Assessment of Biobanking Knowledge and Attitudes towards Biospecimen Donation among Healthcare Providers in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Biobanking is a critical cornerstone of the global shift towards precision medicine (PM). This transformation requires smooth and informed interaction between a range of stakeholders involved in the healthcare system. In Saudi Arabia, there is still insufficient awareness of the importance of biobanking and its potential benefits for patients, the healthcare system, and society as a whole. The purpose of this study was to determine the biobanking knowledge of Saudi healthcare providers and the potential factors that might influence their self-reported attitudes toward biospecimen donation and biobanking. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted targeting 636 healthcare providers in Makkah province using a structured, self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: The study had a response rate of 61%. The mean knowledge level about biobanks was 3.5 (±1.8) out of 7. About one-third of the participants were aware of the Human Genome Project (HGP) (35%) or the term "biobank" (34%). The mean rating of their attitude was 37.3 (±4.3) out of 55. Most participants (74%) had a positive attitude toward medical research. Job position, general health, previous blood tests, knowledge of biobanking, and attitudes toward biomedical research were significantly related and predictors of willingness to donate biospecimens (p < 0.05). However, concerns about biospecimen misuse and confidentiality were the main reasons for not donating biospecimens. CONCLUSIONS: This study has shown that healthcare providers mostly lack basic knowledge about HGP and biobanks and their roles and activities, and therefore are generally disinclined to actively participate in biospecimens' collection and management. It is recommended that medical trainees receive more education and awareness about biobanks and the latest personalized healthcare approaches to improve translational research outcomes and achieve precision medicine.

Food safety and hygiene education improves the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Saudi dietetics students.

The objective of the study is to evaluate the effect of food safety and hygiene course on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of dietetics students. A repeated measure pre/post-intervention study was used to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices regarding food safety and hygiene among undergraduate dietetics students (n = 63) enrolled in a course on food safety and hygiene in Saudi Arabia. Students were asked to complete an online questionnaire divided into five sections that covered key food-safety concepts before and at the end of the course to determine changes in these variables. Overall, students' knowledge, attitudes, and practices improved significantly after attending the course on food safety and hygiene. Scores for total knowledge increased from 16.51±2.60 before the course to 20.60±2.01 after it (p < 0.001). The total score for attitudes improved from 9.16±1.43 before the course to 9.92±0.27 after it (p < 0.001). The total score for practices increased from 11.0±3.10 before the course to 14.78±3.41 after it (p < 0.001).The course on food safety and hygiene helped to improve the knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices of food safety by dietetics students.

Assessment of Knowledge and Self-Reported Use of Nutrition Facts Labels, Nutrient Content, and Health Claims among Saudi Adult Consumers.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have investigated the knowledge and attitudes towards the nutrition facts label, the nutrient content and health claims (NHCs) among consumers from different countries/cultures. METHODS: This cross-sectional study assessed the knowledge and self-reported use of the nutrition facts label and NHCs among Saudi adults. A total of 722 participants were recruited using an online questionnaire. RESULTS: Total knowledge score was 5.8 ± 2.5/13 points (45%). Approximately, 18%, 77%, and 5% of the participants had low, medium, and high levels of knowledge, respectively. Participants were more knowledgeable on the nutrition facts label (2.6 ± 1.6/5 points) and health claims (2.7 ± 1.2/4 points) versus nutrient content claims (0.5 ± 0.7/4 points). The total use score was 20.1 ± 5.7/30 points (67%); approximately, 2%, 61%, and 37% of the participants were classified as low, medium, and high use level, respectively. Participants' use of the nutrition facts label, nutrient content claims, and health claims was 10.0 ± 3.1/15, 6.5 ± 2.2/9, and 3.6 ± 1.8/6 points, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the need for more education and public awareness programs to enhance consumer knowledge and use of the nutrition facts label and NHCs, and consequently lead to healthy dietary choices.

Responses of consumers with food allergy to the new allergen-labelling legislation in Saudi Arabia: a preliminary survey.

