Mecca Region Research Articles

Active lifestyle patterns reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in the Mecca region, Saudi Arabia: a case-control study.

We carried out a case-control study to investigate the effects of some lifestyle patterns on the occurrence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Parameters included BMI, employment, family income, educational level, family size, exercise, cancer awareness, diabetes, and hypertension. Individuals of both groups (n=164 for control group, n=137 for CRC group) completed a questionnaire with the help of trained dietitians. Results showed that limited cancer awareness was found to increase the risk of CRC [odds ratio (OR)=49.96, 95% confidence interval (CI): 11.45-217.9, P<0.001]. There was a linear trend (P-trend<0.001) of low educational level in increasing the risk of CRC. Mainly, illiterate individuals showed the highest risk of developing CRC (OR=116.8, 95% CI: 14.7-927.75, P<0.001). In addition, the results indicated a linear trend (P-trend<0.001) of low family income in increasing the risk of CRC. The highest risk of CRC was shown with family income less than 5000 Saudi riyals (OR=64.38, 95% CI: 12.82-323.28, P<0.001). Other risk factors included a sedentary lifestyle, unemployment, and diabetes. Surprisingly, low BMI was associated with increasing incidence of CRC (OR=0.92, 95% CI: 0.88-0.96, P<0.001). However, family size and hypertension had no effect (P>0.05) on the incidence of CRC. Our study emphasizes the effect of active lifestyle patterns and cancer awareness in decreasing the incidence of CRC in the Mecca region.

The design of ready made patterns for the production of conventional clothing in the holy Mecca region

The twentieth century has seen a massive information and technological revolution in electronics and computer science. Technology has been used across different sectors at a global level, which has contributed to the development of many industries. This includes the ready-made garments industry which has developed rapidly using modern methods and technologies. The most important stage that used technology and modern techniques is the modelling and implementation phase which is the basis of implementing the required design (Ibrahim, Mehran, 2016). Moreover, there are many computer systems that have been used as an assistive technology to the production of ready-made garments, whether in the pattern design stages - grading - layplan – cutting. Computers can be used to build and design any clothing pattern, saving it and modifying it when it is needed again (Ajlan, Al Shamrani, 2014). However, it has always been important to combine between modern technology and traditional design and patterns to reproduce the artistic heritage of different cultures and societies. In order to ensure its continuity and preservation, technology would ensure to pass on such designs and patterns, to future generations through the modern ways that they are able to deal with and understand.

Viruses infecting periwinkle ( Catharanthus roseus L.) in Western Saudi Arabia

Periwinkle ( Catharanthus roseus L.) is an ornamental plant widely grown in the Mecca region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Different symptoms similar to those induced by viruses (mosaic, vein clearing, mottling, yellowing, flower variegation) prompted surveys in eight different regions of KSA to assess the presence of periwinkle-infecting viruses, i.e. Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Lettuce mosaic virus (LMV), Catharanthus mosaic virus (CatMV) and Catharanthus yellow mosaic virus (CYMV). Two hundred and forty leaf samples were collected from naturally infected nurseries, gardens and landscape plantings, and tested by DAS-ELISA, RT-PCR and PCR assays. Results showed that all five viruses were present in the surveyed areas, with incidence of infection reaching 58%. TSWV was the most widespread, found in 44% of samples, followed by CYMV (35%), whereas CatMV (15%), CMV (11%) and LMV (6%) were present to lesser extents. The virus incidence ranged between 43% in Rabigh to 77% in Taif. This is the first report of CYMV and CatMV in KSA, and of TSWV, LMV and CMV in periwinkle in western Saudi Arabia. The high incidence of viruses and of multiple infections in periwinkle plants endangers this crop in KSA, so a sanitation programme for eliminating virus infections is desirable.

Factors Associated with Not Breastfeeding and Delaying the Early Initiation of Breastfeeding in Mecca Region, Saudi Arabia.

