West Saudi Arabia Research Articles

Sleep quality and psychological disorders in breast cancer female patients receiving radiotherapy at a tertiary oncology center in West Saudi Arabia.

Breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer among women worldwide. Many recently diagnosed and treated breast cancer patients complain about sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, stress, and fatigue. This study aimed to evaluate sleep quality among breast cancer patients and to assess its association with psychological disorders, and socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of patients. This cross-sectional study was conducted among women who received radiotherapy for breast cancer (stage 1-3) at King Abdul-Aziz Medical City-Jeddah from January to August 2021. Each participant completed a personal information form, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Clinical data were collected from the medical records to evaluate certain risk factors. Descriptive statistics were used for participant characteristics, and analyses of variance were used to assess associations between the qualitative variables. Fifty-six women with a mean age of 50.1years and an average of 10months after cancer diagnosis were included. Poor sleep quality was present in 58% of respondents. Symptomatic depression, anxiety, and stress were found in 34%, 32%, and 30% of women, respectively. Poor sleep quality was associated with depression (p = 0.031), anxiety (p = 0.03), and stress (p = 0.024) and was independently associated with hot flashes. In multivariate analysis, patients with depression or withcancer for more than 6months were less likely to have good sleep after controlling other variables (21.74 and 14.71 times, respectively). Poor sleep quality was present in 58% of women with breast cancer receiving radiotherapy and was significantly associated with depression, anxiety, stress, and hot flashes. Depression level and cancer duration were significant predictors of sleep quality. Early identification and proper management of psychological and sleep disorders are necessary to improve the quality of life and survival of breast cancer patients.

Comparative Study of Complete Blood Count Between High-Altitude and Sea-Level Residents in West Saudi Arabia.

The reduction in oxygen partial pressure at high altitudes leads to diminished oxygen saturation in the arteries, stimulating erythropoietin production and erythropoiesis to restore appropriate oxygenation. While many studies have explored acclimatization to high altitude and its effects on complete blood count (CBC) parameters, our research uniquely examined both male and female healthy individuals, emphasizing the novelty of gender-specific observations. We analyzed 1,160 individuals in Taif (Al Hada), east Saudi Arabia, a high-altitude region, and compared them to 1,044 counterparts in Jeddah, at sea level. Our results revealed significant variations in CBC parameters, including white blood count, red blood count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelets, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils, reflecting the body's hypoxic response. These variations were observed in both genders, with specific differences noted between males and females. For example, NEU (neutrophils), representing the absolute count of a type of white blood cell essential in the immune system's defense, showed significant variations for males. The male results show that the variation in males between the sea level and high altitudes indicated significant p-values for all CBC parameters except NEU between at sea level (Jeddah city), whose p-value was 0.8696, and at high altitude (Taif city, Al Hada). In contrast, MONO (monocytes), another type of white blood cell involved in immune response, and RBC (red blood cells), responsible for oxygen transport, were mentioned but did not show significant variations for females. The full results for females showed significant results (P<0.0001)for BASO, HCT, HGB, MCH, MCHC, MPV, PLT, RDW, and WBC between the sea-level altitude and high altitude for females. Also, EOS and LYM showed significant P-values of 0.0002 and 0.0001, respectively, while MONO, NEU, and RBC indicated no significance between the sea-level altitude and high altitude for females. The p-values of MONO, NEU, and RBC, respectively, were0.1907, 0.1259, and 0.0677. The results for both genders combined showed significant variations of all CBC parameters (P<0.0001) between the sea-level altitude and high altitude except for MONO, NEU, and RBC, which were not significant for both males and females, with p-values of 0.1589, 0.2911, and 0.0595, respectively. All unhealthy individuals were excluded from the study with any condition that would cause significant changes in CBC parameters and would skew the results, ensuring a focus on physiological adaptations in healthy subjects. By comparing healthy individuals and examining each gender separately, this study contributes valuable insights into high-altitude acclimatization, enhancing our understanding of physiological adaptations and potentially guiding health management in such environments within the normal range.