OBJECTIVE: Preventing a food allergy reaction depends primarily on eliminating allergens from the diet. In October 2019, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) introduced new legislation requiring food establishments providing and selling non-prepacked foods to state the presence of the top fourteen food allergens on their menus. The current study aimed to assess the allergen-labelling knowledge, practices, preferences and perceptions towards the new SFDA allergen-labelling legislation among consumers with food allergy in Saudi Arabia. DESIGN: Observational cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire. SETTING: Saudi Arabia; February - March 2020. PARTICIPANTS: Residents of Saudi Arabia with food allergy (n 427), aged 18-70 years. RESULTS: Among participants, only 28·1 % knew that there were governmental regulations in Saudi Arabia regarding food-allergen labelling and approximately two-thirds (67 %) check labels on prepacked food products for allergens. The majority of the participants preferred food products carrying safety statements (84·1 %) and symbols (80·1 %). A total of 47·1 % were aware that regulations in Saudi Arabia require allergens to be declared in ingredient lists, while 51·3 % were aware that advisory allergen labelling is not required by law. Only 26·2 % were aware of the new SFDA legislation regarding provision of allergen information by food establishments. However, the majority (94·4 %) were supportive of the new legislation, and most of them were more likely to eat at restaurants that reported allergen information for food items on the menu. CONCLUSIONS: The new SFDA food allergen-labelling legislation needs to be more widely and effectively disseminated to increase the level of awareness among adults with food allergy in Saudi Arabia.

Dietary Plant Polyphenols: Effects of Food Processing on Their Content and Bioavailability.

Dietary plant polyphenols are natural bioactive compounds that are increasingly attracting the attention of food scientists and nutritionists because of their nutraceutical properties. In fact, many studies have shown that polyphenol-rich diets have protective effects against most chronic diseases. However, these health benefits are strongly related to both polyphenol content and bioavailability, which in turn depend on their origin, food matrix, processing, digestion, and cellular metabolism. Although most fruits and vegetables are valuable sources of polyphenols, they are not usually consumed raw. Instead, they go through some processing steps, either industrially or domestically (e.g., cooling, heating, drying, fermentation, etc.), that affect their content, bioaccessibility, and bioavailability. This review summarizes the status of knowledge on the possible (positive or negative) effects of commonly used food-processing techniques on phenolic compound content and bioavailability in fruits and vegetables. These effects depend on the plant type and applied processing parameters (type, duration, media, and intensity). This review attempts to shed light on the importance of more comprehensive dietary guidelines that consider the recommendations of processing parameters to take full advantage of phenolic compounds toward healthier foods.

Attitudes Toward Psychological Disorders and Alternative Medicine in Saudi Participants.

Background: This study was designed to investigate Saudis' attitudes toward mental distress and psychotropic medication, attribution of causes, expected side effects, and to analyze participants' expectations toward alternative or complementary medicine using aromatic and medicinal plants, through a survey. Method: The study included 674 participants (citizens and residents in Saudi Arabia) who were randomly contacted via email and social media and gave their consent to complete a questionnaire dealing with 39 items that can be clustered in six parts. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square for cross-tabulation were generated using SPSS. Results: Among the 664 participants, 73.4% believed that there are some positive and negative outcomes of psychotropic medication. Participants (72.0%) think that the most important reason leading to psychological disorders is mainly due to the loss of a relative or beloved person, and 73.9% considered psychic session as one of the possible treatments of psychological disorders. Surprisingly, only 18.8% of the participants agreed that medicinal and aromatic plants could be a possible treatment of the psychological disorder. Participants (82%) consider that physicians are the most trustful and preferred source of information about alternative and complementary medicine.

Food safety behaviour and handling practices among Saudi women during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although it is commonly known that viruses cannot multiply in food as they need a living host for growth, adenoviruses and corona viruses can reportedly survive on surfaces and food packages for several days. Therefore, food item mishandling could increase the risk of infection. In this cross-sectional study, we assessed the changes in the food purchasing habits, food safety behavior, and food handling practices among Saudi women during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study included 1356 women who were randomly approached via convenience sampling using an anonymous questionnaire distributed through various social media platforms. The variables were described in terms of frequency and percentage, and the Chi-square test was applied to assess the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. Approximately 62.5% of the participants were aware that SARS-CoV-2 is not transmitted via food. Most participants (90%) reported a shift from outdoor to indoor meal preparation, along with avoidance of visits to grocery stores for food purchase (55%) and increased usage of online grocery delivery services (27%). Most participants obtained good overall scores for food safety behavior during grocery shopping (mean score: 10.83±1.62/12 points, 90.25%), grocery unpacking at home (10.60±2.65/13 points, 81.55%), and personal hygiene (28.84±3.16/36 points, 80%). However, a moderate overall score was obtained for food preparation practices (7.77 ±1.91/12 points, 77.7%). Older and/or retired individuals, patients with chronic diseases, and/or individuals living with children showed better food safety behavior and handling practices compared to their counterparts. This study reported good overall food safety behavior and handling practice scores among participants under most categories studied. However, our results highlight the need for more customized public education programs for Saudi women, who are the primary food handlers in most households, particularly during food preparation, to further improve food safety practices and prevent potential food mishandling, which will eventually help preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Unraveling the role of salt-sensitivity genes in obesity with integrated network biology and co-expression analysis.

