Assessment of lifestyle changes related to quarantine among Saudi population during the early COVID-19 pandemic: pre- and post-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The escalating emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted human life due to the ever-increasing morbidity, containment measures, and the associated emotional distress. This study examined the influence of COVID-19-related measures on the lifestyle behaviors of adults living in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). METHODS: The study recruited 638 participants through convenience sampling in Jeddah and Taif cities, Saudi Arabia. Demographic characteristics and COVID-19-related information were collected through an anonymous self-reported electronic questionnaire. Lifestyle behaviors were assessed before and during the quarantine using the Healthy Dietary Habits Index (HDHI)-A and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF). RESULTS: The study revealed significant changes in the dietary pattern: a reduction in fish intake and increased consumption of French fries and candies. Vegetables and fruit intake increased significantly. Sedentary time > 6 h per day increased from 36.7% pre to 60.8% during the pandemic. Healthy dietary index score and physical activity MET-minutes/week values were respectively 3.5% and 37.9% significantly higher before compared to the full quarantine period. CONCLUSION: The pandemic detrimentally influenced eating habits and physical activity levels that led to weight gain, and hence higher vulnerability to COVID-19 infection and negative outcomes. This analysis provides public health agencies with data to tailor nutrition interventions that mitigate the observed adverse lifestyle behaviors.

Domestic violence against married women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt.

BACKGROUND: In face of the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries including Egypt implemented stay indoor rules. These regulations slowed the propagation of the coronavirus, meanwhile they contributed to increase mental health issues, particularly the risk of experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV). That might lead to adverse health and social outcomes on the abused women and the children. This study aimed to examine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of intimate partner violence against married women in Egypt. METHODS: A cross-sectional study enrolled 2068 married women through an electronic survey link. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was used. It included demographic data and assessed the frequency of exposure to various forms of spousal violence before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: The mean age of respondents was 33.8 ± 6.3 years. The commonest types of violent behaviors that have been increased significantly after the COVID-19 pandemic were: twisting arms/pulling the hair (pre 32.8%, post 75%), leaving the house without informing or giving the wife money (pre 12.2%, post 30.3%), restricting interaction with her family members (pre 26.1, post 40.4%), treating her as a servant (pre 28.7%, post 36.7%) and insulting her in front of others (pre 22.9%, post 30.8%).The associated determinants for higher violence rate were; low women education, young age at marriage, low educational and job rank of husband, husband's tobacco use and reduced family income (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The overall prevalence of economic and some types of physical and emotionally abusive behaviors have been increased after the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic. Special intervention should be designed to address this issue in collaboration with public health organizations.

Physicians' attitudes and acceptance regarding COVID-19 vaccines: a cross-sectional study in mid Delta region of Egypt.

Safe and effective vaccines became an important preventive tool against novel corona virus disease infection. Physicians were prioritized for early vaccination since they are at higher risk for contagion of the infection and they might affect the general populations' uptake of the vaccine. This study aimed to examine the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines and the underpinnings of reluctance to uptake the vaccine among working physicians in Egypt. A cross-sectional study was conducted for 3 months, recruiting 1268 physicians using a snowballing random sampling technique. A self-administered electronic questionnaire was deployed to collect related data. Of participants, 24% expressed their acceptance towards COVID-19 vaccines, 39% would wait for further review, while 36.7% did not agree to get vaccinated. Findings revealed that 22% of them were vaccinated and the significant determinants of unacceptability included age, gender, higher educational attainments, prior infection, lack of direct patients' contact, and working in rural health facilities (p < 0.05). The most common reasons beyond their reluctance were fear of the vaccines' adverse effects and the short duration of its clinical trials (60% and 49.5%). Physicians had a low intention to receive COVID-19 vaccines particularly between females, senior staff, and those who had a low self-perceived risk for the infection. Integrated approaches should be designed to address concerns and factors associated with vaccine unacceptability to reduce vaccination reluctance between physicians, hence the general population.

Role of serum Metadherin mRNA expression in the diagnosis and prediction of survival in patients with colorectal cancer.

Early diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) are important for improving patients' survival. Metadherin is an oncogene that plays a pivotal role in carcinogenesis and can be suggested as a cancer biomarker. This study aimed to elucidate the efficacy of serum Metadherin mRNA expression as a potential non-invasive biomarker for early diagnosis of CRC in relation to other screening markers as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 19.9 (CA19.9) and Fecal occult blood (FOB) and also to assess its relationship with the tumor stage and survival rate. A convenience series of 86 CRC cases (group I) were recruited with 78 subjects as controls (group II). Serum Metadherin mRNA expression level was determined using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Serum Metadherin mRNA expression level was significantly elevated in CRC cases when compared with controls (P < 0.001). For CRC diagnosis; Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analyses revealed that the diagnostic accuracy of serum Metadherin mRNA (AUC = 0.976) was significantly higher than other routine CRC screening markers as CEA, CA19.9 and FOB. The combined accuracy of these markers (AUC = 0.741) was increased when used with serum Metadherin mRNA (AUC = 0.820). High serum Metadherin mRNA expression was associated with poorly differentiated histological grade, advanced tumor stage and lower survival rate. AUC of Metadherin was 0.820 for differentiating advanced versus early tumor stages. Serum Metadherin mRNA expression is a useful non-invasive biomarker for CRC. It can be used for screening and early diagnosis of CRC and can increase the efficacy of other routine CRC screening markers when it is estimated in CRC patients with them. It is also associated with advanced tumor stage and a lower survival rate.