Objective.Through a systematic literature search (SLR) and metaanalysis, to determine maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnancies involving systemic sclerosis (SSc), to analyze the effect of pregnancy on disease activity, and to examine predictors of fetal and maternal outcomes.Methods.An SLR was performed for articles on SSc and pregnancy published between 1950 and February 1, 2018. Reviewers double-extracted articles to obtain agreement on > 95% of predefined critical outcomes.Results.Out of 461 publications identified, 16 were included in the metaanalysis. The metaanalysis showed that pregnancies involving SSc were at higher risk of miscarriage (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.22–2.22), fetuses with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR; OR 3.2, 95% CI 2.21–4.53), preterm births (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.14–4.86), and newborns with low birth weight (OR 3.8, 95% CI 2.16–6.56). Patients with SSc had a 2.8 times higher chance of developing gestational hypertension (HTN; OR 2.8, 95% CI 2.28–3.39) and a 2.3 times higher chance of cesarean delivery compared to controls (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.37–3.8). The definitions of disease worsening/new visceral organ involvement were too inexact to have any confidence in the results, although worsening or new disease manifestations during pregnancy in 44/307 cases (14.3%) and 6 months postpartum in 32/306 cases (10.5%) were reported. The data did not permit definition of predictors of disease progression and of maternal and fetal outcomes.Conclusion.Pregnancies involving SSc have increased frequency of miscarriages, IUGR, preterm deliveries, and newborns with low birth weight compared to healthy controls. Women with SSc were more prone to develop gestational HTN and to undergo cesarean delivery. Disease manifestations seem to remain stable or improve in most patients.

BACKGROUND Social media is a platform that allows users to communicate and share information or ideas and experiences. Health information found on social media is written and shared by people from different educational and credibility levels. OBJECTIVE To estimate the validity and safety of Arabic language health information messages circulated on WhatsApp and to classify them into different categories based on their credibility and sources. METHODS A descriptive-analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted from Feb-April 2021. A convenience sampling technique was used. Students from Common First Preparatory Year College at King Saud University participated through sharing three health-related WhatsApp messages that they or their relatives have read recently. Four Board-certified physicians reviewed and classified the messages into categories based on their credibility and sources. RESULTS Two hundred eighty-two (282) students filled out a socio-demographic characteristics questionnaire and 63% of them were female students. Out of the 326 messages, 86% were either invalid or inaccurate. Most messages (83.7%) were from unknown sources. 8.3% of the messages were obtained from known sources but written by unqualified persons represented 8.3% of the messages. Written by qualified persons (5.8%) or trusted scientific sources (2.1%) represented only 8% of the total messages. There was a significant association between the sources and the validity of the message’s information. Most of the messages from unknown sources or unqualified persons were either invalid or invalid with potential risk. CONCLUSIONS This study showed a high percentage of inaccurate and invalid health-related messages on WhatsApp. Invalid with potential risk messages were mainly from unknown sources or unqualified persons. Most of the health messages written by trusted authorities and qualified persons were valid. Trusted scientific authorities should be more active in social media platforms, and they should advise the community on how to discern the validity of such messages. More efforts are needed to guide the patients from where to get accurate and valid health information.

Objective WhatsApp is the most frequently used social media platform in Saudi Arabia. Inaccurate information could negatively impact public health. The number of studies worldwide investigating health-related misinformation in social media increased steadily, with limited data from Arabic-speaking communities. This study aimed to estimate the validity and safety of Arabic-language health information messages circulated on WhatsApp and identify the different categories of these messages based on their credibility. Participants and Methods A descriptive, analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from February to April 2021. A total of 374 students were randomly selected from the common first preparatory year college at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and participated by sharing up to three health-related WhatsApp messages per student that they or their relatives had recently read. Four board-certified physicians reviewed and classified the messages based on their credibility and sources. Results 282 students provided 326 messages (1.2 messages per student). Most messages (86%) had either invalid or inaccurate content, and 83.7% came from unknown sources. Only 26 messages (8%) of the total were written by trusted scientific sources. Most of the messages from unknown sources or unqualified persons were either invalid or invalid, with potential health risks for the public, and the difference from trusted sources was statistically significant. Conclusion This study showed a high percentage of inaccurate and invalid health-related messages on WhatsApp. Invalid messages with potential health risks were authored mostly by unknown sources or unqualified persons. Most health messages written by trusted authorities and qualified persons were valid. Trusted scientific authorities should thus be more active in public education on social media platforms. They should advise their communities on how to discern the validity of such messages. More efforts are needed to guide patients from where to obtain accurate and valid health information.

Background: The COVID 19 Pandemic, which appeared in 2019 and is caused by SARS Coronavirus 2, has had a huge impact on the health of millions of people worldwide, with some patients having no symptoms or mild to moderate symptoms and others having prolonged, complicated courses, with some succumbing to the disease. The presence of co-morbidities puts the patient at a greater risk of acquiring a more severe infection. This population are also at a greater risk for more severe influenza infection and Influenza vaccination is recommended for this group on an annual basis. Objectives: To assess whether influenza vaccination may protect against COVID 19 infection, in a Family Medicine population with co-morbidities. The study will shed light on the influence of influenza vaccination on acquiring COVID 19 infection. Design: This is an observational, retrospective study. Setting: Family Medicine Clinic in Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: Charts from family medicine patients with one or more co-morbidities who received the influenza vaccine during the 2019/2020 Influenza season, were reviewed. Patients aged between 25 to 75 with comorbidities were included and had received the influenza vaccine from July 2019 to March 2020. Children under 18 and pregnant patients were excluded from the study. Sample size: 250 patients. Conclusions: There may be beneficial effects of using the Influenza vaccine in a high-risk community population, with co-morbidities, during the COVID-19 Pandemic.