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BackgroundCoronary artery disease (CAD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Due to increased CAD risk factors in Saudi Arabia, research on more feasible and predictive biomarkers is needed. We aimed to evaluate glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) as a predictor of CAD in low-risk profile non-diabetic patients living in the Al Qassim region of Saudi Arabia.MethodsThirty-eight patients with no history of CAD were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. They provided demographic data, and their HbA1c estimation followed the National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program parameters. All patients underwent coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) for evaluation of chest pain. The extent of coronary artery stenosis (CAS) was quantified as percentage for each patient based on plaques detected in CCTA.ResultsMean blood pressure of the patients was (91.2 ± 11.9 mmHg), BMI (28.3 ± 5.8 kg/m2), serum cholesterol level (174 ± 33.1 mg/dl), and HbA1c levels (mean 5.7 ± 0.45, median 5.7 and range 4.7–6.4%). Eighteen patients showed no CAS (47.4%), 12 showed minimal stenosis (31.6%), 3 showed mild stenosis (7.9%), 3 showed moderate stenosis (7.9%) and 2 showed severe stenosis (5.3%). A moderate correlation was detected between HbA1c and CAS percentages (r = 0.47, p < 0.05) as well as between HbA1c and the number of affected coronary vessels (r = 0.53, p < 0.001).ConclusionGlycated hemoglobin can be used as a predictive biomarker for CAD in non-diabetic low-risk patients.

Background: The study shows the effect of hyperglycemia on RBCs in terms of morphological changes and their chromic status in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: A total of 100 pregnant women were enrolled from Maternity and Children Hospital, Qassim, Saudi Arabia including 40 women with confirmed GDM (group-1), 30 women with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes (group-2) and 30 women with normal pregnancy without GDM or pre-gestational diabetes (control group-3). Demographic, anthropometric, medical and biochemical data were obtained from the study subjects. Complete blood count (CBC) and peripheral smears were performed from routine blood samples. Red blood cells (RBCs) morphological analysis was carried out by a hematologist and deviations in size, shape, and staining properties of the RBCs were recorded. Results: The groups were similar in demographic characteristics (P > 0.05). RBCs showed normocytic and normochromic features in 83.3% patients of group-3 as compared to 57.5% in group-1, 30% in group-2, respectively. Microcytic hypochromic cells and anisocytosis were mostly encountered in group-2 in 53.3% and 93.3% patients respectively (P = 0.000). Forty percent of RBCs in goup-1 showed microcytic and hypochromic characteristics as compared to group-3 (P = 0.015). Additionally, 42.5% group-1 patients had anisocytosis as compared to group-3 (P = 0.003). Poikilocytosis, target cells and macrocytes were mostly observed in group-2. Conclusions: Persistent hyperglycemia changes shape, size and hemoglobin contents of RBCs which are associated with the hyperglycemic status and exposure time.

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Among adolescents, mental health issues (i.e., stress and depressive symptoms) negatively affect sleep. We assessed whether the association between mental health and sleep varied between genders among Saudi adolescents. A total of 2206 school students (grades 7-12) from 40 randomly selected schools in four cities of Al-Qassim province in Saudi Arabia participated in this cross-sectional study. The survey assessed demography, lifestyle, sleep (12-item Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale), depression (Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS-21)) and stress (10-item Perceived Stress Scale). Adjusted associations with sleep were tested with linear and logistic regressions. Of the sample, 55% were girls, and their average sleep score was lower than that of the boys (58.7 vs. 63.4, p < 0.001 ). Girls had worse mental health than boys; the proportion of girls with both severe stress and severe depressive symptoms was three times higher than that of the boys (12% vs. 4%, p < 0.001 ). For both boys and girls, those with severe depressive symptoms only or both severe depressive symptoms and severe stress had significantly lower sleep scores than those who had neither of the two conditions (reference group). On the other hand, among those who had severe stress only, the sleep score was significantly lower for the girls ( p = 0.002 ) than for the boys ( p = 0.19 ). Overall, girls had a significantly lower sleep score and worse mental health than boys. The association between mental health and sleep significantly differed between the sexes. Severe stress was negatively associated with sleep in girls but not in boys.