Desertification hazards in the middle zone of Wadi Fatimah, West Saudi Arabia

This research aims at determining and analysing the causes and consequences of desertification in the middle zone of Wadi Fatimah using satellite images, climatic data, and topographic maps. The climatic parameters such as temperature, rainfall, and global reference evapotranspiration (ET0) indicated common severe arid conditions in the study area. The CORONA images acquired in 1967 and 1979 along with the topographic map of 1971 helped define the initial morphologic features and anthropogenic regimes. Analysing the various spatial datasets implied that the inappropriate management of water resources has resulted in changes in the anthropogenic regimes in the middle zone of Wadi Fatimah. These changes have triggered a chain of desertification processes such as degradation of the vegetation biomass and wind activities. These processes have transformed 15.3 km2 of agricultural farms into abandoned lands. Nineteen km2 of bushes have disappeared as well. The degradation of both agricultural and natural vegetation has exposed soils to intense wind erosion that detaches, transports and deposits sand in areas of low elevations. Accordingly, sand accumulations have massively expanded from 16.4 km2, as monitored by 1967 CORONA images, to 40.8 km2, as monitored by SPOT in 2013. This research emphasises that the middle zone of Wadi Fatimah has been experiencing remarkable changes in its morphologic and environmental characteristics in response to serious desertification processes. These processes are strongly linked to many anthropogenic interventions. It became a necessity, then, to redefine, study and assess the various anthropogenic parameters and their relative roles in desertification processes to combat desertification hazards and enhance sustainable environmental context in the middle zone of Wadi Fatimah.

Nutritional Habits and Weight Status among Jazan University Students: Eating Patterns and Healthy lifestyle Assessment

&#x0D; Objectives&#x0D; The purposes of this study were to assess the prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity and to evaluate the nutritional habits, and related factors among the Students of Jazan University.&#x0D; Methods&#x0D; This cross-sectional study was carried out during the academic year 2014/2015 in Jazan University, Gizan, South West Saudi Arabia. A total of 436 students 19–25 y of age were examined. The questionnaires, including items on eating habits, lifestyle, and socio-demographic characteristics, were completed by the students. Data on weight, height were also collected. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square test. Differences were considered statistically significant at P. value &lt; 0.05.&#x0D; Results&#x0D; The mean weight for males and females were 67.84 and 54.79 kg respectively, with significant differences between males and females (P. value &lt;0.05). The mean BMI for all study participants was reported as 23.31 (kg/m²), also with significant difference between the males and females groups. About 45% of the students were of normal weight; the rate of obesity and underweight among students was very high (33.6% and 21.1% respectively), and their dietary habits were unhealthy. Regularity of meals was found only among (16.5% and 20.4%) males and females respectively. 83.3% of males and 95.1% of females reported eating snacks during the day.&#x0D; Conclusion &#x0D; The results of this study suggest that the prevalence of overweight and obesity were very high among the studied students. The study showed the need for health education programs on nutritional education in universities in order to increase awareness of students towards healthy eating and lifestyle.&#x0D; &#x0D;

The Linear City: illustrating the logic of spatial equilibrium

Linear cities where activity is spread out along a transportation line, aim to offer the highest levels of accessibility to their adjacent populations as well as to the countryside. These city forms are popular amongst architects and planners in envisioning ideal cities but they are difficult to implement as they involve strict controls on development which often ignore human behaviour associated with where we locate and how we move. We briefly explore the history of these ideas, noting the latest proposal to build a 170 km city called Neom in north west Saudi Arabia, a plan that has attracted considerable criticism for its apparent ignorance of how actual cities grow and evolve. We use a standard model of human mobility based on gravitational principles to define a set of equilibrium conditions that illustrate how a theoretical city on a line would, without any controls, successively adapt to such a new equilibrium. First, we represent the city on a line, showing how its population moves to an equilibrium along the line, and then we generalise this to a bigger two-dimensional space where the original line cutting across the grid evolves as populations maximise their accessibility over the entire space. In this two-dimensional world, we simulate different forms that reflect a balance of centralising versus decentralising forces, showing the power of such equilibria in destroying any idealised form. This approach informs our thinking about how far idealised future cities can depart from formal plans of the kind that the linear city imposes.

Survey of use of herbal and home remedies for hair and scalp among women in North West Saudi Arabia.

