Real-world clinical outcome of unresectable locally advanced & de-novo metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: a multicentre retrospective study.

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the most lethal malignancies, with limited treatment options yielding poor outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the real-world clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes of patients with locally advanced unresectable and de-novo metastatic PDAC in Saudi Arabia, providing regional data to compare with international benchmarks.

Methods: This is a retrospective, multicentre study involving 350 patients diagnosed with unresectable locally advanced or de-novo metastatic PDAC between January 2015 and November 2023.

In situ Fe-doped thin carbon wires via AC high voltage arc discharge.

This study explores the controlled, continuous production of thin carbon rods between graphite electrodes (continued electrode deposits) during an arc discharge of high voltage alternating current with a frequency of 50 Hz in liquid paraffin, along with in situ doping of the resulting material using a suspension of liquid paraffin and iron powder ( <10 μm). The surface morphology of the obtained carbon rod nanomaterials was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) with EDX chemical composition analysis, X-ray microtomography (micro-CT), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The AFM technique in scanning thermal microscopy (SThM) and conductive probe (CP) modes was employed to determine the temperature and electrical conductivity of the obtained nanostructures.

Prevalence and spectrum of manifestations of tamoxifen retinopathy as assessed by multimodal and ultra-widefield retinal imaging.

Background/objectives: Tamoxifen has well-known retinal toxicity, but the epidemiology of this toxicity is poorly defined. This study aims to 1) evaluate the prevalence of tamoxifen retinopathy in a major northeastern metropolitan area based on multimodal retinal imaging and 2) determine whether the additional peripheral retina captured in ultra-widefield (UWF) imaging aids in the diagnosis of tamoxifen retinopathy.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study examined female patients initiated on tamoxifen for at least 12 months prior to their first retinal exam.

PREVALENCE OF DIDANOSINE-RELATED RETINAL TOXICITY AT AN URBAN ACADEMIC CENTER AS DIAGNOSED WITH ULTRA-WIDEFIELD IMAGING.

Purpose: Antiretroviral therapy has revolutionized HIV treatment with didanosine (DDI) as a pioneering drug. However, DDI has been associated with retinal toxicity, characterized by peripheral chorioretinal degeneration with macular sparing. Despite its clinical recognition, the prevalence and risk factors for didanosine-induced retinopathy are not well described.

Turning the tide: pembrolizumab's triumph in adjuvant RCC therapy.

In recent years, kidney cancer has shown an increased worldwide incidence of more than 400 000 novel cases annually. Although more than half of patients are diagnosed at a localised stage, this disease presents a high-risk of relapse after surgery. Thus, there is a need for adjuvant therapy post-resection to reduce cancer recurrence and prolong disease-free and overall survival.

Exploring the Effect of Specimen Size on Elastic Properties of Fused-Filament-Fabrication-Printed Polycarbonate and Thermoplastic Polyurethane.

Additive manufacturing (AM) is often used to create designs inspired by topology optimization and biological structures, yielding unique cross-sectional geometries spanning across scales. However, manufacturing defects intrinsic to AM can affect material properties, limiting the applicability of a uniform material model across diverse cross-sections. To examine this phenomenon, this paper explores the influence of specimen size and layer height on the compressive modulus of polycarbonate (PC) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) specimens fabricated using fused filament fabrication (FFF).

Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Patients with Chronic Exposure to P2X7R Inhibitors.

Purpose: P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) is a purinergic cation channel whose activation has been linked with age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). Several nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, zidovudine (AZT), lamivudine (3TC) and abacavir (ABC), have been shown to inhibit P2X7R and improve outcomes in animal models of ARMD. Our aim is to investigate the association between chronic AZT, 3TC, and ABC therapy and ARMD in a clinical setting.

Scoliosis After Resection of Primary Pediatric Chest Wall Tumors.

