings together in a schema of pathogenesis.