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AIM: Dry eye disease (DED) is a prevalent ocular condition that significantly impacts individuals' quality of life and performance. It is charac-terized by the instability of the tear film, which causes ocular surface inflamma-tion and damage that leads to ocular symptoms. However, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of DED and identify associated risk factors among university students in western Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A total of 402 university students participated in this study. The sample size was determined using Raosoft software (Raosoft, Inc., Seattle, WA), considering an estimated student population of 20,000. Data were collected between January and March 2023 through an online questionnaire distributed to the participants. The questionnaire comprised three sections, covering general information, behaviors related to digital device (DD) use, and the validated Arabic version of the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire. OSDI scores were calculated, and the severity of DED was categorized using established cutoff points. RESULTS: Among the 402 university students who took part in the survey, the majority (63.2%) were aged between 21 and 25 years, with females representing the dominant gender (72.9%). Notably, 90.8% of participants reported using DDs at bedtime. Over 60% of students had been using DDs for more than 10 years, and approximately 61.7% reported having more than six hours of daily screen time. Mobile devices were the most commonly used electronic devices (67.2%), and TikTok emerged as the most frequently used application (35.6%). Based on the OSDI criteria, 21.1% of students had mild DED symptoms, 14.9% had moderate symptoms, and 38.6% had severe symptoms. Hence, the prevalence of students exhibiting positive DED symptoms was 74.6%, while 25.4% were negative.
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BACKGROUND: While vaccines were one of the most effective tools to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, breakthrough infections have been reported. AIM OF THE WORK: We aim to evaluate the effectiveness of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines in preventing breakthrough infection, as well as to determine the possible risk factors and outcomes of post-vaccination infection. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study using self-reported data of adult Saudi residents, including Saudi and non-Saudi people who received at least two doses of either Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines. Based on the presence of COVID-19 symptoms that were confirmed by PCR, the participants were classified into three groups: (1) those with evidence of infection before vaccination, (2) those who had infection after vaccination, and (3) those who had infection before and after vaccination. For further evaluation, we compared the severity and outcomes in the participants who were infected before and after vaccination. RESULTS: The study included 694 participants: 69.1% received three doses of the vaccine, and 71.1% of them were vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine. COVID-19 infection was reported in 48.3% of the total subjects, with a higher infection rate (17.8%) after vaccination compared to 12.5% before vaccination. Additionally, 18.32% of participants experienced infection both before and after vaccination. Out of the total 694 participants, 137 (19.7%) had breakthrough infections. Pfizer vaccine was more prevalent among the non-infected group (74.25% vs. 65.5%), while AstraZeneca vaccine was more prevalent among the infected group (6.4% vs. 5.9% (p<0.039). Diabetes was significantly higher among the infected group (16.9% vs. 8.1%, p=0.001, OR=2.29, 95% CI=1.42-3.68). Among those who were infected before and after vaccination, 71.9% reported less severe symptoms after vaccination. CONCLUSION: Breakthrough infections may occur after vaccination; however, vaccines are overall effective in preventing severe symptoms. Pfizer vaccine appeared to be more effective in preventing COVID-19 infection. The presence of comorbidities, including diabetes, may increase the risk of infection.
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Introduction Sickle cell disease (SCD) is recognized as a widely prevalent genetic disorder that impacts individuals globally and is inherited within families. The primary cause of SCD is a singular genetic mutation that affects the globin chain of the hemoglobin protein. Depression and its symptoms are frequently observed in individuals with SCD. This observation has led to a higher probability of adverse health outcomes. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to analyze depression among Saudi Arabian adults with sickle cell disease. Method The online survey questionnaire was administered in both Arabic and English to collect essential information regarding SCD distress among the urban adult population in Saudi Arabia, using a cross-sectional study design. Data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS software version 25 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) and Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA, USA). The study was designed with a statistical power of 80% at a cut-off value of 0.05 and 0.2. Diverse statistical approaches have been utilized to examine the connection between independent variables, including methods such as Chi-square analysis and Pearson's statistical assessment. Result A total of 685 respondents were included in the survey for this study, with the majority of the participants from the eastern region (31%) and between the age groups of 25 and 30 years (34%) showing a lot of enthusiasm There was a clear dominance of the Saudi population (71%) who spoke Arabic (83%). Female (65%) participants showed more interest in this survey. The collected data were organized comprehensively in tables to facilitate a better understanding of the study's findings. P-values less than 0.05 were considered significant for the obtained results. Conclusion The study has shown that there were a variety of depression entanglements as a result of SCD, but they were handled well with the necessary measures by medical care professionals with much-needed psychological counseling and well-equipped medical facilities.
