Anthropometrics and Plasma Atherogenic Index in Saudi Women Madinah KSA.

Objective: to determine the lipid profile levels and association with anthropometric measurements and atherogenic index of plasma values in females from Taibah University. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2019 to January 2020 at the female section of Taibah University, located in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. The study sample consisted of 240 females ranging from 19 to 50 years. Measurements related to anthropometry such as height, weight, waist, and hip circumference, were calculated. Body Mass Index, Lipid profiles, and Atherogenic Index of Plasma were also measured. Results: Almost 73.4% of the participants were obese and overweight, with a mean BMI of 28.79±5.7 kg/m2. Overweight and obese women were observed to have high total cholesterol and triglyceride levels (P≤0.05). Out of 244 participants, 120 (49.2%) and 44 (18%) were at intermediate and high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), respectively, as determined by the atherogenic index of plasma AIP. Intermediate and high-risk CVD groups had higher lipid profile levels and high waist-to-hip ratio compared to those in females at low risk (P≤0.05). AIP was positively and significantly associated with total cholesterol and triglyceride but negatively correlated with HDL concentration. Furthermore, the BMI had significantly positive correlation with triglyceride and waist to hip ratio (P≤0.05). Conclusion: The majority of the participants were overweight and obese, with high levels of triglycerides and total cholesterol and high waist to hip ratio, placing them at intermediate or high risk of CVD based on AIP values. Additional CVD risk screenings, targeted specifically at overweight and obese women, are needed.

Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of early COVID-19 deaths in Almadinah Almonawarah, Saudi Arabia: An analytical cross-sectional study.

Background and Objective: Identification of clinical characteristics and risk factors for mortality in COVID-19 is important for early detection and precise case management. The study aimed to describe the sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of in-hospital COVID-19 deaths in Almadinah Almonawarah city, Saudi Arabia, and to identify risk factors for early mortality among them. Methods: This is an analytical cross-sectional study. The main outcomes were demographic and clinical characteristics of COVID 19 patients who died from March till December 2020, during the hospital stay. We collected 193 records of COVID-19 patients, from two major hospitals in Al Madinah region, Saudi Arabia. Descriptive and inferential analysis were performed to identify and relate the factors of early death. Results: Out of the total deaths, 110 died during the first 14 days of admission (Early death group) and 83 died after 14 days of admission (Late death group). Early death group had a significantly higher percentages of old age patients (p=0.027) and males (72.7%). Comorbidities were found in 166 (86%) of cases. Multimorbidity were significantly higher in early deaths than in late deaths 74.5% (p=<0.001). Women had significantly higher mean values of CHA2SD2 comorbidity scores (3.28 versus 1.89 for men; p <0.001). Moreover, predictors of high comorbidity scores were older age (p=0.005), higher respiratory rate (p=0.035), and raised alanine transaminase (p=0.047). Conclusion: Old age, comorbid illness, and severe respiratory involvement were prevalent among COVID-19 deaths. Comorbidity scores were significantly higher in women. Comorbidity was found to be significantly more associated with early deaths.

Osteogenic Response of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Analysed Using Combined Intracellular and Extracellular Metabolomic Monitoring.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The skeleton is a metabolically active organ undergoing continuous remodelling initiated by mesenchymal progenitors present in bone and bone marrow. Under certain pathological conditions this remodelling balance shifts towards increased resorption resulting in weaker bone microarchitecture, and there is consequently a therapeutic need to identify pathways that could inversely enhance bone formation from stem cells. Metabolomics approaches recently applied to stem cell characterisation could help identify new biochemical markers involved in osteogenic differentiation. METHODS: Combined intra- and extracellular metabolite profiling was performed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) on human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) undergoing osteogenic differentiation in vitro. Using a combination of univariate and multivariate analyses, changes in metabolite and nutrient concentration were monitored in cultures under osteogenic treatment over 10 days. RESULTS: A subset of differentially detected compounds was identified in differentiating cells, suggesting a direct link to metabolic processes involved in osteogenic response. CONCLUSION: These results highlight new metabolite candidates as potential biomarkers to monitor stem cell differentiation towards the bone lineage.

