In-silico and in-vitro studies to identify potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein from Omani medicinal plants.

In the quest for novel therapeutic agents against SARS-CoV-2, the proposed study explores the potential of traditional Omani medicinal plants, focusing on the efficacy of natural ligands against the virus's Spike protein. Among 437 identified medicinal plants across Oman, 47 species that are documented for their traditional use in treating respiratory infections, with 30 species' ligands available were chosen for analysis. Molecular docking was performed using Autodock Vina on these ligands, yielding 406 unique ligands post-duplication removal.

Impact of mitigating obesity, smoking, and physical inactivity on type 2 diabetes mellitus burden in Oman: insights from mathematical modeling.

Introduction: To estimate the impact of reducing obesity, smoking, and physical inactivity (PIA) prevalence, and of introducing physical activity (PA) as an explicit intervention, on the prevalence, incidence, and mortality of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Oman.

Research Design And Methods: A deterministic population-level mathematical model was employed to investigate the impact of different scenarios for reducing T2DM risk factors on T2DM epidemiology. The model was stratified by sex, age group, risk factor status, T2DM status, and intervention status and parameterized with nationally representative data.

PlantMedOman: an online database for Oman's medicinal plants.

The Sultanate of Oman has a rich biodiversity, particularly in medicinal plants, and plays a crucial role in traditional healthcare practices. However, the wealth of knowledge about these plants is scattered across various literature, making it challenging for researchers, practitioners, and the public to access comprehensive information. Therefore, the availability of a centralized, user-friendly online database to catalog Oman's medicinal plants is of great importance.

CovMediScanX: A medical imaging solution for COVID-19 diagnosis from chest X-ray images.

Introduction: Radiologists have extensively employed the interpretation of chest X-rays (CXR) to identify visual markers indicative of COVID-19 infection, offering an alternative approach for the screening of infected individuals. This research article presents CovMediScanX, a deep learning-based framework designed for a rapid and automated diagnosis of COVID-19 from CXR scan images.

Methods: The proposed approach encompasses gathering and preprocessing CXR image datasets, training deep learning-based custom-made Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), pre-trained and hybrid transfer learning models, identifying the highest-performing model based on key evaluation metrics, and embedding this model into a web interface called CovMediScanX, designed for radiologists to detect the COVID-19 status in new CXR images.

Persistence of Symptoms Following Hospitalization for COVID-19 in Oman: A Bidirectional Observational Study.

Objectives: This study sought to assess the prevalence of persistent COVID-19-related symptoms in patients with mild, severe, and critical disease.

Methods: We conducted a bidirectional cohort observational study that included all adult patients ≥ 18 years, admitted to Armed Forces Hospital, Muscat between July 2020 and June 2022, with COVID-19 infection and discharged alive. Patients were requested to attend outpatient clinic at weeks six and 12 post-discharge, where they filled out a questionnaire and underwent a chest X-ray.

Assessment of Total Cardiovascular Risk Using WHO/ISH Risk Prediction Chart Among Adults in Oman: A Nationally Representative Survey.

Objectives: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the major cause of morbidity and mortality globally and in Oman. Stratifying the population under different risk levels based on the total CVD risk approach using the World Health Organization/International Society of Hypertension (WHO/ISH) risk prediction chart would be more effective in primary prevention of CVD to prioritize and utilize valuable resources. Hence, this study aimed to assess the total 10-year CVD risk among adults in Oman and to ascertain the proportion of the population in need of pharmacotherapy.

Psychological impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers: cross-sectional analyses from 14 countries.

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) have been impacted psychologically due to their professional responsibilities over the prolonged era of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The study aimed to identify the predictors of psychological distress, fear, and coping during the COVID-19 pandemic among HCWs.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among self-identified HCWs across 14 countries (12 from Asia and two from Africa).

Structural equation modeling to identify the direct and indirect risk factors of diabetes in adults: Findings from a national survey.

Background: Few previous studies have investigated the multiple pathways that contribute to diabetes mellitus (DM) because of the complex, simultaneous interplay of attributing covariates. Structural equation modelling (SEM) is a robust multivariate approach that measures both direct and indirect effects of variables by simultaneously utilizing several regression equations. The current study applied SEM to test a hypothesized model of the covariates affecting DM among the adult population of the Sultanate of Oman.

Respiratory Complications after COVID-19.

COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with high short-term morbidity and mortality. Lungs are the main organs affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection. In the long-term, the pulmonary sequelae related to COVID-19 are expected to rise significantly leading to an extended impact on community health and health care facilities.

Period-prevalence and Publication Rate of Health Research Productivity in Seven Arabian Gulf Countries: Bibliometric Analysis from 1996 to 2018.

Objectives: Despite the worldwide increase in health research, few studies have evaluated the health research productivity in member states of the Gulf Health Council (GHC). This study solicited the period-prevalence and publication rates of health research productivity in the seven GHC countries.

