The Impact of Smartphone Addiction on Sleep Quality Among High School Students in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

Background Smartphones are Internet-accessible devices that everyone can use in any setting, and their popularity is growing. However, the pervasiveness of smartphone technology has raised concerns owing to its addictive effect among adolescents and its association with sleep quality and mental and physical health issues. Objectives This study aimed to determine the effect of smartphone addiction on sleep quality among secondary high schools in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Methods The study was conducted on high school students in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, using an analytical cross-sectional design, from January 2023 to August 2023. The study used a multistage stratified random sampling technique to select participants. The data were collected from an online self-administered survey and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). Results This study included 373 respondents. Among those, males represent two-thirds of the study population (66%), while females are 34%. The median age of the participants is 16 years old, and the interquartile range (IQR) is 6. Our results show that the median number of hours spent on mobile phones is six per day, and the IQR is 5. Furthermore, our findings reveal that the mean Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV) score is 38.5 ± 10.8 out of 60, and the average global PSQI score is 6.63 ± 3.03 out of 21. The results show that the study participants have problems using smartphones longer than they intended, constantly checking them, and missing planned works due to smartphone use. There is a positive correlation between smartphone addiction and sleep quality (r = 0.261; p < 0.001), indicating that the respondents have worse sleep quality when smartphone addiction and the global PSQI increased. Conclusion Our study concluded that high school students in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, have high smartphone addiction. Moreover, high smartphone addiction is significantly associated with poor sleep quality. This study can help with the development of measures to improve better sleep quality among high school students.

Regulatory effects of ketogenic diet on the inflammatory response in obese Saudi women.

Objective: In recent years, the use of a ketogenic diet (KD) against obesity has gained popularity in KSA. This study was designed to determine the impact of KD on anthropometric indices and on the abnormal regulation of inflammatory activities in obese Saudi women. Moreover, we investigated the potential of beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) supplementation on the inhibition of pro-inflammatory activities. Methods: We enrolled 31 Saudi women (aged, 35.3 ± 8.4 years) with an average BMI of 33.96 ± 4.44 kg/m2 underwent an 8-week KD (8KD) from January to March 2021. Changes in anthropometric measurements were collected at baseline and after 4-8 weeks of intervention. Compliance with the dietary regimen was monitored weekly by plasma BHB level. Results: Twenty-nine females commenced the diets and 23 completed the study (a 79% completion rate). In comparison to pre-intervention, the 8KD resulted in a significant increase in the levels of plasma BHB (P < 0.001) throughout the duration of the trial. This was accompanied by a significant reduction in weight loss (7.7 kg ± 11.3; P < 0.001), BMI, waist circumference (P < 0.001), and levels of the inflammatory cytokine IL-1ß (P < 0.001). Conclusions: An 8-week KD was found to be useful in producing a positive impact on anthropometric indices, biochemical and inflammatory processes. This study indicated that the intake of a KD by obese Saudi women induced the release of BHB in the blood without stimulation of an overall starvation response. This may be useful to alleviate the severity of chronic inflammatory disorders associated with obesity.

Role of diffusion-weighted MRI in Neuro-Behcet`s disease.

We report the findings on serial diffusion-weighted MRI in a 29-year-old male with neuro-Behcet`s disease. Initial T2-weighted and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images showed a hyperintense lesion in the brain stem. The lesion showed slight hyperintensity on diffusion-weighted images with no evidence of diffusion restriction on apparent diffusion coefficient maps. A follow up study after 7 months showed complete resolution of the brain stem lesion. Our findings indicate that diffusion-weighted imaging is a useful tool to differentiate acute exacerbation of neuro-Behcet`s disease from acute infarction, and therefore it helps in selecting the appropriate therapy.