Leisure Time Physical Activity in Saudi Arabia: Prevalence, Pattern and Determining Factors

Amin, Tarek Tawfik,Al Khoudair, Ali Salah,Al Harbi, Mohammad Abdulwahab,Al Ali, Ahmed Radi Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.1

Background: Identification of reliable predictors of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) will enable healthcare providers to intervene and change the patterns of LTPA in the population to improve community health. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine prevalence and pattern of LTPA among adult Saudis aged 18-65 years, and to define the socio-demographic determinants that correlate with LTPA in Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study of 2176 adult Saudis attending urban and rural primary health care centers were selected using a multistage proportionate sampling method. Participants were personally interviewed to gather information regarding socio-demographics, physical activity pattern using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). Physical activity (PA) in each domain was expressed in metabolic equivalents (METs). Results: The median total METs minutes/week for LTPA for both genders was 256, higher for men (636 METs minutes/week) compared to women (249METs minutes/week). Overall, only 19.8% of the total PA was derived from LTPA. Of the sampled population 50.0% reported doing no leisure activity. Using the cut off of 600 METs-minutes/day or 150 minutes of moderate intensity over 5 or more days/week, only 21.0% of the included sample were considered as being sufficiently active and 10.4% were in the high active category with beneficial health effects. Multivariate regression analysis showed that male, younger age (<35 years), absence of chronic disease conditions and moderate level of total PA were significant predictors for being active in the LTPA domain. Conclusion: The prevalence and intensity of LTPA among the included sample demonstrated low levels. Nearly 80% of the included sample population did not achieve the recommended LTPA level with beneficial health effects. Female gender, urban residence and associated chronic diseases correlated with a low LTPA.

Microorganism penetration in dentinal tubules of instrumented and retreated root canal walls. In vitro SEM study

Al-Nazhan, Saad,Al-Sulaiman, Alaa,Al-Rasheed, Fellwa,Alnajjar, Fatimah,Al-Abdulwahab, Bander,Al-Badah, Abdulhakeem The Korean Academy of Conservative Dentistry 2014 Restorative Dentistry & Endodontics Vol.39 No.4

Objectives: This in vitro study aimed to investigate the ability of Candida albicans (C. albicans) and Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) to penetrate dentinal tubules of instrumented and retreated root canal surface of split human teeth. Materials and Methods: Sixty intact extracted human single-rooted teeth were divided into 4 groups, negative control, positive control without canal instrumentation, instrumented, and retreated. Root canals in the instrumented group were enlarged with endodontic instruments, while root canals in the retreated group were enlarged, filled, and then removed the canal filling materials. The teeth were split longitudinally after canal preparation in 3 groups except the negative control group. The teeth were inoculated with both microorganisms separately and in combination. Teeth specimens were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the depth of penetration into the dentinal tubules was assessed using the SMILE view software (JEOL Ltd). Results: Penetration of C. albicans and E. faecalis into the dentinal tubules was observed in all 3 groups, although penetration was partially restricted by dentin debris of tubules in the instrumented group and remnants of canal filling materials in the retreated group. In all 3 groups, E. faecalis penetrated deeper into the dentinal tubules by way of cell division than C. albicans which built colonies and penetrated by means of hyphae. Conclusions: Microorganisms can easily penetrate dentinal tubules of root canals with different appearance based on the microorganism size and status of dentinal tubules.

Microorganism penetration in dentinal tubules of instrumented and retreated root canal walls. In vitro SEM study

Saad Al-Nazhan,Alaa Al-Sulaiman,Fellwa Al-Rasheed,Fatimah Alnajjar,Bander Al-Abdulwahab,Abdulhakeem Al-Badah 대한치과보존학회 2014 Restorative Dentistry & Endodontics Vol.39 No.4

Objectives: This in vitro study aimed to investigate the ability of Candida albicans (C. albicans) and Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) to penetrate dentinal tubules of instrumented and retreated root canal surface of split human teeth. Materials and Methods: Sixty intact extracted human single-rooted teeth were divided into 4 groups, negative control, positive control without canal instrumentation, instrumented, and retreated. Root canals in the instrumented group were enlarged with endodontic instruments, while root canals in the retreated group were enlarged, filled, and then removed the canal filling materials. The teeth were split longitudinally after canal preparation in 3 groups except the negative control group. The teeth were inoculated with both microorganisms separately and in combination. Teeth specimens were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the depth of penetration into the dentinal tubules was assessed using the SMILE view software (JEOL Ltd). Results: Penetration of C. albicans and E. faecalis into the dentinal tubules was observed in all 3 groups, although penetration was partially restricted by dentin debris of tubules in the instrumented group and remnants of canal filling materials in the retreated group. In all 3 groups, E. faecalis penetrated deeper into the dentinal tubules by way of cell division than C. albicans which built colonies and penetrated by means of hyphae. Conclusions: Microorganisms can easily penetrate dentinal tubules of root canals with different appearance based on the microorganism size and status of dentinal tubules.