Methods: We searched the Scopus database for publications between 1996 and 2018 and used the SCImago Journal and Country Rank portal to obtain the relevant information.

Hypertension and Pre-Hypertension in Middle East and North Africa (MENA): A Meta-Analysis of Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment, and Control.

Hypertension (HTN) is one of the most important public health challenges, especially in developing countries. Despite individual studies, information on the exact prevalence of prehypertension (pre-HTN) and HTN in the Middle East and North Africa is lacking. This meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate prevalence of pre-HTN and HTN, awareness, treatment, and control in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Prevalence of risk factors of non-communicable diseases in the Sultanate of Oman: STEPS survey 2017.

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCD) represent a major public health issue and currently cause 185.75 deaths per 100,000 population in Oman. Hence, there is a need for comprehensive, up-to-date and internationally comparable data on NCD risk factors in order to evaluate the effectiveness of ongoing public health policies and to develop further NCD prevention and control interventions.

COVID-19: Factors associated with psychological distress, fear, and coping strategies among community members across 17 countries.

Background: The current pandemic of COVID-19 impacted the psychological wellbeing of populations globally.

Objectives: We aimed to examine the extent and identify factors associated with psychological distress, fear of COVID-19 and coping.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study across 17 countries during Jun-2020 to Jan-2021.

Mental health outcomes among health-care workers in Oman during COVID-19: A cluster analysis.

Aim: Despite the much heralded epidemic of adjustment difficulties, health-care workers (HCW), who are likely to be at risk and impacted with mental health issues, have received scant attention. This study aimed to determine whether definable profiles exist in a cohort of HCWs associated with demographic and mental health problems.

Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in Oman.

Demographic and socioeconomic determinants of COVID-19 across Oman - A geospatial modelling approach.

Local, bivariate relationships between coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) infection rates and a set of demographic and socioeconomic variables were explored at the district level in Oman. To limit multicollinearity a principal component analysis was conducted, the results of which showed that three components together could explain 65% of the total variance that were therefore subjected to further study. Comparison of a generalized linear model (GLM) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) indicated an improvement in model performance using GWR (goodness of fit=93%) compared to GLM (goodness of fit=86%).

Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy in Oman: A Two Decade National Study.

Objectives: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the major chronic diseases with a world prevalence of 8.5%. Oman has shown a consistent rise in the prevalence of DM, reaching 14.

Prevalence and risk factors of diabetes in a large community-based study in the Sultanate of Oman: STEPS survey 2017.

Background: Type 2 diabetes in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, including Oman, is currently the fastest growing health crisis and is a significant cause of premature mortality and disability. There is currently insufficient up-to-date information available on prevalence of type 2 diabetes. This study aimed to assess the latest prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and its associated demographic, behavioural, and clinical risk factors.

Forecasting the type 2 diabetes mellitus epidemic and the role of key risk factors in Oman up to 2050: Mathematical modeling analyses.

Aims/introduction: To investigate and forecast type 2 diabetes mellitus epidemic, its related risk factors and cost in Oman by 2050.

Materials And Methods: An age-structured mathematical model was used to characterize type 2 diabetes mellitus epidemiology and trends in Oman between 1990 and 2050. The model was parametrized using current and quality data, including six nationally representative population-based epidemiological surveys for type 2 diabetes mellitus and its key risk factors.

National survey to estimate sodium and potassium intake and knowledge attitudes and behaviours towards salt consumption of adults in the Sultanate of Oman.

Objectives: To estimate population sodium and potassium intakes and explore knowledge, attitudes and behaviour (KAB) towards the use of salt in adults in the Sultanate of Oman.

Design: National cross-sectional population-based survey.

Setting: Proportional random samples, representative of Omani adults (18 years or older), were obtained from all governorates of the Sultanate of Oman.

Factors associated with mental health outcomes across healthcare settings in Oman during COVID-19: frontline versus non-frontline healthcare workers.

Objective: This study aims to assess and compare demographic and psychological factors and sleep status of frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) in relation to non-frontline HCWs.

Design, Settings, Participants And Outcomes: This cross-sectional study was conducted from 8 April 2020 to 17 April 2020 using an online survey across varied healthcare settings in Oman accruing 1139 HCWs.The primary and secondary outcomes were mental health status and sociodemographic data, respectively.

Clinical and genetic characteristics of autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease in Oman.

Background: There is a high prevalence of rare genetic disorders in the Middle East, and their study provides unique clinical and genetic insights. Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) is one of the leading causes of kidney and liver-associated morbidity and mortality in Oman. We describe the clinical and genetic profile of cohort of ARPKD patients.

Global Prevalence and Device Related Causes of Needle Stick Injuries among Health Care Workers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) suffer more than 2 million occupational needle-stick injuries (NSIs) annually.

Goal: To determine the global prevalence and causes of NSIs among HCWs.

Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, three databases (PubMed, Web of science, and Scopus) were searched for reports from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2018.