Background: Scoliosis is one of the long-term consequences of surgical resection of pediatric chest wall tumors. This study aimed to identify the risk factors associated with scoliosis development following the resection of chest wall tumors.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study of 64 children who underwent resection of malignant chest wall tumors from 2009 to 2022.

Efficacy of Chemotherapy Rechallenge Versus Regorafenib or Trifluridine/Tipiracil in Third-Line Setting of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Multicenter Retrospective Comparative Study.

Purpose: Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is a significant global health burden. This retrospective study compared the effectiveness of trifluridine/tipiracil (FTD/TPI), regorafenib, and chemotherapy rechallenge for third-line mCRC treatment.

Materials And Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 132 patients with mCRC treated with regorafenib, FTD/TPI, or a rechallenge with the initial chemotherapy regimen in a third-line setting from four different institutions.

Treatment Patterns and Recommendations for Improving the Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Saudi Arabia.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common type of cancer in the world associated with high morbidity and mortality. Despite being a significant healthcare burden there is limited information on the unmet needs and current treatment practices for intermediate and advanced-stage HCC in Saudi Arabia. This article analyzes the gaps and provides expert consensus on the management strategies for unresectable HCC in Saudi Arabia.

The challenge of a mature final diagnosis of hearing loss severity and early cochlear implantation.

Purpose: Despite the recent trend of cochlear implantation (CI) at the age of six or even four months is prevalent in many centers around the world, clinicians should be cautious because perinatal risk factors of auditory neuropathy and/or delayed maturation carry the possibility of reversible hearing loss, yielding better auditory performance at the age of one year. The purpose of this study is to raise awareness that early CI may not be universal for all patients. In addition, we specify the factors to be considered in the pre-operative evaluation of CI in infants younger than one year.

Voice acoustic characteristics of children with late-onset cochlear implantation: Correlation to auditory performance.

Objectives: To study the voice acoustic parameters of congenitally deaf children with delayed access to sounds due to late-onset cochlear implantation and to correlate their voice characteristics with their auditory performance.

Methods: The study included 84 children: a control group consisting of 50 children with normal hearing and normal speech development; and a study group consisting of 34 paediatric cochlear implant (CI) recipients who had suffered profound hearing loss since birth. According to speech recognition scores and pure-tone thresholds, the study group was further subdivided into two subgroups: 24 children with excellent auditory performance and 10 children with fair auditory performance.

Association Between Musculoskeletal Pain and Studying Hours Among Medical Students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Introduction Musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders are one of the common health issues affecting people of various ages. The main risk factors for musculoskeletal pain are age, obesity, gender, level of education, psychosocial factors, occupational factors, decreased mobility and flexibility, and common factors such as consuming TV and video games. College students, especially medical students, are at a higher risk of these complaints as they have longer hours of studying than most faculties due to the competitiveness of their specialty.

Pentoxifylline as Add-On Treatment to Donepezil in Copper Sulphate-Induced Alzheimer's Disease-Like Neurodegeneration in Rats.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common neurodegenerative disorder, is characterized by behavioral, cognitive, and progressive memory impairments. Extensive neuronal loss, extracellular accumulation of insoluble senile amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) are the major pathological features. The present study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of donepezil (DON) and pentoxifylline (PTX) in combination to combat the neurodegenerative disorders (experimental AD) induced by CuSO intake in experimental rats.

Improving the management of ALK-rearranged non-small-cell lung cancer through a mobile application: a physicians-based survey.

ALK rearrangements account for around 5% of non-small-cell lung cancers. This study surveys physicians on the potential efficacy of a mobile application in improving the management of ALK-rearranged non-small-cell lung cancer, through knowledge, treatment adherence and real-time adverse events reporting. A total of 118 physicians from 11 countries in the Middle East participated.

The first Middle East and North Africa expert consensus recommendations for management of advanced gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) ranks as the fifth most prevalent cancer and the fourth deadliest cancer worldwide. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, GC represents about 4.8% of cancer cases with more than 35,000 new cases in 2020.

