Social isolation among adolescents and its association with depression symptoms

BackgroundSocial isolation can be defined as the absence of social interactions, contacts, and relationships with family, friends, and neighbors. According to some studies, social isolation was associated with depressive symptoms. At least one out of every five teenagers suffer from a diagnosable mental health problem that impairs their function. Saudi Arabia has a significant adolescent population;however, there are few studies conducted in Saudi Arabia to assess social isolation and its psychological impact among adolescents. This research is intended to study the prevalence of social isolation among adolescents in Riyadh and its association with depression symptoms.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 483 adolescents living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An online self-administered questionnaire was used, and it was composed of three sections which are sociodemographic characteristics, assessment of social isolation, and assessment of depression symptoms.ResultsThe study reported the prevalence of social isolation among adolescents was 10.14%. The prevalence of depression symptoms among adolescents was high (31.68%). There was a significant association between social isolation and symptoms of depression among the studied sample (χ2 = 12.3, p = 0.002). It was found that being a male, living with both parents, and having low income are significant predictors of social isolation among adolescents;with r2 = 0.08 and p-value < .0001. It was also found that low-income level had a more impact on social isolation among adolescents than other factors (estimate = 1.6).ConclusionsA total of 10% of adolescents in Riyadh are socially isolated. There is a significant association between social isolation and symptoms of depression among the studied adolescents. Symptoms of depression can be predicted by social isolation. RecommendationsThe Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia should work together to conduct educational intervention programs for adolescents about mental health, the importance of social interaction, and the drawbacks of social isolation. These topics should also be involved in the curriculum of secondary schools.

Estimation of NO2 emission strengths over Riyadh and Madrid from space from a combination of wind-assigned anomalies and a machine learning technique

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) air pollution provides valuable information for quantifying NOx (NOx = NO + NO2) emissions and exposures. This study presents a comprehensive method to estimate average tropospheric NO2 emission strengths derived from 4-year (May 2018–June 2022) TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) observations by combining a wind-assigned anomaly approach and a machine learning (ML) method, the so-called gradient descent algorithm. This combined approach is firstly applied to the Saudi Arabian capital city of Riyadh, as a test site, and yields a total emission rate of 1.09×1026 molec. s-1. The ML-trained anomalies fit very well with the wind-assigned anomalies, with an R2 value of 1.0 and a slope of 0.99. Hotspots of NO2 emissions are apparent at several sites: over a cement plant and power plants as well as over areas along highways. Using the same approach, an emission rate of 1.99×1025 molec. s-1 is estimated in the Madrid metropolitan area, Spain. Both the estimate and spatial pattern are comparable with the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) inventory.Weekly variations in NO2 emission are highly related to anthropogenic activities, such as the transport sector. The NO2 emissions were reduced by 16 % at weekends in Riyadh, and high reductions were found near the city center and in areas along the highway. An average weekend reduction estimate of 28 % was found in Madrid. The regions with dominant sources are located in the east of Madrid, where residential areas and the Madrid-Barajas airport are located. Additionally, due to the COVID-19 lockdowns, the NO2 emissions decreased by 21 % in March–June 2020 in Riyadh compared with the same period in 2019. A much higher reduction (62 %) is estimated for Madrid, where a very strict lockdown policy was implemented. The high emission strengths during lockdown only persist in the residential areas, and they cover smaller areas on weekdays compared with weekends. The spatial patterns of NO2 emission strengths during lockdown are similar to those observed at weekends in both cities. Although our analysis is limited to two cities as test examples, the method has proven to provide reliable and consistent results. It is expected to be suitable for other trace gases and other target regions. However, it might become challenging in some areas with complicated emission sources and topography, and specific NO2 decay times in different regions and seasons should be taken into account. These impacting factors should be considered in the future model to further reduce the uncertainty budget.

