Search

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of long-term argan oil administration on vascular responsiveness and susceptibility to H2O2. 16 Wistar rats were divided into 2 groups; control group and treated group receiving 5 ml/kg/day of argan oil. After 8 weeks of treatment, vascular contractility was measured on isolated aortic rings from both groups by addition to the organ bath of cumulative concentration of vasoactive drugs (phenylephrine, acetylcholine and sodium nitroprussiate). In parallel, these isolated aortic rings were exposed to increasing doses of H2O2 (0, 1, 5 and 10 mM) for 20 minutes and the residual vascular response to phenylephrine (PE 10−6 M) and acetylcholine (Ach 10−6 M) was evaluated. Our results show that no significant differences between control and argan oil group were observed. Maximal contraction response to 10−6 MPE was 1.68 ± 0.20 g and 2.14 ± 0.20 g for control and argan oil groups, respectively. In precontracted isolated aortic rings, endothelium dependent relaxation to acetylcholine and endothelium-independent relaxation were not influenced by the diet. Maximal relaxation in response to 10−6M of Ach was 54 % for control group and 47 % for argan oil group. Addition of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to the organ bath for 20 minutes led to a dosedependent alteration of vascular reactivity, which was characterized by similar decrease in both the PE-induced contraction and the Ach-induced relaxation in the two experimental groups. These results suggest that argan oil treatment does not influence vascular reactivity nor its sensitivity to the oxidative stress.

Monitoring nutritional status during infancy, childhood, and adulthood is essential because good quality diet during growth is vital to cover the cognitive and physical demands, supply enough energy stores for illnesses and pregnancy and avoid adult nutrition-associated diseases. Thinness cases and lack of dietary diversity among learners in various education stages are common nutritional problems. A cross-sectional survey was carried out for the assessments of thinness cases and dietary diversity among the learners in various education stages in Taif Region, Saudi Arabia in August, 2020. A total of randomly selected 1602 respondents who fulfilled the exclusion and inclusion criteria (n=364 primary schools, n=410 middle schools, n=321 high schools, and n=507 university students) were examined and efficiently completed the survey. The survey comprised of socio-demographic characteristics, questions about health problems, adequate dietary diversity, habits, food item consumption, and nutritional knowledge test based on the student's theory and behaviors. The prevalence of thinness status among university students was very obvious (22%) and found to be mild followed by moderate (11%) and (0.4%) severely thin. The prevalence of severe thinness was the highest among primary school participants (28%). The prevalence of moderate thinness was reported slightly similar among middle and high school participants (29% and 32%, respectively). The highest prevalence of thinness cases was found in students from rural areas, while the lowest values were observed in those from urban areas. Students from large family size were more likely to be thin as compared to students from small size families. Students whose mothers were illiterate or had low formal education were more likely to be thin compared to those students whose mothers had completed university education or above. Further, 78% of primary school students reported meal skipping due to lack of appetite, while shape maintaining for the meal was accounted for 50% for middle school students as the main reason for the meal skipping. Snacking was also reported to be at a high rate among primary and high school students as 76% and 83% of the students mentioned having snacks, respectively. A higher frequency of light physical exercise was established for primary school pupils (81%), while university students reported (34%) as moderate. Almost all students had a low level of eating cereals, fruits and vegetables, while high schools and university students had a high-level consumption of fruits, animal-based foods and nutritional supplements. High school students had an excellent score 37% for nutrition knowledge. Education stage of learners was found to have direct influence on thinness, dietary diversity and food consumption frequency of the respondents. Consequently, nutritional education may positively affect the whole student's ability for good diet choices in the way to ensure a healthier status. The knowledge of nutrition education combined with physical exercise programmers may contribute to strengthening of the healthy eating messages at the various education stages. Key words: thinness cases, education stages, dietary diversity, nutrition knowledge, Saudi Arabia, INTRODUCTION Though the overweight prevalence is widely increasing, the underweight or thinness as malnutrition markers remain a health problem and can lead to the likelihood of chronic diseases or even [...]

Because of its rarity, the diagnosis of optic nerve medulloepithelioma poses a real diagnostic challenge. Medulloepithelioma is a congenital tumor that derives from the primitive medullary epithelium present in the neural tube and the optic vesicle. Its classical location is the ciliary body. Cases of retinal or optic nerve locations have been rarely reported in the literature. Only 11 cases have been published in the English literature. Herein, we report the case of a 2-year-old boy who underwent enucleation of the right eye for a presumed diagnosis of right-eye retinoblastoma, based on the presence of leukocoria on ophthalmological examination. Pathological examination showed an optic nerve medulloepithelioma. A review of the literature is also discussed in our work.

