To measure the prevalence of dry eye disease (DED) and study the relationship between screen time and dry eye symptoms in the pediatric population during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic using the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire. MethodsIn this descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study, our survey included the pediatric population, ages 1 to 18 years, of both genders, who attended outpatient clinics of two main hospitals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Collected data included age, gender, dry eye symptoms, and common DED risk factors, followed by the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, which consists of 12 items graded on a five-point scale (0 = never to 4 = all the time). ResultsA total of 329 pediatric participants were included, with more than half of the participants (56.1%) males and 58.5% aged 12-18 years. The most frequently reported symptoms (reported as often or always) were decreased vision (23.0%) and itchy eyes (22.1%). Environmental factors have an effect on developing DED symptoms, as some participants (21.8%) have reported being uncomfortable in windy weather and 15.8% have reported this in places with air conditioners. Based on the OSDI diagnostic criteria, 250 (76.1%) participants had DED. Furthermore, in terms of severity, 44 (13.3%) participants had mild DED, 62 (18.8%) participants had moderate DED, and 145 (43.9%) participants had severe DED. We found that prolonged exposure to mobile screens for two to three hours or four hours or more was associated with a higher DED incidence compared to those exposed for shorter periods. Older age categories were more likely to experience DED (80.8% and 78.2% in age categories 12-18 and 7-12, respectively, versus 57.6% in the youngest age category (p = 0.001)). Additionally, DED was independently associated with participants with a previous history of eyeglasses prescription and those experiencing dry eyes while using electronic devices. ConclusionSince many children use electronic devices for education and entertainment, we found that symptoms of DED due to prolonged screen time have increased among the pediatric population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, awareness efforts should be directed to reduce the rate of controllable risk factors like personal computer use. In addition, educational campaigns are warranted to provide all possible preventive measures against DED, especially to children with uncontrollable risk factors for developing DED.

IntroductionCesarean section (C/S) is considered one of the most commonly performed procedures among women. The maternal morbidity due to infection post-C/S reaches eight-fold higher than that of vaginal delivery. Our aim is to identify the incidence and risk factors of surgical site infection (SSI) among patients at King Abdul Aziz Medical City (KAMC), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in order to develop a strong strategy to reduce its occurrence. MethodsThis retrospective cohort study was conducted at KAMC, Jeddah. The study included a total of 387 women who underwent cesarean sections from January 2014 to December 2014. The data were collected consecutively by reviewing medical records of pregnant patients who underwent elective or emergency C/S. The risk factors studied included age, presence of underlying diseases, BMI, hemoglobin level, prophylactic antibiotics, pre-labor rupture of membrane, duration of induction of labor, type of C/S, type of uterine incision, duration of operation, type of anesthesia, estimated blood loss, type of organism, and the duration of hospital stay postoperatively. ResultsThe incidence rate of wound infections (WI) was 3.4% (13/387). The mean age score was 31.1±5.6 years, and the mean score of BMI was 32.7±6.2, where the majority were obese (255, 65.9%). More than half of the participants (205, 53.0%) had elective C/S, with mean hospitalization duration 2.5±1.3 days, and operation duration mean score 59.5±22.0 minutes. The majority (378, 97.7%) received antibiotics before the operation, where cefazolin was the main antibiotic (376, 97.2%). Only 38 (10%) cases had intra-operative complications, where the main complication was postpartum hemorrhage (18, 44.0%). The majority of WI were superficial (11 cases), the main organism was E. coli in four (36.4%) cases, followed by Staphylococcus aureus in three (27.3%) cases. There was a significant association between WI post-C/S and BMI, type of uterine incision, and induction of labor (P=006, P=0.003, respectively). ConclusionsThis study showed that WI post-C/S is associated with high BMI, prolonged induction of labor, and Pfannenstiel incision. Reducing the rate of SSI will help to reduce its morbidity by identifying the risk factors pre-pregnancy and encouraging the implementation of preconception counseling clinics and antenatal classes to educate and increase awareness among patients.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is excess and fat accumulation that lead to negative effects on health. Many studies found an association between obesity and MPV. MPV is a determinant of platelet function, since platelet size has been proven to reflect platelet activity, which is an useful predictive biomarker for a variety of diseases. This is the second study in which MPV was evaluated in obese patients in KSA. AIM: The aim of study is to evaluate the relation between MPV and obese patients without metabolic risk factors at NGHA Jeddah, KSA. Secondary objectives are to compare between genders and to evaluate the association between total platelets count and obesity. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study, A. Inclusion criteria: For the first group, any patient with BMI ≥ than 30 kg/m2 aged 18 years or more. Second group, non-obese aged 18 years or more. Exclusion criteria: Metabolic risk. RESULTS: There were 279 participated in this study. Most of the participants 214 (72.1%) were females, and 83 (27.9%) were males (Table 1). The mean age was 33.39 ± 10.19. There were 148 (49.8%) participants with normal BMI level, and 149 (50.2%) considered as obese. For MPV classification, 287 (96.6%) were normal, and 10 (3.4%) were high. In this case–control study, we found no significant evidence relating the association between MPV and obesity. CONCLUSION: In this study, we found no significant difference between MPV and platelet count between them. However, there was a significant positive week correlation between BMI and age with p = 0.0001.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of NCD risk factors among first-year medical college students at Jeddah's King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS). Duration of the study: The study was completed in 8 months in 2021 (started from submitting the proposal in January, 2021). Methods: WHO STEP-wise approach to Surveillance (STEPS) of NCD risk factors was used, which includes three steps for assessing the risk factors: 1) Questionnaire 2) objective physical measurements 3) biochemical measurements. The estimated minimum sample size was calculated using the software Raosoft website, which were 227. To analyze the data, SPSS version 27.0 was used. Results: A total of (232) first-year medical students took part in the study. Data on sociodemographic factors, diet, salt intake, smoking, physical activity, and illness conditions were collected using a structured questionnaire. Conclusion: Results of the present study showed a high prevalence of NCDs risk factors among the participants. The study shows the importance to bring change in medical students' lifestyles to avoid the onset of NCDs later in life. Colleges need to assist students and intervene to lower these risk factors. Programs that promote healthy lifestyle and awareness are particularly essential for high school and college students. In all of schools and colleges in KSA, students should have access to sports and fitness facilities along with appropriate counseling and periodic screenings of students.

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