Objectives:To evaluate levels of physical activity among physicians in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and to study the possible factors affecting physical inactivity. In addition, the study aims to estimate the prevalence of major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and a possible correlation between physical inactivity and major NCDs.Method:A cross-sectional approach was used for this study conducted on 370 randomly-selected outpatient physicians of both genders working at 4 leading healthcare institutions in Riyadh, Kindom of Saudi Arabia between December 2013 and January 2014. Using a modified World Health Organization (WHO) STEPwise questionnaire. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 21.Results:The findings of the present study demonstrated a prevalence of physical activity among Riyadh physicians (63%), which is higher than the general population (32.4%). The main reason for not engaging in physical activity was lack of time (58.1%) followed by work duties (22.5%). The prevalence of the most frequently reported NCDs (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, and cancers) was 21.9%. No significant association between physical inactivity and major NCDs among physicians in our sample was found.Conclusion:The participating physicians are physically active and suffer from a small percentage of the most reported NCDs. The main factor associated with physical inactivity was lack of time. No association was detected between physical inactivity and major NCDs.

Reticulated pigmentation is a unique pigmentary change caused by a heterogeneous group of hereditary and acquired disorders. This pigmentation is characterized by a mottled appearance, with lesions that vary in size and pigmentary content. This review discusses the hereditary group of the reticulated pigmentation disorders, such as dyschromatosis symmetrica hereditaria, dyschromatosis universalis hereditaria, and reticulate acropigmentation of Kitamura. The clinical presentation and histopathological features often overlap, making diagnosis difficult. However, each of these hereditary conditions possesses a unique genetic mutation, and genetic analysis is thus more useful in the diagnosis of these conditions. This article delivers an update regarding the clinical features, detailed histopathological description, and genetic information concerning hereditary reticulate pigmentary disorders and aims to provide useful background for use by clinical dermatologists and histopathologists when approaching this group of hereditary disorders.

Background: Inhibitors of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) have been used for diabetic patients and there is debate around using the same DPP4 inhibitors as a potential source of treatment for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The findings from individual studies regarding the usage of DDP4 inhibitors on COVID infection are available but not reviewed and synthesized. Therefore, we aimed to conduct a systematic review to synthesize the findings regarding its effect on the COVID infection course and the outcome. Methods:We carried out an electronic search in Google Scholar and PubMed. We considered a study eligible if it was an original research study, published in English during the era of COVID-19 till September 2021, and had provided information on the topic of DPP4 inhibitors and COVID infection followed by reviewing the full-text articles and summarizing their findings.Results: This review provided novel insights into the effect of DDP4 inhibitor users and its effect on COVID-19 patients. Overall, literature is scarce on the effect of DDP4 inhibitors on COVID severity and we found mixed results regarding the DDP4 effects on disease severity and mortality. The evidence is not consistent currently as some of the studies supported the role of DDP4 inhibitor, while other studies provided contradictory findings. UK population data published in 2021 with 2.5 million diabetic patients found no evidence to support a protective effect of DDP inhibitors on morbidity and mortality related to COVID-19. Conclusion:The findings of the review reveal that there is some benefit of the usage of DDP4 inhibitors on COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. However, we highly recommend replicating the studies in different contexts before making any strong recommendations.Furthermore, the results need to be interpreted cautiously due to the scarcity of literature on the role of DDP4 inhibitors among diabetic patients with COVID-19.

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