Targeting Glutamine Synthesis Inhibits Stem Cell Adipogenesis in Vitro.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body and has a metabolic role as a precursor for protein, amino sugar and nucleotide synthesis. After glucose, glutamine is the main source of energy in cells and has recently been shown to be an important carbon source for de novo lipogenesis. Glutamine is synthesized by the enzyme glutamine synthetase, a mitochondrial enzyme that is active during adipocyte differentiation suggesting a regulatory role in this process. The aim of our study was therefore to investigate whether glutamine status impacts on the differentiation of adipocytes and lipid droplet accumulation. METHODS: Mouse mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were submitted to glutamine deprivation (i.e. glutamine-free adipogenic medium in conjunction with irreversible glutamine synthetase inhibitor, methionine sulfoximine - MSO) during differentiation and their response was compared with MSCs differentiated in glutamine-supplemented medium (5, 10 and 20 mM). Differentiated MSCs were assessed for lipid content using Oil Red O (ORO) staining and gene expression was analysed by qPCR. Intracellular glutamine levels were determined using a colorimetric assay, while extracellular glutamine was measured using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). RESULTS: Glutamine deprivation largely abolished adipogenic differentiation and lipid droplet formation. This was accompanied with a reduction in intracellular glutamine concentration, and downregulation of gene expression for classical adipogenic markers including PPARγ. Furthermore, glutamine restriction suppressed isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) gene expression, an enzyme which produces citrate for lipid synthesis. In contrast, glutamine supplementation promoted adipogenic differentiation in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the glutamine pathway may have a previously over-looked role in adipogenesis. The underlying mechanism involved the glutamine-IDH1 pathway and could represent a potential therapeutic strategy to treat excessive lipid accumulation and thus obesity.

Non-destructive characterisation of mesenchymal stem cell differentiation using LC-MS-based metabolite footprinting.

Bone regeneration is a complex biological process where major cellular changes take place to support the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal bone progenitors. To characterise these biological changes and better understand the pathways regulating the formation of mature bone cells, the metabolic profile of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation in vitro has been assessed non-invasively during osteogenic (OS) treatment using a footprinting technique. Liquid chromatography (LC)-mass spectrometry (MS)-based metabolite profiling of the culture medium was carried out in parallel to mineral deposition and alkaline phosphatase activity which are two hallmarks of osteogenesis in vitro. Metabolic profiles of spent culture media with a combination of univariate and multivariate analyses investigated concentration changes of extracellular metabolites and nutrients linked to the presence of MSCs in culture media. This non-invasive LC-MS-based analytical approach revealed significant metabolic changes between the media from control and OS-treated cells showing distinct effects of MSC differentiation on the environmental footprint of the cells in different conditions (control vs. OS treatment). A subset of compounds was directly linked to the osteogenic time-course of differentiation, and represent interesting metabolite candidates as non-invasive biomarkers for characterising the differentiation of MSCs in a culture medium.

Neonatal Group B Streptococcus infection at a single center in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the occurrence of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection in neonates and its associated risk factors in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This retrospective study was carried out at the Maternity and Child Hospital in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, between 2017-2022. The laboratory and clinical data of 64 neonates were collected and analyzed using GraphPad Prism 7 software. RESULTS: Out of 16,022 neonates admitted to the nursery, 64 infants were diagnosed with GBS infection. Approximately 53.1% were male, 46.9% female, 15.6% were preterm, and 84.4% were full-term. Vaginal births accounted for 71.9%. The mean onset age was 10±12.4 days. Among the GBS patients, 53.1% had early-onset disease (EOD, 0-6 days), while 46.9% had late-onset disease (LOD, 7-90 days). Unexamined mothers had a higher incidence of GBS and EOD newborns (p=0.05). Meningitis was more common in LOD than EOD patients and correlated with illness onset (p=0.05). Early-onset disease patients had a higher incidence of sepsis. The mortality rate was 10.9%, while 89.1% were discharged from the hospital. CONCLUSION: Neonatal GBS infection is prevalent in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah. Several risk factors may contribute to the occurrence of GBS infection including preterm labor, higher body temperature during delivery, prolonged premature rupture of membranes for more than 18 hours, and GBS bacteriuria. We recommend that larger multi-centric studies are needed in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, to study the magnitude of neonatal GBS infection and risk factors to develop a screening protocol in maternity and children's hospital.

The measured healthy lifestyle habits among Saudi university females in Medina, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study.

