Saudi Researcher at Harvard University Discovers Uses of Sugammadex to Reverse Neuromuscular Blockade via Non-Surgery

A seal hangs over a building at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts November 16, 2012. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi/File
A seal hangs over a building at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts November 16, 2012. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi/File
TT

Saudi Researcher at Harvard University Discovers Uses of Sugammadex to Reverse Neuromuscular Blockade via Non-Surgery

A seal hangs over a building at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts November 16, 2012. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi/File
A seal hangs over a building at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts November 16, 2012. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi/File

Dr. Shaima Al-Zaidi, a scholarship student from the Faculty of Pharmacy at Taif University, conducted a critical care research study during her Harvard University residency, SPA said on Sunday.
The study found that using “Sugammadex” effectively reverses neuromuscular blockade outside surgical operations.
In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency(SPA), Dr. Shaima said that the drug “Sugammadex” was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2015 for use in surgical operations. She and her research team evaluated the uses of Sugammadex outside operating rooms and disseminated medical practices at Burgham Hospital, the second-largest teaching hospital at Harvard Medical School and the largest hospital in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts.
The research has been accepted for presentation at the Critical Care Medical Conference, and the results will be published in Arizona in January 2024.
Dr. Shaima also praised the hospital for its excellence, citing how it provided her with opportunities to learn about the latest medical experiments in creating various medicines, thereby enhancing her experience. She expressed gratitude to the Saudi leadership for investing in human resources by enrolling professionals from renowned international universities across different specialties.
Dr. Shaimaa was honored with the Scientific Excellence Award and graduated among the first in the professional Ph.D. program in pharmacy at the Medical University of South Carolina. Subsequently, she joined the general pharmacy residency program at Brigham Hospital, affiliated with Harvard Medical University. Currently, she is completing a specialty residency program in critical care at the same hospital.



‘Less Snow’: Warm January Weather Breaks Records in Moscow

A woman walks with a stroller near a pond during warm weather in Moscow, Russia, 28 January 2025. (EPA)
A woman walks with a stroller near a pond during warm weather in Moscow, Russia, 28 January 2025. (EPA)
TT

‘Less Snow’: Warm January Weather Breaks Records in Moscow

A woman walks with a stroller near a pond during warm weather in Moscow, Russia, 28 January 2025. (EPA)
A woman walks with a stroller near a pond during warm weather in Moscow, Russia, 28 January 2025. (EPA)

January 2025 is on track to be one of the warmest in Moscow on record, meteorologists reported on Wednesday, with two of the past days breaking all-time daily temperature highs.

Thermometer readings on Wednesday have not dipped below an "April-like" 3.8 degrees Celsius (38.8 Fahrenheit), much higher than the historical average below freezing, according to Russia's Phobos weather center.

Residents in the capital told AFP there was less snow for children to play with, and that there was "mud everywhere", making dog walks more challenging.

Experts warn more temperature records will be broken in the future as human-driven climate change disrupts global weather patterns.

"Of course, we don't like winter like this... Everything should be in moderation," 68-year-old pensioner Galina Kazakova told AFP in central Moscow.

"It is very bad for nature, because the snow should lie on the fields, so that it melts, so that everything grows well," she added.

Monday and Tuesday were the warmest of those dates since records started, while Wednesday is also set to beat its historical high, Russia's RBK news outlet reported, citing meteorologists.

"January, which is approaching a heat record, continues to surprise," meteorologist Mikhail Leus said on Telegram, posting a video of chanterelle mushrooms poking through patches of snow in the forest.

Central Russia's state meteorological service said Moscow was on track for its "second warmest January" since records began, beaten only by January 2020.

Russian state media reported January 2025 could be warmer than even that year.

Climatologist Alexey Karnaukhov was uncertain about whether this January would be the warmest.

"It's hard to say whether there will be a record. In 2020, there was no stable snow cover in Russia's midland either, and this year is not unique," Karnaukhov told AFP.

"We live in an era of global warming, warm years will become more and more frequent. Even if the current values turn out to be a record, it will definitely not be the last," he told AFP.

On the streets of the capital, residents expressed both joy and concern at the unseasonably warm weather.

"I like it all. It is very pleasant to walk," said 19-year-old student Olga Medvedeva.

"I like winter better the way it was," said Elena Aleksandrova, 73.

"We take the dog for walks, he likes to play in the snow too. Now where can you walk? There is mud everywhere."