The objective of the study was to find the determinants related to not breastfeeding (BF) and others related to the delay in the early initiation of BF in the Mecca region, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study in the Maternity and Children Hospital and primary healthcare centers was performed. A questionnaire was filled by dietitians to 814 asymptomatic Saudi mothers. Determinants related to not BF and the delay in the early initiation of BF were determined by binary logistic regression, and the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were determined. Significant factors associated with not BF were not rooming-in infants in the mother’s room (OR: 2.37; 95% CI: 1.66–3.41) and using a pacifier (OR: 1.62; 95% CI: 1.13–2.33). The most significant determinant of the early initiation of BF was the initiation of bottle feeding (OR: 18.16; 95% CI: 10.51–31.4), followed by not rooming-in infants in the mother’s room (OR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.52–3.18), initiation of partial feeding (OR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.3–2.74), uninformed mothers regarding the importance of BF (OR: 1.56; 95% CI: 1.04–2.35), and cesarean sections (OR:1.42; 95% CI: 1.02–1.98). Risk factors affecting BF and the early initiation of BF in Mecca City should be highlighted in national campaigns to increase mothers’ awareness and promote BF practice.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease among Pilgrims during the Hajj Period (1438 Hegira) : Prevalence and Impact on the Quality of Life

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic motility disorder resulting in reflux of stomach contents in to the esophagus. It has a prevalence rate of 10-20% in the western world. In the Gulf region, the prevalence of GERD is not yet well characterized. Annually, millions of Muslims gather from across the world embark on a religious pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. They represent a population with various socio-demographic characteristics, life styles, dietary habits and social life stresses that might affect the prevalence of this chronic disorder. Objective: the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and impact of GERD on the pilgrims in Mecca region during the Hajj period in the year 1438 Hegira. Methods: participants were asked to fill a self-administered questionnaire, GERD questionnaire (GERDQ) and GERD-HRQL were used for making the diagnosis of GERD and to assess its impact on the patient’s quality of life. Results: the prevalence of GERD among the study population was 29.0%, with a statistically significant association with age and nationality. Neither smoking nor the presence of other diseases showed statistically significant relationship with the presence of GERD (p>0.05). GERD-HRQL scale showed a statistically higher median in GERD patients compared to healthy subjects. Moreover, 58 participants (52.73%) showed poor quality of life compared to 52 participants (47.27%) who expressed good quality. Conclusion: this study showed a prevalence rate of GERD among pilgrims in Mecca region to be 29.0%, which has an impact on their daily life activities. These data indicate a need for a comprehensive approach to GERD management in the health-care system.

Effect of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) infection on antineoplastic alkaloids from periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus L.) cultured in the Mecca region and resistance induction by plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR)

ABSTRACTMore than 100 alkaloids have been found in periwinkle, of which vincristine and vinblastine are the most notable for the treatment of diseases such as leukaemia. In this study, characterization of naturally occurring Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) infection showed mosaic, leaf deformation and stunting of plants. Viral identification was confirmed by double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA) with a specific CMV polyclonal antibody and reverse transcription PCR with a specific primer for the CMV-RdRp-gene, which yielded a 513 base pair DNA fragment. The effect of CMV infection on the antineoplastic alkaloids in periwinkle leaves was determined. We also studied the effect of using plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) isolates against virus infection to stimulate resistance induction in host plants. Bacillus subtilis 281 and B. pumilus 293 were examined individually (B1 and B2) and in a mixture (B1&B2) for their effectiveness against infection with CMV. The results of greenhouse experiments were confirmed by artificial mechanical inoculation. The PGPR strain treatments and results were reinforced by analysing the protein patterns as well as determining the total phenol, total flavonoid and total alkaloid contents. PGPR treatment evidently lowered the virus concentrations, the percentage of infected plants and the disease severity compared with healthy and infected controls. Seedlings treated with the B1&B2 strain mixture yielded significantly lower levels of virus infection than B1 or B2 individually in all experiments compared to controls. Our findings demonstrate the possibility of using selected Bacillus spp. strains to induce systemic resistance for CMV infection control.