The Impact of Government, Foreign and Institutional Ownership and Firm Performance on Audit Quality Using Regression Analysis

Ebrahim Mohammed Al-Matari,Adeeb Abdulwahab Al-Hebry 대한산업공학회 2019 Industrial Engineeering & Management Systems Vol.18 No.3

Ownership structure proves to be one of the major factors affecting company accounting and market-based performance. The current study explored the direct ownership structure characteristics-performance relationship, with the former including government ownership, foreign ownership, and institutional ownership. The target sample of the study comprised of Omani non-financial firms examined in a three-year period. In addition, the study explored the moderating role of audit quality on the relationship between ownership structure and ROA, while considering the role of leverage as a control variable. The OLS regression was adopted to examine the direct government, ownership, foreign ownership and institutional ownership relationship with ROA, whereas the Hierarchical Multiple Regression was adopted to examine audit quality role as a moderating variable on the direct relationships. The obtained results revealed a significant and positive relationship between government ownership and foreign ownership and ROA, but an insignificant one between ROA and institutional ownership. The results also did not support the examined moderating role of audit quality on the above direct relationships. Towards the end, the study enumerated recommendations for future work.

Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment in GCC Countries: An Empirical Analysis

Ebrahim Mohammed AL-MATARI,Mahfoudh Hussein MGAMMAL,Nabil Ahmed M. SENAN,Adeeb Abdulwahab ALHEBRI 한국유통과학회 2021 The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Busine Vol.8 No.4

The aim of this paper is to identify the key determinants in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows by using a balanced data panel for the period from 1995 to 2018. This study covers GCC countries in their entirety. The study uses ten explanatory variables, namely, trade ratio, gross domestic product, external balance, fuel exports, gross savings, international tourism, military expenditure, net foreign assets, services value added, and total natural resources. The authors have tried to find the best fit model from the differences methods considered such as OLS, GLS regression with the help of Hausman test, and country by country regressions as additional analysis. The study revealed a significantly positive association between inflation, trade ratio, gross domestic product, gross savings, and net foreign assets with FDI. On the contrary, international tourism was revealed to have a negative association with FDI. The sample of all GCC countries chosen for this study has not been considered widely by any earlier study. Moreover, this study covered many determinants of FDI that add to the previous literature. It is a significant contribution to the current research body and stresses the originality of this paper.

Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Associated Risk Factors in Jazan, Saudi Arabia: A Hospital Based Case Control Study

Quadri, Mir Faeq Ali,Alharbi, Fahd,Bajonaid, Amal Mansoor S,Moafa, Ibtisam Hussain Y,Sharwani, Abubakker Al,Alamir, Abdulwahab Hussain A Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.10

Background: Oral cancer is the third most common malignancy in Saudi Arabia, the highest incidence of which is reported from Jazan province. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of various locally used substances, especially shamma, with oral cancer in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based case-control study was designed and patient records were scanned for histologically confirmed oral cancer cases. Forty eight patients who were recently diagnosed with oral cancer were selected as cases. Two healthy controls were selected for each observed case and they were matched with age (+/- 5 years) gender and location. Use of different forms of tobacco such as cigarettes, pipe-smoking and shamma (smokeless-tobacco) was assessed. Khat, a commonly used chewing substance in the community was also included. Descriptive analysis was first performed followed by multiple logistic regression (with and without interaction) to derive odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CIs). Results: Mean age of the study sample (56% males and 44% females) was 65.3 years. Multinomial regression analysis revealed that shamma use increased the odds of developing oral cancer by 29 times (OR=29.3; 10.3-83.1). Cigarette (OR=6.74; 2.18-20.8) was also seen to have an effect. With the interaction model the odds ratio increased significantly for shamma users (OR=37.2; 12.3-113.2) and cigarette smokers (OR=10.5; 2.88-3.11). Khat was observed to have negative effect on the disease occurrence when used along with shamma (OR=0.01; 0.00 - 0.65). Conclusions: We conclude that shamma, a moist form of smokeless tobacco is a major threat for oral cancer occurrence in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. This study gives a direction to conduct further longitudinal studies in the region with increased sample size representing the population in order to provide more substantial evidence.