INVESTIGATION OF ALUMINUM TOXICITY AMONG WORKERS IN ALUMINUM INDUSTRY SECTOR

The study was conducted to evaluate urine aluminum concentration among a total of 150 participants (80 aluminum technicians and 70 non- aluminum technicians as a control). Data were collected through a previously prepared questionnaire which consists of two parts. The first part concerned with demographic data such as age and nationality. The second part concerned with occupational data such as working hours, working years, smoking, and diseases. The mean concentration of aluminum is 51.62+ 29.59 μg/l and the mean concentration of group control 16.32 + 12.49 μg/l. The following variables were associated significantly with aluminum concentration: age, weekly working hours, smoking and daily smoking packets.According to our study, aluminum workers have high concentrations of urine aluminum compared with other studies, in addition to that the incidence of diseases in relation to exposure is low, simply because: 1-Self reported questionnaires may be not a proper way to collect data about diseases. 2- Traditional surveillance approaches used in public health practice are difficult to apply to metals poisoning because adverse health effects related to metal exposure may not be clinically diagnosed, except at very high exposure levels, and are not usually listed as reportable diseases.Finally Special safety precautions and educational programs are also needed to limit the aluminum exposure in this industrial group

Low Citrate Synthase Activity Is Associated with Glucose Intolerance and Lipotoxicity

This work was supported by Saudi Ministry of Higher Education Grant (to Y.A.), NHS Grampian Endowment Grant (no. 12/21) (to A.R. and S.R.G.), Kuwait Ministry of Health grant (to M.A.T.), and European Social Fund under the Global Grant Measure (VP1-3.1-ŠMM-07-K-02-057) (to A.L. and A.R.). The authors thank Shona Fleming of the School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, for the technical assistance during their study. The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request. A corrigendum for this article has been published.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Nuclear factor I-C overexpression promotes monocytic development and cell survival in acute myeloid leukemia

Nuclear factor I-C (NFIC) belongs to a family of NFI transcription factors that binds to DNA through CAATT-boxes and are involved in cellular differentiation and stem cell maintenance. Here we show NFIC protein is significantly overexpressed in 69% of acute myeloid leukemia patients. Examination of the functional consequences of NFIC overexpression in HSPCs showed that this protein promoted monocytic differentiation. Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis further demonstrated that NFIC overexpressing monocytes had increased expression of growth and survival genes. In contrast, depletion of NFIC through shRNA decreased cell growth, increased cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in AML cell lines and AML patient blasts. Further, in AML cell lines (THP-1), bulk RNA sequencing of NFIC knockdown led to downregulation of genes involved in cell survival and oncogenic signaling pathways including mixed lineage leukemia-1 (MLL-1). Lastly, we show that NFIC knockdown in an ex vivo mouse MLL::AF9 pre-leukemic stem cell model, decreased their growth and colony formation and increased expression of myeloid differentiation markers Gr1 and Mac1. Collectively, our results suggest that NFIC is an important transcription factor in myeloid differentiation as well as AML cell survival and is a potential therapeutic target in AML

Integrated nuclear proteomics and transcriptomics identifies S100A4 as a therapeutic target in acute myeloid leukemia

Inappropriate localization of proteins can interfere with normal cellular function and drive tumor development. To understand how this contributes to the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), we compared the nuclear proteome and transcriptome of AML blasts with normal human CD34+ cells. Analysis of the proteome identified networks and processes that significantly affected transcription regulation including misexpression of 11 transcription factors with seven proteins not previously implicated in AML. Transcriptome analysis identified changes in 40 transcription factors but none of these were predictive of changes at the protein level. The highest differentially expressed protein in AML nuclei compared with normal CD34+ nuclei (not previously implicated in AML) was S100A4. In an extended cohort, we found that over-expression of nuclear S100A4 was highly prevalent in AML (83%; 20/24 AML patients). Knock down of S100A4 in AML cell lines strongly impacted their survival whilst normal hemopoietic stem progenitor cells were unaffected. These data are the first analysis of the nuclear proteome in AML and have identified changes in transcription factor expression or regulation of transcription that would not have been seen at the mRNA level. These data also suggest that S100A4 is essential for AML survival and could be a therapeutic target in AML

Prevalence of Low Back Pain and Associated Risk Factors among Saudi Arabian Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

Low back pain is the most prevalent musculoskeletal condition. Studies on adolescent low back pain are scarce, with no research to determine its prevalence in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated risk factors of low back pain in Saudi Arabian adolescents. This cross-sectional study was conducted among Saudi Arabian high school students, which included demographic data, medical and low back pain history. The completed survey by 2000 participants showcased 57.9% of students experiencing low back pain in the last 12 months. This included 31.2% men and 26.7% women. This study found a link between low back pain and age, clinical symptoms of diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, thyroid disease, arthritis, and back surgery, a family history of low back pain, as well as smoking. There is substantial prevalence of low back pain in Saudi Arabian adolescents. This study identified several modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors stemming from adolescent low back pain

Fluoride level in drinking water and prevalence of dental fluorosis and dental caries among the school children: A descriptive cross-sectional study