Food consumption and lifestyle habits can have a positive or negative direct impact on an individual's health. University students tend to have poor eating habits that are influenced mainly by sensory perceptions. This survey was done to evaluate the status of food consumption and lifestyle habits among Taif university students (males and females). A total of 600 students aged from 18 to 24 years participated in the survey and responded to questions on socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits, eating habits, food consumption frequency, attitude, health and food awareness knowledge. The randomly selected students were from various levels in university representing wide categories and living conditions in Taif Region, Saudi Arabia. The examined students efficiently completed the survey with the help of the university staff. Weight and height were evaluated by a portable standing electronic scale and a portable stadiometer (Seca 879, Germany) to calculate the Body mass index (BMI) classes. Female students recorded 28% of underweight cases, which was higher than the male students (11%) with none significant at p>0.05. The rate of overweight in male students was 30% compared with the female students' 26%. The study reported 49% and 64% for normal waist circumference for male and female students, respectively. A higher frequency of moderate physical exercise was reported among male students at 60% compared to that among female students (57%). The number of students who did physical exercise regularly was reported to be higher in females (15%) than males (8%). A percentage of 15% and 7% of the male and female students, respectively were smokers. Male students recorded higher sleeping hours than females. Male students reported high media consumption frequency of more than 3 hours a day 67%, followed by 21% between 3-6 hours a day for female students. About 46% and 55% of male and female students, respectively, reported fast-food consumption at least once a week and about 30% of males and 24% females took only 1 to 2 fast food meals in a month. The major meals skipped were breakfast, followed by lunch and dinner; however, this was not significant p>0.05. Meal skipping was high among female students (72%). It was noted that high percentage of male students (72%) reported low consumption levels of vegetables and fruits. The main reason for fast-food consumption was convenience (31%) for males, while females recorded 32% for choices. Female students had a higher score than males in nutrition knowledge. There is a need for awareness creation concerning better food choices, lifestyle habits and weight management that might create a helpful impact on the university student health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A food label is an important tool that provides nutritional information which influences consumers by promoting awareness on their diet and improving health status. This study aimed to assess nutrition knowledge level, food label usage, and the barriers that hinder the use of food labels among students in Health Colleges at the Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (PNU). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Health College students at PNU in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). A total of 572 participants were interviewed through a validated questionnaire on social demographic characteristics, nutrition knowledge level, food label use, and barriers that hinder food label use. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (version 21), with statistical significance set at p-value <0.05. Results: Only 27.4% of the participants stated that they always or usually use food labels when purchasing food products. Majority of the participants (59.4%) had moderate nutrition knowledge. Factors significantly associated to food label use were nutrition knowledge (R²=0.21), attitude towards health value of the products (R²=0.35), and taste (²2=-0.22). About 41.0% of the participants indicated that time constraint was the main barrier for not using food labels, followed by no interest (31.3%), no need (27.8%), and difficult to use (24.8%). Conclusion: This study found that food label use was low among the participants. Nutrition knowledge supported food label use while time constraint was the main barrier that hindered the use of food label among them. Raising students' nutrition knowledge level through nutrition education programmes could promote food label use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Prolonged fevers (PF) are defined as a thermal shift >38 ° C without any immediately obvious cause (fever of unknown origin). The fever is considered as prolonged when it lasts at least 7 days in children and 5 days in infants. PF constitute a frequent reason for consultation. Our Objective is to highlight the epidemiological and etiological profile of prolonged fevers in children in the eastern region of Morocco. Material and methods Our work is a retrospective study of 119 cases, conducted from January 1, 2015 to July 31, 2018 in the pediatric department of the C.H.U Mohammed VI Mother-Child Hospital in Oujda, Morocco. Results The hospital incidence of PF in this study was 2.8%. The patients average age was 49 months. A male predominance was noted (63 boys). The patients were living in urban zone in 76% of cases. The symptom duration before first consultation was 18 days. Children with a history of suspected but not confirmed infection with notion of taking antibiotics and antipyretics were noted in 30% of cases. The functional signs were dominated by digestive symptoms in 34 patients, followed by mucocutaneous signs in 26% of cases, and cardiorespiratory manifestations in 12% of cases. The main physical signs were represented by a tumor syndrome in 34 patients, and 31 cases of cutaneous involvement. The etiologic diagnosis was confirmed by an abdominal ultrasound in 48% of cases, a myelogram in 19% of cases, a chest X-ray in 17% of cases, and a cardiac ultrasound in 14.5% of cases. At the end of the etiological investigation, the infectious causes were in 52 cases, inflammatory diseases in 32 cases, neoplasia in 27 cases, and undetermined causes 8 cases. Discussion The hospital incidence of prolonged fevers is difficult to estimate because of the nosological problem they pose. However, FP constitutes 0.4% to3% of the reasons for pediatric hospitalization. In our study, it was 2.8%. Regarding age, almost half of the children hospitalized for FP exploration are under the age of six. This can be explained by the high frequency of febrile diseases, in particular infectious diseases, at this age the male predominance was marked in most studies with a sex ratio ranging from 1.1–1.8. The clinical signs on admission did not allow a clear etiological orientation, and it was the repeated questioning and physical examination during hospitalization that guided the etiological investigation. The most common feature is infectious causes. There is a high percentage of neoplastic causes compared with the literature. Indeterminate causes constitute only 6.7% compared with higher figures in the literature which can be explained by the progress of examinations in the field of etiological research. Conclusion Prolonged fevers in children therefore remains a complex condition to handle despite advances in diagnostic means. Careful clinical examination is necessary for the management of children with PF. In fact, the patient should be regularly reassessed in search of new symptoms and other investigation leads. The reasoned prescription of additional workups and critical analysis of clinical signs are also essential steps in the etiological investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Multisystemic inflammatory syndrome in children is a new and rare hyperinflammatory disorder with a temporal link to the current coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; its main clinical signs are prolonged fever, typical features of Kawasaki disease; cardiac dysfunction; as well as gastrointestinal, renal, and/or neurological symptoms. However, the association between meningeal syndrome and the pediatric multisystemic inflammatory syndrome is poorly described in the literature. We will report the case of a boy who presented with meningeal syndrome revealing a Kawasaki-like syndrome. The objective of our work is to provide an update on this pathology which is very little known by clinicians. Observation Our patient is a male child aged 8 years, from a 2nd degree consanguineous marriage, with a history of the influenza-like syndrome in all family members one month before admission, He was admitted for the management of a febrile meningeal syndrome, the history of which goes back to seven days before his admission, with the onset of a non-calculated fever resistant to antipyretics, associated with peri-umbilical pain and stiffness of the neck with the notion of photophobia and constipation. The clinical examination revealed a conscious child, GCS 15/15, very asthenic, fever 39.3 degrees. The neurological examination revealed a stiff neck with a negative brudzinski and kerning sign and no sensory-motor deficit. The skin examination reveals a morbilliform exanthema with an interval of healthy skin made up of non-infiltrated erythematous macules, which fade away within vitro pressure, on the lower and upper limbs and the trunk, sparing the face, the palms, the soles, and the external genitals, associated with the presence of bilateral palmoplantar oedema without desquamation. The mucous membrane examination showed bilateral conjunctivitis, not purulent, and cheilitis with left cervical adenopathy measuring 2 cm, with an inflammatory appearance on ganglionic examination. The rest of the examination was unremarkable. In front of the meningeal syndrome, a lumbar puncture was performed and came back negative. The biological workup revealed a major inflammatory syndrome: the white blood cells were 25 000 with a predominance of PNN at 23 500, the lymphocytes at 1,000, the platelets at 278 000, the sedimentation rate at 100 and the CRP at 272, the ferritinemia