Prevalence of overweight and obesity based on the body mass index; a cross-sectional study in Alkharj, Saudi Arabia

Background: Obesity and overweight are accompanied with several different chronic diseases. Overweight and obesity can be measured by using body mass index (BMI) and is also used widely as an index of relative adiposity among any population. The aim of the study is to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among general population in Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia.Methods: Cross-sectional analysis was undertaken from a representative sample (N = 1019) of the Al Kharj population. Anthropometric measurements including the waist circumference (in centimeters), height (in meters), and weight (in kilograms) of the subjects were undertaken by means of standard apparatus. SPSS 24.0 was utilized for statistical analysis of the data.Results: Majority of respondents in this study were overweight and obese (54.3%) compared with 45.7% being non-obese. A linear positive association of increasing BMI with older age groups was present in males and females. Men had larger waist circumference, weight and height measures as compared with their female counterparts. Regression analysis showed increasing age, being married and high serum cholesterol to be the significant predictors of overweight and obesity while gender, education level, job status, and having diabetes were not.Conclusions: The obesity-overweight prevalence in the Saudi population is high mainly across both genders. However, the associated factors are potentially preventable and modifiable. The regional barriers to lifestyle modifications and interventions to encourage active lifestyles, especially among adolescents to limit the occurrence of obesity and ultimately promote health and wellbeing, are warranted. Furthermore, prospective studies are needed in future to confirm the aetiological nature of such associations

Prevalence of prediabetes, diabetes and Its predictors among females in alkharj, saudi arabia: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions across the globe. Therefore, this study aims to determine the prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes, together with its accompanying risk factors, among young females. METHODS: An exploratory cross-sectional survey was conducted with 638 Saudi females in Alkharj, Saudi Arabia. Statistical analysis was carried out using STATA version 14. Odds ratios for the risk of diabetes and associated factors were calculated using log-binomial and multinomial logistic regression. Standardized prevalence and strata-specific prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes for different risk factors were also calculated. FINDINGS: The study revealed that nondiabetics and prediabetics were more prevalent between the ages of 18 and 24 years, while diabetic patients were consistently between 25 to 44 years of age. The average value for HbA1c in females was 5.44. Regression analysis shows that being older, married, obese, a smoker or less educated significantly increases the risk for both prediabetes and diabetes. Mutivariable analysis revealed obesity had a significant association with both prediabetes and diabetes. Prediabetics were 2.35 times more likely to be obese as compared to nondiabetics, with 95% CI (1.38-3.99). Similarly, diabetics were 6.67 times more likely to be obese compared to nondiabetics 95% CI (1.68-26.42). CONCLUSION: Our study shows the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes among females from Al Kharj was 3.8% and 18.8%, respectively. The diabetic and prediabetic female participants had higher mean BMI and waist circumference, were older in age, were married, and smoked as compared to nondiabetics. In the context of the findings of our study, and keeping in view the the burden of this disease globally and in our population, it has now become extremely important to understand these factors and encourage health-promoting behaviors to construct effective interventions

Prevalence of prediabetes, diabetes, and Its associated risk factors among males in Saudi Arabia: A population-based survey

Objectives: The study aims at determining the prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes and at ascertaining some concomitant risk factorsamong males in Saudi Arabia.Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study including 381 Saudi adult males from different institutions was recruited. Odds ratios for diabetes risk and risk factors were calculated using log-binomial and multinomial logistic regression, using STATA version 12.Results: The participants included 381 diabetic males with a median age of 45 years, average body mass index of 25 ± 40 kg/m2, whereas waist circumferences ranged from 66 to 180 cm in the male study population. In addition, 27.82% had normal BMI, 32.28% were overweight, and 36.22% were obese. Around 36% had higher waist circumference, that is, \u3e102 cm. Age, BMI, marital status, and educational attainment were statistically significant predictors for prediabetes and diabetes.Conclusion: This study found that the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes was 9.2% and 27.6%, respectively, for male Al-Kharj study population. The factors that increase the risk of diabetes and prediabetes include older age, obesity and overweight, being married, smoker, and having a civilian job and less education. All these factors were found statistically significant except smoking status and job type. In order to evaluate the causal relationship of these factors, prospective studies are required in future

Transcriptomic and metabolic responses of Calotropis procera to salt and drought stress

