The dissemination of multidrug-resistant and hypervirulent clones across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

is a Gram-negative bacterium associated with a wide range of community- and hospital-acquired infections. The emergence of clonal hypervirulent strains resistant to last-resort antimicrobial agents has become a global concern. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), with its diverse population and high tourism traffic, serves as a platform where the spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains are facilitated.

Pattern of self-reported adverse events related to COVID-19 vaccines in Saudi Arabia: A nationwide study.

Background: Vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the most effective way to end the pandemic. Any development of adverse events (AEs) from various vaccines should be reported. We therefore aimed to explore major and minor AEs among vaccinated individuals in Saudi Arabia.

Molecular Screening via Sanger Sequencing of the Genetic Variants in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Subjects in the Saudi Population: A Hospital-Based Study.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common liver diseases, along with steatosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and is associated with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Candidate gene and genome-wide association studies have validated the relationships between NAFLD, NASH, PNPLA3, TM6SF2, and HFE. The present study utilized five polymorphisms in three genes: PNPLA3 (I148M and K434E) TM6SF2 (E167K), and HFE (H63D and C282Y), based on undocumented case−control studies in the Saudi Arabian population.

Demographic Characteristics, Comorbidities, and Length of Stay of COVID-19 Patients Admitted Into Intensive Care Units in Saudi Arabia: A Nationwide Retrospective Study.

Background: This study aimed to describe the demographic characteristics and determine the risk factors associated with disease severity and length of hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) stay in a cohort of COVID-19 patients admitted into ICU in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: This was a national, multi-center, retrospective cross-sectional study of all COVID-19 cases admitted into different ICUs in Saudi Arabia between March 2020 and September 202l. Demographic, clinical features, comorbidities, and length of stay (LOS) data were retrieved from the national Health Electronic Surveillance Network (HESN) and Taqassi databases at the Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) for subsequent analyses.

SARS-CoV-2 Reinfection Rate and Outcomes in Saudi Arabia: A National Retrospective Study.

Background: The characterization of reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 has been a subject of concern and controversy, especially with the surge of infections with highly transmissible variants worldwide.

Methods: This retrospective national study used comorbidities, vaccination status, SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, and demographics data to profile participants who were reinfected with SARS-CoV-2, defined as having two reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction-positive SARS-CoV-2 tests within at least 90 days apart. A multivariate logistic regression model assessed the risk factors associated with reinfection .

KRAS Mutations in Colorectal Cancer: Relationship With Clinicopathological Characteristics and Impact on Clinical Outcomes in Saudi Arabia.

Background Few studies have addressed the prevalence and prognostic impacts of mutations in Saudi patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). The present study aimed to address the prevalence of mutations and evaluate their impact on clinical outcomes (if any) among Saudi patients. Methods This retrospective cohort study was conducted at King Saud University Medical Centre (KSUMC), Saudi Arabia.

Ultrastructure abnormalities of collagen and elastin in Arab patients with arterial tortuosity syndrome.

Arterial tortuosity syndrome (ATS) is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterized by elongation and tortuosity of the large- and medium-sized arteries. ATS patients display features that are also found in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) patients. ATS is caused by pathogenic mutations in the SLC2A10 gene, which encodes for the glucose transporter, GLUT10.

Frequency of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor and T790M Mutations Among Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma: A Hospital-Based Study in the King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH) Since 2009-2017.

Objectives To estimate the proportion of positive epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations among patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and T790M at the King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH). Methods A retrospective cohort study that included all patients that were diagnosed with NSCLC from 2009 to 2017 at KKUH. Data obtained from both electronic and paper medical records and the following information were studied: age, gender, smoking, region, subtype of NSCLC, EGFR mutation test result, treatment, T790M mutation test (if required), comorbidities, metastasis.

The prevalence of Factor V Leiden (Arg506Gln) mutation in King Khalid University Hospital patients, 2017-2019.

Arg506Gln mutation is responsible for one of the procoagulant factors and most common inherited thrombophilia in the Factor V Leiden (FVL) family. The replacement of the missense mutation for Arg506Gln / R506Q is at 1691st position from Guanine to Adenine with the modification of the amino acid from arginine to glutamine. The aim of this study was to investigate the current prevalence of the G1691A mutation in the FVL gene in the capital city's King Khalid University Hospitals (KKUH).

Hereditary 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-resistant rickets (HVDRR): clinical heterogeneity and long-term efficacious management of eight patients from four unrelated Arab families with a loss of function VDR mutation.

Background: Vitamin D regulates the concentrations of calcium and phosphate in blood and promotes the growth and remodeling of bones. The circulating active form of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, binds to the vitamin D receptor (VDR), which heterodimerizes with the retinoid X receptor to regulate the expression of target genes. Inactivating mutations in the VDR gene cause hereditary vitamin D-resistant rickets (HVDRR), a rare disorder characterized by an early onset of rickets, growth retardation, skeletal deformities, hypocalcemia, hypophosphatemia and secondary hyperparathyroidism, and in some cases alopecia.

Genotyping diagnosis of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency in Saudi adults with liver cirrhosis.

The acute phase protein alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) is mainly produced in liver cells. AAT deficiency affects the lungs and liver. We conducted a case-control study to define a valuable method for the proper diagnosis of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), as well as the association of liver cirrhosis with AATD in Saudi adults.

Conditionally reprogrammed normal and transformed mouse mammary epithelial cells display a progenitor-cell-like phenotype.

Mammary epithelial (ME) cells cultured under conventional conditions senesce after several passages. Here, we demonstrate that mouse ME cells isolated from normal mammary glands or from mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-Neu-induced mammary tumors, can be cultured indefinitely as conditionally reprogrammed cells (CRCs) on irradiated fibroblasts in the presence of the Rho kinase inhibitor Y-27632. Cell surface progenitor-associated markers are rapidly induced in normal mouse ME-CRCs relative to ME cells.

Role of the nuclear receptor coactivator AIB1/SRC-3 in angiogenesis and wound healing.

The nuclear receptor coactivator amplified in breast cancer 1 (AIB1/SRC-3) has a well-defined role in steroid and growth factor signaling in cancer and normal epithelial cells. Less is known about its function in stromal cells, although AIB1/SRC-3 is up-regulated in tumor stroma and may, thus, contribute to tumor angiogenesis. Herein, we show that AIB1/SRC-3 depletion from cultured endothelial cells reduces their proliferation and motility in response to growth factors and prevents the formation of intact monolayers with tight junctions and of endothelial tubes.

Altered AIB1 or AIB1Δ3 expression impacts ERα effects on mammary gland stromal and epithelial content.

Amplified in breast cancer 1 (AIB1) (also known as steroid receptor coactivator-3) is a nuclear receptor coactivator enhancing estrogen receptor (ER)α and progesterone receptor (PR)-dependent transcription in breast cancer. The splice variant AIB1Δ3 demonstrates increased ability to promote ERα and PR-dependent transcription. Both are implicated in breast cancer risk and antihormone resistance.