at 725.12, the Pro-BNP was elevated at 1,834, the liver and kidney biological results were normal. Echocardiography revealed myocarditis with mitral leakage, slight hypokinesia of the left ventricle, ejection fraction at 50%, VGTG 40MM, dilated coronary arteries, left common trunk at 4 mm, and IVA at 3 mm with minimal pericardial effusion. Given the current epidemiological context of the clinical symptomatology in our child, the multisystemic inflammatory syndrome was strongly suspected, so a covid19 serology was performed: negative IgM, positive IgG. Conclusions Several recent studies have shown the presence of neurological signs in children with multisystemic inflammatory syndrome related to Covid 19 hence the interest in screening to have recommendations based on sound clinical data for better management of patients with this syndrome during this pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is a chronic inflammatory vasculitis of unknown origin. It affects the large vessels, especially the aorta, its main branches, and the pulmonary arteries. It begins acutely in children with severe general manifestations. The diagnosis of TA remains a challenge to clinicians due to many reasons such as its rarity, its great clinical polymorphism, and the lack of specific biological criteria. Case report A 13-years old boy with no pathological history, was admitted for prolonged fever with intermittent abdominal pain. The clinical examination has found a conscious boy, febrile with a BP of 130/90mmhg, a normal heart rate, and stable respiratory function. The cardiovascular examination noted a decrease in pedal pulses, without signs of ischaemia or necrosis, and the cardiac auscultation was normal. Examination of the lymph node areas has shown upper and left later cervical adenopathy measuring 1.7 cm in long axis, mobile, and painless. All joints were free. The complementary biological workups revealed an inflammatory syndrome (ESR: 120 mm, fibrinogen: 5 g/l, microcytic hypochromic anaemia at 9 g/dl, ferritin: 1051, low serum iron: 11µg/dl and thrombocytosis: 692 000 elements/l). Chest X-ray showed a dilated aortic button. A thoracic angioscan revealed a peri-aortitis more evident at the level of the emergence of the mesenteric artery with a pseudo-aneurysmal aspect and arteritis of the right primary carotid artery. Echocardiography was performed and showed a dilated aspect of the aorta with irregular wall. Renal ultrasound was normal. The diagnosis of Takayasu disease was made on the basis of clinical biological and essentially radiological arguments according to the diagnostic criteria of the American College of Rheumatology. The patient was treated with corticosteroid (prednisone: 2 mg/kg/d) for one month then then gradually reduced doses The disease course was marked by several relapses and the patient was then treated with mycophenolate mofetil (cellcept). Conclusion Takaysu's disease is a chronic inflammatory vasculitis of unknown origin, which affects the large- vessels, mainly the aorta, its main branches, and the pulmonary arteries; but it remains rare in children and its treatment is not well codified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Joint manifestations during chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) represent the most frequent extra digestive manifestations, dominated by spondylarthropathy, isolated sacroillitis and peripheral rheumatism. We conducted a retrospective study of 9 cases of IBD collected in the pediatric services of the CHU MOHAMMED VI of Oujda over a 4 year period from July 2017 to March 2021.The objective of our study is to describe the joint manifestations in inflammatory bowel diseases in children. Materials and methods This is a retrospective study of 9 cases of IBD collected in the pediatric services of the CHU MOHAMMED VI of Oujda over a 4-year period from June 2017 to March 2021. All these parameters were collected on operating sheets and reported on ExcelThe data were collected from the files registered in a pediatric hospitalization register Results Our study includes 9 patients with male predominance in 60% of cases, the prevalence of joint manifestations was 45% of which 3/4 of cases are in Crohn's disease and 1/4 of cases in UC.Axial joint involvement was 25% in Crohn's disease while joint involvement was peripheral in 75% of which 2/3 in Crohn's and 1/3 in UC.Peripheral involvement affects the large joints in all patients with a bilateral character. With a biological inflammatory syndrome in which the CRP was >50 mg/l and the VS more than 30All patients received corticotherapy and analgesics in 25% of cases. The evolution was marked by a good clinical and biological improvement with an average delay of 10 days. Discussion Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) are chronic cryptogenetic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). In addition to intestinal involvement, these IBDs are associated in 20% to30% of cases with extra digestive manifestations, with joint manifestations being the most frequent. There are essentially two types: Peripheral attacks which are the most frequent (8–20% of patients) especially during Crohn's disease; All joints can be affected, but most often asymmetric oligoarthritisAxial involvement includes sacroiliitis (SI) and ankylosing spondylitis (SpA) SI is more prevalent than SpA in both UC and CD Treatment of joint manifestations involves rest and exercise% tocontrol spinal stiffening in axial involvement; and analgesics Close collaboration between gastro-pediatricians and pediatric rheumatologists is the key to optimal management of the extra-digestive manifestations of IBD. Conclusion Joint involvement plays an important role in the extra digestive manifestations of IBD. It should be systematically screened in IBD patients, especially if they present a biological inflammatory syndrome, thus enabling early diagnosis and better management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Vasculitis in children constitute a heterogeneous group of pathologies considered as a rarity in our context and therefore deserves to be better known. Despite their individualization for more than forty years throughout the world, they continue to be a challenging condition both in terms of diagnosis and treatment. The objective of our study is to report the epidemiological profiles of vasculitis and to assess the clinical and Para clinical profile of our patients, in order to contribute to a better knowledge of these conditions in our context, whose early diagnosis allows the starting of an appropriate treatment and the improvement of the prognosis. Material and methods This is a retrospective study, in which we collected data of all children in whom the diagnosis of vasculitis was confirmed, and who were hospitalized in the pediatric department of the University Hospital Center (CHU) Mohamed VI of Oujda over a period of 3 years from July 2014 to July 2017. Results Thirty-three patients were selected; 25 boys (76%) and 8 girls (24%), including 16 patients with Kawasaki disease; 14 patients with Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP); 2 patients with Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN); and 1 patient with Takayasu. A male predominance was noted with a sex ratio of 3.16. HSP represented 42.42% of the cases, the most affected age group was between 5 and 9 years in 45% of cases. Purpura was the most frequent symptom (100%) with petechial appearance in 77% of cases and localized in the lower limbs in all cases (100%). Joints were affected in 13 cases (93%), abdominal symptoms were found in 81.82% of cases, with one case of melena and 3 cases of rectal bleeding. The renal symptoms were mainly biological and were dominated by urinary proteinuria (45%), microscopic hematuria in one case, macroscopic hematuria in 3 cases, hypertension in one case and nephrotic syndrome in one case. Five patients developed renal insufficiency, two children had moderate renal insufficiency and three had severe renal insufficiency. Kawasaki disease represented the majority of cases: 16 cases (48.48%), affecting children between 4 and 41 months of age with an average age of 22 months, with most affected age group was between 12 and 24 months in 55%. The appeal signs were multiple dominated by fever which represents 100% of cases, skin rash in 82%, ocular redness in 45%, enanthema in 45%, oedema of the extremities in 45%, and adenopathy in 6% (one case). The inflammatory syndrome was present in all patients. Cardiac Doppler ultrasound was performed in 14 patients. It was abnormal in 22% of cases. 11 patients received a course of IGIV (54.54%), at a dose of 2 g/Kg in a single 12-h infusion. Aspirin was administered in all patients. The evolution was favorable in 15 patients, only one case was complicated by giant aneurysms of both coronaries, which evolved to a slight decrease in size and disappearance of the pericardial effusion. Valvular abnormality was noted in one case and minimal pericardial effusion in one case. Conclusion This study confirmed that incidence of vasculitis in children in our context is average, this can be seen on the non-negligible number of cases (33 cases) collected over a period of 3 years. Early diagnosis of this condition key to allow an initiation of an appropriate treatment and improvement of the prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La pachyonychie congénitale (PC) est une maladie héréditaire rare, essentiellement caractérisée par une kératodermie palmoplantaire douloureuse, un épaississement des ongles, des kystes et une muqueuse buccale blanchâtre. Sa présentation clinique est très variable, elle peut apparaître de la naissance à l'âge adulte. Cette observation rapporte l'association d'une pachyonychie congénitale avec une dilatation des bronches (DDB) et une sténose de l'artère rénale chez une enfant. le diagnostic de la pachyonychie était retenu sur les données cliniques et histologiques. Cependant l'existence d'une sténose de l'artère rénale et d'une DDB soulève la question d'une éventuelle association dans le cadre d'un groupe syndromique particulier.

