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Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the growth patterns of Bahraini female and male infants/young children aged 0-24 months in the Kingdom of Bahrain., Methods: A cross-sectional approach was employed to track the growth parameters among healthy Bahraini female and male infants/children aged 0-24 months. A multistage probability sampling criteria was used to collect information from official records. Anthropometric measurements (weight and length) and demographic characteristics on feeding practices were gathered. Generalized Additive Models for Location Scale and Shape (GAMLSS)/Lambda-Mu-Sigma methodology was implemented to select distribution type, optimize smoothing parameters, perform regression of growth models, and construct percentiles and Z-score charts and tables for weight for age, length for age, length for weight, and body mass index (BMI) for age., Results: Findings were compared with WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study (MGRS) data. A total of 403 healthy infants/children (210 males and 193 females) were recruited. At birth, the mean weight, length, and BMI were 3.2±0.4 kg, 3.1±0.4 kg, 49.7±2.3 cm, 48.8±2.1 cm, 13.2±1.6 kg/m2, and 12.8±1.5 kg/m2 for males and females, respectively. Anthropometrics of males were all statistically significantly higher than those of females at all age levels. The length and weight of the Bahraini infants/children were slightly higher than those of the WHO-MGRS., Conclusion: The outcomes of this study, presented as charts and tables, showed significant differences in comparison with the WHO-MGRS reference charts. Specifically, Bahraini children aged between 0 and 24 months of both sexes were taller and heavier than their cohorts in the MGRS reference charts. Further longitudinal studies are needed for monitoring the growth pattern of children using body composition methods, adiposity markers, and determinant factors of growth to investigate this deviation from the WHO-MGRS.

This research was conducted to assess the general knowledge, attitude, and practice of native Bahraini and non-Bahraini peoples of Bahrain about ethnomycological aspects and traditional folklore of the desert truffle. The findings were obtained through interviews and a specially designed structured questionnaire administered to subjects who were randomly recruited. A total of three species were identified from the southern parts of Bahrain. Tirmania nivea "Zubaidi" was found to be the most preferred expensive and common type of truffle in the region to both groups of respondents due to its good light smell, delicacy, and soft white tissues. This was followed by Terfezia claveryi "Ikhlasi". Non-Bahraini respondents are more likely to believe that rain and soil (34%) or heavy thunder rains (23.4%) are the main factors responsible in truffle development, while Bahrainis perceive that an early heavy rainy season (57.8%) or soil type coupled with heavy rains (26.5%) are the most important reasons in truffle formation. Both respondent groups agree that heavy rains (>200 mm) during mild to warm weather, locally recognized as "Al-Wasm", coupled with heavy evening or early morning dewfalls and thunder and lightning are considered essential requirements for truffle formation. Trufflers in both groups similarly agree that mainly enjoying a good time was their motivations to collect truffles and not medicinal purposes. Truffle collection as a means for financial supplement and to pass this tradition from one generation to the next is no doubt another factors contributing for the collection. An analogous response from both groups indicated their unwillingness to buy truffles at relatively high price (mean 64%) or even off season but never objected to affordable price (mean 80.5%). About 95% of the non-Bahraini and 72% of the Bahraini respondents indicated their readiness to eat truffles for sexual reasons based on a physician's advice. The method used by almost 71% of the Bahraini respondents includes looking for an earth bulge with cracks on smooth surfaced sandy-loam soil whereas non-Bahrainis search randomly in unexploited desert habitats (49%) but not always looking for truffles, but by the presence of its host plant Helianthemum spp. (16.3%). For both groups, boiling the cleaned sliced truffle in salts and spices (mean 31%), or by deep-frying in local lamb ghee and spices (26%) is the most preferred way of eating truffles, while eating raw truffles is very rare. Finally, chilling cleaned truffles (45.6%) is the main method of preservation for short periods used by the Bahraini respondents, otherwise freezing (30.4%) is used for prolonged preservation, compared to non-Bahraini respondents who prefer freezing as the primary method (51.4%). Some Bedouins preserve clean truffles by pickling in 3-6% vinegar and salt. The influence of soil and environmental factors on truffle development and the role of desert truffles on traditional information, socioeconomic, ecology and sociocultural folklore in Bahrain are discussed.