Context. Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have a poorer quality of life when compared with patients without DM. In fact, one in every five diabetic patients suffers from comorbid depression, which can lead to poor management, poor compliance with treatment, and low quality of life. Therefore, we assessed the prevalence of depression and identified its associated factors among diabetic patients at Jazan Province, KSA. Methods and Materials. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 500 diabetic patients attending a diabetic center in addition to four primary healthcare centers. We used a simple Arabic translation of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI II) tool to evaluate the depression level among the subjects. We also evaluated the frequencies of certain sociodemographic characteristics and clinical information. Moreover, we performed univariate and multivariate analyses to identify the potential risk factors using adjusted odds ratios (AORs). Results. The prevalence of depression among DM patients was 20.6%. The majority of patients showed no depression (N = 285, 59.4%), one-fifth had mild depression (N = 96, 20.0%), some (N = 55, 11.4%) had moderate depression, and some had severe depression (N = 44, 9.2%). Depression was significantly more prevalent among uneducated patients (N = 27, 31.8%) (X² = 17.627, P = 0.001) and patients with low monthly income (< 2500 SR/month) (N = 33, 22.8%) (X² = 9.920, P = 0.019). Hypertension (AOR = 2.531, 95% CI [1.454, 4.406]) and ischemic heart diseases (AOR = 3.892, 95% CI [1.995, 7.593]) were considered as risk factors for depression among diabetic patients. Conclusions. Almost one in every five patients with DM is affected by depression coexisting with cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, screening for psychological problems, proper treatment, and educating patients with diabetes about DM self-management should be routine components of DM care.

Introduction: Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease that can affect the central and peripheral nervous system and it has variable neurological manifestation. However, brucellosis infection that presents with acute peripheral neuropathy mimicking Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is rarely reported in the literature. Objective and method: We report a 56-year-old man who was initially diagnosed with GBS, and then he was confirmed to have acute Brucella infection. We also did a systematic literature review to study the natural history and management of previously reported cases of brucellosis that presented with manifestations consistent with GBS. Results: We found 19 (including our patient) cases of brucellosis that presented with GBS-like manifestations. The age range was 9–62 years. Eight (42.1%) patients had a history of fever. Seven (36.8%) patients had no constitutional symptoms. Five (26.3%) patients had splenomegaly. Brucella serological tests were positive in all patients, while blood Brucella culture was positive in three (37.5%) out of eight patients. Albuminocytological dissociation was present in nine (64.3%) out of 14 patients. Nerve conduction studies and electromyography were consistent with demyelination polyneuropathy in eight (42.1%) patients, with axonal polyneuropathy in six (31.6) patients, and with mixed axonal and demyelinating polyneuropathy in one (5.3%) patient. Spine MRI showed root enhancement in three (42.9%) patients. Conclusion: In regions endemic with brucellosis, acute peripheral neuropathy presentation may warrant investigations for Brucella infection.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is one of the most common sleep disorders and up to 80% of people with OSA remain undiagnosed and yet the present data suggest that medical graduates underreport OSA and is usually not given enough attention by medical colleges. We aimed to study recent graduated medical students’ knowledge and attitude toward OSA. An observational cross-sectional survey conducted in Jazan, Abha, Najran, and Albaha cities among the recently graduated medical students using OSA knowledge and attitude questionnaire containing 27 questions including sociodemographic, knowledge, and attitude. A total of 180 questionnaires were completed; the mean total knowledge score was 8.46±3.260, and the median score was equal to 9. The maximum knowledge score was 15 and the minimum score was 0. There was no significant association between knowledge score and other variables. Of these, 141 participants had positive attitude and they represent 78.3% while 39 of the participants had negative attitude and they represent 21.7%. The level of knowledge regarding diagnosis and management of OSA in the southern region of Saudi Arabia is not optimal. This study suggests that medical colleges should improve the curriculum to focus on clinical application of OSA.

Infant mortality rates are highest in the southern regions of Saudi Arabia, compared to other regions in the kingdom. To measure demographic factors associated with mothers' levels of knowledge and practice of care for their newborns in Jazan region, south of Saudi Arabia. This is a cross-sectional study conducted between November and December 2018 in Jazan region, Saudi Arabia, on the northern borders of Yemen. A questionnaire was utilised to measure mothers' level of knowledge and practice of newborn care. Data was collected via interviews, and a scoring system was developed to classify knowledge level and practice adequacy. Logistic regression was used to assess the presence of statistically significant associations between demographic factors and level of knowledge and practice adequacy. A total of 450 mothers participated in the current investigation. A majority of participating mothers were able to give correct answers, where the mean level of knowledge was 11.85/16 [SD: 2.6]. Additionally, the mean score for practice adequacy was 7.11/10 [SD: 1.45]. However, 122 mothers (27%) reported using alternative treatments to treat their newborns instead of seeking professional health care from available health services. Additionally, 42 mothers (9.3%) reported not attending any antenatal visits during their pregnancy. Factors which were found to be statistically associated with knowledge were education level, employment status, and adherence to antenatal visits during pregnancy (p < 0.05). Age and employment status appeared to be associated with practice where older and employed mothers had higher odds of competency (p < 0.05). The proportions of correct answers measuring knowledge and practice adequacy concerning newborn care varied between 40% to 93%. Knowledge and practice appeared to be associated with demographic factors, such as level of education, age, and attending antenatal care visits.

Background: The literature suggests that training in dementia among medical students appears to be inadequate. This study aimed to evaluate medical students’ knowledge and attitudes toward dementia. Aim: To assess knowledge and attitudes of Saudi medical students towards dementia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at College of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia using a sample of 241 medical students from clinical years (4th, 5th, and 6th). A structured and self-assessment questionnaire was used and included the socio-demographic data and questions related to knowledge and attitudes toward dementia. Data were presented as frequency and percentage, and as mean and standard deviation (SD). Results: A total of 241 participants agreed to take part in our study; 155 (64.3%) of them were females. Only 44 (18.3%) participants stated that they had a good training in dementia (mostly theoretical, 16.6%) and 17 (7.1%) mentioned having an extracurricular course in the subject. Out of 14 questions, participants obtained a mean of 1.49 (SD = 1.48). Regarding attitudes, participants agreed that much can be done to improve the quality of life of patients with dementia and their caregivers, that it is useful to provide the diagnosis of dementia to the family, and that dementia is better diagnosed in specialized service units. Conclusions: The findings of the present study suggest that while medical students generally have positive attitudes toward dementia, they have poor knowledge about the subject. More effort is needed to bridge knowledge gaps in dementia understanding at undergraduate level.