Herbal products and home remedies, especially those used as cosmetics, are widely used worldwide. Therefore, we conducted this study to discover the pattern of use of remedies in treating hair and scalp disorders in Tabuk, North West area of Saudi Arabia. A survey about use of herbal products and home remedies was prepared to evaluate their in hair and scalp. The questionnaire was distributed to 149 female hairdressers, hair products sellers and traditional healers as well as female customers in these places. We found about forty-one plants and eleven home remedies used for hair and scalp in Tabuk area. The most widely used plants were Henna (15.01%), coconut (10.22%) and olive (8.14%). They were widely used in hair damage (32.01%), hair endings (21.95%) and hair loss (21.94%). In parallel, the most widely used home remedies were yogurt (32.42%), eggs (26.91%) and honey (23.85%). They were widely used in hair damage (45.57%), hair endings (26.91%) and hair loss (19.88%). There were no differences between participants in the pattern of use of remedies regarding their education level of age group. In conclusion, many natural herbal medicine and home remedies are still in use in North West region of Saudi Arabia for hair and scalp. There is a great shortage in medical sources of information. Finally, many of used remedies lacks important scientific information about their usage and safety.

Comprehensive Study of Scientific Evidence and Potential Risk of Herbal Medicine Use for Body Weight Reduction in North West Saudi Arabia.

Herbal and home remedies are widely used worldwide especially those for weight loss. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in Saudi Arabia has highly elevated during the past decades. People in Saudi Arabia preferred the usage of remedies more than standard medicine. Therefore, we conducted this study to assess the use of weight reduction herbal and home remedies in Tabuk, North West Saudi Arabia. Data about weight-loss herbal remedies were collected from major local herbalist shops. In addition, inherited weight-loss herbal and household remedies were collected. Data collected included composition, method of preparation, method of use, and any reported side effects. Some of these remedies were used either alone or in combination. Majority of these ingredients were boiled in water to be drunk or directly added to food. Most of these mixtures were taken before food to reduce appetite. Most of these herbs were recorded to produce side effects. Mainly people suffer from gastric symptoms and headache. Many natural herbal and home remedies are still in use in Tabuk for weight reduction. Many of these remedies lack important scientific evidence for their usage, effectiveness, or safety.

Measuring the appropriateness of carbamazepine and valproic acid prescribing and utilization using a newly implemented online system in the Tabuk Region of Saudi Arabia

Epilepsy is a common neurologic disorder, which is efficiently treated with carbamazepine and valproic acid. Moreover, Saudi Ministry of Health implemented a new E-system for Poison Control Centers called Awtar to enhance technology utilization in ensuring patients’ satisfaction and to improve treatment outcomes. Therefore, we conducted this study to assess appropriateness of indication of requests and therapeutic levels of carbamazepine and valproic acid in Tabuk area, North West Saudi Arabia. This is a retrospective observational study conducted in Poison Control & Forensic Chemistry Center, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Patients’ data were obtained for years 2018 and 2019. The blood levels of carbamazepine and valproic acid were measured by Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) Unit. We selected patients treated with either valproic acid or carbamazepine alone without any history of drug allergy. Data of 264 patients were extracted from Awtar E-system. Serum carbamazepine levels were within therapeutic range in 114 patients (75.50%), above-therapeutic range in 13 patients (8.61%) and sub-therapeutic levels in 24 patients (15.89%). Regarding serum valproic acid, it is within therapeutic range in 62 patients (54.87%), above-therapeutic range in 11 patients (9.73%) and sub-therapeutic levels in 40 patients (35.40%). In conclusion, this study gives information about partial appropriateness of usage of carbamazepine and low level of appropriateness of valproic acid. However, more efforts are needed to improve results of appropriateness of indication of antiepileptic drugs.

Prevalence of Sleep-disordered Breathing and its Association with Obesity among Saudi Schoolchildren

Epidemiological studies of sleep disturbances are essential to promote awareness among families and educational officials and deliver appropriate treatment at a very early timing. The aim of this population-based study was to determine the frequency of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) symptoms and its association with obesity among schoolchildren in West Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional study comprised 2,000 schoolchildren aged 6-12 years. Sleep-disordered breathing symptoms were assessed with Arabic version of Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ). Overweight/obesity was evaluated using body mass index (BMI) and their association with SDB was tested using a regression analysis model. Overall, 23% of children were at high risk of SDB. Prevalence of habitual snoring was 15.9% and sleep apnea 4%. Boys were at higher risk of SDB than girls (p = 0.026), while age had no effect (p = 0.254). High-risk SDB had a strong association with sleep symptoms compared to low-risk SDB (p < 0.05). Sleep-disordered breathing increased significantly in overweight and obese children (p = 0.017 and p < 0.001, respectively). Around 23% Saudi schoolchildren are at risk of SDB. Related symptoms were strongly associated with high risk of SDB. Overweight and obesity had a strong and progressive association with SDB. The results will help in identifying children at high risk of developing SDB and plan for early intervention to avoid the progression of SDB later in life.