Some Social and Administrative Problems facing health cadres on receiving Corona-virus (COVID-19) Vaccine: Field Study in Vaccination Centers in Riyadh

The main objective of this study is to reveal the reality of social and administrative problems related to planning, organization, orientation and control, facing the health cadres during receiving Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine in the centers concerned with vaccinations in Riyadh City. This study has used the social survey methodology with the comprehensive enumeration method. The study tool is applied to (378) researched persons of health cadres in vaccination centers of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine in Riyadh City. The study results have revealed that that the level of social problems faced by the health cadres in vaccination centers of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine according to the weighted arithmetic average value equals (1,79) with a very high degree, and with a standard deviation (0.89);which refers to the agreement of the workers in those centers of their estimation of the existence of those social problems at a very high degree. The most significant of problems are: not feeling comfortable when going home due to their fear of infection transmission to family members, work takes most of their time, in addition to limiting taking part in social duties due to work circumstances. Concerning the level of administrative problems facing health cadres in vaccination centers of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine, the arithmetic average reaches (2,85) with a moderate degree, and with standard deviation of (1,1);which refers to agreement of the health cadres in those centers in their estimation of the existence degree of those administrative problems with an intermediate degree. The most important of them include: in respect of the planning problems: lack of clarity of work objectives, duplication in providing services, nonexistence of policy and procedure guides for work in vaccination centers of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine. Concerning the organization problems, the most significant of them are: nonexistence of mission fair distribution, work division in vaccination centers of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine is not based on specialization basis, and the number of work hours is inappropriate. The most important orientation problems are the lack of clarity of orders and instructions issued in the center, and nonexistence of incentive methods to increase motivation in work. In respect of the control problems, they are represented in nonexistence of control over the work performance in vaccination centers of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine.

Acknowledgement to Referees

Drugs Ther Perspect 38, 112-126 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40267-022-00897-8 * Szkiladz, A., Hegner, S. Evaluation of three barrier-type closed system transfer devices using the 2015 NIOSH vapor containment performance draft protocol. Drugs Ther Perspect 38, 177-184 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40267-02200905-x Adis Drug or Device Q&A reviews, which are written by employees of Adis International Ltd./Springer Nature as part of the Adis Drug Review programme, were also very popular, including the following published in 2022: * Heo, YA. Dag Aarsland, UK Heba Abdelkader, Egypt Sola Adeleke, UK Niyaz Ahmad, Saudi Arabia Abolfazl Akbari, Islamic Republic of Iran A.Deniz Akkaya, Turkey Juan Pablo Alderuccio, USA Khalidah Alenzi, Saudi Arabia Eman A. Alghamdi, Saudi Arabia Abdulaziz Alhazmi, Saudi Arabia Zainab Ali, Qatar Abdullah Alismail, USA Yazed S. Alsowaida, USA Mohammad Amraee, Islamic Republic of Iran Kamile Arıkan, Turkey Carol Armour, Australia Kurt Ashack, USA Flora N. Balieva, Norway Kalyani Barve, India Kathleen Bennett, Ireland Uwe Bieri, Switzerland Jacqueline Birks, UK Paul A. Bunn, USA Matthew Burge, Australia Luca Busetto, Italy Flavio Cadegiani, Brazil Michael Camilleri, USA Anthony M. Casapao, USA Maria Cerruto, Italy Shao-Ping Chang, Taiwan, Republic of China Y. Chen, China Ann C. Childress, USA Arrigo F.G. Cicero, Italy Philip Cohen, USA Samuele Cortese, UK Saibal Das, India Mellar Davis, USA Francesca De Felice, Italy Florentina-Silvia F.G. Delli, Greece Dana DiBenedetti, USA Hadi Esmaily, Islamic Republic of Iran Roger Evans, Australia Justin Faden, USA Tom Fahey, Ireland Charlotte Forshay, USA Brian M. Frier, UK Jesús Funuyet-Salas, Spain Silvana Galderisi, Italy Hamza Garashi, UK Pere Gascon, Spain Bilun Gemicioglu, Turkey Niloofar Ghadamyari, Turkey Silvia Giovannini, Italy David Graham, USA Stephen Grill, USA Matthew Grissinger, USA Harm R. Haak, The Netherlands Swapnil Hiremath, Canada Alexis E. Horace, USA Robert H. Howland, USA Perpetua U. Ibekwe, Nigeria Ambrose O. Isah, Nigeria Deidre A. Kelly, UK Zakir Khan, Turkey Asmita Priyadarshini Khatiwada, Nepal Barbara Kiesewetter, Austria Hiroshi Kitoh, Japan Haruki Koike, Japan Dimitra Koumaki, Greece Lincy Lal, USA Megan Lam, Canada Roger D. Lander, USA Carl J. Lavie, USA David Liew, Australia Alisa Likhitsup, USA Fanxiao Liu, China Tauqeer H. Mallhi, Saudi Arabia Jason Margolesky, USA Tommaso Martino, Italy Cristiano Matos, Portugal Daniel Medina Luna, Mexico Tasneem F. Mohammad, USA Klaus Mohnike, Germany Sarah Mousavi, Islamic Republic of Iran Tinashe Mudzviti, Zimbabwe Thomas Müller, Germany Richard Musil, Germany Mariasanta Napolitano, Italy Elisa Navarro, USA Weiyi Ni, USA Joshua Niznik, USA Joanna Nowaczyk, Poland Christophe Orssaud, France Ranakishor Pelluri, India Marco Pozzi, Italy Yash Prashar, India Jennifer Pruskowski, USA Olivier Rascol, France Emily Reeve, Australia Omar Salamanca, Colombia Oliver Scherf-Clavel, Germany Martin Schoen, USA Leticia Shea, USA Shatrunajay Shukla, India Damian Skrypnik, Poland Meredith Smith, USA Anshu Srivastava, India Amit K. Srivastava, India Thomas P. Stern, USA Adam Strzelczyk, Germany Rokeya Sultana, India Rajesh Tampi, USA Karina Top, Canada Jean-Louis Vincent, Belgium Giuseppe Vita, Italy Antonio Vitiello, Italy Sarah E. Vordenberg, USA Thasia G. Woodworth, USA Angela Yen Moore, USA Ichiro Yoshii, Japan Seyede Raheleh Yousefi, Islamic Republic of Iran Ismaeel Yunusa, USA Ge Zhang, Hong Kong, China We are also very grateful to the members of the journal's Honorary Editorial Board, who have acted as peer reviewers and authors, and have provided guidance on journal content, policy and processes.

