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Background The aim of this study was to identify the predictors of hospitalization in older (≥60 years) patients with coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) in Saudi Arabia. Methods Patients were randomly selected from a COVID-19 database maintained by the Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia. All patients were aged ≥60 years, had reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-confirmed COVID-19, and were registered in the database during March 2020 to July 2020. Medical and sociodemographic characteristics were retrieved from the database. Additional data were collected by telephone interviews conducted by trained health professionals. Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the relationship between patient characteristics and the risk of hospitalization. Results Of the 613 included patients (51.1% females), more than half (57.3%) were between 60 to 69 years of age, and 53% (324/613) had been hospitalized. The independent predictors of hospitalization included age ≥65 years (OR = 2.35, 95% CI: 1.66–3.33, P < 0.001), having more than one comorbidity (OR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.09–2.20, P = 0.01), diabetes mellitus (OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.09–2.11, P = 0.01), hypertension (OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.007–1.97, P = 0.04), chronic kidney disease (OR = 3.87, 95% CI: 1.41–10.58, P = 0.008), and history of hospital admission within the preceding year (OR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.11–2.55, P = 0.013). Risk of hospitalization was lower in males (OR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.43–0.90, P = 0.01) and in patients co-living with health care workers (OR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.43–0.96, P = 0.03). Conclusion Factors associated with higher risk of COVID-19-associated hospitalization should be used in prioritizing older adults’ admission. Future studies with more robust designs should be conducted to examine the risk of COVID-19-associated illness severity and mortality.

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Background‎ The reckless use of over-‎the-‎counter (OTC) cosmeceuticals among females is alarming due to possible health hazards, ranging from allergy to fatal anaphylaxis and toxicity. Methods‎ In the current study, we investigated the prevalence of cosmeceutical use among female students at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (PNU) and tested the effect of a pilot health education program in improving their knowledge. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was performed with 515 participants. Results‎ A significantly higher percent (81%) of participants used OTC cosmeceuticals than did not use them. The selection of OTC ‎‎cosmeceuticals was not affected by socioeconomic ‎status, chronic illness, cosmeceutical cost, or possible cosmeceutical side effects. Students from non-health colleges demonstrated poorer knowledge scores for the hazards of cosmeceuticals, which directed our attention to the importance of health education in this field. Therefore, a pilot interventional health education program was conducted with 54 participants to compare their ‎‎knowledge before and after the‎ intervention. At the end of the program, a higher‎ percentage of participants had improved their knowledge and realized the need to ‎consult a physician before using ‎OTC ‎‎cosmeceuticals. Conclusion The health education program had a significant impact on knowledge ‎concerning the use of cosmeceuticals, and it is recommended that such programs be included in ‎undergraduate extracurricular activity, especially for female students.‎.

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We sought to determine whether TDZD‐8, the inhibitor of the glycogen synthase kinase‐3β (GSK3β), can protect the synovial membrane of the knee joint against injuries induced by collagen type II immunization (CIA) possibly via the downregulation of synovial leukocyte infiltration, endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), and autophagy. The model group of rats (CIA) were immunized over a period of 3 weeks with collagen type II, whereas the treated group of rats (CIA + TDZD‐8) were treated with TDZD‐8 (1 mg/kg) for 21 days after the completion of the immunization regimen. All rats were then killed at week 6. Harvested synovial tissues were prepared for immunohistochemistry staining, and synovial homogenates were assayed for biomarkers of ERS, autophagy, apoptosis, and cell survival and proliferation. In addition, blood samples were assayed for biomarkers of arthritis. Synovial tissue images showed that CIA enhanced leukocyte recruitment as demonstrated by an increased CD45+ (leukocyte common antigen) immunostaining, which was markedly decreased by TDZD‐8. TDZD‐8 also significantly (P < .05) inhibited collagen‐induced autophagy biomarkers Beclin‐1 and LC3II, the ERS biomarkers GRP‐78, IRE1‐α, XBPIs, and eIF2a, and the survival protein Bcl‐2. Whereas, the collagen‐induced proliferative biomarkers Akt and mTOR were not inhibited by TDZD‐8, and CIA inhibited the apoptotic proteins CHOP and cleaved caspase‐3, which were augmented by TDZD‐8. We further demonstrated a significant (P < .05) correlation between autoantibodies generated during the course of arthritis and biomarkers of ERS and autophagy. We conclude that TDZD‐8 inhibits CIA and decreases synovial leukocyte infiltration, ERS, and autophagy, which is independent of Akt/mTOR signalling.