Cervical spine abnormalities associated with Down syndrome.

Atlantoaxial instability (AAI) affects 10-20% of individuals with Down syndrome (DS). The condition is mostly asymptomatic and diagnosed on radiography by an enlarged anterior atlanto-odontoid distance. Symptomatic AAI, which affects 1-2% of individuals with DS, manifests with spinal cord compression.

Chronic perforation of the sigmoid colon by foreign body.

Colorectal foreign bodies (FBs) may be ingested or introduced transanally and then migrate proximally. Without a reliable history, it may be impossible to determine which way a certain colorectal FB gained access. We present a case of a nonverbal mentally retarded boy with a flat piece of plastic impacted in the sigmoid colon, the colonoscopic extraction of which failed.

Loss of seizure control due to anticonvulsant-induced hypocalcemia.

Objective: To report a case of loss of seizure control due to hypocalcemia resulting from long-term treatment with phenytoin and phenobarbital.

Case Summary: A 32-year-old mentally retarded man presented with a 12-month history of loss of seizure control, after being seizure-free for 5 years on a fixed regimen of phenobarbital and phenytoin. He had been institutionalized at the age of 10 years and had received anticonvulsant drugs since he was diagnosed with tonic-clonic epilepsy 20 years ago.

Epidemiology of smoking among Kuwaiti adults: prevalence, characteristics, and attitudes.

Introduction: In 1996 we conducted a cross-sectional survey to study the epidemiology of smoking among Kuwaiti adults.

Methods: The 4000 participants were selected using a three-stage stratified cluster sampling design. Altogether 3859 participants (1798 males, 2061 females) returned a completed self-administered questionnaire.

[Rates of stillbirths in Kuwaiti women with non-insulin-dependent diabetes].

The objective of the present study was to discern stillbirth rates in patients diagnosed as having NIDDM. Also, it describes sociodemographic characteristics, and diabetes related factors that distinguish women with established NIDDM who experienced repeated stillbirths from those who did not. The sample data by 99 Kuwaiti women with NIDDM who are still in the reproduction-age are from a cross-sectional survey carried out in 1995/96.