Web Based Survey of Adult Population of West and Central Saudi Arabia about Cause and Management of Keratoconus

Background: Keratoconus (KC) causes visual disability in young adults. To improve its early detection and compliance, improving the awareness of patients and their relatives is crucial. We present the level of awareness about KC among the adult population of western Saudi Arabia and its determinants. Methods: This web-based survey was carried out from June to August 2020 in urban and semi-urban areas in western Saudi Arabia. Demographic and eye ailment profiles were collected. To generate responses on the presentation, causes, management and prevention of KC, a five-point Likert scale was used. The logit values were calculated and graded into good and poor awareness. Awareness was associated with other determinants. Results: We surveyed 420 Saudi adults. The median logit score of awareness about KC among participants was 2.86 (inter quartile range (IQR) 0.86; 2.95). The median score of knowledge about the causes and presentation of KC was 2.86 (IQR 1.1; 2.86) and for management, it was 0.00 (IQR 0.00; 0.18). The level of awareness was good in 286 participants (68.1%) and poor in 134 (31.9%). Residents of major cities (P < 0.04) and women (P < 0.001) had significantly better awareness about KC. Knowledge about KC mainly came from friends and reading about it. The mass media and social media were rarely used to seek knowledge. Conclusions: Awareness about the presentation, causes and management of KC was good in two-thirds of adults but with some variation. Strategies to involve the community and stress health education need to be urgently implemented. Campaigns should target the male and semi-urban population in western Saudi Arabia.

Imported and autochthonous malaria in West Saudi Arabia: results from a reference hospital

BackgroundThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is seeking malaria eradication. Malaria transmission has been very low over the last few years. Discovered cases of Plasmodium falciparum infection are assigned a treatment protocol of artemisinin-based combination therapy, which consists of artesunate in addition to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine rather than the traditional chloroquine, which has high resistance rates worldwide. This study aims to investigate the presence of different gene mutations concerning anti-malarial drug resistance (pfdhfr, pfdhps, pfmdr1, pfcrt, pfcytb, pfketch13) to identify whether drug-resistant alleles are present in this area of the Kingdom and whether the country’s treatment protocol is still suitable for Plasmodium bearing a resistance mutation.MethodsBlood samples were collected from patients suffering from symptoms suggesting malaria coming to King Faisal Hospital, Taif, from February to August 2016. Diagnosis was performed by Giemsa-stained thin and thick blood films, rapid diagnostic test and PCR. Positive P. falciparum samples were further subjected to series of PCR amplification reactions targeting genes related with drug resistance (pfdhfr, pfdhps, pfmdr1, pfcrt, pfcytb, pfketch13).ResultsTwenty-six cases were positives, 13 infected with P. falciparum, of those, 4 cases were autochthonous, and 13 with Plasmodium vivax. The results of the gene mutation detection confirmed that there was no mutation related to resistance to artemisinin or atovaquone, on the other hand chloroquine resistance alleles were detected in 31% of samples. Moreover, point mutations in the pfdhfr and pfdhps genes, related resistance to antifolate drugs, were detected in all characterized samples.ConclusionsHaplotypes of P. falciparum in the western region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia exhibit high resistance against antifolate drugs. These results should be extensively discussed when planning to modify anti-malarial drug protocols in the future.

Factors Influencing Exclusive Breastfeeding in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Background:Breast milk contains all the nutrients infants need for their first 6 months of life. However, only a minority of Saudi Arabian mothers exclusively breastfeed, so the influencing factors must be examined to encourage more to do so. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months and its associated factors in Tabuk, North West Saudi Arabia.Methods:A total of 589 mothers of healthy infants aged between 6 and 24 months were interviewed while attending Well-Baby Clinics within 5 primary health care centers. Interviews deployed a structured questionnaire to collect sociodemographic information and detailed data concerning breastfeeding practices. A logistic regression analysis was then performed on the data to identify the factors independently associated with exclusive breastfeeding practice for infants at 6 months.Results:Exclusive breastfeeding was practiced by 31.4% of mothers for the first 6 months of their infant’s life. The logistic regressions indicated that exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months was less likely to be practiced by working mothers, Saudi nationals, and for babies born via cesarean delivery or at low birth weights. Conversely, the mother’s awareness of the recommended exclusive breastfeeding duration was positively associated with exclusive breastfeeding.Conclusions:Programs promoting 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding should target high-risk groups. Two factors identified by this study are modifiable: working mothers and mothers’ awareness of the exclusive breastfeeding duration recommendation. Strategies to improve exclusive breastfeeding rates should therefore focus on workplace facilities and increasing awareness of the exclusive breastfeeding recommendation.

