Managing risk of infectious disease transmission at religious mass gatherings: Insights from survey, COVID-19 PCR, and antibody tests from Arbaeen walkers in 2020.

Background: Arbaeen in Iraq has been one of the largest mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic with 14.5 million attendees in 2020. We set out to assess the prevalence of current or past COVID-19 among 2020 Arbaeen participants, and establish associations between COVID-19 test results, symptoms, and known recent exposure.

Approach to the Management of Hypertriglyceridemia Complicated With Acute Pancreatitis in Pregnancy: A Case Report.

This is a case of a 32-year-old woman, Gravida 3 para 2, previous two cesarean sections, who presented to our emergency department at 24+3 weeks of gestation complaining of severe epigastric pain radiating to the back. She was diagnosed with severe hypertriglyceridemia complicated with acute pancreatitis and was managed by a multi-disciplinary team, which included obstetrics, gastroenterology, endocrinology, hematology, nutrition, and ICU team. Initially, conservative treatment was employed for her management.

Parental Willingness and Factors Influencing COVID-19 Vaccination for Children in Saudi Arabia.

Purpose: The study aimed to examine the parents' willingness and its association with demographic factors, attitudes, and practices to vaccinate their child against COVID-19.

Patients And Methods: The study involved 2500 participants from various regions of Saudi Arabia and was conducted between July 1, 2021, and August 31, 2021. Information was gathered via an online questionnaire comprising 26 questions, distributed across social media platforms.

Unusual Presentation of Leukemic-Phase Mantle Cell Lymphoma: A Case Report.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a rare subtype of B-cell lymphoma that can present in a variety of ways, including the leukemic phase, where it can occasionally be mistaken for acute leukemia due to the unusually high or rapidly growing number of leukocytes and the presence of circulating cancer cells that are morphologically similar to leukemic blasts in myeloid or acute lymphoblastic leukemia. We present the case of an 83-year-old Yemeni woman with multiple comorbidities who presented with abdominal pain and constitutional symptoms. She was found to have diffuse lymphadenopathy on clinical and radiological assessments.

Tramadol, captagon and khat use in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: opening Pandora's box.

As defined by the World Health Organization, the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), given its special geopolitical situation and internal/external conflicts, faces an increase in illegal activities such as drug production and trafficking, highlighting the need for a comprehensive understanding of the substance use situation. On the basis of a review of published papers between 2015 and 2021 we briefly review substance use in the EMR with special focus on the emerging drugs pertinent to this region, namely tramadol, captagon and khat.

Does Caffeine Intake Increase the Incidence of Tinnitus? A Systematic Review.

 Excessive caffeine intake has been thought to be a contributory factor for tinnitus. However, there has been no systematic review to elucidate the causal relationship between caffeine intake and the incidence of tinnitus.  We performed the current review aiming at evaluating the evidence from the current literature for the relationship between caffeine intake and the incidence of tinnitus.

Health Risks, Preventive Behaviours and Respiratory Illnesses at the 2019 Arbaeen: Implications for COVID-19 and Other Pandemics.

COVID-19 poses grave challenges for mass gatherings. One of the world's largest annual gatherings, Arbaeen, occurs in Iraq. We studied respiratory symptoms and risk and protective factors using representative sampling of Arbaeen pilgrims in 2019 to inform prevention of COVID-19 transmission.

Alcohol treatment systems in Muslim majority countries: Case study of alcohol treatment policy in Iran.

Background: Alcohol is a leading risk factor for death and disability globally. Due to the Islamic prohibition of alcohol consumption, alcohol policy is an under-studied and sensitive topic in Muslim majority countries (MMCs). In addition, drinkers in these countries may face barriers to treatment access due to stigma or the legal status of alcohol.

Arbaeen public health concerns: A pilot cross-sectional survey.

Background: Arbaeen is an annual religious procession in Iraq with an estimated 17-20 million participants. Public health risks associated with such a mass gathering can be serious at both local and global levels. This is the first quantitative examination of risk factors for, and symptoms of, infectious disease among Arbaeen participants.

Extent of alcohol prohibition in civil policy in Muslim majority countries: the impact of globalization.

Background And Aims: Many policies have been introduced to reduce alcohol harm in different countries. However, Muslim majority countries (MMCs), where the major religion (Islam) prohibits alcohol consumption, have less well-developed civil alcohol policies. Overall, MMCs have low prevalence of alcohol consumption, although recently most MMCs have been undergoing transition, which has sometimes increased pressure for alcohol availability and impacted on social practices, alcohol policies and broader public health.

Measurement invariance of working memory measures across two Arab cultures.

A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine the factorial structure of a battery of working memory measures across two Arab cultures (Kuwait and Egypt). The battery of tests was administered to a sample of 384 children: 192 primary-school Kuwaiti children (96 boys, 96 girls; M age = 10.0 yr.

Psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Dental Cognition Questionnaire.

Objectives: This study investigates the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Dental Cognitions Questionnaire (DCQ), especially evolved for the purpose.

Study Design: The DCQ was administered to a total of 1,266 Kuwait University undergraduate students, 348 males and 918 females, achieving high internal consistency (alpha = .87).

National character does not reflect mean personality trait levels in 49 cultures.

Most people hold beliefs about personality characteristics typical of members of their own and others' cultures. These perceptions of national character may be generalizations from personal experience, stereotypes with a "kernel of truth," or inaccurate stereotypes. We obtained national character ratings of 3989 people from 49 cultures and compared them with the average personality scores of culture members assessed by observer ratings and self-reports.

Prevalence of cigarette smoking among male Kuwait University undergraduate students.

A total of 777 male undergraduates were randomly selected from different faculties of Kuwait University. Their mean age was 20.2 yr.

Placement of dental implants without flap surgery: a clinical report.

Traditionally, the procedure of implant placement requires a surgical periosteal flap to be raised. In a percentage of implant cases, there is no need for flap surgery for implant placement, or for a follow-up surgical procedure for abutment connection. In this clinical investigation, 20 maxillary and mandibular implants were placed in seven adult male patients.