Background: Fluoride is very critical for the normal development and caries resistance of enamel. However, fluoride level above1 part per million (PPM) will result in enamel hypoplasia. Aim: The study aims to estimate the fluoride level in the drinkingwater and the prevalence of dental fluorosis and dental caries among the schoolchildren in Al-Zulfi and Majmaah areas in Riyadhprovince of Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: Drinking water samples were analyzed from the study area, and screeningcamps were conducted for schoolchildren between 7 and 15 years of age, and 157 children were included in the study using simplerandom sampling. Written consent from the parents was obtained. The collected data were subjected to statistical analysis usingSPSS version 21. Results: The drinking water sample showed a fluoride level between 0.56 PPM and 0.09 PPM and 39 children(24.8%) had fluorosis. 9 (23%) of them had fluorosis in primary dentition and 30 in permanent dentition (76.9%). A mean of totalnumber of caries in permanent teeth is 1.87 and 2.35 in primary teeth. Conclusion: The drinking water in the study area hadfluoride below the optimal level with an increased prevalence of dental caries. However, the presence of dental fluorosis could beattributed to other sources of dietary fluorides. This research highlights the necessity for maintaining optimum level of fluoridein drinking water and monitoring fluoride intake from other dietary sources

Betulin prevents high fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by mitigating oxidative stress and upregulating Nrf2 and SIRT1 in rats

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common chronic hepatic disorder characterized by hepatic lipid accumulation. This study explored the effect of betulin (BE), a terpenoid with promising antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and insulin sensitizing effects, on NAFLD induced by high fat diet (HFD). Rats received HFD and BE (15 and 30 mg/kg) for 12 weeks and blood and liver samples were collected for analyses. HFD caused hyperlipidemia, cholesterol and triglycerides accumulation in the liver, hepatocellular ballooning, fibrosis, insulin resistance (IR), lipid peroxidation (LPO), and NF-kB p65 upregulation. BE ameliorated serum and liver lipids, blood glucose and insulin, liver LPO, prevented steatosis and fibrosis, suppressed NF-kB p65 and enhanced antioxidants in HFD-fed rats. BE downregulated acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC1) and fatty acid synthase (FAS), and upregulated Nrf2, HO-1 and SIRT1 in the liver of HFD-fed rats. In silico investigations revealed the binding affinity of BE towards FAS, NF-kB, Keap1, HO-1 and SIRT1. In conclusion, BE attenuated HFD-induced NAFLD by ameliorating hyperlipidemia, IR, lipogenesis, liver lipid accumulation, and oxidative stress. The protective effect of BE was associated with enhanced Nrf2/HO-1 signaling and SIRT1

Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Arabic Version of the Mini-BESTest among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Saudi Arabia

Backgrounds: The Mini-BESTest is a clinical assessment of balance impairment; however, the translation and psychometric properties in the Arabic-speaking population have not yet been investigated. The purpose of this study was to translate into Arabic and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Mini-BESTest in Saudi community-dwelling older adults. Methods: This is a cross-sectional transcultural adaptation and validation study. A total of 144 community-dwelling older adults were enrolled (mean age = 66.2 ± 6.2 years). The translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Mini-BESTest from English to Arabic was performed using standardized guidelines. Test–retest reliability was examined using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) with one week between test and retest. The internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. Construct validity of the Mini-BESTest was assessed using balance such as Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I). Results: The Arabic version of the Mini-BESTest showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.93). The scale shows excellent test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.99, 95% CI, 0.98–0.99) and excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.93, 95% CI, 0.70–0.97), which is indicative of the measure’s stability and repeatability. Mini-BESTest total scores showed an excellent inter-rater agreement. There was a significant correlation between total score of the Mini-BESTest and BBS (r = 0.72; p < 0.001). Mini-BESTest had a moderate association with FES-I. Conclusion: The Arabic version of the Mini-BESTest is a reliable and valid test for assessing balance in older adults. More research is needed to confirm the test’s reliability and validity in a specific population, such as those with neurological problems

Evaluation of Change in Knowledge and Attitude of Emergency Medicine Residents after Introduction of a Rotation in Emergency Medical Services and Disaster Medicine

Background: Saudi Board of Emergency Medicine (SBEM) graduates are involved in a 1-month rotation in emergency medical services (EMSs) and disaster medicine. The purpose of this study was to evaluate change in knowledge and attitude of EM residents after the introduction of the EMS and disaster medicine rotation. Materials and Methods: The study included 32 3rd-year SBEM residents. A pretest/posttest design and a five-point Likert scale were used. The data included a response to a questionnaire developed by EMS and disaster experts. The questionnaire was distributed on the 1st day of the rotation and 45 days after. Satisfaction questionnaires were distributed after the rotation. The data were analyzed using SPSS 20. Results: Twenty-five residents responded to the satisfaction survey (75%). The overall satisfaction with the course modules was high; the course content showed the highest level of satisfaction (96%), and the lowest satisfaction was for the air ambulance ride outs (56%). The results of the pre-/post-test questionnaire showed an increase of 18.5% in the residents mean score (P < 0.001). In the open-ended section, the residents requested that the schedule is distributed before the course start date, to have more field and hands-on experience, and to present actual disaster incidents as discussion cases. The residents were impressed with the organization and diversity of the lectures, and to a lesser extent for the ambulance ride outs and the mass casualty incident drill l. Seventy-one percent indicated that they would recommend this course to other residents. Conclusion/Recommendation: This study showed that a structured course in EMS and disaster medicine had improved knowledge and had an overall high level of satisfaction among the residents of the SBEM. Although overall satisfaction and improvement in knowledge were significant, there are many areas in need of better organization