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Background: Smoking remains a significant public health problem in Saudi Arabia. Reports from the Saudi Food and Drug Authority showed an increasing prevalence of smoking among adult population. Recently, new electronic nicotine delivery systems have emerged and used as possible tools for quitting smoking. Nonetheless, the health-related risks of the electronic nicotine delivery systems have raised concerns, and their effectiveness in promoting smoking cessation remains questionable. Materials and Methods: This community-based qualitative study aims to explore the attitudes and experiences of smokers in the Al-Baha Region of Saudi Arabia, regarding the use of the new devices for smoking cessation. Results: Ten adult smokers from the local community participated in semi-structured interviews to collect data. Thematic analysis was adopted, with QRS-NVivo 8 used for coding and data management. Findings revealed a low successful rate of smoking cessation among electronic nicotine delivery system users, suggesting these devices may be ineffective in aiding quit attempts. The main motivations to use the new devices included social acceptance, peer influence, desire to quit, and the absence of smoking odor. However, the high nicotine concentrations in these devices appeared to contribute to continued smoking, potentially explaining the low cessation rate. The results also indicated that electronic nicotine delivery systems may not be a reliable tool for smoking cessation in the Saudi population. Conclusions: Further large-scale research is needed to evaluate the long-term risks and effectiveness of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems as a smoking cessation aid and to better understand the factors influencing smoking behavior in different cultural settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The prevalence of iron deficiency, latent and symptomatic, is heterogeneous worldwide. In this study, we aim to explore the prevalence of iron deficiency, with and without anemia, among medical college females at the high Altitude Aseer region of Southwestern Saudi Arabia. Methodology: 200 female medical students were randomly sampled, between the ages of 19 and 27 years. Blood samples were collected for complete blood count (CBC) values and serum ferritin determination. Questionnaires were completed in order to collect demographics, medical history, and socioeconomic information of the participants. Results: Prevalence of overall iron deficiency was high (63%, serum ferritin <20 μg/L, 52.5%, ferritin <15 μg/L). Anemia, adjusted for high altitude (defined as less than 13 g/dL was present in 41 participants (20.5%) and 12 (6.5%) have Hb <12 g/dL. Iron-deficiency anemia (Hb <13 g/dL and serum ferritin <15 μg/L) was present in 35 (17.5%). Personal and family history of anemia and poor animal product containing meals were positively correlated with the presence of iron deficiency state. Neither symptoms of anemia, nor the presence of menorrhagia correlate with the presence of iron deficiency anemia. Conclusion: Iron deficiency with and without anemia is a very common and condition in young females' population at high altitude. Implementing a lab method to screen for anemia on vulnerable populations is needed. Frequently asymptomatic, the primary care providers should maintain a high degree of suspicion in order to initiate screening for iron status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employing a mixture or an emulsion of water and diesel fuel is considered a way to reduce gas emissions such as NOx and soot in a gas turbine. This study presents detailed experimental results on the spray characteristics of a water-diesel emulsion injected by a pressure swirl atomizer with a 90-degree spray angle and a flow number of 0.58 under a nonreacting environment at high pressure and temperature conditions. Acquiring these data is a key step when configuring a combustor that will employ emulsified fuels. In addition, this study seeks to confirm that the emulsion stays intact when it gets sprayed into the combustor. Furthermore, this study attempts to understand if a water-diesel emulsion prepared by a sonicator improves fuel atomization as compared to a water-diesel mixture prepared by a static mixer, i.e., not a proper emulsion. Tests are conducted in a high pressure and temperature testing facility at two ambient pressures and three ambient temperatures and the water to diesel ratio (W/D) is varied from 11% to 100% by mass. Phase Doppler Particle Anemometry (PDPA) is employed to measure the spray characteristics. Through a backlit high-speed photography, overall spray patterns over different test conditions are visualized. Mie-scattering and planar laser-induced fluorescence imaging are utilized to visualize the mixture field. In general, the results indicate that emulsion stays intact as it gets sprayed into the combustor; and emulsion is a better solution to reduce emissions than a statically mixed mixture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]