Exploring the predictors of depression among Saudi adolescents: Time for urgent firm actions

Objectives:To estimate the prevalence of depression among Saudi adolescents and identify its correlates.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study using a multistage random technique that included students at the intermediate and secondary levels in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used as a tool, in addition to a survey of the potential risk factors. Binary logistic regression was conducted.Results:Out of 960 students, 32.4% were found to have moderate to severe depression. The age group of 16-19 years was more at risk. Female gender and low father’s education level were significant predictors of depression. Less internet use and more physical activity are considered a protective factor against depression, OR -0.531 (95% CI: 0.315-0.894) and OR -0.668 (95% CI: 0.468-0.953), respectively. Whereas the physical abuse, OR 2.047 (95% CI: 1.287-3.255) and emotional abuse, OR 2.576 (95% CI: 1.740-3.813) considered risk factors for depression.Conclusion:The prevalence of depression among Saudi adolescents is worrisome. Urgent and firm actions should be taken in response to the increasing prevalence of depression worldwide.     

Clinicopathological characteristics of young versus older patients with breast cancer: A retrospective comparative study from the Madinah region of Saudi Arabia

Objectives:To compare the clinicopathological, histological and immunohistochemical features of breast cancer (BC) in between young (≤40 years) and older (>40 years) patients.Methods:This retrospective study included histopathological reports of all patients with primary BC diagnose at the King Fahad Hospital, Madinah, Saudi Arabia between January 2006 and November 2020.Results:During the study period, a total of 708 patients with BC were identified; 173 cases (24.4%) were ≤40 years old and 535 (75.6%) were above 40 years. There were significant differences in tumor size (p=0.046), tumor grade (p<0.0001), tumor stage (p=0.047), lymphovascular invasion (p<0.0001), and distant metastasis (p<0.0001) between the 2 groups. Comparing the status of the hormone receptors and molecular subtypes between the 2 age groups, BCs in the younger patients were triple–negative (p=0.008) in majority of the cases and less likely to be estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) hormone receptors–positive (p=0.0001, p<0.0001). Young patients exhibited the HER2/neu type with more frequent statistical significance (p=0.016) and the tumor type luminal A (p=0.002) with less frequent statistical significance compared to old patients.Conclusion:Although BC in young women is uncommon, it may be different with regards to poor prognostic outcomes, which are attributed to more aggressive histopathological features and less favorable receptor status when compared to the cases diagnosed in older women.     

Pathway-Affecting Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in RPS6KA1 and MBIP Genes are Associated with Breast Cancer Risk

Background: Genetic mutations and polymorphisms play an important role in the transformation of primary cells to malignant cells as it may lead to disturbance of vital pathways regulating cell cycle, DNA damage repair, and apoptosis. In this study, we genotyped single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which were predicted to affect certain pathways and to increase the risk of breast cancer. Methods: The study included 81 Saudi breast cancer patients and 100 matching healthy controls from the Eastern Province in Saudi Arabia. The following SNPs (rs3168891, rs2899849, rs2230394, rs2229714) were then genotyped by TaqMan genotyping assay and the allele and genotype distribution was compared. Results: The minor allele frequency of the following SNPs (rs3168891, rs2899849, rs2230394, rs2229714) was T=0.17, A=0.28, A=0.22, and G=0.16 respectively. The G allele of the SNP rs3168891 was significantly associated with increased breast cancer risk (P = 0.00001) while the T allele of the same locus was associated with reduced risk of breast cancer in both heterozygous and homozygous states. The T allele of SNP rs2229714 which is located in the RPS6KA1 gene was also significantly associated with the increased risk of breast cancer. However, the rs2899849 SNP located in the Integrin beta-1 (ITGB1) gene was not associated with the increased risk of breast cancer in our study population. Haplotype analysis revealed the presence of three risk haplotypes that increases the risk of breast cancer (TGGT, TGTA, GATA). Conclusion: We showed that three, previously untested, SNPs are associated with increased risk of breast cancer in our population.  This may be added to the list of factors involved in breast cancer risk assessment studies. The benefit and the utility of the in-silico prediction of disease risk factors and their genetic association had been demonstrated in this study, yet the predicted risk alleles have to be tested in clinical studies.     

Aspirin Use among Saudi Adults: The Prevalence and Users’ Characteristics

IntroductionDespite the public routine use of aspirin as cardio-prophylaxis agent, its use is only recommended in particular situations, and not as usual primary prevention. Only few local studies investigate the use of aspirin in patients with certain diseases, but not within the public population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of aspirin use and identify the demographic and clinical characteristics among Saudi users.MethodologyA cross-sectional study targeting Saudi adults in Saudi Arabia was conducted over a period of four months in 2021 using online Google forms. The study collected data to assess the prevalence of use, use of aspirin according to prevention type, users’ characteristics and comorbidities. Additionally, a self-assessment of knowledge, perception, reasons and attitude towards aspirin use among Saudi adults was conducted. A chi-square test was used to determine the association between the variables. A P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsThe prevalence of aspirin use was 47%. Regarding the self-assessed aspirin knowledge, the majority of the respondents (n = 481; 62.4 %) found to have good knowledge. Less than half of the participants (n = 341; 44%) use aspirin as primary prevention agent while only 23 participants (2.9%) use aspirin as secondary prevention agent. There was a significant difference between gender and user type (p = 0.001). With regards to comorbidities, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and obesity were common among the primary users of aspirin. Significant associations were found (p = 0.001) between participant’s user type and the following characteristics such as smoking status, past medical history, presence of comorbidities.ConclusionAspirin use is commonly prevalent Saudi population with good level of knowledge of the therapy; however, its popular use as primary preventive agent for CVD may necessitate medical advice based on the level of cardiovascular risk.     

Forensic science in the context of Islamic law: A review

Even though it is still in its nascent phase, forensic science has already encountered strong resistance in Saudi Arabia due to its incompatibility with their present legal system. What follow is a review on the status of forensic medicine and its future in terms of acceptance and use in legal action.     

Prevalence of Celiac Disease among Symptom-free Children from The Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

Background/Aim:Epidemiological studies of celiac disease (CD) among Saudi children have been performed only within some groups who are at a high risk of developing CD. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of CD among symptom-free children from the public schools of the military campus of National Guard in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.Results:Of the 1141 participants, 32 were IgA-tTG positive. Thus, the estimated serology-positive prevalence was 3%. An intestinal biopsy was performed in 10 of the participants with antibody positivity. The biopsy findings of all 10 children were consistent with CD. Thus, the estimated biopsy-confirmed prevalence was about 1%.Conclusions:The prevalence of CD was estimated to be about 1% among symptom-free children from the public schools of the military campus of National Guard in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.