Publications by authors named "Ahmed M Al-Hakami"

Objective: The present investigation aims on the clinical attributes and haematological parameters between symptomatic (COVID-19 ICU) and asymptomatic (COVID-19 homes isolation) patients as predisposing sign for COVID-19 related mortality.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective cohort research was conducted of admitted patients to ICU, who were suffering from severe COVID-19 in Aseer Central Hospital, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) from July 2020 until September 2020. The study included individuals with COVID -19 and ICU admission as symptomatic group and others who are COVID-19 positives with quarantine as asymptomatic group.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Progress in the study of Covid-19 disease in rodents has been hampered by the lack of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2; virus entry route to the target cell) affinities for the virus spike proteins across species. Therefore, we sought to determine whether a modified protocol of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome in rats can mimic both cell signalling pathways as well as severe disease phenotypes of Covid-19 disease. Rats were injected via intratracheal (IT) instillation with either 15 mg/kg of LPS (model group) or saline (control group) before being killed after 3 days.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The ongoing pandemic of COVID-19, which is caused by the novel coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), constituted significant public health concerns and impacted the human populations with massive economic and social burdens worldwide. The disease is known to infect people of all ages, including children, adults, and the elderly. Although several reports about pediatric COVID-19 were seen in the literature, we believe that the epidemiology and pathology of the infection described in these reports are not conclusive.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to examine the presence of TORCH infections (toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, herpes) in pregnant women at an antenatal clinic in Abha, Saudi Arabia.
  • Blood samples from 190 women were analyzed, revealing a high seropositivity for CMV (100%) and herpes simplex type 1 (94.7%), while other infections had varying prevalence.
  • While there were some associations between TORCH infections and pregnancy complications like abortions and low birth weight, the findings weren't statistically significant, indicating a need for further research on CMV's effects during pregnancy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Human brucellosis is an infectious zoonotic disease caused by Brucella spp. It is one of the most public health problems that remains largely neglected in developing counties, including Saudi Arabia. Brucellosis is particularly prevalent among rural people who have constant contact with livestock.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Basidiobolus species were isolated from colonic biopsy samples of patients with gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis (GIB) in southern Saudi Arabia. Isolated fungi were initially identified using classical mycological tools and confirmed by sequence analysis of the large subunit ribosomal RNA gene. Phenotypic tests revealed zygomycete-like fungi which conform to those of Basidiobolus species.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a known to cause acute respiratory tract infections in children and young adults. To date, there is no study from the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia determining the proportion and severity of hMPV infection among pediatric hospitalized patients with respiratory infections.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to determine the presence of hMPV antigens in the nasopharyngeal secretions of pediatric patients hospitalized with respiratory tract infections in the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Study Aims: Coeliac disease (CD) is a gluten-induced autoimmune inflammation of small bowel villi, leading to atrophy and malabsorption. The current study aims to assess the prevalence of CD in high-risk subjects in the Aseer region, southwest of Saudi Arabia and to investigate the associated presentations.

Patients And Methods: This is a retrospective case-finding study of the laboratory records for a 3-year period (2009-2012) at the main tertiary hospital (Aseer Central Hospital).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To investigate the seroprevalence of coexisting autoantibodies among type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients, and to look for possible correlations with age at diagnosis, diabetes duration, and glycemic control.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted at Aseer Central Hospital, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from March 2013 to June 2014. A total of 202 T1DM patients were screened for serum anti-thyroglobulin (TG), anti-thyroid peroxidase (TPO), anti-tissue transglutaminase (aTTG), anti-endomysial (EMA), and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies along with glycated hemoglobin, and biometric data.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of tacrolimus 0.1% ointment for the treatment of refractory vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC).

Materials And Methods: This prospective, nonrandomized case series enrolled 20 patients (40 eyes) with severe VKC, who were treated with tacrolimus 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is classified as a member in the order herpesvirales, family herpesviridae, subfamily gammaherpesvirinae and the genus lymphocytovirus. The virus is an exclusively human pathogen and thus also termed as human herpesvirus 4 (HHV4). It was the first oncogenic virus recognized and has been incriminated in the causation of tumors of both lymphatic and epithelial nature.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A zygomycetous fungus was observed in a biopsy of a 9-year-old male. The patient was presented with severe cutaneous lesions subsequent to a traumatic car accident. Following fungal detection, antifungal treatment was prescribed but condition deteriorated rapidly and above knee amputation was done as lifesaving and to control fungal infection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A rare yeast called Tilletiopsis minor was isolated from a 4-year-old boy with severe pneumonia, characterized by specific symptoms seen on chest x-rays.
  • The yeast was cultured from pleural fluid specimens, showing unique physical features and failing to be recognized through standard tests but was ultimately identified through DNA sequencing.
  • After treatment with antifungal medications, including liposomal amphotericin and intravenous voriconazole, the boy's condition improved significantly, allowing for his discharge from the hospital after a month.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * Both groups showed similar overall bacterial growth, but a notable difference was found with Staphylococcus aureus being more prevalent in VKC patients and Staphylococcus epidermidis being more common in healthy controls.
  • * The results suggest that Staphylococcus aureus may contribute to VKC development, while Staphylococcus epidermidis might have a protective effect against it.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To isolate, identify, and determine the prevalence of Candida and other yeasts of clinical importance in Aseer region, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving retrospective analysis of 6100 samples submitted to the Microbiology Laboratory, Aseer Central Hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia between 2011 and 2012, and prospective isolation and identification of 84 isolates recovered from various clinical specimens presented to the Microbiology Laboratory between 2012 and 2013 using the classic morphological schemes and the Vitek 2 automated system.

Results: The results of the retrospective analysis (2011-2012) indicated that of the 6100 various clinical specimens submitted to the routine microbiology analysis, 143 (2.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study aimed to clarify the taxonomic position of an actinomycete isolated from an HIV-positive male patient with pulmonary complications in Asir, southern region of Saudi Arabia. The strain was found to have phenotypic properties typical of nocardiae and 16S rRNA gene analysis clustered the isolate with Nocardia wallacei (accession KC677696) in the phylogenetic branch of the amikacin resistance Nocardia transvalensis complex. We consider that nocardiosis is usually missed or misdiagnosed clinically and recognition of these bacteria based on phenotypic tests is strenuous, but definitive identification is attainable by molecular methods.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: fopen(/var/lib/php/sessions/ci_sessionfd45ogbkorugpcktugg6a14s1l144iv0): Failed to open stream: No space left on device

Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php

Line Number: 177

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: session_start(): Failed to read session data: user (path: /var/lib/php/sessions)

Filename: Session/Session.php

Line Number: 137

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once