Consensus Recommendations for the Diagnosis, Biomarker Testing, and Clinical Management of Advanced or Metastatic Non-small Cell Lung Cancer With Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transition Exon 14 Skipping Mutations in the Middle East, Africa, and Russia.

Mesenchymal-epithelial transition exon 14 (METex14) skipping mutations occur in about 3%-4% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This is an aggressive subtype associated with poor prognosis. METex14 skipping is a potentially targetable mutation.

Feasibility and acceptability pilot of video-based direct observed treatment (vDOT) for supporting antitubercular treatment in South India: a cohort study.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of video-based anti-tuberculosis (TB) treatment adherence support in patients with TB (PwTB) in South India.

Design: An exploratory cohort.

Setting: Participants were recruited at the TB treatment centre (direct observed treatment short centre) of a tertiary-level teaching facility in Bangalore, Karnataka, South India.

Vitamin D alleviates cognitive dysfunction and brain damage induced by copper sulfate intake in experimental rats: focus on its combination with donepezil.

This study aimed to demonstrate the potential benefits of donepezil (DPZ) and vitamin D (Vit D) in combination to counteract the neurodegenerative disorders induced by CuSO intake in experimental rats. Neurodegeneration (Alzheimer-like) was induced in twenty-four male Wistar albino rats by CuSO supplement to drinking water (10 mg/L) for 14 weeks. AD rats were divided into four groups: untreated AD group (Cu-AD) and three treated AD groups; orally treated for 4 weeks with either DPZ (10 mg/kg/day), Vit D (500 IU/kg/day), or DPZ + Vit D starting from the 10th week of CuSO intake.

Efficacy and safety of ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir-based therapy in HCV patients with chronic kidney disease.

Background And Study Aims: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence inchronic kidney disease (CKD) patients is significantly higher than in the general population. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of combined ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir-based therapy in HCV patients with renal impairment.

Patients And Methods: Our study included 829 patients with normal kidney functions (group 1) and 829 patients with CKD (group 2),which were subdivided into patients not requiring dialysis (group 2a) and those on hemodialysis (group2b).

Medicolegal study of Egyptian suspicious childhood deaths during 2020-2021.

Background: Pediatric autopsy is an effective tool for identifying the cause and the manner of death in suspicious childhood deaths.

Aim Of The Study: To explore the pattern of suspicious childhood deaths during the recent years (2020-2021) in the Egyptian community and to identify the risk factors to avoid them during the childhood period.

Subjects And Methods: One hundred and fifty Egyptian suspicious child death cadavers (less than 18 years old) were autopsied in Zeinhom Morgue during one-year period (2020-2021).

Right ventricular function as a predictor of short-term mortality in patients with sepsis and septic shock: an observational study.

Background: In recent years, attention has shifted to the role of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction in prediction of clinical outcome among patients with septic shock. However, very few studies have correlated RV dysfunction with survival early in the course of sepsis. In the period from September 2021 to July 2022, we included a total number of 248 patients within 24 h of their presentation with sepsis.

Outcomes of Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Treated with Trifluridine/Tipiracil beyond the Second Line: A Multicenter Retrospective Study from Saudi Arabia.

Background: The outcome of patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) treated with trifluridine/tipiracil (FTD/TPI) beyond the second-line has not been studied in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this multicenter retrospective analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of FTD/TPI.

Methods: This multicenter retrospective analysis included five centers in Saudi Arabia.

Demographics and Characteristics of Patients Admitted With Acute Coronary Syndrome to the Coronary Care Unit at King Abdulaziz University.

Background Over the previous decade, the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) has risen in the Middle East and will increase mortality to 23 million individuals in Saudi Arabia by 2030, according to the Saudi Ministry of Health. CVDs, including acute coronary syndrome (ACS), are the most common cause of mortality globally. This study aimed to analyze the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with ACS admitted to the coronary care unit (CCU) in a tertiary hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.