Active Surveillance for Safety Monitoring of COVID-19 Vaccines in Saudi Arabia: An International Journal of Medical Toxicology and Drug Experience

Introduction: At the end of 2019, a novel coronavirus was identified as the cause of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China [1, 2]. It is generally accepted that the world will not return to the pre-pandemic normally situation until safe and effective vaccines become available. However, the rare and unknown adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) are not usually detected in the clinical trials. Thus, monitoring the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in real-world population is essential. Objective: To perform a post-marketing safety surveillance of AEFIs of COVID-19 vaccines. Methods: A prospective cohort study conducted and followed subjects who received COVID-19 vaccines from the first day of vaccination for seven days after the first and second doses, then biweekly for three months. All vaccinee demographic information, vaccine type, co-morbidities, concomitant medications and AEFIs were collected by phone through a standardized online questionnaire. Baseline characteristics and AEFIs were analyzed descriptively by SPSS software. AEFIs were classified according to medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA). Results: 544 subjects of 8867 agreed to be part of the study. Among them 218 subjects completed the study, of them 110 individual were male (50.5%) and 108 (49.5%) were female;the median age was 33 year. Out of 218, 87 (39.91%) individual received Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, 45(20.64%) individual received Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, 5(2.3%) individual received Moderna vaccine, and 81 (37.2%) received two different COVID-19 vaccines. The reported events were categorized to system organ class (SOC) according to MedDRA. The most reported SOCs were respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders (n = 8 with Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, n = 4 with Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine, n = 1 with Moderna vaccine), Injection site reactions (n = 66 with Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, n = 34 with Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine, n = 5 with Moderna vaccine), nervous system disorder (n = 20 with Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, n = 18 with Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine, n = 3 with Moderna vaccine),infections and infestations (n = 23 with Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, n = 33 with Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, n = 4 with Moderna vaccine), musculoskeletal disorders (n = 53 with Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, n = 46 with Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, n = 7 with Moderna vaccine). Only 10 (4.6%) cases were serious and required medical intervention to overcome the harm. Conclusion: The preliminary results of the study shows the shortterm safety profiles of included COVID-19 vaccines are acceptable in Saudi Arabia.

Assessment of air quality index (AQI) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Air pollution is increasingly becoming a main environmental matter in the world. It can impact public health, weather, and climate. Riyadh's air pollution poses significant environmental and health risks. The study aimed to analyze Riyadh's current and future air quality by using AQI. Main six air pollutants are considered, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter (PM), ground level ozone (O3), and carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO). Eleven air quality stations located throughout Riyadh assess the concentration of six standard pollutants daily. A comparison of air quality in Riyadh was done at the local, regional, and international levels. Furthermore, diverse factors such as meteorological seasons, working periods, and the COVID-19 period are taken into account. Industrial emissions, as well as contributions from mobile sources and wind-blown dust, appear to be the principal pollutant sources affecting Riyadh. The measured air quality components for all contaminants were found to be below standard. PM poses the greatest damage to the city's human health of all the pollutants studied. It can be found in practically all locations of air quality stations, even though CO and O3 levels in the city are not at alarming levels.