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BACKGROUND: Little is known about the impact of hypothyroidism and its contribution to learning difficulties and academic performance in college-age students. OBJECTIVE: The objective is toassess the frequency of hypothyroidism and its associations with academic performance in college-age students. METHODS: A cross-sectional study included 395 students studying across various Jeddah universities and selected by non-probability convenient sampling. Students self-answered the survey using Google Forms. The survey included demographic data, thyroid data, academic achievement as measured by overall grade point average (GPA), and student persistence as measured by academic failure and delay. RESULTS: Three hundred ninety-five students were included, their median age was 23 years (17-33), 96 were males (24.3%) and 299 were females (75.7%). Their median GPA was 4 (2.76-4). Thirty-two students (8.1%) had been treated for hypothyroidism and eight students (25.8%) were non-compliant with therapy. Odds of hypothyroidism increased among females (OR 3.33, 95% CI: 0.99-10.78, p=0.048), older age (OR 2.60, 95% CI: 1.33-5.77, p=0.009), those with a positive family history of thyroid illnesses (OR 5.49, 95% CI: 2.30-13.07, p<0.001), and those with academic failure (OR 3.31, 95% CI: 1.43-7.30, p=0.003) and academic delay (OR 2.83, 95% CI: 1.14-7.05, p=0.020). There was no significant association between hypothyroidism and GPA (OR 2.42, 95% CI: 0.83-7.77, P=0.092). CONCLUSION: Hypothyroidism was prevalent among college students (8%), especially among older females. Hypothyroidism was associated with difficult student persistence, but this association did not reflect on their overall academic achievement. Incompliance with thyroid replacement therapy may be a common issue among hypothyroid patients. Further studies should focus on specific tests of the cognitive function of different learning domains and the role of treatment.
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Introduction COVID-19 vaccine side effects have a fundamental role in public confidence in the vaccine and its uptake process. Thus far, evidence on vaccine safety has been exclusively obtained from manufacturer-sponsored studies; therefore, this study is designed to assess post-COVID-19 vaccine complications in Makkah province, Saudi Arabia. Method A cross-sectional study included 840 subjects conducted from August to November 2022 to collect data about COVID-19 vaccine side effects. A validated questionnaire was used with 21 multiple-choice items covering demographic data, COVID-19 vaccination type, side effects, and medication used to relieve side effects. The online Raosoft sample size calculator (Raosoft Inc., Seattle, Washington) was utilized for sample size calculation. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 22.0 (IBM Inc., Armonk, New York) was utilized to carry out descriptive statistics. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to evaluate normal data distribution. Significance of categorized data made by the Pearson's Chi-Squared test and of the vaccination side effects experienced in general wellbeing on a scale of 1-10 by the Kruskal-Wallis test. Result The survey found that most participants in the 18-26 age group were from Jeddah, women, and Saudis. Only 7.1% of participants had comorbidities alone, and 63.1% of participants had previously had COVID-19. The vaccine types used in this study were primarily Pfizer (83.3%), AstraZeneca (9.5%), Moderna (3.6%), and combination vaccines (3.6%). The majority of the participants received vaccination up to the third dose. No side effects were reported by 9.5% of participants, while mild and severe side effects were reported by 90.5% and 23.8% of participants, respectively. Mild side effects included injection site pain, redness, tenderness, or itching (34.5%), fatigue (22.6%), low-grade fever, chills, diarrhea, headache (17.9%), and myalgia (14.3%). Conclusion The majority of the side effects of COVID-19 vaccination were minor reactions (90.5%), but 23.8% were found to be serious side effects, most of which lasted one to three days. More independent studies are needed to investigate gender differences, COVID-19 vaccine efficacy, and the prevalence of side effects in other populations conducted by academic institutions. Additional independent research on vaccine safety is urgently needed to increase public confidence in vaccines and to better understand risk factors for vaccine side effects.
