Prevalence and Risk Factors of Prediabetes in Young Saudi Females in a University Setting

BACKGROUND፡ Studies reporting prediabetes prevalence in young Saudis are almost a decade old. The present study determined prediabetes prevalence and its associated risk factors (body composition, lipid profile, blood pressure and physical activity) in young Saudi females.METHODS: Three hundred Saudi females (18-20 years old), studying in year 2 and 3 at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, were categorized as normoglycemic or prediabetic based on fasting plasma glucose criteria of World Health Organization (WHO) and American Diabetes Association (ADA). Anthropometric measurements, lipid profile, atherogenic indices, and physical activity data were compared. Association between fasting blood glucose and study variables was found by Bivariate analysis (Spearman Correlation for non-parametric variables and Pearson correlation for parametric) followed by Binary Logistic Regression analysis.RESULTS: Prevalence of prediabetes by WHO and ADA criteria were 11.3% and 18.7% respectively. Systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressures, waist circumference, waist-hip and waiststature-ratios were significantly raised in prediabetics compared to normoglycemic (WHO criteria p-values; 0.03, 0.003, 0.005, 0.01, 0.01, 0.04 respectively; ADA criteria 0.04, 0.001, 0.02, 0.02, 0.03, 0.01 respectively). For each unit increase in systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressures, and waist circumference, the odds of becoming prediabetic increased by a factor of 1.02, 1.05, 1.04 and 1.03 respectively by WHO criteria: and 1.01, 1.03, 1.02, and 1.02 respectively by ADA criteria. CONCLUSION: Substantial numbers of young females in our university are suffering from prediabetes. An increase in systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressures and waist circumference are significant risk factors for prediabetes in young females

On marginality and overcoming: Narrative, memory and identity among British Hazaras

The purpose of this research has been to examine narrative and identity among the Hazara community in England and Hazara transnational connections. Within this thesis I study two Hazara-specific narratives: one on ‘marginality’ and the other about ‘overcoming’ and how these narratives interact with Hazara conceptualisations of identity. These narratives both relate to Hazara history, in that the narrative of marginality relates to the subjugation of the community since the insurrection of Hazarajat and subsequent instances of discrimination and injustice, while the narrative of overcoming stems from the post-2001 gains of the community in Afghanistan. By engaging with these two very distinct community narratives this research allows for an exploration of individual self-identification, community articulations of what it means to ‘be Hazara’ and how the community chooses to present itself to the outside world. This is alongside showcasing an indigenous historiography of the community within the thesis, which is being documented by Hazaras online. Accordingly, this thesis begins with an introduction chapter which explains the rationale behind the research as well as contextualising the narratives of marginality and overcoming and their relevance to this research. This is followed by a literature review and a background chapter which details Afghan migration to Europe since the late 1970s, with a focus on Hazara migration to Britain, after which there are several findings chapters and a conclusion chapter. The findings chapters explore the contents of these narratives, how the community relates to them and the events which shape this historiography project, with various modes of communication and spaces forming the basis of these findings chapters. Therefore within this thesis these modes of communication and spaces can be understood as the following: oral history, religion, social media and community events. In turn this research contributes to the study of Hazaras in Europe, Hazara historiography and Hazara collective consciousness in the 21st Century

'Birds without legs': legal integration as potentiality for women of a Afghan-Turkmen family in Istanbul

This article examines how three generations of women in an Afghan–Turkmen family residing in Istanbul, Turkey, have experienced historical migration and legal integration. We deploy the concept of potentiality to convey these women’s experiences of legal integration as a particular form of existence that is, at times, expressed by them and other families of Afghan background with the Dari metaphor of being ‘birds without legs’. The metaphor conveys their constant mobility. Combining original ethnographic data with the analysis of historical works, we argue that families of Turkic ethnolinguistic backgrounds from Afghanistan residing in Turkey have been unable, and at times unwilling, to realize refuge, citizenship and settlement as the endpoint of their mobile trajectories

Use of Ondansetron for Prevention of Spinal Induced Hypotension

Objective: To compare the efficacy of prophylactic administration of Ondansetron before induction of spinal anesthesia with placebo, in preventing spinal induced hypotension. Patients and Methods: This Randomized Control trial was carried out at Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi from 29 April 2015 till 28 October 2015. A total of 106 patients were enrolled in the study. Patients in group A, received 6 mg Ondansetron. Patients in group B received normal saline. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded every 5 minutes after performing spinal anesthesia. The study drug was considered efficacious if absence of hypotension for 20 minutes was recorded after inducing spinal anaesthesia. Data was analyzed using SPSS 17. Results: Hypotension occurred in 7.5% cases in Ondansetron group compared to 28.3% in normal saline group (p=0.005). Conclusion: Ondansetron is effective in preventing spinal induced hypotension.&nbsp