Par son incidence, son polymorphisme clinique, sa gravité et la fréquence des anomalies urologiques sous-jacentes, l'infection du tractus urinaire (ITU) est un problème important en pédiatrie. Les objectifs de notre travail étaient d'établir le profil bactériologique des ITUs chez les enfants au CHU Mohammed VI d'Oujda (Maroc), puis d'étudier la sensibilité des souches bactériennes isolées aux antibiotiques. C'est une étude rétrospective de 25 mois (mai 2016 à juin 2018) incluant les échantillons urinaires émanant d'enfants âgés d'un jour à 16 ans et adressés au laboratoire de microbiologie pour ECBU. Les urines étaient traitées conformément aux recommandations du référentiel en microbiologie médicale (REMIC). Nous avons colligé 3314 demandes d'ECBU. Les services des urgences étaient en tête de liste des services demandeurs d'ECBU (59,75 %). Dans 54,73 % des cas l'ECBU était réalisé après démarrage de l'antibiothérapie. La plupart des urines étaient recueillies au milieu du jet (67,38 %). Les infections du tractus urinaire représentaient 6,91 % des cas. Elle prédominait chez les filles (69,86 %). E. joli était la bactérie la plus isolée (73,38 %). Les taux de résistances au triméthoprime-sulfaméthoxazole, amoxicilline-acide clavulanique, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacine et amikacine étaient respectivement : 45,8 %, 41,18 %, 16,39 %, 12,18 % et 3,78 %. Les taux de résistances des bactéries isolées aux antibiotiques doivent nous inciter à une amélioration de nos conditions de diagnostic des infections urinaires afin d'éviter les traitements inutiles, à appliquer les recommandations de prise en charge des ITUs en vigueur et à appliquer rigoureusement les mesures d'hygiène chez les patients infectés ou porteurs de bactéries multirésistantes aux antibiotiques. Due to its incidence, clinical polymorphism, severity and frequency of underlying urological abnormalities, urinary tract infection (UTI) is a major problem in paediatrics. The objectives of our work were to establish the bacteriological profile of urinary tract infections (UTI) in children at Mohammed VI Teaching Hospital of Oujda (Morocco), and then to study the susceptibility of isolated bacterial strains to antibiotics. This is a 25-month retrospective study (May 2016 to June 2018) including urine samples from children aged 1 day to 16 years addressed to the microbiology laboratory for Cytobacteriological Examination of Urine (CBEU). Urine was treated in accordance with the recommendations of the Medical Microbiology Reference System (REMIC). We collected 3314 CBEU requests. Emergency services were at the top of the list of CBEU requesting services (59.75%). In 54.73% of cases, CBEU was performed after the start of antibiotic therapy. Most urine was collected in the middle of the stream (67.38%). Urinary tract infections accounted for 6.91% of cases. It was predominant among girls (69.86%). E. coli was the most isolated bacterium (73.38%). Resistance rates to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin and amikacin were 45.8%, 41.18%, 16.39%, 12.18% and 3.78% respectively. The resistance rates of isolated bacteria to antibiotics should encourage us to improve our conditions for diagnosing urinary tract infections in order to avoid unnecessary treatment, to apply the UTI management recommendations in place and to strictly apply hygiene measures in patients infected with or carrying multi-bacterial antibiotic-resistant bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Saudi and Turkish coffee consumption in Saudi Arabia is increasing considerably, and the nationwide consumption patterns need elucidation to determine the contributions of Saudi and Turkish coffee toward nutrition and health., Aim: To describe the frequency and quantity of Saudi and Turkish coffee consumption and assess their association with sociodemographic factors., Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1,030 participants (Saudi Arabia) recruited via an online questionnaire study that collected information on general characteristics and coffee consumption. The caffeine content in Saudi and Turkish coffees was quantified using a standard laboratory technique. The total caffeine intake and exposure were calculated. Associations between the different parameters were assessed., Results: Significant differences were observed in several demographic and sociodemographic factors according to the frequency of coffee intake. Specifically, individuals who consumed Saudi coffee almost every day (approximately 40% of respondents) were more likely to differ in age, body mass index, marital status, work status, monthly income, and region compared to those who consumed it less frequently. Additionally, one-third of the respondents consumed Turkish coffee, and the frequency of its consumption showed significant differences according to age, nationality, marital status, educational level, and region. Notably, the highest caffeine exposures were 0.95 mg/kg/d for Saudi coffee, 1.31 mg/kg/d for Turkish coffee, and 2.07 mg/kg/d for both coffees combined. The mean contribution to the 400 mg daily caffeine intake limit was significantly higher for Saudi coffee compared to Turkish coffee ( p < 0.05)., Conclusion: Saudi and Turkish coffee consumption patterns vary across sociodemographic characteristics, where Saudi coffee is generally more consumed. Our study may form a basis for nutrient education in terms of coffee consumption to promote a healthy lifestyle., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Bawazeer, Binsunaid, Alraqea, Al Fayez, Alhumaidan, Fallata, Aldahash and Benajiba.)

