Religious involvement and psychological well-being in the Middle East.

Objective: There is growing evidence that religious involvement is associated with better mental health in Christian Western countries. Whether the same is true in Middle Eastern countries whose populations are largely Muslim is less clear. The present study examined the association between religiosity and psychological well-being in the Middle East.

The relationship between parental religiosity and school age children's dietary behavior in Ningxia Province, China: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Studies have shown parental religious involvement was associated with better health behaviors of their children. However, the relationship between parental religiosity and child dietary behaviors remains unclear.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the relationship between parental religious involvement and the dietary behaviors of school-aged children in mainland, China.

Early-life exposure to famine and late-life depression: Does leukocyte telomere length mediate the association?

Background: A positive association between early-life famine exposure and depression has been demonstrated. However, the mechanisms by which famine exposure in early life leads to late-life depression remains unclear. The present study examines the impact of leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and/or religiosity on the relationship between early-life famine exposure and late-life depression in a Chinese minority sample.

Religiosity, depression and telomere length in Chinese older adults.

Background: The mechanism explaining how religiosity is linked to telomere length (TL) is unclear. The current study examines depression as a possible mediator.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study of 1,742 community-dwelling residents aged 55 or over, the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) were administrated during a routine health check.

Religiosity and Telomere Length: Moderating Effect of Religiosity on the Relationship Between High-Risk Polymorphisms of the and Gene and Telomere Length.

The current study seeks to examine the relationship between religiosity and telomere length (TL) in an older Chinese Muslim sample and to explore the moderating effect of religiosity on the relationship between high-risk polymorphisms and TL. A cross-sectional study of 1,692 community-dwelling adults aged 55 or older was conducted. and (rs2075650) gene polymorphisms and TL were determined using standard procedures.

Cultural Adaptation, Validity, and Factor Structure of the Jalowiec Coping Scale in Iranian Women with Multiple Sclerosis: Which Coping Strategies Are Most Common and Effective?

Background: The aims of this study were to evaluate the Jalowiec Coping Scale (JCS) psychometrically in Iranian women with multiple sclerosis (MS) and to identify the most frequent and efficacious coping strategies.

Methods: A total of 306 women with MS participated in a cross-sectional study. A demographics questionnaire, the JCS, and the Perceived Stress Scale were administered.

Religion, Purpose in Life, Social Support, and Psychological Distress in Chinese University Students.

We examined the relationship between religious involvement and psychological distress and explored the mediating effects of social support and purpose in life in university students in western, mid-western, and eastern China. Cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of 1812 university students was conducted. The Purpose in Life scale, Duke Social Support Index, and Religious Commitment Inventory-10 were administered, along with Kessler's Psychological Distress Scale.

Prospective study of depression among dialysis patients in Saudi Arabia.

Objectives: The purpose was to determine the short-term course of depression among dialysis patients in Saudi Arabia and identify baseline characteristics that may influence course.

Methods: Thirty-nine dialysis patients in Jeddah, SA, were identified with subthreshold, minor, or major depressive disorders using the Structured Clinical Interview for Depression (SCID) and followed up at 6 and 12 weeks using the Longitudinal Interview and Follow-up Evaluation (LIFE) schedule. Depressive symptoms were tracked using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS).

Religious involvement and tobacco use in mainland China: a preliminary study.

Background: Cigarette smoking causes serious health, economic, and social problems throughout the world. Religious involvement is known to be an important predictor of health behaviors and substance use. The present study examines the correlation between religious involvements and tobacco use, and explores connections between religiosity and tobacco use in Muslims and non-Muslims in Western China.

Religious involvement and health in dialysis patients in Saudi Arabia.

Patients on hemodialysis experience considerable psychological and physical stress due to the changes brought on by chronic kidney disease. Religion is often turned to in order to cope with illness and may buffer some of these stresses associated with illness. We describe here the religious activities of dialysis patients in Saudi Arabia and determined demographic, psychosocial, and physical health correlates.

Depression in patients with chronic kidney disease on dialysis in Saudi Arabia.

Objective: Patients with chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis experience considerable psychological stress due to physical and social changes brought on by illness, increasing the risk of depressive disorder (DD). We examined the prevalence of DD and depressive symptoms, identified treatments for depression, and determined baseline demographic, social/behavioral, physical, and psychological correlates.

Methods: A convenience sample of 310 dialysis patients in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was screened for DD using the Structured Clinical Interview for Depression and for depressive symptoms using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS).

Tuberculous peritonitis associated with peritoneal dialysis.

Even though rare, tuberculous peritonitis (TBP) in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) is a perilous condition. Physicians worry about continuing treatment of their patients, whether to continue this modality of dialysis or switch to hemodialysis. A retrospective cohort study of 89 patients undergoing CAPD over a 12-year period was carried out for any episode of peritonitis with the objectives to find out the incidence of TBP in these patients, evaluation of patients' 3-year survival, possibility of retention of Tenckhoff catheter, and modality of dialysis post-infection.

Increased risk of hypertension, proteinuria and preeclampsia in pregnant Saudi females with IgA nephropathy.

Background: IgA nephropathy is fairly prevalent in Saudi Arabia. In this paper we examine the natural history of pregnancies and their impact on renal function in Saudi females affected by this condition.

Methods: We followed a series of 12 patients, documented to have IgA nephritis by kidney biopsy, during their gestation.

Simvastatin-induced rhabdomyolysis and acute renal injury.

Simvastatin is one of the most commonly prescribed CoA reductase inhibitors. The safety profile of this drug has been widely discussed in the medical and consumer advocacy communities. Like other statins, simvastatin can cause a serious and potentially life-threatening complication: rhabdomyolysis.