Although obesity has been widely recognized for its consequences on physical health, its psychological burden in the adult populations in the Middle East remains unclear. This meta-analysis synthesized data from observational studies to investigate the association between obesity and depression among adult populations in Middle Eastern countries. Five bibliographical electronic databases were searched for studies published up to April 2014. Pooled meta-analytic estimates were derived using the random-effect models. Three case-control studies and five cross-sectional studies were identified. Meta-analysis showed significant positive associations between obesity and depression across study designs, with an overall effect of odds ratio 1.27 (95% confidence interval 1.11-1.44). The association between obesity and depression was more marked in women than men although that difference was not statistically significant. Other subgroup analysis showed that none of the potential factors including the assessment for obesity or depression, confounder control and study quality had a modification effect on the studied association. Meta-analysis of eight observational studies from five countries in the Middle East suggests an evidence of a positive association between obesity and depression among adult populations, which appeared to be more marked among women. Future research should examine the causal pathways between obesity and depression.

Air pollution is a widespread environmental concern. Considerable epidemiological evidence indicates air pollution, particularly particulate matter (PM), as a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the developed countries. The main objective of our review is to assess the levels and sources of PM across the Middle East area and to search evidence for the relationship between PM exposure and CVD. An extensive review of the published literature pertaining to the subject (2000-2013) was conducted using PubMed, Medline and Google Scholar databases. We reveal that low utilization of public transport, ageing vehicle fleet and the increasing number of personal cars in the developing countries all contribute to the traffic congestion and aggravate the pollution problem. The annual average values of PM pollutants in the Middle East region are much higher than the World Health Organization 2006 guidelines (PM 2.5 = 10 μg/m 3 , PM 10 = 20 μg/m 3 ). We uncover evidence on the association between PM and CVD in 4 Middle East countries: Iran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The findings are in light of the international figures. Ambient PM pollution is considered a potential risk factor for platelet activation and atherosclerosis and has been found to be linked with an increased risk for mortality and hospital admissions due to CVD. This review highlights the importance of developing a strategy to improve air quality and reduce outdoor air pollution in the developing countries, particularly in the Middle East. Future studies should weigh the potential impact of PM on the overall burden of cardiac diseases.

with a particular set of circumstances (Sellick & Edwardson, 2007). PD is increasingly becoming a significant global concern, especially in younger populations (Sandanger, Nygard, Ingebrigtsen, Sorensen, & Dalgard, 1999). In fact, in western societies, PD has been found to be more prevalent and severe among university students compared to the general population (Adlaf, Gliksman, Demers, & Newton-Taylor, 2001). Studies evaluating the association between PD with body mass index (BMI) have shown contradictory results. Whilst no such association existed in some studies (Arbour-Nicitopoulos, Faulkner, & Irving,