Association of BMI and incidence of type 2 diabetes in Saudi population.

Objective: The study aims to identify the optimal body mass index (BMI) cut-off for obesity based on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes among the general population visiting primary health care in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Al-Ahsa City, Saudi Arabia, from January to June 2022. The study included Saudi citizens aged 35 and older who had not previously or currently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Telephone-based telepsychiatry consultations: a qualitative exploration of psychiatrists' experiences in Oman.

Objectives: The utilisation of tele-mental health services has the potential to address challenges in mental health services within the Eastern Mediterranean Region. However, the adoption of tele-mental health in Oman remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the experiences of psychiatrists with telephone consultations, offering valuable insights to advance the field of telepsychiatry.

The impact of diabetes mellitus on the emergence of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis and treatment failure in TB-diabetes comorbid patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The existence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) in tuberculosis (TB) patients is very dangerous for the health of patients. One of the major concerns is the emergence of MDR-TB in such patients. It is suspected that the development of MDR-TB further worsens the treatment outcomes of TB such as treatment failure and thus, causes disease progression.

A promising future for tele-mental health in Oman: A qualitative exploration of clients and therapists' experiences.

Objectives: Tele-mental health services can play an important role in overcoming barriers in mental health services in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. However, despite its potential, tele-mental health has not been widely adopted in Oman. This study is an exploratory investigation into the experiences of therapists and their clients in utilizing video-based tele-mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clinical Predictors of Depression among Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Cross-sectional Analytical Study from Oman.

Objectives: Many studies suggest that depression is prevalent among patients suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Both depression and IBD have a significant disease burden. However, these studies have mostly been conducted among European and American populations and there is a paucity of studies from Arab countries.

Development and validation of an instrument to measure physician awareness of bioethics and medical law in Oman.

Background: A different ethos with respect to the perception of medical ethics prevails in societies in transition such as those in the Arabian Peninsula, which makes it difficult to apply international principles of bioethics in medical practice. This study aimed to develop and psychometrically test an instrument that measures physicians' awareness of bioethics and medical law and their attitudes towards the practice of medical ethics. Additionally, it examined physician correlates influencing the awareness of bioethics.

Screening for depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorders among secondary school students in Al-Hasa Region, Saudi Arabia.

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and assess their severity in both male and female secondary school students.

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among secondary school students in Al Hasa region. A sample of student was selected using multi-stage sampling technique.

Efficacy of a Six-Week-Long Therapist-Guided Online Therapy Versus Self-help Internet-Based Therapy for COVID-19-Induced Anxiety and Depression: Open-label, Pragmatic, Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a notable increase in psychological distress, globally. Oman is no exception to this, with several studies indicating high levels of anxiety and depression among the Omani public. There is a need for adaptive and effective interventions that aim to improve the elevated levels of psychological distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Predictors of psychological distress among the public in Oman amid coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: a cross-sectional analytical study.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global, virulent pandemic disease that emerged in December 2019, with both short- and long-term psychological repercussions being inevitable. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and predictors of psychological distress, defined by the presence of either depression or anxiety, among the public in Oman during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a web-based, cross-sectional study conducted using governmental and private institutional e-mail systems and social media platforms.

The potential anti-depressant properties of dexmedetomidine infusion: a review of mechanistic, preclinical, and clinical evidence.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a highly prevalent and disabling condition for which the currently available treatments are not fully effective. Existing unmet needs include rapid onset of action and optimal management of concurrent agitation. Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is a selective and potent α2-adrenergic receptor (α2-AR) agonist, with unique pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties.

Burnout Syndrome Among Primary Care Physicians in Oman.

Objectives: Medical professionals are exposed to many job stressors everyday, which can lead to psychological disturbances as well as burnout syndrome. We sought to assess the level of burnout among primary care physicians (PCPs) in Oman and explore risk factors for its development.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, analytical study among a random cluster sample of 190 PCP working in Muscat, Oman.

Effects of an Adenotonsillectomy on the Cognitive and Behavioural Function of Children Who Snore: A naturalistic observational study.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate cognitive and behavioural changes among 9-14-year-old Omani children with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) after an adenotonsillectomy (AT).