Background: Religious institutions play a crucial role in health promotion and hold significant influence in the public health field., Aim: The aim of this review is to examine outcomes of health-promoting interventions involving the use of mosques as the intervention venue, its role in promoting health behavior change, and the role of theory in each intervention., Methods: A scoping review was conducted across 17 databases for relevant publications published up to and including August 2023 that involved the use of mosques as the intervention venue. Fourteen articles met inclusion criteria and were reviewed., Results: The studies featured a wide range of interventions. However, only eight of these studies integrated theoretical frameworks into their approaches, indicating a need for more structured guidance in this field. These theoretical frameworks included Participatory Action Research (PAR), the theory of planned behavior, behavior-change constructs, the patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) framework, and prolonged exposure techniques within Islamic principles. The review identified three main health-focused intervention categories: mental health, prevention, and communication, each providing valuable insights into initiatives within Muslim communities., Conclusions: This review underscores the significance of inclusive and culturally sensitive health interventions, emphasizing the effectiveness of faith-based approaches in improving health outcomes, promoting positive health behaviors, and addressing communication and cultural barriers. The reviews findings stress the need for further research that incorporates theoretical frameworks and tailored interventions to meet the specific cultural needs of these communities, ultimately contributing to enhanced well-being within them., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

The university setting is an ideal setting to implement nutrition education interventions. Because the transition to college life often overlaps with young adults' increase in independence in food choice and nutrition related behavior, this is an optimal time to target this population and several models exist to best utilize the college setting to support nutrition education interventions. This review aimed to examine the effectiveness of nutrition interventions in university student populations across the League of Arab States. A scoping review following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines was conducted across 14 databases for relevant publications published through May 2023 to find studies conducted across Arab countries. Quality assessment was conducted using the Effective Public Health Practice Project tool. Seven primary studies were included in this review. Although the interventions and outcome measures were disparate, there were positive impacts of the interventions, including improved nutrition knowledge and nutrition habits, knowledge of nutrient sources, and knowledge about the relationship between diet and disease. Recommendations to maximize the efficacy of nutrition interventions conducted across the League of Arab States include purposeful design of the intervention based on a theoretical framework, the use of a control group in the research design, and follow-up measures to examine post-intervention effects. Consideration should also be given to intervention duration and availability in college-students' schedules. Adaptation of intervention materials, measures and delivery methodologies should emphasize local foods, food culture and dietary practices., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Background/Objective: Although the benefits of breastfeeding are well-documented and widely recognized, reports indicate that optimal breastfeeding rates are low in Arabic-speaking countries. This is a significant concern given the health benefits associated with breastfeeding for both infants and mothers. Previous research has shown that education interventions can increase breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, and practices in Arabic-speaking populations. The social media platform YouTube holds significant potential for distributing customized health education for diverse audiences; specifically, this platform has the potential to empower mothers and normalize long-term breastfeeding. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of YouTube videos on breastfeeding available in the Arabic language. Methods: We used standard procedures to search YouTube for Arabic breastfeeding videos posted on YouTube in December 2023. Videos were evaluated using the three scales of the DISCERN quality evaluation instrument ( reliability, information quality , video quality ) and total score. Comparative statistics were generated. Results: In total, 165 videos met the inclusion criteria, with 29.7% in the Education category; 43.6% were in Egyptian Arabic dialect. Almost all (91.75%) of the educational videos had a "medium" quality assessment. Educational videos and those using health professionals had higher quality assessments than those in other categories or done with other speakers. Conclusion: The results of this review suggest that most content on the topic of breastfeeding was of only medium reliability and informational quality. New mothers seeking breastfeeding information or support may be in need of specific problem-solving information at a time when they are living with the often-difficulty reality of caring for a newborn or very young infant. There is a clear need for accurate, culturally congruent information to effectively support breastfeeding in Arabic-speaking countries. Future efforts should focus on improving the quality of online health education content, with implications for public health strategies and policy development.

Objective: Saudi Arabia (SA) ranked first in soft drink consumption in the Middle East. A decrease in consumption was recorded after a selective 50% increased taxation policy in 2018. This study aimed to assess soft drinks consumption patterns among Saudi Arabian adults and examine the association between different attitudes and patterns post-taxation., Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2022 to March 2023, involving 1,935 Saudi adults aged 20-60 residing in Saudi Arabia. Participants completed online surveys using a validated questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics, soft drink consumption patterns, and attitudes toward soft drinks. Chi-square and odds ratio (OR) tests were used to assess associations between sociodemographic characteristics, soft drink consumption frequency/quantity, and change in consumption patterns owing to selective taxation. Additionally, t-tests, Spearman's coefficient, and hierarchical multiple linear regression were used to measure differences in attitudes and linear relationships., Results: Overall, 7.5% of the participants reported daily soft drink consumption, with 51.8% of these consuming less than one can per day and 41.2% consuming one can per day. Most (66.2%) reported no change in consumption post-taxation. Attitudes toward soft drink consumption varied significantly, with most agreeing on its health risks but also enjoying the drinks. Multiple regression analysis identified age, education, income, consumption frequency/quantity, and impact of taxation as significant predictors of overall attitudes toward soft drinks., Conclusions: After taxation, 20% of participants reduced soft drink consumption, underscoring the importance of addressing taxation and intrinsic motivations to foster lasting changes in attitudes and behaviors towards soft drinks., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Griscelli syndrome (GS) type II is a rare hereditary disorder characterized by partial albinism, immunodeficiency, and the subsequent development of hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS). Herein, we present a case involving a four-month-old infant admitted to our facility due to a prolonged fever complicated by HPS. The diagnosis of GS type 2 was established based on a constellation of clinical and laboratory findings: consanguinity, familial history of early infectious fatalities, ocular-cutaneous hypopigmentation, characteristic silvery hair sheen, onset of HPS, and notably, the pathognomonic appearance upon microscopic examination of a hair sample. The absence of giant granules within nucleated cells helped exclude Chediak-Higashi syndrome., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. CERBO issued approval Not applicable. The authors of this article declare that there are no conflicts of interest or ethical concerns with the research presented. Our research is involving human participants, and it has been conducted by ethical standards and guidelines. Informed consent has been obtained from the patient involved in the study and appropriate ethical review board approvals have been obtained. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Bouhafs et al.)

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a malignant tumor in children that might mimic a benign tumor, such as infantile hemangioma, particularly when detected early. Although rhabdomyosarcoma rarely occurs in the hand, its prognosis is generally poor, and successful treatment relies on a complete and radical surgical excision. We present a case of rhabdomyosarcoma located in the palm of an infant's hand, initially presenting clinical and radiological features suggestive of a vascular tumor. The resection of this mass was radical, and histological analysis and immunohistochemistry returned in favor of embryonic rhabdomyosarcoma. In similar cases recorded in the literature, the diagnosis may be first mistaken for that of a hemangioma, then confirmed by histology. This underlines the importance of a systematic anatomopathological examination of all tissues removed surgically., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of University of Washington.)

Anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (AED), or Christ-Siemens-Touraine syndrome, is an X-linked recessive dermatosis. Rare in incidence, it affects 1 in 100,000 births, mostly boys. Through this observation, we detail the clinical signs that led us to suspect the diagnosis, how this pathology was confirmed, and the therapeutic management we carried out. We present a case of a 10-month-old boy presenting with altered manifestations affecting almost all the ectodermal structures like skin, hair, nails, teeth, sebaceous glands, sweat glands, and tear glands. He also had complete anodontia and a dry mouth. A multidisciplinary treatment was given to the patient with the collaboration of various health professionals. Although Christ-Siemens-Touraine syndrome is a rare condition, it is vital to recognize it early to improve care and prognosis for these patients, while mitigating the psychological impact of the condition on both children and parents., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2024, Bouhmidi et al.)

