Prevalence of benign prostatic hyperplasia among the adult general population of five Middle Eastern Countries: Results of the SNAPSHOT programme.

Objectives: To present data on the prevalence of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in five Middle Eastern countries (Egypt, Turkey, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates; the latter three forming a Gulf cluster).

Subjects And Methods: The SNAPSHOT programme was a multi-country, cross-sectional epidemiological survey conducted by telephone in a random sample of the adult general population. Subjects were considered to have BPH if they fulfilled the screening criteria, based on diagnosis, symptoms, and treatments received in the past 12 months.

The clinical burden of allergic rhinitis in five Middle Eastern countries: results of the SNAPSHOT program.

Background: The SNAPSHOT program provides current data on the allergic rhinitis burden in the adult general population of five Middle Eastern countries (Egypt, Turkey, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the latter three grouped into a Gulf cluster).

Methods: A multi-country, cross-sectional, epidemiological program conducted by telephone in a random sample of the adult general population; quotas were defined per country demographics. Subjects were screened for allergic rhinitis using the Score For Allergic Rhinitis questionnaire.

Burden of disease associated with asthma among the adult general population of five Middle Eastern countries: Results of the SNAPSHOT program.

Background: Asthma affects millions worldwide resulting in a significant disease burden. However, data on asthma burden from the Middle East is limited. This analysis describes the asthma burden in Egypt, Turkey and a Gulf cluster (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates) as part of the SNAPSHOT program.

Prevalence of asthma among the adult general population of five Middle Eastern countries: results of the SNAPSHOT program.

Background: Asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease leading to morbidity, mortality and impaired quality of life worldwide. Information on asthma prevalence in the Middle East is fragmented and relatively out-dated. The SNAPSHOT program was conducted to obtain updated information.

Adherence to COPD treatment in Turkey and Saudi Arabia: results of the ADCARE study.

Background: COPD affects millions of people worldwide. Poor treatment adherence contributes to increased symptom severity, morbidity and mortality. This study was designed to investigate adherence to COPD treatment in Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Vitamin K antagonist treatment in patients with atrial fibrillation and time in therapeutic range in four European countries.

Purpose: Patients with atrial fibrillation are at increased risk for stroke and thus require anticoagulant prophylaxis with vitamin K antagonists. However, many such patients fail to achieve target coagulation status. The objective of this study was to evaluate time in the therapeutic range and its relationship to clinical outcomes in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation prescribed a vitamin K antagonist in everyday clinical practice in 4 European countries (France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom).

Psychometric evaluation of the COPD assessment test: data from the BREATHE study in the Middle East and North Africa region.

The objective of this study was to assess the validity and performance of the Arabic and Turkish versions of the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) for evaluating the severity and impact of COPD symptoms. The data were obtained from the BREATHE study in the Middle East and North Africa region, a large general population survey of COPD conducted in ten countries of the region (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and United Arab Emirates), using a standardised methodology. A total of 62,086 subjects were screened, of whom a random sample of 5,681 subjects were administered the CAT by telephone.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the adult population within the Middle East and North Africa region: rationale and design of the BREATHE study.

The objective of the BREATHE study was to estimate the regional prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) symptoms within the general population in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region and to document risk factors, disease characteristics and management using a standardised methodology. This was an observational population-based survey performed in ten countries in the Middle East and North Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and United Arab Emirates), together with Pakistan. A general population sample of 10,000 subjects ≥ 40 years of age in each country or zone was generated from random telephone numbers.

Rate of change in early Huntington's disease: a clinicometric analysis.

Sensitive outcome measures for patients with Huntington's disease (HD) are required for future clinical trials. Longitudinal data were collected from a 3-year study of 379 patients suffering from early HD who were not treated by antipsychotics. Progression of UHDRS item scores was evaluated by linear regression and slope, whereas correlation coefficient, standard error, and P values were estimated on the basis of the data of eight evaluations from screening to study end (36 months).