Reliable water with automatic control valves

The city of Abha, in south west Saudi Arabia, has a new reservoir on top of a hill which releases water down to a main reservoir 6 km away. Problems with dangerous pressure differentials threatened to disrupt the water supply until a Canadian manufacturer of automatic control valves came up with a solution.

Chemostratigraphy of the Ordovician Sarah Formation, North West Saudi Arabia: An integrated approach to reservoir correlation

Late Ordovician pre-glacial and syn-glacial deposits form economically important hydrocarbon reservoirs throughout North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Internal subdivision of the unit is difficult due to the short time span of deposition resulting in coarse biostratigraphic control. The arenaceous character of the sediments has also contributed to poor biostratigraphic recovery. The present study focuses on the chemostratigraphic correlation of this interval encountered in ten wells across a complex, multi-phased pro-glacial outwash fan dominated by hyperpycnal (jet-efflux) turbidites fed by glacial outburst floods. The high resolution reservoir layering scheme presented here utilizes detailed sedimentological core descriptions, borehole image-derived palaeoflow indicators, 3D seismic attributes and chemostratigraphy.The Inductively Coupled Plasma – Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) and Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) techniques were used to acquire data for 50 elements, with the chemostratigraphic scheme based on changes in the following ‘key’ element ratios: Zr/Y, Zr/Lu, Th/Nb, Th/P, Ta/P, Cr/P, P/Lu, Th/Ti, Cr/Yb and Th/Ta. G may give the impression that there are two principal aims are defined by distinct values of key element ratios, with variations in these mainly reflecting changes in source/provenance. In order to avoid complications relating to changes in grain size/lithology, separate schemes were proposed for sandstone and mudrock lithologies, with the former comprising a hierarchical order of two zones, three subzones and seven divisions. Owing to the lower number of analyzed mudrocks, the scheme produced for this dataset is less detailed but, nevertheless, consists of three principal zones and five subzones.At the formation level, chemical stratigraphy allowed for consistent identification and correlation of the pre-glacial Qasim, syn-glacial Sarah and post-glacial Qalibah formations. The earliest post-glacial unit referred to as the Uqlah Formation has an inherited signature from the syn-glacial chemozone (i.e. uppermost Sarah Formation) below, and represents initial reworking of the post-glacial landscape following isostatic rebound. Evidence for glacial isostasy is recorded in a regional deformed zone at the top of the Sarah Formation and immediately beneath an isostatic rebound unconformity at the base of the Uqlah Formation. Chemical zonation of this unit clearly illustrates significant local truncation in wells located close to NW-SE trending lineaments. It is proposed that chemozones are missing across reactivated fault block highs as a result of increased erosion on the shallow marine post glacial shelf.High resolution reservoir layering of the hydrocarbon-bearing syn-glacial Sarah Formation highlights a complex depositional system characterized by an initial phase of deeply entrenched pro-glacial turbidite channels and younger sheet-like depositional lobes. Cores and image logs from both elements of the outwash fan system record extensive climbing dune cross-bedding, an unusual sedimentary structure described from many Upper Ordovician glacial successions in North Africa, and considered indicative of quasi-steady sediment-charged flows initiated by glacial outburst floods. There is no shared chemical link between the lowest channels and overlying lobes, suggesting a large fan system may be found downdip of this deeper channel system. Integration of the zonation scheme with 3D seismic attribute analysis clearly illustrates a second and even third phase of small channels cross cutting the lower larger vintage that fed the sheet-like younger lobe system. This is substantiated by a shared chemical signature and provenance between these small channels and their attached lobes.

Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in Patients Aged 65 Years or Older: Indications and Main Findings From a Referral Hospital, Jazan, Saudi Arabia

Background: It is well known that incidence of gastrointestinal (GI) disease increases with age. Endoscopy for the evaluation of upper gastrointestinal (UGI) symptoms in elderly patients frequently provides useful diagnostic information. Objectives: To ascertain the indications for and describe the outcomes of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in older patients (65+ years) referred to King Fahd Central Hospital (KFCH), Jazan, South West Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is a retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional hospital-based study conducted at KFCH. Records of 591 elderly patients were reviewed during the period of 11 years from 1994 to 2005. Indications for and diagnoses from upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were statistically analyzed. Results: The mean age of patients studied was 73.5 years, with men representing 64.8% (n = 383). The most common indications for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were: UGI bleeding, indicated by hematemesis or melena (139, 23.5%); epigastric pain (67, 11.3%); and acid peptic disease (60, 10.2%). Gastritis was the most common finding of the procedure, with no significant differences between males (20.9%) and females (23.6%). Esophageal varices was the second most common upper GI endoscopy finding among the study participants (102, 17.3). Conclusions: The most common indications for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were UGI bleeding, epigastric pain and Acid Peptic Disease, Gastritis and esophageal varices were the most common findings of upper GI endoscopies performed in the studied population.

PREVALENCE OF DICROCOELIUM DENDRITICUM INFECTION IN SHEEP AT TAIF PROVINCE, WEST SAUDI ARABIA.

Dicrocoelium dendriticum is a common zoonotic parasite of sheep in many Regions of Saudi Arabia. In chronic infections, this parasite causes biliary cirrhosis in livers of cattle, sheep, or goats and leads to economic losses. This study compared the prevalence of Dicrocoelium dendriticum in local sheep and imported sheep in Taif Province, West Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional survey was carried out in slaughterhouses in Taif Province. A total 2230 local sheep and 21383 imported sheep were studied. The number of injury in imported sheep was observed as 99 representing 0.46% of the number of animals examined, while no record of any injury was observed in local sheep.

A Reciprocal Model of Psychographic Attributes Related to Their Learning among Preparatory Year of Undergraduate Students in West Saudi Arabia

This study examines the level of psychographic attributes among the preparatory year students enrolled at the University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The study sample consists of 209 students chosen with the help of random sampling and questionnaire survey was employed for data collection. Based on the findings, the entire study variables, which are achievement motivation, self-efficacy and leisure attitude, were revealed to have average levels. Additionally, the findings revealed a significant correlation between all the variables. Specifically, differences were noted between students on the basis of their gender and study tracks on some study variables. The study recommends that in an attempt to facilitate students’ positive attitude towards the university, it is imperative for the university management to plan and organize programs geared towards developing positive attitude, increasing self-efficacy and motivation among the students.

Exploration of wild plants wealth with economic importance tolerant to difficult conditions in Khulais Governorate, Saudi Arabia

The present work studied the flora of Khulais region, west Saudi Arabia, with reference to its potential use. Results revealed that the region considers a hot-spot in the Kingdom in term of plant diversity and more diverse region compared with other well studied regions in Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries. A total of 251 plant species belonging to 160 genera and 50 families were identified. The major plant families that contributed in the formation of vegetation of the area in question were Poaceae (42 species) followed by Papilonaceae (20 species), Euphorbiacea and Asteraceae (18 and 15 species, respectively), while eighteen families each was represented by only one species. Therophytes exhibited the maximum number of species (41.2%), followed by Chaemophytes (31.4%), Hemicryptophytes (13.7%) and Phanerophytes (10%), while the least frequent life form class was Geophytes. Floristic list of the studied area showed 96 species with economical importance, 66 species used as fodder, 24 as medical and 6 edible species. The study Shed light on the region and showed that the area has remained botanically virgin and not explored extensively and intensively even though rich in vegetation, providing floristic checklist and strongly recommending further detail study. Key words: Biodiversity, Khulais, Saudi, flora, hot-spot.