Clinical evaluation of contrast-enhanced CT combined with PET/CT in diagnosis of mediastinal lymph node metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer

Objectives: To investigate the clinical value of contrast-enhanced CT combined with PET/CT in the differential diagnosis of mediastinal lymph node metastasis (MLNM) of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: A total of 120 patients with NSCLC combined with mediastinal lymphadenopathy hospitalized in our hospital were selected. All the patients received radical resection of lung cancer and mediastinal lymphadenectomy. After pathological diagnosis, they were divided into MLNM group (malignant group, undergoing contrast-enhanced CT) and non-MLNM group (benign group, receiving contrast-enhanced CT combined with PET-CT). The results were judged by two senior radiologists independently. The results of different scanning methods and postoperative pathology were compared using the t test, χ2 test and Pearson correlation coefficient test. Results: Compared with the pathological results, contrast-enhanced CT diagnosed 31 cases, with a coincidence rate of 62%, and contrast-enhanced CT combined with PET-CT diagnosed 42 cases, with a coincidence rate of 84%, presenting a statistically significant difference (P = 0.02). Among the 120 patients with lung cancer, pathological examination confirmed MLNM in 50 patients and benign enlargement in 70 patients, contrast-enhanced CT alone detected metastasis in 40 patients and benign enlargement in 80 patients, and contrast-enhanced CT combined with PET-CT detected metastasis in 47 patients and benign enlargement in 73 patients. The sensitivity and accuracy of the latter were significantly higher than those of the former (sensitivity, P = 0.01;accuracy, P = 0.01). With the increase in the malignancy of lymph nodes, the degree of CT enhancement, the concentration of radioactive substances and SUV value increased, showing positive correlations. Conclusion: Contrast-enhanced CT combined with PET/CT in the diagnosis of MLNM of NSCLC presents higher coincidence rate, sensitivity and accuracy. With the increase in tumor malignancy, the enhancement degree and radioactive substance concentration increase. The two methods are synergistic and complementary in diagnosing MLNM.

Comparison of General Dietary and Lifestyle Habits Before and During COVID-19 among the Saudi Adult Population in Riyadh

Background: During the initial outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic, there were few effective evidence-based vaccines or treatments available, which led to many attempts to find alternative options. Objective: This study aimed to compare the general dietary and lifestyle habits among the Saudi adult population in Riyadh before and during COVID-19. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study targeting the Riyadh population from 16 May 2020 to 16 June 2020. The study was composed of a structured questionnaire that collected demographic information (such as age, gender, place of residence, and health status), dietary habit information (such as daily intake of certain foods, food frequency, number of meals/day, and number of times drinking tea and coffee), lifestyle habit information (such as physical activity;sleep quality;and time spent using the internet, social media, and electronic devices for fun or stress relief) using Google forms. A total of 1193 participants aged over 18 years were included in the study. Results: During the COVID-19 period, a significant increase was observed in the number of meals eaten daily, fruit and vegetable intake, the intake of sweets and cakes/biscuits, the number of hours of sleep per day, and time spent on the internet and social media compared with the pre- COVID-19 pandemic period. However, the amount of running exercise or physical activity was found to be significantly reduced. Conclusion: In this study, we found that the dietary and lifestyle habits changed among Saudi adults during the COVID-19 period. Similar large-scale studies should be undertaken in the future to confirm the results of the study.