Degree of the Agreement between Science Teachers Beliefs about Importance of Continuous Evaluation and Their Practice to its Methods in Evaluation of Students Learning at Mecca Region

Degree of the Agreement between Science Teachers Beliefs about Importance of Continuous Evaluation and Their Practice to its Methods in Evaluation of Students Learning at Mecca Region

Healthy dietary patterns decrease the risk of colorectal cancer in the Mecca Region, Saudi Arabia: a case-control study

BackgroundColorectal cancer (CRC) is the first most common cancer in males and the third most common cancer in females in Saudi Arabia. Dietary habits are strongly associated with the inhibition or proliferation of malignancy. Therefore, this study is aiming to investigate the risks and protective benefits of dietary factors affecting CRC in the Mecca region of Saudi Arabia.MethodsA case-control study was conducted from June 2014 to March 2015. One hundred thirty-seven patients with colon and/or rectal cancer were recruited in the case group, while 164 healthy participants were recruited in the control group. A questionnaire was completed with the help of trained dietitians to study the effects of several dietary patterns on the risk of CRC.ResultsDairy product intake of 1–5 servings/day, legume intake of 3–5 servings/week, leafy vegetables intake of 1–5 servings/week, olive oil intake of 1–5 servings/week, black tea intake of three or more cups/day, and coffee intake of one or more cups/day was found to decrease the risk of CRC in participants.ConclusionThis study highlights the importance of changing dietary habits to decrease CRC incidence in the Mecca region.

Quality of life assessment for children with sickle cell disease (SCD) in Mecca region

Quality of life assessment for children with sickle cell disease (SCD) in Mecca region

Four viruses infecting figs in Western Saudi Arabia

Many diseases are compromising fig production in Saudi Arabia and in particular those caused by viruses. RT-PCR assays were conducted on 80 samples collected from four fig-growing provinces in the West Mecca region of Saudi Arabia, including the Fatima, Khulais, Rabigh and Alshifa valleys. Samples consisted of leaf tissues taken from caprifig and common fig trees. The presence of Fig mosaic virus (FMV), Fig leaf mottle-associated virus 1 (FLMaV-1), Fig leaf mottle-associated virus 2 (FLMaV-2) and Fig mild mottle-associated virus (FMMaV) was assessed from the samples. RT-PCR results showed that all four viruses were present in the surveyed areas with different proportions of infection. Incidence was 69% of samples, with a peak of 80%, from the Alshifa and Fatima valleys, 60% from Rabigh and 55% from Khulais valley. FLMaV-1 was the prevailing virus (55% of samples), followed by FMV (34%), whereas FLMaV-2 (11% of samples) and FMMaV (6%) were less common. Most of the mosaic symptoms observed in surveyed fig orchards occurred with the presence of FMV. However, many other symptoms remained unexplained because of the arduous task of determining the involvement of other fig-infecting viruses with mosaic disease. This is the first report of FMMaV and FLMaV-2 in Saudi Arabia, and of FMV and FLMaV-1 in western Saudi Arabia. The virus status of this crop is probably compromised and a sanitation programme is required to produce healthy plant material in Saudi Arabia.

Spatial Economic Development of Mecca Region, Saudi Arabia

Spatial Economic Development of Mecca Region, Saudi Arabia

Inhibitory activity of different medicinal extracts from Thuja leaves, ginger roots, Harmal seeds and turmeric rhizomes against Fig leaf mottle-associated virus 1 (FLMaV-1) infecting figs in Mecca region.

Fig leaf mottle-associated virus-1 (FLMaV-1) is a closterovirus newly identified in fig trees, in the Mecca region, suffering from mosaic disease symptoms and apparently is compromising the fig plantation in the country. In the present study, we demonstrated the efficiency of two in vivo experiments including pre and post treatments using Thuja leaf, ginger roots, Harmal seeds and turmeric rhizome extracts on symptoms expression of rooted cuttings infected with FLMaV-1- and their impact on virus multiplication. Results showed that individual treatments with ginger roots and turmeric rhizomes in pre-grafting experiments and Thuja extract following Harmal seeds in post grafting experiments were efficient against symptom development. In addition, results showed that the total photosynthesis pigments; total soluble intracellular proteins and total phenol contents were higher in infected treated cuttings compared with healthy ones, thus it was taken as evidence on a mutual interaction between these extracts and virus multiplication.