Breastfeeding is vital to a child's lifelong health and has significant positive benefits to mother's health. World Health Organization recommends beginning exclusively breastfeeding within the first hour after birth and continuing during the first 6 months of infant's life. The purpose of this review is to identify and examine breastfeeding interventions conducted across the Spanish-speaking countries. A scoping review of the literature was conducted across 14 databases for relevant publications published through April 2023 to find studies in Spanish-speaking countries that involved breastfeeding as an intervention component. A total of 46 peer-reviewed articles were included in this review, across 12 Spanish-speaking countries. Participants ranged from pregnant women, mothers, mother-infant pair, and health care professionals. Intervention at the individual level in combination with support from trained health care professionals or peer counselors seemed to have higher improvements in breastfeeding rates. The greatest improvement in exclusively breastfeeding for 6 months was seen in interventions that included prenatal and postnatal intensive lactation education, for a period of 12 months. The most effective interventions that improved rates of any breastfeeding included promotional activities, educations workshop, and training of health care staff along with changes in hospital care. Breastfeeding promotion is an economical and effective intervention to increase breastfeeding behavior and thereby improving breastfeeding adherence across Spanish-speaking countries.

Introduction: Triple-A syndrome (Triple-A) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by alacrimia, achalasia, and adrenal insufficiency. Several variants on the AAAS gene have been described, and some variants are clustered in particular geographical areas, such as the c.1331+1G>A variant which is very frequent in North Africa. Here, we describe the genetic features of Triple-A in a series of unrelated families from Morocco., Methods: Screening for the AAAS c.1331+1G>A variant was performed by direct sequencing or by PCR-RFLP. Haplotype analysis using Single Tandem Repeat (STR) markers flanking AAAS gene was performed in order to evaluate the founder effect and estimate the age of the c.1331+1G>A variant., Results: Seven unrelated families with ten individuals clinically diagnosed with Triple-A were evaluated for sequence variations in the AAAS gene. The median age at diagnosis was 3 years, with a range between 2 and 11 years. Molecular analysis revealed that all patients were homozygous for the c.1331+1G>A variant. This variant was not found in 200 healthy controls, indicating that carriers are very rare in the general Moroccan population. Subsequently, STR marker analysis revealed a founder effect and that the most recent common ancestor of Triple-A patients in Morocco would have lived 125 years ago., Conclusion: This is the largest series of Triple-A in Morocco. The same AAAS c.1331+1G>A variant was found in all patients, suggesting a founder effect in Morocco which was subsequently confirmed by microsatellite marker analysis. Therefore, this variant should be systematically investigated to diagnose Triple-A in Morocco., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© 2023 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: Chromosomal abnormalities are the main cause of birth defects, intellectual disability, and miscarriages. They contribute to significant human morbidity and infant mortality. Here we report for the first time the chromosomal abnormalities encountered in the population of Eastern Morocco. Furthermore, we describe a new case of a de novo partial trisomy 13q combined with a terminal deletion in an 11-day-old girl., Methods: From November 2015 to March 2022, 195 patients from the BRO Biobank who were clinically suspected of having chromosomal abnormalities were referred to the cytogenetics laboratory of the Genetics Unit of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Oujda for cytogenetic study. Karyotyping analysis was performed on peripheral blood samples using standard R banding techniques. To identify single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and copy number variants (CNVs), Illumina SNP array was used., Results: Among 195 studied cases, 32 (16.4 %) had abnormal karyotypes, of which 12 cases had numerical aberrations while 20 cases had structural aberrations. The most common numerical aberrations were Turner syndrome and Down syndrome followed by Edward, Patau, and Klinefelter syndromes. For structural aberrations, translocations were the most common, followed by derivative chromosomes, inversions, deletions, and an addition on chromosome 13 identified in an 11-day-old girl. To further characterize this addition, SNP array was carried out and revealed a 58.8-Mb duplication in region 13q14.3q34 associated with a 1-Mb deletion in region 13q34. Follow-up parental chromosomes analysis showed normal karyotypes for the parents, confirming that this partial trisomy 13q was de novo. Comparison of the phenotype associated with this novel duplication on chromosome 13q with those previously reported confirmed the considerable variability in the phenotype of the patients with partial trisomy 13q., Conclusion: This study provided the first report on chromosomal abnormalities in Eastern Morocco and it enriched the phenotype spectrum of partial trisomy 13q and further confirmed the genotype-phenotype correlations. Furthermore, these findings justify the need to set up microarray comparative genomic hybridization techniques in Morocco for better genetic diagnosis., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2023 French Society of Pediatrics. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Purpose of Review: Over 11 million individuals are incarcerated globally, facing health challenges such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, possibly exacerbated by prison diets. The objective of this scoping review is to explore the various available types of nutrition education interventions that currently exist in the literature applied in prison settings., Recent Findings: Utilizing the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews, 19 databases were searched for studies on nutrition interventions in prisons from 2000 to May 2023, guided by the "PICO" structure. Inclusion criteria encompassed articles in five languages from peer-reviewed journals focusing solely on nutrition education interventions. Rayyan QCRI software was utilized for screening and data extraction. Fifteen international studies were analyzed, covering various countries and targeting different populations in prisons. Interventions varied from nutrition education to comprehensive health programs. The outcomes were inconsistent, with some showing health improvements and others encountering challenges. Few utilized established theoretical frameworks, indicating a research gap. The range of interventions highlights the potential complexity of nutrition education interventions within prisons. Implementing recognized theoretical frameworks may enhance effectiveness. The diverse outcomes highlight the challenges in creating impactful programs, emphasizing foundational issues. Recommendations focus on rigorous research designs and understanding prison-specific complexities. Nutrition education interventions in incarcerated settings present varied results, emphasizing the need for well-structured, theoretically grounded, and carefully evaluated programs. Future strategies should recognize the multifaceted nature of correctional facilities, aiming for holistic approaches to improve health in prisons., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: The Syrian Arab Republic (SAR) is experiencing high rates of malnutrition. While many adults experience overweight and obesity, as a direct result of the continuing conflict, SAR is also noted as one of the most food-insecure regions in the Arab world. To combat the health impacts and outcomes related to diet and dietary behaviors, trained nutrition professionals are needed. We aimed to examine current nutrition-affiliated programs offered in post-secondary institutions in the SAR., Methods: The search was conducted between Jan and Feb 2021. An electronic review of universities and colleges' websites, department webpages, and academic programs' homepages and resources of all the private and public universities in SAR was conducted to find programs related to nutrition, nutrition sciences, and dietetics., Results: Only 13%, or 4 out of 30 SAR colleges and universities had bachelor's programs in nutrition or nutrition science, and none had nutrition programs at the graduate or terminal degree levels., Conclusion: A pathway for integration of graduates from nutrition sciences into the healthcare and public health workforce should be defined and an understanding of the value of those with a degree in nutrition should be cultivated in clinical and community care settings. Partnering with existing or creating independent organizations charged with defining the scope of practice and ensuring educational quality and competence of graduating students, as well as readiness to practice as part of a healthcare team or in a public health nutrition role will be integral to moving the nutrition profession forward in the SAR., (Copyright © 2023 Mahrous et al. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Objectives: This study assessed the stigmatisation of obesity among a sample of the general population in Riyadh and its association with the perception of controllability., Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during January-February 2021. The data were collected through a self-administrated online questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using John's Macintosh Project, Version 16.0.0., Results: A total of 525 participants were recruited via convenience sampling. The majority of the participants exhibited a low level of stigma towards obesity (72.8%), and gender and BMI were significantly associated with the level of stigma ( P = 0.0023 and 0.0360, respectively). The association between the perception of controllable factors and the level of stigma was also significant ( P = 0.0001)., Conclusion: A significant association was found between the stigmatisation of obesity and the perception of controllability among the general population in Riyadh. Recommendations should be based on joint international consensus statements for ending obesity stigmatisation in different settings and categories; healthcare service providers and obese patients should be educated on the relationships demonstrated in these findings., Competing Interests: CONFLICT OF INTEREST The authors declare no conflict of interests., (© Copyright 2023, Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, All Rights Reserved.)

