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Background: Several studies have reported a strong association between depression and hypothyroidism, including from several regions of Saudi Arabia. However, studies on the frequency of depression among patients with hypothyroidism from the Western region of Saudi Arabia is limited. Objectives: To determine the frequency and risk factors of depression among patients with hypothyroidism in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and included adult patients diagnosed with hypothyroidism. After contacting the patients through phone calls and obtaining their consent, a questionnaire weblink was sent. The first part of the questionnaire elicited details regarding demographics and history of hypothyroidism, while the second part comprised the Arabic version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 to evaluate depression. Results: A total of 100 patients completed the survey, of which 80% were found to have depression (mild: 35%, moderate: 26%, moderate to severe: 12, severe: 7%). There was no significant association between depression and gender, age group, employment status, and marital status. In the bivariate analysis, a significant association was found between depression and reporting fatigue (P < 0.001), constipation (P < 0.001), hair loss (P = 0.002), cold intolerance (P = 0.014), dry skin (P = 0.028), memory problems (P = 0.029), and menorrhagia (P = 0.037). However, in the multivariate analysis, only reporting fatigue was found to be significantly associated with depression (P = 0.040; OR = 15.215). Conclusion: This study found that the prevalence of depression was very high among patients with hypothyroidism in the Western region of Saudi Arabia, and that fatigue is an independent risk factor of depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Unplanned hospital returns are frequent and may be preventable. Objective To comprehend the reasons for unplanned hospital readmission and return to the Outpatient Department (OPD) and Emergency Department (ED) within 60 days after discharge following head and neck surgery (HNS) at a tertiary care center in Saudi Arabia. Methods In the present retrospective study, the medical records of all patients who underwent HNS for benign and malignant conditions between January 2015 and June 2022 were reviewed in terms of demographic data, comorbidities, and reasons for hospital return. Results Out of 1,030 cases, 119 (11.55%) returned to the hospital within 60 days after discharge, 19 of which (1.84%) were readmitted. In total, 90 (8.74%) patients returned to the OPD, and 29 (2.82%), to the ED. The common reasons for readmission included infections (26.32%) and neurological symptoms (21.05%). For OPD visits, the common causes were hematoma (20%) and neurological symptoms (14.44%). For ED returns, the frequent causes were neurological symptoms (20.69%) and equipment issues (17.24%). Compared with nonreadmitted patients, readmitted patients had a higher preoperative baseline health burden when examined using the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score (p = 0.004) and the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS; p = 0.002). Conclusion The 60-day rates of unplanned hospital return to the OPD and ED were of 8.74% and 2.82% respectively, and 1.84% of the patients were readmitted. Hematoma, infections, and neurological symptoms were common causes. Addressing the common reasons may be beneficial to decrease postoperative hospital visits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The available data on occurrence patterns of cetaceans in the Red Sea area of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is very limited. The dearth of information is of pressing conservation concern as the coastline is undergoing rapid development as part of the Kingdom's effort to diversify its national economy. To understand how these developments will impact cetaceans in the region, the first large‐scale acoustic and visual survey in the Kingdom's part of the Gulf of Aqaba and the northeastern Red Sea was undertaken in 2020. The results of the acoustic surveys reveal 3.6 encounters per 100 km of track line of odontocete species with variable distribution across the study area. No baleen whale vocalizations were detected. Through visual surveys, five odontocete species were identified within the study area: Tursiops truncatus, T. aduncus, Stenella attenuata, S. longirostris, and two opportunistic sightings of a single Grampus griseus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing saline water productivity in arid regions is essential for sustainable agriculture. Adding biochar can improve the quantity and quality of tomato yield under higher levels of salinity and lower levels of irrigation. The experiment aimed to evaluate the effects of biochar on enhancing tomato fruit quality and yield under salinity and drought stress. The experiment combines two treatments for irrigation water quality (0.9 and 2.3 dS m−1), four irrigation levels (40, 60, 80, and 100%) of crop evapotranspiration (ETc), and the addition of 5% of biochar to treated soil (BC5%) and untreated soil (BC0%). The results showed that the decrease in the water quality and irrigation levels negatively impacted the yield and properties of tomato fruit, while 5% of biochar application positively improved the yield. Adding biochar decreased the tomato yield by 29.33% and 42.51% under lower-saline-irrigation water than the control, negatively affecting the fruit's physical parameters and mineral content. In contrast, adding biochar and irrigating with saline water at 60% of ETc improved the firmness and quality characteristics of the fruit by 56.60%, 67.19, 99.75, and 73.57% for vitamin C (VC), total titratable acidity (TA), total soluble solids (TSS), and total sugars (TS), respectively, compared to the control, and also reduced the sodium content of the fruits under all irrigation levels compared to untreated plants by biochar. Generally, biochar with saline water under deficit irrigation with 80 and 60% of ETc could be an excellent strategy to enhance the qualitative characteristics of tomato fruits and save approximately 20–40% of the applied water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]