Background: Calotropis procera is a wild plant species in the family Apocynaceae that is able to grow in harsh, arid and heat stressed conditions. Understanding how this highly adapted plant persists in harsh environments should inform future efforts to improve the hardiness of crop and forage plant species. To study the plant response to droμght and osmotic stress, we treated plants with polyethylene glycol and NaCl and carried out transcriptomic and metabolomics measurements across a time-course of five days. Results: We identified a highly dynamic transcriptional response across the time-course including dramatic changes in inositol signaling, stress response genes and cytokinins. The resulting metabolome changes also involved sharp increases of myo-inositol, a key signaling molecule and elevated amino acid metabolites at later times. Conclusions: The data generated here provide a first glimpse at the expressed genome of C. procera, a plant that is exceptionally well adapted to arid environments. We demonstrate, through transcriptome and metabolome analysis that myo-inositol signaling is strongly induced in response to drought and salt stress and that there is elevation of amino acid concentrations after prolonged osmotic stress. This work should lay the foundations of future studies in adaptation to arid environments

Saudi-KAU Coupled Global Climate Model: Description and Performance

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Survival implications vs. complications: unraveling the impact of vitamin D adjunctive use in critically ill patients with COVID-19—A multicenter cohort study

BackgroundDespite insufficient evidence, vitamin D has been used as adjunctive therapy in critically ill patients with COVID-19. This study evaluates the effectiveness and safety of vitamin D as an adjunctive therapy in critically ill COVID-19 patients.MethodsA multicenter retrospective cohort study that included all adult COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs) between March 2020 and July 2021. Patients were categorized into two groups based on their vitamin D use throughout their ICU stay (control vs. vitamin D). The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes were the length of stay (LOS), mechanical ventilation (MV) duration, and ICU-acquired complications. Propensity score (PS) matching (1:1) was used based on the predefined criteria. Multivariable logistic, Cox proportional hazards, and negative binomial regression analyses were employed as appropriate.ResultsA total of 1,435 patients were included in the study. Vitamin D was initiated in 177 patients (12.3%), whereas 1,258 patients did not receive it. A total of 288 patients were matched (1:1) using PS. The in-hospital mortality showed no difference between patients who received vitamin D and the control group (HR 1.22, 95% CI 0.87–1.71; p = 0.26). However, MV duration and ICU LOS were longer in the vitamin D group (beta coefficient 0.24 (95% CI 0.00–0.47), p = 0.05 and beta coefficient 0.16 (95% CI −0.01 to 0.33), p = 0.07, respectively). As an exploratory outcome, patients who received vitamin D were more likely to develop major bleeding than those who did not [OR 3.48 (95% CI 1.10, 10.94), p = 0.03].ConclusionThe use of vitamin D as adjunctive therapy in COVID-19 critically ill patients was not associated with survival benefits but was linked with longer MV duration, ICU LOS, and higher odds of major bleeding

Efficacy of Lepidium sativum against carbon tetra chloride induced hepatotoxicity and determination of its bioactive compounds by GC–MS

Lepidium sativum seed (LSS) (family: Cruciferae) has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of jaundice, liver problems, spleen diseases and gastrointestinal disorders. It was also reported to possess antihypertensive, diuretic, anti-asthmatic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. Attempt has been made to study hepatoprotective potential of LSS available in Saudi Arabian Market. The aim of the present study was to determine the hepatoprotective effect of ethanolic extracts of LSS against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced acute liver injury in rats. The bioactive compounds responsible for this activity have been analyzed by GC–MS. To evaluate the hepatoprotective activity, six groups (n = 6) of rats were taken. First group was control, second was toxic and other groups received oral test solutions: 100 mg/kg silymarin, or LSS (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg), once daily for 7 consecutive days, followed by hepatotoxicity induction with CCl4. Blood and liver tissues were collected for biochemical, antioxidant and microscopic analyses. The bioactive constituents present in the extract were analyzed by GC–MS. Results showed that pretreatment with LSS and silymarin significantly reduced the level of serum alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and bilirubin (BIL), which was increased significantly in toxic group treated with only CCl4. Histological analysis of liver tissues in groups pretreated with LSS and silymarin showed mild necrosis and inflammation of the hepatocytes compared to the toxic group. GC–MS analysis of LSS showed the presence of twelve major fatty acids including alpha-linolenic acid as a major constituent. These results indicated that LSS exerts enhance hepatoprotective activity that could be attributed towards its antioxidant activity, coupled together with the presence of anti-inflammatory compounds in LSS extract