Circulatory Levels of RANKL, OPG, and Oxidative Stress Markers in Postmenopausal Women With Normal or Low Bone Mineral Density.

Introduction: Receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL), osteoprotegerin (OPG), and oxidative stress markers are suggested to contribute to bone loss in osteoporosis that occurs in menopause. However, the association between these markers and bone mineral density (BMD) is controversial. The aim of this study was to measure circulatory levels of these parameters in postmenopausal women with normal or low BMD.

Circulatory pattern of cytokines, adipokines and bone markers in postmenopausal women with low BMD.

In addition to some well-characterized bone turnover markers (BTMs), cytokines and adipokines have also been suggested to be linked to osteoporosis seen in menopause. However, there is much controversy on the possible association between these markers and bone mineral density (BMD). This study was aimed at measuring circulatory levels of selected cytokines, adipokines and BTMs in postmenopausal women with normal and low BMD.

Patterns of circulatory and peripheral blood mononuclear cytokines in rheumatoid arthritis.

An imbalance in pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines is suggested to contribute to tissue damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study was aimed at investigating profiles of cytokines in circulation and cytokines produced by mitogen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in RA patients and healthy controls, and to explore correlations of cytokines with disease activity. Our aim was to identify patterns of cytokine expression as possible indicators of disease activity.

Cytokine profiles in osteoporosis suggest a proresorptive bias.

Objective: As the immune system is suggested to contribute to the pathophysiology of osteoporosis in menopause, we compared the levels of proresorptive and antiresorptive cytokines produced by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from postmenopausal women with normal and low bone mineral density (BMD).

Methods: Seventy-one postmenopausal women were studied; 25 had normal BMD and 46 had low BMD. Participants were categorized as normal (n = 25), osteopenic (n = 31), and osteoporotic (n = 15) based on T-scores.

Knee Osteoarthritis in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Does Insulin Therapy Retard Osteophyte Formation?

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether or not radiographic changes observed in knee osteoarthritis (OA) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients on insulin therapy differed from those not on insulin.

Material And Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 311 subjects: 211 T2DM patients and 100 without diabetes (controls) in Mubarak Hospital, Kuwait. Patients were categorized into 3 groups: T2DM patients not on insulin (G1, n = 99), T2DM patients on insulin (G2, n = 112) and a nondiabetic control group (G3, n = 100).

Prospective evaluation of the effect of short-term oral vitamin d supplementation on peripheral neuropathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Objective: We aimed to assess the efficacy of short-term oral vitamin D supplementation on peripheral neuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Materials And Methods: This prospective, placebo-controlled trial included 112 type 2 diabetic patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and vitamin D [25(OH)D] deficiency. Patients were sequentially assigned to a treatment group (n = 57) and a placebo group (n = 55).

Prevalence of joint hypermobility in Kuwait.

Aim: To determine the prevalence of joint hypermobility (JH) among young Kuwaiti adults.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 390 randomly selected healthy undergraduate university students, aged 18-29 years from the Health Sciences Centre, Kuwait University, Safat, Kuwait. Beighton score at four peripheral sites bilaterally (knees, elbows, thumbs and fifth fingers) and forward flexion of the trunk were used to evaluate joint hypermobility.

Musculoskeletal pain: should physicians test for vitamin D level?

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate vitamin D levels using a reliable method in patients with regional and generalized musculoskeletal (MSK) pain in comparison to healthy controls.

Methods: A consecutive prospective case control cohort was recruited. Patients with generalized MSK pain, for example, fibromyalgia (FM), and regional MSK pain, for example, nonspecific low back pain (LBP) and knee osteoarthritis (OA) were screened for 25 hydroxy-vitamin D [25(OH)D₃ ] levels over a period of 9 months in a hospital-based setting.

Rheumatic complications of inflammatory bowel disease among Arabs: a hospital-based study in Kuwait.

Aim: To investigate the rheumatic complications of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) Arab patients in relation to the clinical manifestations of IBD using the Montréal classification system in a hospital-based population in Kuwait.

Method: A cohort of 130 consecutive patients with IBD, either ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD) attending gastroenterology and rheumatology clinics of Kuwait University hospital from January to December 2010 were recruited. IBD diagnosis, classification, and the rheumatologic characteristics of patients were assessed and noted on a pro forma.

Magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine in young arabs with low back pain.

Study Design: A prospective study.

Purpose: To Investigate the prevalence of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) changes of the lumbar spine in low back pain (LBP) and the associated risk factors in young Arab population.

