PURPOSE Childhood obesity and overweight are on the rise worldwide, and Jordanian children are no exception to this rule. Childhood Obesity has major implications on the physical and mental health of individuals, and it can often develop into adult obesity. Obesity/overweight correlates have not been researched extensively in the Middle East region, where Jordan is central. This region is undergoing tremendous changes because of wars, globalization, and the influx of refugees. The cultural and eating habits of the people are changing along with demographical changes. Thus, timely research is required to assess the current health state of this dynamic society. PH-797804 datasheet The main goal of this study is to understand the environmental and cultural factors that are associated with Body Mass Index (BMI) z score in elementary school children in Jordan. METHODS A total of 1260 children enrolled in this descriptive, cross-sectional study. The study used a parental self-reporting questionnaire that contains possible factors associated with BMI, zBMI, demographics, and other pertinent information. RESULTS Several factors have been associated with higher zBMI among elementary school children if a child owns a smartphone (p = 0.0037), uses electronics to play ([Formula see text]), uses electronics for longer hours ([Formula see text]), eats food while using electronics or watching TV ([Formula see text] and [Formula see text], respectively), sleeps less hours in weekends ([Formula see text]), was breastfed for lower number of months ([Formula see text]), lives in rural areas ([Formula see text]), goes to a private school ([Formula see text]) and is a male ([Formula see text]). CONCLUSION Investigating characteristics and environmental determinants of childhood obesity play an essential role in establishing effective intervention program and reduce future risks of morbidity. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level V, descriptive (cross-sectional) study.INTRODUCTION Opioids have been increasingly associated with suicide, but whether they are independent contributors is unclear. Oxycodone and hydromorphone are commonly prescribed high-potency opioids that can differentially affect mood. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to explore whether oxycodone and hydromorphone are differentially associated with suicide. METHODS We conducted a retrospective population-based case-control study in Ontario, Canada, from 1992 to 2014. Using coronial data, we defined case subjects as individuals who died by suicide involving an opioid overdose. Each of these was matched with up to four controls who died of accidental opioid overdose. We ascertained exposure to oxycodone, hydromorphone, and other opioids from postmortem toxicology testing. We used odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals to examine whether opioid-related suicide was disproportionately associated with oxycodone relative to hydromorphone. RESULTS We identified 438 suicides and 1212 accidental deaths, each of which involved either oxycodone or hydromorphone but not both. The median age at death was 49 years and 51% were men. After adjusting for a history of self-harm, psychiatric illness, and exposure to other opioids, we found that oxycodone was more strongly associated with suicide than hydromorphone (adjusted odds ratio 1.59; 95% confidence interval 1.20-2.11). In a secondary analysis, we observed a trend of similar magnitude in which combined exposure to oxycodone and hydromorphone was more strongly associated with suicide than hydromorphone alone (adjusted odds ratio 1.68; 95% confidence interval 0.92-3.09). CONCLUSIONS While preliminary, these findings support the possibility that some high-potency opioids might independently influence the risk of suicide in susceptible individuals.PURPOSE We have recently demonstrated that absolute counts of circulating proinflammatory monocytes were lower in obese patients without metabolic syndrome (MS) (metabolically healthy obese, MHO) compared with those with MS (metabolically unhealthy obese, MUO), but higher compared with healthy lean controls (MHL). We hypothesized that circulating resistin, a cytokine secreted by white blood cells (WBC), is involved in obesity-related low-grade inflammation. The aim of this study was to (a) determine serum resistin levels among MUO and MHO subjects and (b) investigate the role of circulating WBC subsets as potential determinants of resistin. METHODS Study participants were 58 obese (33 MUO, 25 MHO) and 25 MHL individuals. Serum levels of resistin, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and absolute counts of circulating WBC subpopulations were determined. Comparisons were sex- and age-adjusted. RESULTS Serum resistin levels in MHL were lower compared with those of obese (p = 0.041), but similar to those of MHO (p = 0.856) individuals. Both resistin (p = 0.005) and absolute neutrophil count (NeuA) (p = 0.025) were higher in MUO compared with MHO. The difference in resistin levels between obese and MHL individuals disappeared after adjustment for NeuA. Resistin correlated positively with absolute total monocyte count (p = 0.037) in MHL and with body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.023), hsCRP (p = 0.022), and NeuA (p = 0.044) in obese subjects. Resistin association with ΒΜΙ disappeared after adjustment for hsCRP, while association with hsCRP disappeared after further adjustment for NeuA. CONCLUSION Circulating resistin was higher in MUO compared with MHO. The increased secretion of resistin by the greater number of neutrophils in the former may have contributed to this regulation.This review attempts to summarize data on the prevalence of thyroid pathology in the Bulgarian population over a period of 20 years. Thyroid dysfunction was studied in two population-based studies (2006 and 2012). In the first, hypothyroidism was found in 6.3% and hyperthyroidism in 3.7% of the participants. The second study found overt and subclinical hypothyroidism in 3.2% and 4.5%, respectively, of females, and in 1.1% and 2% of males. TPOAb levels were elevated in 23% of females and in 9.6% of males. Nodules were found using ultrasound (US) in 23.4% of the participants in the 2006 study (in 30.1% of females and 15.0% of males), while the 2012 study showed 24.4% (32.1% of females and 15.7% of males). Recent data regarding prevalence of thyroid carcinoma in the Bulgarian population are lacking. Between 4 and 6% of thyroid biopsies produce results which have markers for malignancy. Four studies were carried out to address urinary iodine excretion levels in schoolchildren and three for those in pregnant women.