Methods: This naturalistic observational study was conducted at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman, between January 2012 and December 2014. Omani children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy (ATH) underwent overnight polysomnography and those with confirmed OSA were scheduled for an AT.

Risk factors underlying depressive symptoms among parents/primary care providers of kids with autism spectrum disorder: A study from Muscat, Oman.

Aim: To explore the prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms among parents/primary care providers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Design And Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among a systematic random sample of parents/caregivers of children with diagnosis of ASD in Muscat, Oman. Depressive symptoms were quantified using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9.

In the Realm of Psychoneuroimmunology: The Role of Celecoxib as an Add-On Treatment for Bipolar Mania.

Bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) is a chronic debilitating psychiatric illness seriously affecting the quality of patients' life. The available treatment is effective in about half of those suffering from the illness. The neurobiological basis of the disorder is not fully unraveled.

Operative outcomes of robotic partial nephrectomy. A report of the first 101 cases from a single center in Saudi Arabia.

To report robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN) outcomes from a single tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive cases of patients undergoing RPN at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Kingdom of  Saudi Arabia, between January 2008 and January 2018. The study reports patient's demographics, tumor characteristics, operative details, and perioperative outcomes, using descriptive statistics of median and range values.

Predictors of Burden of Care Among Caregivers of Drug-Naive Children and Adolescents With ADHD: A Cross-Sectional Correlative Study From Muscat, Oman.

Objective: the study assessed the prevalence of burden of care among caregivers of children with ADHD in Oman. A related aim is to explore the predictors of the burden of care, subtypes of ADHD, and socio-demographic factors.

Method: Arabic version of the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) was administered to 117 caregivers of drug-naive children with ADHD.

Prevalence and determinants of burnout Syndrome and Depression among medical students at Sultan Qaboos University: A cross-sectional analytical study from Oman.

This study investigated the prevalence and determinants of Burnout Syndrome and Depressive Symptoms among medical students in Oman. Then, it explored whether the three-dimensional aspects of Burnout Syndrome (High Emotional Exhaustion, High Cynicism and Low Academic Efficacy) would predict the presence of Depressive Symptoms in a logistic regression model. A cross-sectional study was conducted among a random sample of medical students of Sultan Qaboos University.

Influence of Eysenckian Personality Traits in Choice of Specialization by Young Omani Doctors.

Objectives: The role of personality in occupational specialty choices has been explored in many parts of the world. To our knowledge, there is a dearth of such studies in the Arab/Islamic population and Oman is no exception. This study aimed to explore the relationship between personality traits and specialty choice among residents of Oman Medical Specialty Board (OMSB).

Hormonal and echocardiographic abnormalities in adult patients with sickle-cell anemia in Bahrain.

Background: Adrenal, thyroid, and parathyroid gland hormonal changes are recognized in children with homozygous (HbSS) sickle-cell anemia (SCA), but are not clear in adult patients with SCA.

Aim: To assess the metabolic and endocrine abnormalities in adult patients with SCA and evaluate left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic functions compared with patients with no SCA and further study the relationship between serum levels of cortisol, free thyroxine (T4), and testosterone with serum ferritin.

Materials And Methods: The study was conducted on 82 patients with adult HbSS SCA compared with a sex- and age-matched control group.

Pain frequency, severity and QT dispersion in adult patients with sickle cell anemia: correlation with inflammatory markers.

Background: Inflammatory markers are increased during vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) in adult patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA), but this is not clear in clinical steady state.

Aim: The present study aims to establish the frequency and intensity of bone pain episodes in adult patients with SCA in clinical steady state and to determine the correlation between different inflammatory markers, other variables including QT dispersion (QTd) and pain frequency and intensity in SCA.

Patients And Methods: Patients were classified into two groups: group 1, those with more than three hospital admissions in the last 6 months, and group 2, those with no hospital admission.

Emerging Burden of Frail Young and Elderly Persons in Oman: For whom the bell tolls?

Recent improvements in health and an increased standard of living in Oman have led to a reduction in environment-related and infectious diseases. Now the country is experiencing an epidemiological transition characterised by a baby boom, youth bulge and increasing longevity. Common wisdom would therefore suggest that Omanis will suffer less ill health.