Lifestyle plays a crucial role in shaping an individual's health outcomes, we aim to calculate the prevalence of lifestyle habits among female populations in the College of Medicine, Taibah University including poor dietary habits, lack of physical activity (PA), poor coping with stress, and impaired sleep patterns and to find factors that are correlated to them. A cross-sectional study was conducted among Saudi females at the College of Medicine, Taibah University, from January 1 to June 1, 2023. Data were collected through interviewing them using validated questionnaires assessing 5 different lifestyle domains. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 21.0. A total of 263 cases were interviewed. The mean age was 22 ±â€…8.4 years old. The average sleep quality measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index of 2.6 ±â€…1.1, suggesting relative difficulty in sleep quality. A total of 68.6% participated in moderate PA. Dietary habits indicated a high prevalence of consumption of sweets, and fast meals, alongside low intake of fruits and vegetables. Emotional well-being, as assessed by the World Health Organization-5 questionnaire, yielded an average score of 7.8 ±â€…5.7, 58.9% moderate stress, and 8% high perceived stress. Adequate sleep quality is crucial for well-being, necessitating lifestyle modifications, particularly weight management, to address sleep disorders. Varied PA levels (46% meeting recommendations) highlight the need for standardized guidelines and tailored interventions. The high prevalence of unhealthy dietary habits underscores the importance of targeted nutritional interventions. Stress prevalence (40%) emphasizes the need for individualized stress management strategies.

Predictive Factors and Interventional Modalities of Post-stroke Motor Recovery: An Overview.

Stroke is the most common cause of motor impairment worldwide. Therefore, many factors are being investigated for their predictive and facilitatory effects on recovery of motor function after stroke. Motor recovery can be predicted through several factors, such as clinical assessment, clinical biomarkers, and gene-based variations. As for interventions, many methods are under experimental investigation that aim to improve motor recovery, including different types of pharmacological interventions, non-invasive stimulation, and rehabilitation training by inducing cortical reorganization, neuroplasticity, angiogenesis, changing the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain, and altering the inflammatory and apoptotic processes occurring after stroke. Studies have shown that clinical biomarkers combined with clinical assessment and gene-based variations are reliable factors for predicting motor recovery after stroke. Moreover, different types of interventions such as pharmacological agents (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors {SSRI}, noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors {NARIs}, levodopa, and amphetamine), non-invasive stimulation, and rehabilitation training have shown significant results in improving functional and motor recovery.

Dietary knowledge assessment among the patients with type 2 diabetes in Madinah: A cross-sectional study .

Background: There is a huge burden of nutrition-related non-communicable diseases, and diabetes is one of the leading chronic nutrition-related diseases affecting more than 500 million people globally. Collecting information regarding the awareness of dietary and nutrition knowledge among diabetic patients is the first step to developing a disease prevention program. Thus, this study primarily aims at assessing the dietary awareness of diabetes patients attending the diabetic centre in Madinah governorate, Saudi Arabia. Methods: The study was started in November 2020 and ended in October 2021. The study participants (315) were type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients attending a diabetic centre in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. A self-prepared dietary knowledge questionnaire (DKQ) was used in this research. The variables include balanced diet, food type, food choice, carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Knowledge score was, and the total score was levelled/categorized into 'good', 'average', and 'poor'. Data were analysed by SPSS v.26. Results: The study results identified the current knowledge of T2DM patients about different dietary items. The knowledge score of 62.2% of participants showed an average level of dietary knowledge, which is statistically significant. When we separately evaluated their understanding of different dietary components, we found that T2DM patients had poor knowledge of carbohydrates (30.15%), fat, food choices (47.7%), and type (34.6%). However, they had acceptable knowledge of proteins (56.5%). Conclusion: Our participants exhibited acceptable knowledge about proteins but poorer knowledge of other food groups. A healthy, well-balanced diet is essential for excellent glycaemic control. Educating and arranging a health education program regarding dietary knowledge is recommended, specially designed for diabetic patients so that patients can opt for a healthier lifestyle.

Hypoglycemia unawareness among insulin-treated diabetic patients in Madinah, Saudi Arabia: prevalence and risk factors.