Arab countries are doubly burdened with undernutrition as well as overweight and obesity. To provide guidance to those looking to address concerns of obesity and overweight among children in this region, the current review bridges an existing knowledge gap and systematically characterizes and evaluates the available scientific evidence pertaining to school-based nutrition interventions completed to date across the Arab world. Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and relevant keywords, terms and phrases, a search of the literature across 14 databases for school-based nutrition interventions implemented in this region was conducted. Out of 1568 articles from 14 databases, 38 full-text articles meeting the inclusion criteria were retrieved. Further assessment for eligibility excluded 23 articles and included one article from hand-searching references, leaving 16 articles in the final analysis. Most articles (n = 7) with the implementation of 5 months or longer found strong positive and significant impacts on limiting sweets consumption, increased dietary knowledge, self-efficacy, breakfast and fruit and vegetable consumption, among others. We also found evidence (n = 5) that teachers trained by experts such as dietitians and pediatricians can effectively implement nutrition interventions that achieve the intended outcomes. Training teachers to implement theory-based nutrition and health promotion curricula serves as a potential solution to improving nutrition knowledge, health behaviors and dietary practices among children living in Arab countries. Appropriately designed and implemented nutrition interventions can positively impact nutrition knowledge, health and diet-related behaviors in children and adolescents in this region., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Aim: To measure the factors influencing on the adoption of antenatal care conversation mapping among health care providers in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), using the diffusion innovation theory., Methods: 88 healthcare providers (Riyadh) were recruited using a non-probability convenient sampling technique were trained on how to use a newly developed antenatal care conversation map. Data was collected by self-administrated questionnaire on health education services, adoption of conversation map and diffusion of innovation variables. The JMP statistical software from SAS version 14 was used to perform data analysis., Results: Printable tools were most common as used by 72.7% of participants and 83.0% of them did not hear about conversation map. The total mean score of diffusion of innovation variables showed was in general high. The total mean score of relative advantage and observability was high in participants aged between 40 to less than 50 years, while the total mean score of compatibility, complexity, and trialability was high in participants aged from 50 years and more. Significant differences were obtained in both compatibility and trialability considering the health educators specialty, p = 0.03 and p = 0.027 respectively. The linear correlations between diffusion of innovation variables was significantly positive (p-value <0.01)., Conclusion: All of diffusion of innovation variables were positive as per the opinion of the participants. Applying the conversation map on other health topics in Saudi Arabia and other Arabic-speaking countries is warranted. Measuring and evaluating the adoption rate of conversation mapping among health care providers on other health topics should be explored., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Alhashem et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Introduction: Low prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in the Arab world is concerning and suboptimal breastfeeding is a leading child health risk factor in several Arab States. Breastfeeding education has the capacity to improve breastfeeding knowledge and practice, thus positively impacting infant and maternal health. The purpose of this review is to identify and examine the impact of breastfeeding promotion interventions across the Arab world., Method: A scoping review of the literature was conducted across seventeen databases for relevant publications published through October 2021 to find studies in Arab countries, that involved breastfeeding as an intervention component. Twenty-one articles met inclusion criteria and were reviewed., Results: Individual and community based educational interventions offer the opportunity to positively impact the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of breastfeeding in new mothers in Arab countries. Increased breastfeeding has the potential to lead to improved neonate and maternal health. In addition to significant benefits found across individual and community-based interventions in a variety of Arab countries, there is also evidence that interventions that improve the knowledge of health care professionals and/or the practices of a health care system can contribute to subsequent increases in breastfeeding rates., Discussion: Breastfeeding education is a low-cost and high-impact public health tool that can impact infant and maternal health and potentially increase breastfeeding adherence in the Arab world., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: The first molecular evidence of a monogenic predisposition to mycobacteria came from the study of Mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial disease (MSMD). We aimed to study this Mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial diseases in Moroccan kindreds through clinical, immunological, and genetic analysis., Methods: Patients presented with clinical features of MSMD were recruited into this study. We used whole blood samples from patients and age-matched healthy controls. To measure IL-12 and IFN-γ production, samples were activated by BCG plus recombinant human IFN-γ or recombinant human IL-12. Immunological assessments and genetic analysis were also done for patients and their relatives., Results: Our study involved 22 cases from 15 unrelated Moroccan kindreds. The average age at diagnosis is 4 years. Fourteen patients (64%) were born to consanguineous parents. All patients were vaccinated with the BCG vaccine, and twelve of them (55%) developed locoregional or disseminated BCG infections. The other symptomatic patients had severe tuberculosis and/or recurrent salmonellosis. Genetic mutations were identified on the following genes: IL12RB1 in 8 patients, STAT1 in 7 patients; SPPL2A, IFNGR1, and TYK2 in two patients each; and TBX21 in one patient, with different modes of inheritance. All identified mutations/variants altered production or response to IFN-γ or both., Conclusion: Severe forms of tuberculosis and complications of BCG vaccination may imply a genetic predisposition present in the Moroccan population. In the presence of these infections, systematic genetic studies became necessary. BCG vaccination is contraindicated in MSMD patients and should be delayed in newborn siblings until the exclusion of a genetic predisposition to mycobacteria., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: The present study conducted a social media content analysis on videos describing the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) posted onYouTube., Setting: YouTube TM online video sharing and social media platform., Method: Three independent content experts evaluated 141 YouTube videos on the MedDiet in August 2020 utilizing standard rubric and protocol. Data abstracted include media source(s) of posted videos, and viewer exposure/engagement metrics. Information quality was measured by each content expert independently through use of the DISCERN instrument, a 16-item tool designed to assess reliability, dependability, and trustworthiness of an online source, scores were then aggregated for analysis., Results: A majority of videos (n = 102, 72.3%) were educational in nature. A third of videos were less clear and less credible on information presented (n = 46, 32.6%). Most videos were posted by an individual (n = 79, 56%), and the majority of videos were rated as medium quality (n = 88, 62.4%). Overall level of user engagement as measured by number of "likes," "dislikes," and user comments varied widely across all sources of media. Exploratory correlation analysis suggests that the number of a video's views, comments, likes, and dislikes are not correlated with quality., Conclusion: Study findings suggest that MedDiet health promotion and education via YouTube has the potential to reach and inform clients; however, existing video content and quality varies significantly. Future intervention research focused on MedDiet should further examine possible predictors of high quality MedDiet content utilizing diverse online video sharing platforms.

