Publications by authors named "Fatma Al-Lawati"

Article Synopsis
  • High rates of early-onset breast cancer (EOBC) in the Middle East, particularly in Oman, where over 50% of breast cancer patients are under 45 at diagnosis, raise questions about the causes.
  • A study of 1336 breast cancer patients in Oman from 2010 to 2022 found no significant link between BRCA1/2 gene mutations and EOBC, as most cases lacked a family history of breast cancer.
  • Despite the absence of a strong correlation with BRCA mutations, EOBC tumors exhibited distinct features like larger size, higher grade, and poorer survival outcomes compared to later-onset cases.
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Article Synopsis
  • COVID-19 led to a significant number of intubations and intensive care admissions, with many patients experiencing barotrauma, a condition where alveoli rupture and air escapes into surrounding spaces.
  • This report examines 14 COVID-19 patients who developed barotrauma, either spontaneously or after non-invasive ventilation, even those who initially had milder forms of the disease.
  • Managing barotrauma in these patients is complex and may necessitate invasive mechanical ventilation, which raises the risk of complications and mortality, highlighting the importance of lung protective measures.
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Background: Intraoperative evaluation of axillary sentinel lymph node (SLN) in patients with breast carcinoma reduces the need of re-operations for axillary lymph node dissection. Various methods such as touch imprintcytology (TIC) and frozen section histology (FS) have been used to determine the SLN status intra-operatively. The sensitivity of intraoperative TIC examination on SLN is not consistent and varies in different studies.

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Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), previously known as Churg-Strauss disease, is a rare vasculitis that affects small- to medium-sized vessels and has a propensity to involve the heart. Patients with cardiac involvement have a poor prognosis and usually require immunosuppressive treatment along with corticosteroids. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is a non-invasive diagnostic tool for detecting cardiac involvement and guiding the management plan.

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Article Synopsis
  • Epithelioid angiomyolipoma (EAML) is a rare and potentially malignant kidney tumor that falls under the category of perivascular epithelioid cell tumors, occurring either sporadically or associated with tuberous sclerosis complex.
  • Unlike classic angiomyolipoma (AML), EAML contains very little fat, making it resemble renal cell carcinoma on imaging.
  • A case study detailed a 31-year-old woman with renal failure who underwent MRI, revealing large bilateral renal masses suspected to be AML; a left nephrectomy confirmed the diagnosis of EAML through histopathological examination.
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Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM) is a rare disease caused by a mutation in the SLC34A2 gene encoding the type IIb sodium phosphate cotransporter in alveolar type II cells. This results in the formation and accumulation of calcium phosphates crystals in the alveoli. Early in the disease, most patients are asymptomatic or might experience mild symptoms.

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Pulmonary hyalinising granuloma (PHG) is a rare fibrosclerosing inflammatory lung condition of unknown aetiology. It is characterised by solitary or multiple pulmonary nodules that are usually found incidentally while imaging the chest for other reasons. We report two cases of histologically proven PHG diagnosed at the Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman.

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Amyloidosis is a disorder characterised by the extracellular deposition of amyloid, a fibrillary protein, in various organs such as the lungs. Pulmonary nodular amyloidosis can mimic other lung conditions that present with pulmonary nodules, such as metastasis, sarcoidosis and hyalinising granuloma. We report a 60-year-old man who presented to the Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman, in 2017 with a history of shortness of breath upon exertion, orthopnoea and bilateral lower limb swelling.

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The Sultanate of Oman is a rapidly developing Muslim country with well-organized government-funded health care services, and expanding medical genetic facilities. The preservation of tribal structures within the Omani population coupled with geographical isolation has produced unique patterns of rare mutations. In order to provide diagnosticians and researchers with access to an up-to-date resource that will assist them in their daily practice we collated and analyzed all of the Mendelian disease-associated mutations identified in the Omani population.

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Gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis (GIB) is a rare fungal infection with few reported cases worldwide. We report here the first case diagnosed in Oman in a previously healthy 5-year-old Omani female child who had been thought initially to have an abdominal malignancy. The case was referred to the Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman, in July 2012.

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