Background: Use of different social media platforms has increased radically over the past decade, emerging as an important part of adolescents and young people’s everyday life. This might exert potential adverse effects on sleep quality and daytime performance of young adults. Aim of Study: To assess the relation between use of social media platforms and sleep quality among public secondary school students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 961 students in Aseer region, Saudi Arabia. Students were asked to fill in a structured interview questionnaire covering personal data, pattern of social media use, sleep quality using The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and their mental health status using the depression, anxiety and stress scale (DASS-21). Results: Students’ ages ranged from 15 to 20 years with a mean age of 16.7 ± 2.1 years old. A total of 570 (59.3%) students were females. Tiktok (80%), Snapchat (77.9%), Instagram (63.8%) and YouTube (58.8%) were the most reported platforms used. Regarding their sleep quality, 34.7% of students were poor sleepers. TikTok use (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.01– 1.77), hours spent on social media (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.16– 1.37) and having moderate to severe depressive symptoms (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.19– 2.40) were significant independent predictors of poor sleep among the studied sample. Conclusion: The present study emphasized the association between prolonged use of social media and poor sleep quality among Saudi adolescents. Awareness and behavioral change strategies and activities concerning the drawbacks of poor sleep and proper use of social media are urgently called for to control mental and physical health consequences of poor sleep and social media addiction.

Health care providers can use these virtual platforms for delivering medical advice and prescriptions to patients. This study was aimed to explore the patients’ experiences and level of satisfaction regarding virtual health care received during the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study also assessed the before and during lockdown sleep quality in these participants. The current study included 522 participants from Saudi Arabia. Virtual health care satisfaction questionnaire was implemented to record the data on patient experience toward the virtual health care during COVID-19 pandemic. Patients expressed a high level of satisfaction with virtual health care services during the COVID-19 pandemic, as indicated by a mean score of 4.15 on a five-point Likert scale, which translates to an 83% satisfaction rate. Most participants felt they could communicate effectively with their doctors, appreciated the good picture and sound quality of their virtual appointments, and felt that their privacy was respected. Additionally, they reported comfort during history taking and examinations, and felt that doctors adequately explained solutions, including prescriptions and advice. Interestingly, the study found no significant association between the type of specialty or patient demographic factors and the level of satisfaction. In terms of sleep quality, a comparison of subjective sleep parameters before and during the lockdown revealed significant changes. The results from a t test indicated that mean scores for various sleep components: such as sleep duration, sleep disturbances, sleep latency, daytime dysfunction, habitual sleep efficiency, and subjective sleep quality, showed significant differences (P < .001) between the 2 assessment periods. Overall, the mean scores for these components increased, indicating a deterioration in sleep quality during the lockdown period. The study found that most participants were satisfied with the virtual health care system, noting its benefits in reducing overcrowding, care delays, and unnecessary in-person visits during pandemics. This increased accessibility could enhance patient satisfaction and lower costs, though it may not completely replace traditional hospital visits. The researchers recommend further studies with a larger, more diverse group to better understand patient experiences and improve telehealth services in Saudi Arabia. Overall, while the virtual system shows promise, more research is needed to optimize its use.

This study aimed to assess the prevalence and correlates of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and to explore its association with social media usage among high school students in Abha city, Aseer region, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the selected public high schools in Aseer region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from March 12, 2023 to March 17, 2023. A total of 346 (36%) students were worried about how their look. The most areas of concern included their nose shape and size (26.7%), having acne (19.1%), abdomen shape (18.6%), and their weight (18.2%). Female students showed 3.5 times more likelihood for perceived BDD than males (OR = 3.52; 95% CI: 2.13–5.83), while non-Saudi showed 74% more likelihood for perceived BDD than Saudi students (OR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.02–2.99). BDD is common in Saudi Arabia. Certain demographics were associated with BDD in our study such as female gender and non-Saudi Arabian nationality. The results emphasize the need for safe social networking, particularly among teenagers, and for public education about the dangers of borderline personality disorder and its effects.

Background and Objectives: Epilepsy, known as an unprovoked seizure, arises from the human brain. Genetics plays a fundamental role in the development and progression of the disorder. This study aimed to investigate the influence of voltage-gated K⁺ channels on the risk of epilepsy. Materials and Methods: Several genetic variants were examined using PCR sequencing. This case–control study was conducted on 296 individuals who were diagnosed with epilepsy, in addition to 293 healthy participants. Results: This study revealed that within KCNAB1, both rs3755631 and rs4679773 are correlated with epilepsy, and the p-values = 0.04 for both allelic associations. In addition, regarding the KCNJ10 gene, we found that rs2820585, rs946420, rs1186679, rs61822012, and rs1186685 were significantly correlated with epilepsy risk (p-values = 0.034, 0.045, 0.021, 0.048, and 0.018), respectively. Conclusions: From the current study, we conclude that voltage-gated potassium channels can impact epilepsy risk and can also interfere with the prognosis of epilepsy.

Background Healthcare providers can use these virtual platforms for delivering medical advice and prescriptions of medications to patients. This study was aimed to explore the patient’s experiences and level of satisfaction regarding virtual health care received during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also assessed the before and during lockdown sleep quality in these participants. Design and Methods The current study included 522 participants from Saudi Arabia. Virtual healthcare satisfaction questionnaire was implemented to record the data on patient experience toward the virtual health care during COVID-19 pandemic. Results Patients’ opinions regarding virtual health care received during the COVID-19 pandemic era are summarized using the “five-point Likert scale”. The mean score of all the five statements is 4.15, reflecting 83% level of satisfaction of participants towards virtual health care. Among participants, mostly agreed that they were able to communicate adequately with doctors, the picture and sound quality of the virtual appointment were good, their privacy was respected during the consultation, they were comfortable during history taking and exams that were done, and the doctor explained solutions including prescribing medicine and/or providing advice. However, there was no significant association found between the type of specialty attended or patient demographic factors and level of satisfaction. Results of subjective sleep parameters assessed before and during lock down are depicted. Results of t-test showed that the mean scores of all the components namely sleep duration (P<0.001); sleep disturbances (P<0.001), sleep latency (P<0.001), daytime dysfunction (P<0.001), habitual sleep efficiency (P<0.001), and subjective sleep quality (P<0.001) significantly differed between two assessment levels. Mean scores of all the components shifted towards higher values, representing worsening of sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic lock down. Conclusions Findings support and conclude that virtual health care system can be adopted in clinical settings.