Purpose: Genetic testing provides great support to validate the clinical diagnosis of inborn errors of immunity (IEI). However, the high cost and advanced technology make these tests inaccessible to a large proportion of patients in low-income countries. In the present study, we aim to evaluate the Moroccan experience in genetic testing and to report the main molecular features and difficulties encountered in genetic diagnosis., Methods: We performed a multi-center retrospective analysis of all patients with a molecular diagnosis and registered in the national registry between 2010 and 2022. To estimate the impact of the newly identified mutations, we calculated the Combined Annotation Dependent Depletion (CADD) score and the mutation significance cutoff (MSC) for each variant., Results: A total of 216 (29%) patients received a genetic diagnosis out of 742 patients with IEI included in the registry. All genetic tests were performed in the context of thesis projects (40%) or international collaborations (60%). A set of 55 genetic defects were identified, including 7 newly reported: SNORA31, TBX21, SPPL2A, TYK2, RLTPR, ZNF341, and STAT2 GOF. Genetic diagnoses were more frequent in the defects of innate and intrinsic immunity with a percentage of 78%, while antibody deficiencies had a lower frequency with a percentage of 17.5%. Only one genetic diagnosis has been made in the complement deficiency group. The most commonly used molecular techniques were Sanger sequencing (37%) followed by targeted gene sequencing (31%)., Conclusion: The thesis projects and collaborations were beneficial as they allowed us to provide a definitive genetic diagnosis to 29% of the patients and to contribute to the identification of new genetic defects and mutations. These results offer insight into the progress made in genetic diagnoses of IEI in Morocco, which would provide a baseline for improving the clinical management of patients with IEI., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background and Objectives: Assessing knowledge, self-efficacy, and practice among a given population us-ing a validated and reliable questionnaire is crucial. The aim of this study was to translate, validate, and test the reliability of the knowledge, self-efficacy, and practice in the Arabic population. Methods and Study De-sign: A previously published knowledge, self-efficacy, and practice nutrition questionnaire was translated and validated into Arabic. A panel of translation and nutrition experts from Arab countries participated in translation and testing validity. A convenience sampling technique was used to recruit participants across 22 Arab countries. An online self-administered questionnaire was completed twice with an interval of 2 weeks. Tests of validity (face and content) and reliability (consistency and test-retest reliability) were used., Results: A total of 96 participants had a mean age of 21.5 years, 68.7% were female, and 80.2% were students. The mean expert proportional content validity index scale was 0.95, and intra class correlation values ranged from 0.59 to 0.76; all of these values were highly statistically significant at retest., Conclusions: The Arabic version of the questionnaire provided valid and reliable results for assessing knowledge, self-efficacy, and practice among Arab adolescents and young adults. This tool could assess nutritional education programs in a community setting and educational institutions targeting this population in Arab countries.

Objective: To assess the patterns, prevalence, and perceptions of the benefits and risks of using social media as a source of weight loss information among Saudi adults., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, convenient snowball sampling was used to recruit Saudi adults. A self-report questionnaire containing the following five sections was distributed: sociodemographic information, the pattern of social media use, use of social media to obtain weight loss information, perception of benefits, and perception of risks of using social media. A Chi-square test was used to identify differences according to participants' demographics., Results: A total of 420 Saudi adults were included in the study. Most Saudi adults (43.3%) used social media for more than four hours a day, and 88.6% used WhatsApp. The prevalence of social media use for weight loss information was 89.2% among Saudi adults. Significant associations were found between the use of social media for weight loss information and age (<33 years old) and monthly income (<5000 Saudi Arabian Riyal) ( p  ≤ 0.012). Of the participants, 71.7% believed that social media is "always" or "frequently" an easily acceptable way to obtain weight loss information. Moreover, 36% of Saudi adults believed that weight loss information on social media could be scientifically inaccurate, and 61% believed that it could be posted solely for marketing and financial purposes., Conclusion: The findings of this study show that Saudi adults have a high prevalence of social media use to obtain weight loss information. The benefits and risks of using social media as a source of weight loss information were also perceived to be high among Saudi adults., Competing Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2022.)

Background: In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC). The goal is to achieve a global survival rate of at least 60% for all children with cancer by 2030. Morocco was designated as a pilot country for this initiative., Procedure: This retrospective study included a cohort of children aged 0-15 years, with one of the six indexed cancers (acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL], Burkitt lymphoma [BL], Hodgkin lymphoma, retinoblastoma [RB], Wilms tumor or nephroblastoma, low-grade glioma), diagnosed between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2019 at the six Moroccan Pediatric Hematology and Oncology units. Patients were followed-up until August 31, 2020. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate survival rates, the log-rank test for comparing survival curves, and the Cox model for identifying prognostic factors., Results: Data on 878 patients were included in the study. The most frequently reported cancer type was ALL (n = 383, 43.6%), followed by Wilms tumor (n = 139, 15.8%) and BL (n = 133, 15%). Most patients were less than 5 years of age (n = 446, 50.9%) and the male/female ratio was 1.46. The 1, 2, and 3-year overall survival rates were 80.1%, 73.6%, and 68.2%, respectively. In a multivariable Cox regression model, care center, cancer type, age group, and distance to the care center were statistically significantly associated to survival. Patients aged 10 years and older and patients living more than 100 km from the care center were more likely to die (respectively, HR = 1.39, p = .045 and HR = 1.44, p = .010)., Conclusion: The reported results represent the baseline for measuring the impact of GICC implementation in Morocco., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Yemen is noted as one of the most food-insecure countries in the Arab world coupled with high rates of malnutrition. To address the public health outcomes related to nutrition, trained nutrition professionals are needed. This report provides a snapshot of current nutrition-affiliated programs offered in postsecondary institutions in Yemen. Partnering with or creating independent organizations responsible for defining the scope of practice is warranted. Additionally, ensuring educational quality, program accreditation, and competence of graduating students and readiness to practice will be central to progressively moving Yemen's dietetics profession forward., Competing Interests: Conflict of InterestThe authors declare no competing interests., (© The Author(s) under exclusive licence to International Association of Medical Science Educators 2022.)