Public knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards herbal medicines; a cross-sectional study in Western Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Herbal medicines, derived from medicinal plants, are among the most popular alternative remedies around the globe. In Saudi Arabia, herbal medicines are extensively used by public as part of the culture as well as religious norms. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding herbal medicines among the general population in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional survey study was conducted on the general population of Jeddah city with the help of a validated and self-administered questionnaire. Sample size was calculated to be 450 with subjects between 20 and 60 years of either gender. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. RESULTS: Results of our data showed that 173 (42.2%) of the total participants used herbal medicines, however, significant association was found between female gender and the usage of herbal medicines (p < 0.001). Approximately, more than half (56.0%) of the respondents agreed that herbal medicines could be used to promote health and treat illnesses, and 45% respondents agreed that herbal medicines are safe. 153 (37.4%) of the participants opined that herbal medicines could be taken with conventional or allopathic medicine. The data also showed a significant (p < 0.05) association between knowledge about the source of herbal medicine and gender where females were found to have more knowledge compared to males. Moreover, a significantly higher number of chronic disease patients were using herbal medicines compared to individuals with no medical problems (p < 0.001). Strikingly, majority (n = 204; 49.9%) of the respondents used herbal medicines as a first choice when sick, while a good number (n = 172; 42.1%) of respondents did not consult doctors before taking herbal medicines. CONCLUSION: The use of herbal medicines is common among the general population of Jeddah. Although most of the participants believed that the herbal medicines are safe and do not require consultation, there is a dire need to increase awareness as well as to establish effective strategies to evaluate the safety, efficacy and quality of the herbal medicines for propitious consequences of this commonly used entity in the local society.

Clinical and Laboratory Findings of COVID-19 in High-Altitude Inhabitants of Saudi Arabia.

Background: SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, continues to cause a worldwide pandemic, with more than 147 million being affected globally as of this writing. People's responses to COVID-19 range from asymptomatic to severe, and the disease is sometimes fatal. Its severity is affected by different factors and comorbidities of the infected patients. Living at a high altitude could be another factor that affects the severity of the disease in infected patients. Methods: In the present study, we have analyzed the clinical, laboratory, and radiological findings of COVID-19-infected patients in Taif, a high-altitude region of Saudi Arabia. In addition, we compared matched diseased subjects to those living at sea level. We hypothesized that people living in high-altitude locations are prone to develop a more severe form of COVID-19 than those living at sea level. Results: Age and a high Charlson comorbidity score were associated with increased numbers of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and mortality among COVID-19 patients. These ICU admissions and fatalities were found mainly in patients with comorbidities. Rates of leukocytosis, neutrophilia, higher D-dimer, ferritin, and highly sensitive C-reactive protein (CRP) were significantly higher in ICU patients. CRP was the most independent of the laboratory biomarkers found to be potential predictors of death. COVID-19 patients who live at higher altitude developed a less severe form of the disease and had a lower mortality rate, in comparison to matched subjects living at sea level. Conclusion: CRP and Charlson comorbidity scores can be considered predictive of disease severity. People living at higher altitudes developed less severe forms of COVID-19 disease than those living at sea level, due to a not-yet-known mechanism.

The mouse wellhaarig (we) mutations result from defects in epidermal-type transglutaminase 3 (Tgm3).

The recessive wellhaarig (we) mutations, named for the wavy coat and curly whiskers they generate in homozygotes, have previously been mapped on mouse Chromosome 2. To further limit the possible location of the we locus, we crossed hybrid (C57BL/6×AKR)F1, we(4J)/+ females with AKR, we(4J)/we(4J) mutant males to create a large backcross family that was typed for various microsatellite markers and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that distinguish strains AKR and B6. This analysis restricted the location of we(4J) between sites that flank only one gene known to be expressed in skin: epidermal-type transglutaminase 3 (Tgm3). To test Tgm3 as a candidate for the basis of the wellhaarig phenotype we took two approaches. First, we sequenced all Tgm3 coding regions in mice homozygous for four independent, naturally-occurring wellhaarig alleles (we, we(Bkr), we(3J) and we(4J)) and found distinct defects in three of these mutants. Second, we crossed mice homozygous for an induced mutant allele of Tgm3 (Tgm3(Btlr)) with mice heterozygous for one of the wellhaarig alleles we possess (we(4J) or we(Bkr)) to test for complementation. Because the progeny inheriting both a recessive we allele and a recessive Tgm3(Btlr) allele displayed wavy hair, we conclude that the classic wellhaarig mutations result from defects in Tgm3.