Background: Hypoglycemia unawareness (HU) is associated with significant risks. Screening for impaired awareness of hypoglycemia in patients with diabetes is important to minimize those risks. There are limited data on the prevalence of HU in patients with diabetes in Saudi Arabia (KSA). In the current study, we investigated the frequency of HU and its risk factors among insulin treated diabetic patients in Madinah, KSA. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a diabetes center and four primary healthcare centers at Madinha, KSA. Patients ≥14 years old with type 1 or type 2 diabetes treated with insulin for more than a year were included. HU was assessed by Clarke's and modified Pedersen-Bjergaard's scores. The risk factors for HU were determined. Results: Of the 413 included patients, 60.3% were women, and 60.8% were on insulin alone. One-third of the participants had T1DM, while 68.5% had T2DM, with median ages of 25 and 56 years, diabetes durations of 10 and 15 years, and durations of insulin use of 10 and 5 years, respectively. The prevalence of HU was 25.2% by Clarke's survey. The risk factors for HU were poor knowledge of the patient's latest HbA1c, type of insulin, and dose of insulin. Poor medical follow-up, previous stroke, and ischemic heart disease were the other risk factors for HU. When the modified Pedersen-Bjergaard method was used, the prevalence of HU was 48.9%. Conclusion: Despite the advances in diabetes management, HU continues to be prevalent among diabetic patients on insulin, and poor diabetes knowledge is a major risk factor. Diabetes education on self-management is of utmost importance to reduce hypoglycemia and HU.

The Effect of Weaning Practices on the Nutritional and Health Status of Saudi Preschool Children.

Background Weaning is a complex procedure that gradually introduces complementary foods to the baby's diet. Solid food should be started between the ages of 6 and 12 months. Weaning is a challenging and crucial stage in an infant's development. Extreme caution should be used during weaning an infant because delaying it can cause issues like sluggish growth, difficulties feeding, malnutrition, and iron deficiency. Objective The current study aims to determine the impact of delayed or early weaning practices on the nutritional status of preschool children in Saudi Arabia. Data was gathered about the time of complementary food introduction, preferred foods in the initial stages, and a child's health compared to those practices.  Methodology By convenient sampling, a cross-sectional study was conducted to gather data from 385 parents of Saudi children at preschool age. Questionnaires were shared online. Data were recorded and analyzed on IBM Corp. Released 2012. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. Descriptive analysis and multivariate ANOVA (MANOVA) tests were performed. Results Only 6.23% of the infants were introduced to complimentary food at optimal age (6 to 12 months), whereas 85% were found to have delayed weaning. As per the BMI, 74.4% of preschool children were severely underweight, 53.6% of infants consumed pureed vegetables early during weaning, and 64% of infants were introduced to eggs and cheese within the first year of life. The timing, pattern, and food items of weaning had a significant (p<0.05) impact on general physical health, as 48.8% of children had pale skin, 46.9% felt tired, 36.5% had swollen joints, and 42% complained of itching and an upset stomach. Conclusion This study couldn't define the direction of significance. Further studies can be done on a larger scale where biochemical tests, and screening can be done on children to find if any significant health problem is prevailing, and the direction of association can be defined.

Parents' Awareness and Perception of Children's Eye Diseases in Madinah, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background The visual system becomes more susceptible to conditions causing abnormal binocular interaction or blurred visual input as it matures during the first six years of life. Therefore, detection and treatment of visual impairment at a young age can lower the burden of the condition in adulthood. According to estimates, there are 19 million children worldwide with visual impairment, and 1.4 million children suffer from blindness. One of the strategies to address blinding eye conditions and visual impairment is through health promotion. For children, the efficient way of intervention is through parents and their school environment. Therefore, the establishment of an effective health promotion model for addressing childhood blindness requires awareness building of parents and health care practices. Few studies were undertaken in Saudi Arabia to focus on the awareness of parents about childhood eye diseases and visual impairment. The aim of this study is to assess parents' awareness and perception of children's eye diseases in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in Madinah, Saudi Arabia, from January to December 2021. A self-administered questionnaire was randomly distributed to parents of children aged 15 and younger via WhatsApp. The survey consisted of four main sections: socio-demographic data, knowledge about eye care, knowledge about eye diseases, and eye care practice. Results The knowledge about eye diseases in children was of excellent grade in 20 parents (3.6%), good in 101 (18.2%), and poor in 434 (78.2%). Knowledge was good in 287 parents (51.7%) for amblyopia, 65 (11.7%) for childhood cataract, and 69 (12.4%) for childhood glaucoma. The attitude regarding children wearing spectacles and undergoing ophthalmic surgery when needed was positive in 427 (76.9%) and 474 (85.4%) parents, respectively. Over half of the participants (58.6%) had visited an ophthalmology clinic for the examination of their children. Doctors, campaigns, and social media were the preferred modes of receiving knowledge. Participants aged 51 years or over (p = 0.022), with a higher income level (p = 0.004), of Saudi origin (p = 0.036), and those with a child with an eye disease (p = 0.001) had significantly higher knowledge scores about childhood eye diseases. Conclusion The levels of knowledge, practice, and attitude among parents regarding pediatric eye diseases were unsatisfactory. Health promotion through utilizing parents' preferred modes of media could improve the eye care of children in the study area.

