Assessment of awareness, knowledge, and usage of folic acid among females in Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia.

Folic acid (FA) plays a crucial role in various biological processes. Insufficient intake of FA during pregnancy can lead to serious clinical complications, including neural tube defect. The current study sought to assess the awareness, knowledge, and usage of FA among young females in Jazan region of Saudi Arabia.

Pesticide exposure promotes disease activity by decreasing lymphoproliferative activity and increasing IL-4 production in systemic sclerosis patients.

Background: One of the common findings in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients has been long-term exposure to environmental toxins such as pesticides. However, the data available shows an equivocal association between pesticide exposure and autoimmunity in SSc.

Methods: We investigated the levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in blood of 20 SSc patients and 17 healthy controls, and also studied their effect on T lymphocytes and their functional responses.