Overview Of Literature: Studies on the prevalence of MRI findings and their relationship with LBP have been conducted; these have occurred in adult populations in developed countries.

Ossification of ligamentum flavum in Middle East Arabs: a hospital-based study.

Objective: To investigate the frequency of ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF) in the spine among the Arab population in Kuwait using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) surveillance of the whole spine.

Subjects And Methods: A consecutive series of 102 patients with low back pain were recruited from the outpatient clinic of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, Kuwait. MRI of the whole spine in the sagittal plane was obtained in at least two sequences (T(1) and T(2)).

Antibodies to mutated citrullinated vimentin and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies in inflammatory bowel disease and related arthritis.

Background: Antibodies that react with citrullinated proteins (anti-mutated citrullinated vimentin [anti-MCV] and second-generation anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies [anti-CCP2]) are markers for rheumatoid arthritis. Recent studies have demonstrated that these antibodies are present in other arthropathies including the spondyloarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) takes various forms, with some shared similarities with classic spondylarthropathies.

Are 25(OH)D levels related to the severity of knee osteoarthritis and function?

Objective: To investigate the effect of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in Kuwaiti patients with primary knee osteoarthritis (OA) and to assess its relation with radiological grading and functional status.

Subjects And Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 25(OH)D was measured using radioimmunoassay in 99 patients [90 women and 9 men; mean age 56.5 ± 9.

Prevalence of the Pro12Ala missense mutation in the PPARG2 gene in Kuwaiti patients with primary knee osteoarthritis.

Background And Objectives: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) play an important role in a number of cellular and metabolic functions. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of a missense mutation (Pro12Ala) in the PPARG2 gene in Kuwaiti Arab patients with primary knee osteoarthritis (OA) and healthy controls with the aim of identifying a possible association.

Design And Setting: A prospective cross-sectional study carried out at three major teaching hospitals (referral centers) in the country over a one-year period.

The physician workforce in Kuwait to the year 2020.

The study addresses the supply of and demand for physicians in Kuwait in the light of the emerging variables such as increasing population, economic growth, changes in healthcare strategies, and expansion of healthcare facilities. The objective of the study was to project the future demand for physicians in Kuwait for the years 2007-2020 based on the period 1994-2006. Population projections were derived using the average annual natural increase rate of the 1994-2006 populations.

Frequency and confidence in performing clinical skills among medical interns in Kuwait.

Background: Several investigations suggest inadequate emphasis of basic clinical procedures during internship training. Many trainees had reported lack of competence, while some expressed confidence to manage conditions although not sufficiently experienced.

Aims: This study aimed at ascertaining the perceptions of new medical graduates regarding the performance of core clinical skills during training and confidence of performing them later.

Association of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion-deletion polymorphism with spondylarthropathies.

Low back pain (LBP) is a common medical problem. Interaction between genetic and environmental factors predisposes individuals to LBP even at an early age. Inflammatory back pain or spondylarthropathies include ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PSA), reactive arthritis enteropathic and undifferentiated arthropathies.

Nonspecific low-back pain in Kuwaiti children and adolescents: associated factors.

Purpose: To investigate factors associated with low-back pain among Kuwaiti children and adolescents; and study their relation with social activities and school performance.

Method: A cross-sectional population of 400 schoolchildren aged 10 to 18 years were selected from junior and high schools in one of the governorates in Kuwait. Data were collected through personal interviews using a questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS software.

Is low-back pain prevalent among Kuwaiti children and adolescents? A governorate-based study.

Objective: To measure the magnitude of the problem of low-back pain among 10- to 18-year-old Kuwaiti schoolchildren in Hawalli Governorate.

Subjects And Methods: A cross-sectional multistage stratified random sample of 400 schoolchildren (199 males and 201 females) of ages 10-18 years were selected from two junior and two high schools in Hawalli Governorate, Kuwait. Data on age, gender and characteristics of low-back pain such as duration, location and frequency were collected through personal interviews using a questionnaire.

Specialty choices of Kuwaiti medical graduates during the last three decades.

Introduction: This study examined postgraduate specialty training of Kuwaiti medical graduates during 1968 to 1999 and identified their attained professional qualifications to reveal scarcity in some specialties.

Method: A survey was carried out involving review of the records maintained at the Kuwait Institute for Medical Specialization (KIMS) and the Ministry of Health for all of the trainees who were enrolled in higher training programs for specialization. Information obtained from the records was ascertained through matching with the doctors' career destinations and employment in the recruitment departments of the health sector.