Obesity is a multifactorial disease caused by complex interactions between genes and dietary factors. Salt-rich diet is related to the development and progression of several chronic diseases including obesity. However, the molecular basis of how salt sensitivity genes (SSG) contribute to adiposity in obesity patients remains unexplored. In this study, we used the microarray expression data of visceral adipose tissue samples and constructed a complex protein-interaction network of salt sensitivity genes and their co-expressed genes to trace the molecular pathways connected to obesity. The Salt Sensitivity Protein Interaction Network (SSPIN) of 2691 differentially expressed genes and their 15474 interactions has shown that adipose tissues are enriched with the expression of 23 SSGs, 16 hubs and 84 bottlenecks (p = 2.52 x 10-16) involved in diverse molecular pathways connected to adiposity. Fifteen of these 23 SSGs along with 8 other SSGs showed a co-expression with enriched obesity-related genes (r ≥ 0.8). These SSGs and their co-expression partners are involved in diverse metabolic pathways including adipogenesis, adipocytokine signaling pathway, renin-angiotensin system, etc. This study concludes that SSGs could act as molecular signatures for tracing the basis of adipogenesis among obese patients. Integrated network centered methods may accelerate the identification of new molecular targets from the complex obesity genomics data.

The genetic association study of TP53 polymorphisms in Saudi obese patients.

Obesity is a multifactorial metabolic disorder characterized by low grade chronic inflammation. Rare and novel mutations in genes which are vital in several key pathways have been reported to alter the energy expenditure which regulates body weight. The TP53 or p53 gene plays a prominent role in regulating various metabolic activities such as glycolysis, lipolysis, and glycogen synthesis. Recent genome-wide association studies reported that tumor suppressor gene p53 variants play a critical role in the predisposition of type 2 diabetes and obesity. Till date, no reports are available from the Arabian population; hence the present study was intended to assess the association between p53 variants with risk of obesity development in the Saudi population. We have selected three p53 polymorphisms, rs1642785 (C > G), and rs9894946 (A > G), and rs1042522 (Pro72Arg; C > G) and assessed their association with obesity risk in the Saudi population. Phenotypic and biochemical parameters were also evaluated to check their association with p53 genotypes and obesity. Genotyping was carried out on 136 obese and 122 normal samples. We observed that there is significantly increased prevalence p52 Pro72Arg (rs1042522) polymorphism in obese persons when compared to controls at GG genotype in overall comparison (OR: 2.169, 95% CI: 1.086-4.334, p = 0.02716). Male obese subjects showed three-fold higher risk at GG genotype (OR: 3.275, 95% CI: 1.230-8.716, p = 0.01560) and two-fold risk at G allele (OR: 1.827, 95% CI: 1.128-2.958, p = 0.01388) of p53 variant Pro72Arg respectively. This variant has also shown significant influence on cholesterol, LDL level, and random insulin levels in obese subjects (p ≤ 0.05). In conclusion, p53 Pro72Arg variant is highly prevalent among obese individuals and may act as a genetic modifier for obesity development among Saudis.

Data mining analysis of human gut microbiota links Fusobacterium spp. with colorectal cancer onset.

Gut microbiota and their metabolites play a vital role in colon health and disease. Accumulating evidence suggests that the gut microbiota contributes to the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the role of a specific microbial community together with their metabolites contributing to the risk, initiation and progression of CRC is still unknown. Hence, we used a Bayesian Networks in combination with the IDA (Intervention calculus when the DAG is absent) to generate a graphical model that allows causal relationships to be inferred from observational data. Results from the analysis of publically available datasets showed that four species: Fusobacteium, Citrobacter, Microbacterium and Slaxkia have estimated non-null lower bounds of causal effects of CRC. These findings support the hypothesis that specific bacterial species (microbial markers) act in concert with locally modified microbiota to cause or influence CRC progression. Additional comprehensive studies are required to validate the potential use of F. nucleatum, Citrobacter as well as Slackia as microbial biomarkers in CRC for prevention, diagnosis, prognosis and/or therapeutics.