Estimation of NO2 emission strengths over Riyadh and Madrid from space from a combination of wind-assigned anomalies and machine learning technique

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) air pollution provides valuable information for quantifying NOx emissions and exposures. This study presents a comprehensive method to estimate average tropospheric NO2 emission strengths derived from three-year (April 2018 - March 2021) TROPOMI observations by combining a wind-assigned anomaly approach and a Machine Learning (ML) method, the so-called Gradient Descent. This combined approach is firstly applied to the Saudi Arabian capital city Riyadh, as a test site, and yields a total emission rate of 1.04×1026 molec./s. The ML-trained anomalies fit very well with the wind-assigned anomalies with an R2 value of 1.0 and a slope of 0.99. Hotspots of NO2 emissions are apparent at several sites where the cement plant and power plants are located and over areas along the highways. Using the same approach, an emission rate of 1.80×1025 molec./s is estimated in the Madrid metropolitan area, Spain. Both the estimate and spatial pattern are comparable to the CAMS inventory. Weekly variations of NO2 emission are highly related to anthropogenic activities, such as the transport sector. The NO2 emissions were reduced by 24% at weekends in Riyadh, and high reductions are found near the city center and the areas along the highway. An average weekend reduction estimate of 30% in Madrid is found. The regions with dominant sources are located in the east of Madrid, where the residential areas and the Madrid-Barajas airport are located. Additionally, the NO2 emissions decreased by 21% in March-June 2020 compared to the same period in 2019 induced by the COVID-19 lockdowns in Riyadh. A much higher reduction (60%) is estimated for Madrid where a very strict lockdown policy was implemented. The high emission strengths during lockdown only persist in the residential areas and cover smaller areas during weekdays than at weekends. The spatial patterns of NO2 emission strengths during lockdown are similar to those observed at weekends in both cities. Though our analysis is limited to two cities as testing examples, the method has proved to provide reliable and consistent results. Therefore, it is expected to be suitable for other trace gases and other target regions. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions is the property of Copernicus Gesellschaft mbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

In this issue

Systematic Review Evidence-based exercises intervention in adults diagnosed with Lymphoma AlJohi et al evaluate the efficacy of physical therapy or exercise intervention on quality of life (QOL), fatigue, sleep, and psychological and physical functioning in adults diagnosed with Lymphoma. Younger age, male gender, having a job, and being in cohort 2 are significantly associated with providing a scientific answer in a multivariate analysis (modeling scientific cause). Prospective larger studies with a longer follow-up period are needed to confirm thier results. see page 486 Case Report Immune complex-mediated glomerulonephritis post COVID-19 vaccination in a patient with concomitant Brucellosis Al Bakr & Alaithan report a 29-year-old man with history of Chronic Kidney Disease who presents to thier center with flank pain after receiving AstraZeneca COVID vaccine.

TOURISM SME STAKEHOLDER PERSPECTIVES ON THE INAUGURAL 'SAUDI SEASONS': AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF EMERGING OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

Purpose - This exploratory study aims to determine tourism SME stakeholders' perceptions of the performance of the first "Saudi Seasons" initiative 2019/20 developed by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH). Design/methodology/approach - This qualitative study draws on an interpretivist paradigm that explores participants' views and experiences through immersive, semi-structured interviews. A total of 30 participants were interviewed in three locations: Riyadh, Jeddah and Al-'Ula. A thematic analysis was then conducted and the emerging themes were presented as key findings. Findings - The Seasons have been successful in increasing business activity and changing the negative perception of Saudi Arabia among international tourists. However, it was also noted that the Seasons have put pressure on local tourism infrastructure, whilst other stakeholders raised concerns regarding the inadequate promotion of heritage sites and ineffective stakeholder engagement. Originality/value - This exploratory study offers novel stakeholder insights into the performance of the inaugural Saudi Seasons initiative and underscores the important need for SMEs to be more effectively involved in contemporary tourism development discourse in Saudi Arabia.

Complete Blood Count Alterations of COVID-19 Patients in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

This study is aimed at evaluating the association between Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) and the primary complete blood count (CBC) parameters in confirmed positive patients. In a retrospective cross-sectional study, 384 files of patients with confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis hospitalized at King Saud Medical City, Riyadh, were chosen randomly as a study group for hematological parameters, with another 384 non-COVID-19 files of patients without history of any disease which could influence the hematological profile were selected as a control group. The gender, age, and nationality of the control group were matched with those of the study group. Anemia and thrombocytopenia prevalence was significantly higher in COVID-19 positive patients compared with negative. However, the positive cases were 3.4 times more likely to be anemic and approximately 5.3 times as likely to be thrombocytopenic, while the prevalence of leukopenia showed no statistical significance between the two groups. However, the Mean Cell Volume (MCV), Total White Blood Cell (WBC) count, lymphocyte count, and basophil count median values showed a nonsignificant difference between the two groups. Anemia and thrombocytopenia may be highly developed in severe positive cases, and therefore, further studies are recommended to validate these findings.