Vitamin D deficiency is common in many Western countries and also in Saudi Arabia. The cognitive effect of Vitamin D has been a subject of debate over the years. Studies in elderly people who had low levels of Vitamin D showed a cognitive decline over 6 years. Even though there is awareness about Vitamin D deficiency among medical students, only few of them are serious about taking care of it. Medical students are known to have excessive stress, which can affect their cognitive function. Researchers have reported that Vitamin D administration has improved cognitive function in the elderly. Sixty articles were collected from PubMed, Google Scholar, Directory of Open Access, and Research Gate relating to Vitamin D, of which 30 relevant articles were chosen to study the possible role of Vitamin D in neuroprotection and cognitive function.

Health security has become an integral part of global health after many epidemics, the latest of which was the COVID-19 pandemic, from which the world is still suffering. The term “health security” was first used in the mid-twentieth century. Now that a globalized transportation industry has allowed for the mass movement of travelers and public health emergencies, such as global warming, affect everyone, “health security” has become a top priority of countries around the world. This article breaks down the stages in the development of health security as a concept and discusses them. To that end, it reviews the most prominent international and regional initiatives in the field of global health security, including the efforts of the World Health Organization (WHO). This review will help to anticipate the future development of global health security and offer some suggestions for further research. The article thus concludes with a call for countries to work together to develop a shared method of measuring health security. Whether such initiative is taken by the WHO or by low- and middle-income countries, greater collaboration is needed to discuss shared concerns and develop new strategies, particularly in the field of digital health.

Background: The prevalence of migraine and psychiatric comorbidities has been found to differ on a global scale according to country development. We aimed to determine this prevalence in three samples of Arabs living in different countries at different levels of development and political stability. Methods: The study included Saudi and Syrian participants ≥16 years of age. The cohort was subdivided into three groups: Saudi Arabian residents (SARs), Syrian residents (SRs), and Syrian expatriates (SEs). Information regarding age, sex, education, and marital status was also collected. Migraine was determined by the International Classification of Headache Disorders-3 criteria; depression and bipolar disorder were determined by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, respectively. Odds ratios were estimated for associations. Results: Of 620 participants, 102 (16.5%) met migraine criteria, and 81 (79.4%) were female. Migraine was found in 66 (20.6%) SARs, 25 (19%) SEs, and 11 (6.5%) SRs. Being married was significantly associated with migraine (P = 0.01). Depression had a significant association with migraine within the entire cohort (odds ratio [OR] =2, confidence interval [CI] =1.2–3.1, P = 0.004) and the subgroups of SEs (OR =3, CI =1.14–7.8, P = 0.02) and SARs (OR =2.1, CI =1.14–7.8, P = 0.02); depression was significantly associated in the SE and SAR migraine groups (both P = 0.02). Conclusion: Migraine and comorbid depression occur at a rate similar to international reports in Middle Eastern Arabs and more prominently in SEs and SARs. The migraine frequency was lower in SRs in comparison to SEs and SARs residing in more developed countries. Future research that explores these conditions under different environmental and sociopolitical circumstances will improve the understanding of causal relationships.

Introduction: In June 2020, the Oujda-Angad prefecture recorded the highest number of positive cases at the regional level. In this context, our objective is to improve the quality of care for COVID-19 patients through the implementation of an effective response strategy. Material and Methods: This monocentric, retrospective study was carried out in two health care facilities: A Regional Hospital Center AL FARABI, and a first-level health center (Health Centers), in order to record the number of patients treated by each facility. In addition, we report in parallel the different decisions issued by the persons in charge during this same period since the registration of the first case COVID-19 March 2020 until January 2021 in the prefecture of Oujda-Angad, capital of the eastern region of Morocco. Results: The response strategy installed was based on a set of decisions, of which the involvement of the first-line health centers was the main action. Since their involvement, these centers have responded by performing from November to May 2020 (9457 tests) for suspected cases, of which 4760 (50%) were detected positive. 3956 of them were managed at home (83%), and 682 (14.32%) were referred to regional hospital facilities. The case fatality rate recorded in hospitals was 2.56% (122 cases). Conclusion: Different strategies have been put in place at the level of the prefecture of Oujda-Angad in its response plan, based on international experiences (containment and mitigation strategy) and local decisions (involvement of frontline facilities in the care of COVID-19 patients). The epidemiological situation has been stabilized, and the number of cases has decreased because of these actions.

Background and Objectives: Malaria is one of the serious infections worldwide and is a global major health concern. The preset study aimed to determine the prevalence of malaria in Kot Kashmir (during 2017–2018) and Serai Gambila (in 2015) in the District Lakki Marwat. Methods: The retrospective study was conducted by collecting the data recorded in the official registers and data were consolidated into different age groups and months. Results: Overall Plasmodium vivax accounted for >98% and Plasmodium falciparum <2% of malaria and males showed 56.5% of malaria. August showed the highest prevalence of 20% cases, while February revealed the lowest prevalence of 2.1% cases. Overall males showed higher rates of malaria than females in all the months and all the age groups except equal rates for the month of February in the age group <5 years and May in the age group of 31–45 years, while the age group of 5–14 years showed the highest prevalence of 242 (41.4%) cases, and the age group of 46–60 years demonstrated the lowest prevalence of 24 (4.1%) cases, and patients of ≤30 years contributed to 85.5% of malaria. Age groups of ≤14 years contributed to 78.2% of malaria in Kot Kashmir, while, age groups of 5–30 years demonstrated 75.7% of malaria in Serai Gambila. Conclusions: Overall malaria, as well as vivax malaria in males, steadily increased from April to August followed gradually decreased from the age group of 15–30 years to age group >60 years.

Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed a threat to global health, including mental health. This study aimed to examine the impact of the pandemic on psychological health and to identify the factors associated with anxiety in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted between September and November 2020, at the rheumatology clinics of two tertiary care hospitals. Eligible participants were adults with a confirmed diagnosis of RA. Data collected included socio-demographics, contact history, commitment to COVID-19 precautionary measures, medication-taking behavior, the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS), the European Quality of Life (QoL) measure (EQ-5D-3L), and the health assessment questionnaire disability index (HAQ-DI). Results: Of the 252 invited eligible patients, 204 agreed to participate. The majority were aged 41–50 years (28.2%), female (86.5%), and nonsmokers (96%), had at least one comorbidity (38.8%), had missed medications (8.8%), and had psychiatric illnesses or were on psychiatric medication for the past 3 months (15.4%). Borderline-abnormal anxiety levels were reported in 32.8% of patients. The mean standard deviation score for HADS depression was 3 (3), that for the EQ-5D-3L index was 0.587 (0.378), and that for the HAQ-DI was 0.947 (0.887). After adjusting for age, sex, presence of psychiatric illnesses or psychiatric medication use and noncompliance with medication, higher levels of anxiety were significantly associated with a higher level of depression, RA disability index, and pain intensity (p-value< 0.05). In contrast, higher health-related QoL was significantly associated with lower levels of anxiety (p-value< 0.001). Conclusion: During the mid-phase of the pandemic in Saudi Arabia, almost one-third of RA patients reported the presence of anxiety symptoms. Higher anxiety levels were found to be associated with depression, health-related QoL, and disease disability in RA patients.

Background: Several health-care measures were taken during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that may affect surgical residents' exposure and training. Objectives: The objective of this study is to assess and measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on surgical residents' education and their burnout level during that time. Materials and Methods: A cross-section questionnaire-based study was conducted among 417 residents in various surgical specialties in Saudi Arabia from April 2021 to July 2021. Results: A total of 135 residents (32.4%) were level 1, and 112 residents (26.9%) were level 2. During the pandemic, 41% of the residents reported that the number of educational didactics was lower than before, and 24.9% indicated more didactics now. The proportion of residents who attended clinics and surgical cases was higher before the pandemic compared to during the pandemic. However, 36.2% of the residents were concerned that the changes in surgical training during the pandemic could lead to unpreparedness for the next career step. In addition, most of the residents were more burnout during the pandemic compared to before. Conclusion: Surgical residents were concerned that they might be less competent in their specialty due to a reduction in educational didactics during the pandemic. In addition, a higher level of burnout and stress was observed in the majority of residents.

Objective: The aim is to measure the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of parents towards childhood vaccinations. We also aim to explore if there is an association between parents' seeking vaccine information on the Internet and social media platforms, and vaccine hesitancy toward childhood vaccinations. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted in five mega malls in Riyadh by purposive sampling technique. Data collection lasted for 3 weeks from February 2020 using a self-developed questionnaire, which included: (1) sociodemographic information, (2) KAP, and (3) sources of information on childhood vaccination. Results: Five hundred and fourteen parents participated in our study, with most being mothers (79.4%). Most parents were informed about vaccination (94.7%), believed vaccines are safe (89.8%), and want their children to get the recommended vaccinations (92.4%). Forty-nine percent of parents use the internet as a source to seek vaccination information, while only 21% trust online information. As for social media, 27% mentioned that they use it to seek vaccine information but only 15% trust them as a source of information. 13.2% indicated that they changed their minds regarding vaccination because of information from the Internet, and 11.7% changed their minds from social media. We found a strong statistically significant association between vaccine hesitancy and information obtained from the internet and social media platforms (P = 0.000122, and 0.000025), respectively. Vaccine hesitancy, and information from family, and friends were statistically significant (P = 0.00003). Conclusions: We found a potential impact of internet health information and social media platforms on parents' hesitancy toward childhood vaccination.

Islam's teachings emphasize maintaining personal hygiene and isolating sick people, both of which are crucial in the present COVID-19 pandemic. Between the 7^th and 15^th centuries, Islamic and Arab civilizations produced significant advancements in science and medicine. These discoveries laid the groundwork for the development of the European Renaissance. In Islam, maintaining one's personal cleanliness and hygiene is a duty that Muslims have to do to worship Allah (God). In universal outbreaks such as plague pandemics, Islam recognized the risks and mandated precautions, prevention, and hygienic isolation. Islam took the lead in pioneering several health protection practices, such as the quarantine rule. If a contagious sickness manifests in a certain area or town, Prophet Muhammad instructed to forbid entry or exit to the affected town, now known as quarantine. The first documented application of quarantine, as we currently know, it was implemented by the Muslim scholar Avicenna (ibn Sina). According to Islam, protecting living creatures' lives equals protecting the faith. Therefore, all needed measures to reduce the risk of infection, including vaccines, should be rigorously applied in Islam. In this viewpoint, we discuss Islamic beliefs, the Prophet's practices and teachings, and Muslim scholars' contributions to lowering infections and putting specific regulations in place during pandemics that supplemented the development of infection control rules as we know them in modern medical practices through using the best available evidence.