An outbreak of measles in gold miners in River Nile State, Sudan, 2011.

Background: Despite the wide use of vaccination, measles outbreaks still occur.

Aims: This study assessed cases notified during a measles outbreak in northern Sudan in 2011 and the response of the health authorities to contain the outbreak.

Methods: The records of all measles cases reported to the River Nile State health ministry in 2011 from the Abu Hamad locality, a gold-mining area, were reviewed together with the actions of the health authorities at the time of the outbreak.

Prevalence and determinants of undernutrition among children under 5-year-old in rural areas: A cross-sectional survey in North Sudan.

Background: Child malnutrition is a major public health problem in developing countries. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of undernutrition among children <5 years in River Nile state (RNS) in North Sudan.

Subjects And Methods: A cross-sectional household survey was done in four localities in RNS.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Africa and Middle East: An Attempt to Predict the Present and Future Implications on the Healthcare System.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) encompasses a group of hepatic diseases that range in severity. NAFLD is increasingly recognized as an epidemic among different populations, including those in Africa and the Middle East. The objective of this narrative review is to document the prevalence of and risk factors for NAFLD in Africa and the Middle East and the potential implications on the healthcare systems.

Tamoxifen-induced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: where are we now and where are we going?

Tamoxifen is a cheap and effective estrogen-receptor antagonist, used as the adjuvant hormonal treatment of choice in women with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer. Tamoxifen-induced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) may increase the demand on oncologists, not only with regard to screening for diabetes, but also for the suggested link of NASH with high incidence of coronary heart disease. At present, there is no guideline for treatment of hyperlipidaemia associated with tamoxifen-induced NASH.

Why does chloroquine impair renal function?: chloroquine may modulate the renal tubular response to vasopressin either directly by inhibiting cyclic AMP generation, or indirectly via nitric oxide.

Chloroquine is one of the antimalaria drugs, also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Although well tolerated in most individuals, it was suggested that chloroquine can exert a profound influence on renal function, especially in individuals with compromised body fluid status. However, epidemiological studies are still lacking.

Statins and breast cancer: a smoking gun or guilt by association?

Statins are widely prescribed, effective cholesterol-lowering drugs. Indeed, atorvastatin and simvastatin were the most commonly prescribed drugs in the US in 2004, with > 70 million prescriptions written for atorvastatin alone. Statins are pleiotropic agents and, after an early study of patients with coronary heart disease showed a lower than expected incidence of cancers, preclinical studies were carried out that have supported the potential anticancer activity of these compounds.