ABSTRACT
Introduction: Saudi Arabia is a country with high prevalence of diabetes. The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy is 19.7%. To decrease the incidence of diabetic retinopathy and to improve quality of life, our study aims to assess the knowledge of diabetic retinopathy among diabetic patients. Objectives: The primary objective is to assess the knowledge of diabetic patients about DR. Methods: Cross-sectional study, conducted in PHC centers. Data was collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire to study the relationship between socio-demographic factors and knowledge about DR. Results: Atotal of 383 adult diabetic subjects participated in the. The association between socio-demographic factors and the knowledge of DR showed that, females, elderly, illiterate and those attained high school education or less showed significantly poor level of knowledge (p<0.05). Conclusion: lack of knowledge was associated with low levels of education, female and older ages.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of ingestion exposure of lead by particle sizes of crumb rubber in artificial turf filling material with consideration of bioavailability. METHODS: This study estimated the ingestion exposure by particle sizes (more than 250 um or less than 250 um) focusing on recyclable ethylene propylene diene monomer crumb rubber being used as artificial turf filling. Analysis on crumb rubber was conducted using body ingestion exposure estimate method in which total content test method, acid extraction method and digestion extraction method are reflected. Bioavailability which is a calibrating factor was reflected in ingestion exposure estimate method and applied in exposure assessment and risk assessment. Two methods using acid extraction and digestion extraction concentration were compared and evaluated. RESULTS: As a result of the ingestion exposure of crumb rubber material, the average lead exposure amount to the digestion extraction result among crumb rubber was calculated to be 1.56x10(-4) mg/kg-day for low grade elementary school students and 4.87x10(-5) mg/kg-day for middle and high school students in 250 um or less particle size, and that to the acid extraction result was higher than the digestion extraction result. Results of digestion extraction and acid extraction showed that the hazard quotient was estimated by about over 2 times more in particle size of lower than 250 um than in higher than 250 um. There was a case of an elementary school student in which the hazard quotient exceeded 0.1. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study confirm that the exposure of lead ingestion and risk level increases as the particle size of crumb rubber gets smaller.