High incidence of childhood type 1 diabetes in Al-Madinah, North West Saudi Arabia (2004-2009)

There is a geographical variation in the incidence of childhood type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) with a steady increase reported from some countries. However, data on the incidence of childhood T1DM in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are limited. To identify the incidence rate (IR) and epidemiological trends of childhood T1DM in the largest city of northwest Saudi Arabia. All patients with newly diagnosed T1DM aged 0-12 yr living in the city between 2004 and 2009 were identified from different sources. The data were analyzed according to age, sex, and month of presentation. In total, 419 patients (249 girls) were diagnosed between 2004 and 2009 inclusive. The mean age at diagnosis was 6.9 ± 3.5 yr. The mean annual age-standardized IR was 29.0 (95% confidence interval 26.0-32.0). The incidence was significantly higher in the 10-12-yr age group than in younger children (p < 0.001) and higher in girls than in boys (33.0 vs. 22.2 per 100 000; p < 0.001). There was no significant increase in the annual incidence during the 6-yr period (p = 0.68) and more cases were diagnosed during autumn and winter months (p = 0.002). Al-Madinah city has the highest reported incidence of childhood T1DM in the Middle East and North Africa region. Further studies to identify the reasons for this high incidence are needed.

Structural and stratigraphic evolution of Abu Dhabi in the context of Arabia

The Emirate of Abu Dhabi is famed for its coastal carbonate, sabkhas and sand dunes; it is located in the NE part of the Arabian Plate, which formed during the Late Neoproterozoic (~820–750 Ma) by the accretion of island arcs and microcontinents to early Gondwana. Most of Arabia seems to have spent its existence within the Southern Hemisphere until it crossed the Equator during the Mesozoic; parts were involved in four glaciations, two in the Proterozoic (~750–630 Ma—Iceball or Slushball Earth?), and two more in the Palaeozoic (Late Ordovician and Permo-Carboniferous transition). In the early Palaeozoic the Arabian Plate was oriented about 90° counter clockwise relative to today’s poles. Gondwana later skirted the South Pole, migrating to the other side of the planet, eventually emerging the ‘right-way up’ with the Arabian Plate oriented to the poles more or less as seen today. Cold and temperate climate conditions ensured that for much of its early existence, Arabia was the site of mainly quartz-rich deposits. Later in the Neoproterozoic, however, extensive stromatolitic carbonate deposition took the lead, culminating around the Cambro-Precambrian boundary with deposition of the extensive Ara and Hormuz evaporites. Since south Arabia’s Permo-Carboniferous glaciation, the Arabian plate has been drifting northward, crossing temperate climatic zones conducive to fluvial and aeolian sandstone deposition and, from the later Permian, to tropical shallow-marine carbonates and evaporites In parallel with the above, the rifting of Gondwana opened an oceanic trough in the Late Permian off the NE flank of Arabia. Slope carbonates and deepwater Hawasina turbidites with a clear flow to the NE were deposited until they were obducted (together with associated ophiolites) in the Late Cretaceous on the edge of the Arabian plate in Oman and Iran. The deposition of widespread Early Silurian hydrocarbon source rocks in east-central Arabia was followed in the later Permian by extensive reservoir rocks with more during the mid-Late Mesozoic, giving rise to major oilfields both on- and off-shore, including Abu Dhabi. Arabia and Africa began to separate late in the Miocene with the opening of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. SSW–NNE compressive stresses caused uplift and volcanic activity in west Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Some products of erosion flowed eastward into Abu Dhabi. At the NE margin of Arabia, the Tethys Ocean narrowed, the NE flank of the newly forming Zagros Mountains of Iran is being subducted beneath southern Asia. To the SE, roughly coeval crustal compression adjacent to the Gulf of Oman led to uplift of the Oman Mountains and deposition of erosional products flanking the mountains mainly to the W and SW. The Oman Mountains are currently rising at about 2 mm/a, while northern Musandam is subsiding into the Strait of Hormuz at some 6 mm/a in association with subduction of the Arabian plate margin below the Eurasian plate. Alternations between polar glaciations and interglacials over the past few 100 ka resulted in considerable climatic changes over Arabia; slow glacial build-ups lasting some 80 to 120 ka led, somewhat erratically, to a fall in sea level of up to 130 m, to strong winds and the building of systems of extensive sand dunes such as the Rub’ al Khali. The joint Tigris–Euphrates river system flowed through a desert landscape, reaching the ocean only SE of the Strait of Hormuz. The peak of the last glaciation about 21 ka was followed by its rapid collapse and flooding of the Arabian Gulf to its present level between about 12 or 10 and 6 ka, a horizontal marine advance of some 200–300 m/a. Abu Dhabi is now the site of shallow-marine carbonates offshore and classical sabkhas and carbonate-rich sand dunes onshore.