Preprints and Scholarly Communication: Adoption, Practices, Drivers and Barriers.

: Since 2013, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of preprint servers available online. To date, little is known about the position of researchers, funders, research performing organisations and other stakeholders with respect to this fast-paced landscape. In this article, we explore the benefits and challenges of preprint posting, along with issues such as infrastructure and financial sustainability.

Demographic, autoimmune, and clinical profiles of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in Oman.

Seventy female and three male Omani systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients are described. At disease onset, 45 (62%) were under 20 years of age, and the remainder were between 20 and 44. Of all cases, 48% were familial.

Clinical features of Behçet's disease in patients in the Sultanate of Oman; the significance of antiphospholipid antibodies?

The prevalence of symptoms in 34 Omani patients with Behcet's disease (BD) was: recurrent oral ulceration 100%, arthritis/arthralgia and genital ulceration 74% each, folliculitis 64%, neurological lesions 62%, retinal vasculitis 30%, iritis and hypopyon 26%, gastrointestinal lesions 12%, venous thrombosis and cardiovascular lesions 9% each, and pleuropulmonary lesions and epididymitis 6% each. Antiphospholipid (APL) antibodies (both anticardiolipin [ACAs] and anti-beta2 glycoprotein I [abeta2GPIs]) were present in 11/34 (32%) of the BD patients and in 54/73 (74%) of Omani patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (chi2 = 21.2, P<0.

Atopy in Omani patients with asthma.

Objectives: To determine the range of serum IgE in healthy subjects and in asthmatic patients in Oman and to assess the degree of atopy in the asthmatic patients.

Method: Serum IgE and in vivo (the skin prick test) and in vitro (the ImmunoCAP test) allergen-specific IgE levels were measured in 44 patients with asthma. Control groups were 19 healthy subjects and 27 asymptomatic allergic subjects.

Tribal and geographical variations of lupus in the Sultanate of Oman: a hospital-based study.

Tribal differences are demonstrated in the presentation of lupus in Omani Gulf Arabs (OGA) and Omani Arabs of Persian descent (OAP), both groups resident in and indigenous to the Sultanate of Oman. The OAP have a lower risk of joint complications, skin rash, and dsDNA antibodies than OGA (beta coefficient and 95% confidence interval [CI], -35.6, -16.