Publications by authors named "Aga S Sameer"

Post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) with the hepatitis B vaccine (HBVac) in combination with HBV immunoglobulins (HBIG) significantly minimizes the odds of vertical transmission of HBV to newborn infants. In this retrospective study, we aimed to evaluate the compliance and efficacy of PEP in a tertiary care center in Saudi Arabia. Infants were tested with HBV serological markers at 7 months of age to assess their PEP protection rate.

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  • This study focused on metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), examining the survival outcomes of first-line immuno-oncological (ICI) regimens compared to single-agent tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in Saudi Arabian patients.
  • A total of 84 patients diagnosed with clear cell mRCC were analyzed, showing a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 9.7 months and an overall survival (OS) of 42.0 months, with no significant difference between treatment groups.
  • The results indicated that first-line single-agent ICI therapy demonstrated promising anti-tumor activity and survival outcomes similar to both ICI-based combinations and TKIs, with liver metastasis and lower performance status being significant
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Background: Problem-based learning (PBL) is a method of learning that has been adopted in different curricula of different disciplines for more than 30 years; the assessment of the students in PBL sessions in medical schools is fundamental to ensure students' attainment of the expected outcomes of conducting PBL sessions and in providing the students with the feedback that help them to develop and encourage their learning. This study investigated the inter-rater reliability of the tutor assessment in assessing medical students' performance in their PBL tutorial sessions.

Materials And Methods: This study was conducted in the College of Medicine (COM), in the academic year 2021-2022.

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Zinc (Zn) is a vital trace element that plays a pivotal role in protein synthesis, cellular growth, and differentiation and is involved as a cofactor of metalloenzymes, performing a wide variety of metabolic, immune, and synthesis roles. Zn is required at all stages of an infant's and child's development, and severe Zn deficiency has been reported to lead to slower physical, cognitive, and sexual growth. Preterm neonates are at a higher risk of developing zinc deficiency for a variety of reasons, including low Zn intake from enteral feeds containing breast milk, relative malabsorption due to immaturity of the gastrointestinal tract with limited absorptive capacity, increased urinary loss of zinc, and increased demand during the early developmental stages.

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Ischemic limb lesions occasionally occur in neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care units. Known risk factors include the placement of arterial catheters, arterial punctures to obtain blood samples, and the use of vasoactive/vasopressor medications for hypotension. Prolonged peripheral tissue ischemia may result in serious complications, and successful management depends on early detection, proper assessment, and the institution of appropriate intervention.

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Inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) are inherited biochemical/metabolic disorders that are commonly present in the immediate neonatal period. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the incidence and distribution of IEMs in newborn infants delivered in our hospital and to evaluate its outcome. A total of 16 494 (99.

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  • Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is increasingly common among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and is linked to worse outcomes in these patients.
  • A study conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City analyzed data from 89 CDI patients, focusing on demographics and various health correlations over a four-year period.
  • Results showed that most CDI patients were adults, primarily males, with a high prevalence among immunocompromised individuals, especially those with cancer; the main diagnostic method used was PCR.
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Background: Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most commonly diagnosed subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). R-CHOP has significantly improved clinical outcomes in patients with DLBCL, however, its indication in the prevention of CNS relapse and recurrence is still inconsistent. Moreover, prophylactic methotrexate and/or cytarabine have been used prophylactically for DLBCL patients is at high risk of CNS relapse and to treat CNS DLBCL, however, their efficacy remains unclear.

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Objective: The detection of autoantibodies directed toward nuclear antigens is one of the main criteria for the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), for which the most commonly used techniques are the enzyme immunoassay and immunofluorescence assay (IFA). However, the sensitivity and specificity of these tests vary between different techniques. Thus, in this study, we aimed to determine the superior method for detecting antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) and compare the accuracy of tests ordered by rheumatologists versus non-rheumatologists.

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Central nervous system (CNS) relapse in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is rare (2-5% of cases), but is a devastating complication with a poor survival rate. The administration of high-dose methotrexate (HDMTX) for CNS prophylaxis in patients with DLBCL is controversial and variable in the literature. The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of HDMTX CNS prophylaxis in patients with intermediate and high CNS-International Prognostic Index (IPI) DLBCL using real-world data.

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Background: A large proportion of elderly people suffer from hypovitaminosis D, and depending on the severity of the condition, they develop complications that are detrimental to their health.

Objective: To determine the consistency between the results of the vitamin D level in the blood compared to the result with the score of a simple questionnaire (Physician Vitamin D Status Predictor - VDSP) for elderly patients. This is a cross-sectional study conducted during the period between October 2018 and November 2019 in 3 primary health care centres (PHCCs) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

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Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a tremendous strain on the global healthcare system. Emergency departments worldwide have been challenged to the extreme end. This has led clinicians and policy creators to rearrange patient flow pathways for an efficient emergency department (ED).