The impact of diabetes mellitus on the emergence of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis and treatment failure in TB-diabetes comorbid patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundThe existence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) in tuberculosis (TB) patients is very dangerous for the health of patients. One of the major concerns is the emergence of MDR-TB in such patients. It is suspected that the development of MDR-TB further worsens the treatment outcomes of TB such as treatment failure and thus, causes disease progression.AimTo investigate the impact of DM on the Emergence of MDR-TB and Treatment Failure in TB-DM comorbid patients.MethodologyThe PubMed database was systematically searched until April 03, 2022 (date last searched). Thirty studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this study after a proper selection process.ResultsTuberculosis-Diabetes Mellitus patients were at higher risk to develop MDR-TB as compared to TB-non-DM patients (HR 0.81, 95% CI: 0.60–0.96, p < 0.001). Heterogeneity observed among included studies was moderate (I2 = 38%). No significant change was observed in the results after sub-group analysis by study design (HR 0.81, 95% CI: 0.61–0.96, p < 0.000). In the case of treatment failure, TB-DM patients were at higher risk to experience treatment failure rates as compared to TB-non-DM patients (HR 0.46, 95% CI: 0.27–0.67, p < 0.001).ConclusionThe results showed that DM had a significant impact on the emergence of MDR-TB in TB-diabetes comorbid patients as compared to TB-non-DM patients. DM enhanced the risk of TB treatment failure rates in TB-diabetes patients as compared to TB-non-DM patients. Our study highlights the need for earlier screening of MDR-TB, thorough MDR-TB monitoring, and designing proper and effective treatment strategies to prevent disease progression

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Medical and biomedical research productivity from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (2008-2012)

Background: Biomedical publications from a country mirror the standard of Medical Education and practice in that country. It is important that the performance of the health profession is occasionally documented. Aims: This study aimed to analyze the quantity and quality of biomedical publications from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in international journals indexed in PubMed between 2008 and 2012. Materials and Methods: PubMed was searched for publications associated with KSA from 2008 to 2012. The search was limited to medical and biomedical subjects. Results were saved in a text file and later checked carefully to exclude false positive errors. The quality of the publication was assessed using Journal Citation Report 2012. Results: Biomedical research production in KSA in those 5 years showed a clear linear progression. Riyadh was the main hub of medical and biomedical research activity. Most of the publications (40.9%) originated from King Saud University (KSU). About half of the articles were published in journals with an Impact Factor (IF) of < 1, one-fourth in journals with no IF, and the remaining one-fourth in journals with a high IF (≥1). Conclusion: This study revealed that research activity in KSA is increasing. However, there is an increasing trend of publishing in local journals with a low IF. More effort is required to promote medical research in Saudi Arabia

Hazara representation in popular culture

This post explores the representation of the Hazara community in popular culture, using the examples of a novel The Kite Runner, a TV talent show Sitara-e Afghan (Afghan Star), and a documentary Laila at the Bridge. Rabia Khan discusses the gradual change in perceptions about Hazara identity, especially in terms of community consciousness and individual ... Continue

Analyzing feasibility for deploying very fast decision tree for DDoS attack detection in cloud-assisted WBAN

International audienceIn cloud-assisted wireless body area networks (WBAN), the data gathered by sensor nodes are delivered to a gateway node that collects and aggregates data and transfer it to cloud storage; making it vulnerable to numerous security attacks. Among these, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack could be considered as one of the major security threats against cloud-assisted WBAN security. To overcome the effects of DDoS attack in cloud-assisted WBAN environment various techniques have been explored during this research. Among these, data mining classification techniques have proven itself as a valuable tool to identify misbehaving nodes and thus for detecting DDoS attacks. Further classifying data mining techniques, Very Fast Decision Tree (VFDT) is considered as the most promising solution for real-time data mining of high speed and non- stationary data streams gathered from WBAN sensors and therefore is selected, studied and explored for efficiently analyzing and detecting DDoS attack in cloud-assisted WBAN environment