The METEOR study: frequency of metabolic disorders in patients with schizophrenia. Focus on first and second generation and level of risk of antipsychotic drugs.

The objective of this crosssectional study was to estimate the prevalence of metabolic disorders and hypertension in patients with schizophrenia and to compare prevalence between patients treated with first-generation (FGA) and second-generation (SGA) antipsychotic drugs. The study included 2270 adults with schizophrenia. Patients were assigned to an FGA or SGA stratum on the basis of current treatment.

The METEOR study of diabetes and other metabolic disorders in patients with schizophrenia treated with antipsychotic drugs. I. Methodology.

Patients with schizophrenia present a two- to three-fold higher prevalence of diabetes, of metabolic syndrome and of cardiovascular morbidity. The reason for this increased prevalence may involve intrinsic vulnerability, lifestyle factors and iatrogenic effects of antipsychotic drugs. The objective of this multinational, cross-sectional, pharmacoepidemiological study was to determine the prevalence of diabetes, lipid disorders, obesity, hypertension and the metabolic syndrome in patients with schizophrenia treated with antipsychotic drugs.

The Asthma Insights and Reality in the Maghreb (AIRMAG) study: perspectives and lessons.

Asthma is the most frequently encountered allergic respiratory disease, and one that has a potentially serious impact on patients' functioning and well-being. From a public health perspective, it is important to collect data on the prevalence, burden and management of asthma in order to improve understanding of the pathogenesis of asthma and to ensure that national healthcare policies are adapted and appropriate. In this respect, the different AIR surveys, which have collected standardised data on asthma in the general population of a large number of countries around the world, have made an important contribution.

Validation of the Asthma Control Test questionnaire in a North African population.

Background: Patient-reported outcome measures are required to measure asthma control. The Asthma Control Test (ACT) is one such measure which was used in the AIRMAG study, a general population study of asthma in the Maghreb. Three dialectal Arabic versions of the ACT (Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian) were developed.

Riluzole in Huntington's disease: a 3-year, randomized controlled study.

Objective: We conducted a randomized double-blind trial of riluzole in Huntington's disease to investigate the efficacy of this antiexcitotoxic drug in slowing disease progression.

Methods: The study included 537 adult patients with a clinical diagnosis of Huntington's disease confirmed by genotyping. Patients were randomized (2:1) to treatment with riluzole (50mg twice daily) or placebo for 3 years.

[Tools for assessing patient perception of the impact of migraine].

Patient-reported outcome, relating to the impact of disease and therapy on the wellbeing of the patient, has become an essential part of medicine, guiding enlightened public health policy and resource attribution. Assessment of patient-reported outcome requires the development of specific and validated instruments, generally questionnaires completed by the patient. In the case of migraine, a number of such specific instruments have been developed to measure severity, associated disability, effects on quality of life and overall impact of headache.

The tolerability of riluzole in the treatment of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Riluzole is the only disease-modifying drug approved for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), in which it has been demonstrated to extend survival. The overall tolerability of riluzole is good and the drug can be used in all patients with ALS except those with elevated transaminase levels or active liver disease. The most frequently encountered adverse events (AEs) that appear to be attributed to riluzole are asthenia and nausea, observed in 18 and 15% of patients taking riluzole in the randomised clinical trial programme, respectively.

A Role for Nitric Oxide in Long-term Potentiation.

Nitric oxide production in the cerebellum and induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus have some characteristics in common: both phenomena are induced by activation of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors and both are highly dependent on calcium-mediated processes. Here we provide evidence that endogenous nitric oxide production is necessary for synaptic plasticity in the CA1 hippocampus of the rat. LTP recorded in slices was blocked in a concentration-dependent manner by the nitric oxide synthase inhibitors l-NG-nitroarginine and l-NG-nitroarginine methyl ester, but l-NG-monomethylarginine was only marginally active.