Cardiovascular Risk Awareness and Calculated 10-Year Risk Among Female Employees at Taibah University 2019.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the most common cause of death and disability worldwide. Saudi Arabia, one of the middle-income countries has a proportional CVD mortality rate of 37%. Knowledge about CVD and its modifiable risk factors is a vital pre-requisite to change the health attitudes, behaviors, and lifestyle practices of individuals. Therefore, we intended to assess the employee knowledge about risk of CVD, symptoms of heart attacks, and stroke, and to calculate their future 10-years CVD risk. An epidemiological, cross-sectional, community-facility based study was conducted. The women aged ≥40 years who are employees of Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah were recruited. A screening self-administrative questionnaire was distributed to the women to exclude those who are not eligible. In total, 222 women met the inclusion criteria and were invited for the next step for the determination of CVD risk factors by using WHO STEPS questionnaire: It is used for the surveillance of non-communicable disease risk factor, such as CVD. In addition, the anthropometric measurements and biochemical measurements were done. Based on the identified atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk factors and laboratory testing results, risk calculated used the Framingham Study Cardiovascular Disease (10-year) Risk Assessment. Data were analyzed using GraphPad Prism 7 software (GraphPad Software, CA, USA). The result showed the mean age of study sample was 55.6 ± 9.0 years. There was elevated percentage of obesity and rise in abdominal circumference among the women. Hypertension (HTN) was a considerable chronic disease among the participants where more than half of the sample had it, i.e., 53%. According to the ASCVD risk estimator, the study participants were distributed into four groups: 63.1% at low risk, 20.2% at borderline risk, 13.5% at intermediate risk, and 3.2% at high risk. A comparison between these categories based on the CVD 10-year risk estimator indicated that there were significant variations between the low-risk group and the intermediate and high-risk groups (P = 0.02 and P = 0.001, respectively). The multivariate analysis detected factors related to CVD risk for women who have an intermediate or high risk of CVD, such as age, smoking, body mass index (BMI), unhealthy diet, blood pressure (BP) measurements, and family history of CVD (P < 0.05). The present study reports limited knowledge and awareness of CVD was 8.6 that is considered as low knowledge. In conclusion, the present study among the university sample in Madinah reported limited knowledge and awareness of CVD risk. These findings support the need for an educational program to enhance the awareness of risk factors and prevention of CVD.

Psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care workers.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the magnitude of depression, anxiety, and stress among health care workers by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Almadinah Almunawwarah, KSA. METHODS: This cross-sectional study examined 122 health care workers between April and May 2020 through the electronic use of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) questionnaire, and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The perceptions of the participants towards stigmatisation of their profession during the COVID-19 pandemic were also assessed through a Likert's scale. The magnitude of anxiety, depression, and stress were analysed using a mean ± SD, correlation and percentages in respective statistics. A p value of <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: This study found that 32.9% of the healthcare workers frequently faced COVID-19 cases during the ongoing pandemic. As many as 35.6% were unusually anxious. A mean anxiety score of 8.43 ± 4.6 was noted, with significantly higher scores for women and those workers with inadequate training (p < 0.001 and 0.028). Moreover, a mean depression score of 7.6 ± 4.7 (p < 0.002) was recorded for the healthcare workers with inadequate training. About 27.9% of the participants were depressed. The mean stress score of the study cohort was 6.86 ± 2.5. From the cohort, 24.5% and 72.8% experienced mild and moderate stress, respectively. This study found that inadequate training for infection control was associated with a higher proportion of anxiety and depression [OR 1.86 (95% CI: 1.5-2.3; p < 0.043) and OR 2.21 (95% CI: 1.7-2.8; p < 0.018), respectively. CONCLUSION: This study found a high prevalence of anxiety, depression, and moderate stress among healthcare workers, regardless of their job specifications. The associated risk factors for anxiety and depression included inadequate training for infection control, and pre-existing stress-provoking medical conditions.