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Writing an effective manuscript is one of the pivotal steps in the successful closure of the research project, and getting it published in a peer-reviewed and indexed journal adds to the academic profile of a researcher. Writing and publishing a scientific paper is a tough task that researchers and academicians must endure in staying relevant in the field. Success in translating the benchworks into the scientific content, which is effectively communicated within the scientific field, is used in evaluating the researcher in the current academic world.

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The addition of palbociclib (a cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor) to endocrine therapy (ET) has been shown to significantly improve progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) among patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR) advanced breast cancer. The current study presents the local experience of using palbociclib at two cancer centers in Saudi Arabia. Electronic data of patients with metastatic HR and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative breast cancer who progressed after prior ET and received at least one cycle of palbociclib plus ET, were retrospectively reviewed.

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Background: Graves' disease (GD) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) are the most common types of autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD), and both are characterized by the infiltration of lymphocytes into the thyroid gland. Moreover, autoimmune diseases like HT have a higher risk of developing lymphoma. This study is aimed at assessing the prevalence and association of lymphoma in patients with AITD.

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Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the major risk factor for cervical cancer (CC) in women of reproductive age. Despite advances in treatment and prevention of CC by HPV vaccination, very few women utilize them because of a lack of awareness about HPV.

Materials And Methods: We conducted this cross-sectional study among Health Professions Students (HPS) at King Saud Bin Abdul Aziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah.

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Objective: We aimed to assess the quality of life (QoL) and its predictors in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah.

Methods: A total of 118 CRC patients at King Abdulaziz Medical City, a tertiary hospital in Jeddah, participated in this study. The participants were provided with the online questionnaire via WhatsApp by trained researchers and data collectors in February 2021.

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Interleukins (ILs)-which are important members of cytokines-consist of a vast group of molecules, including a wide range of immune mediators that contribute to the immunological responses of many cells and tissues. ILs are immune-glycoproteins, which directly contribute to the growth, activation, adhesion, differentiation, migration, proliferation, and maturation of immune cells; and subsequently, they are involved in the pro and anti-inflammatory responses of the body, by their interaction with a wide range of receptors. Due to the importance of immune system in different organisms, the genes belonging to immune elements, such as ILs, have been studied vigorously.

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  • The BCS1L gene is crucial for mitochondrial function, and mutations in this gene are a major cause of mitochondrial diseases, leading to a range of symptoms.
  • A case report describes a Saudi patient with a new mutation in the BCS1L gene, identified through genetic analysis, resulting in severe health issues and multiple physical abnormalities.
  • The patient's symptoms include conductive hearing loss, unique facial features, and serious metabolic problems, emphasizing the mutation's significant impact on health and development.
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Background: Medical students even though being aware of the importance of well-balanced nutrition do tend to have laxity in practicing it themselves leading to poor nutrition. The aim of this study was to compare the awareness and knowledge of dietary habits among medical and non-medical students.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in two universities in the Jeddah province, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) and King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah over 6 months.

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Introduction Colon cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide and its incidence is increasing day by day. Provision of early management to cancer patients can lead to a good prognosis. Hence, we evaluated the risk factors, clinical manifestations and treatment outcomes for colon cancer patients in National Guard Health Affairs (NGHA), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from January 2010 to December 2020 by comparing those results according to their age groups.

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Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are the important mediators of inflammatory pathways in the gut which play a major role in mediating the immune responses towards a wide variety of pathogen-derived ligands and link adaptive immunity with the innate immunity. Numerous studies in different populations across the continents have reported on the significant roles of TLR gene polymorphisms in modulating the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). CRC is one of the major malignancies affecting the worldwide population and is currently ranking the third most common cancer in the world.

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Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the pivotal public health issues in Saudi Arabia currently. There is a need to examine the knowledge and awareness of the health professions' students who are going to be the caretakers of the public in years to come.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge and awareness of CRC in health and allied students of our Health Sciences University in Saudi Arabia.

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Background Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute idiopathic vasculitis affecting the small and medium-sized arteries especially coronary artery (CA). it occurs in childhood mostly below five years of age. Objective This study aims to identify the most common clinical features among KD patients in King Abdulaziz Medical City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 1/1/1982 to 31/12/2018.

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Diabetes mellitus is a chronic heterogeneous metabolic disorder with complex pathogenesis. It is characterized by elevated blood glucose levels or hyperglycemia, which results from abnormalities in either insulin secretion or insulin action or both. Hyperglycemia manifests in various forms with a varied presentation and results in carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolic dysfunctions.

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