مدى تبني المستشفيات السعودية لتقنيات الأعمال الإلكترونية الفاعلة : دراسة تطبيقية على المستشفيات العاملة في منطقة مكة المكرمة = The Extent of Effective E-Business Technologies Adoption in Saudi Hospitals : An Applied Study on Hospitals in Mecca Region

This study aimed to identify the extent of E-business technologies adoption by hospitals in Mecca region, and to indicate its obstacles. The study was applied on a random sample consisted of 65 hospitals in Mecca region. The questionnaire was built to collect data about the study variables. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests, such as sign test, Kruskal- Wallis test and Mann-Whitney test, were used to analyzing data and testing the hypotheses of the study. In conclusion, the study found that there is a low level of E-business systems and technology adopted by government hospitals which are associated to ministry of health, and private hospitals. On the other hand, the government hospitals which are not associated to ministry of health were found to employ high level of E-business systems and technology, specifically E-business systems. In addition, a significant relationship was revealed between the dependent variables (type, size, accreditation and age of the hospitals) and adoption of E-business systems and technology. However, adoption of e-business in hospitals are found to face several obstacles including financial, administrative, technical and human resources. As recommendations, the study proposes some practical strategies to improve the adoption of E-business technology by the hospitals.

English

Medicinal plants provide cure for several human and animal diseases. As a pre-requisite towards manipulating gene expression and engineering metabolites, efficient RNA isolation protocol from medicinal plants is needed. In the present study, four recent protocols of RNA isolation were compared based on the electrophoretic pattern as well as, the A260/A280 and A260/230 ratios of RNAs isolated from an important medicinal plant species namely,Rhazya stricta&nbsp;as well as, nine other medicinal plants grown in the Mecca region of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The protocols of modified SDS acid phenol and Institute of Himalayan Bio-resource Technology (IHBT) resulted in the most abundant high-quality RNAs. Synthesized cDNAs were checked by real time-qPCR and differential display-PCR (DD-PCR). The extracted RNAs of the IHBT protocol were proven to be more suitable for downstream molecular applications, especially metabolic engineering. &nbsp; Key words:&nbsp;SDS acid phenol, Institute of Himalayan Bio-resource Technology (IHBT), real time-qPCR, DD-PCR, metabolic engineering.

Preparedness of schools in the Province of Jeddah to deal with earthquakes risks

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to measure the willingness of general education schools (governmental and private) in the Mecca region to deal with the threat of earthquakes through the identification of the preparedness of school buildings, the differences in the willingness of schools, and examine the relationship between the exposure to previous crises and readiness for future crises.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a survey method to explore and determine the readiness range of schools by distributing a questionnaire to school principals. The questionnaire measures the readiness range of the institutions to counter earthquake threat through six main fields which were developed based on Federal Emergency Management Agency Resources (www.fema.gov) and were used in developing an earthquake consequences model (Al Momani), namely: previous emergencies measures, previous earthquake experience measures, earthquake mitigation measures, earthquake preparedness measures, earthquake response measures and earthquake recovery measures.FindingsIt is apparent that schools are not prepared to deal with future earthquakes regardless of their types (public vs private) and levels (primary, elementary, secondary) which require establishing a department for disaster and crisis management within the public administration of Education headed by a specialist in disasters and crises management to make sure that current school campus, under construction campus, or leased buildings be prepared to deal with disasters and crises as they occur in non‐hazardous locations, compatible with building codes, and equipped with safety means. It is important to prepare a public emergency plan for disasters and crises and to train school administrators and teachers to prepare contingency plans for disaster management in school. Finally, there is a need to prepare disasters awareness programs benefiting from public and private media, internet, and workshops through utilizing experiences of other developed countries in disasters and crises management especially for schools.Originality/valueThis research could be used to augment the need of developing education system preparedness in Jeddah Province through implementing effective mitigation, preparedness, and response, as well as recovery options.