Factors associated with onychomycosis in nail psoriasis: a multicenter study in Pakistan.

Background: Treatment of psoriatic nail disease is challenging, and dystrophic psoriatic nails can get secondarily infected with fungi.

Methods: This 2-year, matched case-control study was conducted at three tertiary care centers of Karachi, Pakistan. Data were collected from patients with nail psoriasis as cases with age- and gender-matched controls.

Transanastomotic tube in intestinal atresia: How beneficial are they?

Introduction: Intestinal atresia requires multiple surgeries and long hospital stay. We tried managing these cases by primary anastomosis with transanastomotic tube (TAT) for early feeding.

Aims: The aim of the study was to analyse the outcomes in patients of intestinal atresia who underwent primary anastomosis with a TAT.

Causes of recurrences after open inguinal herniorrhaphy.

Purpose: One of the most important measures of success of open inguinal herniorrhaphy is the incidence of recurrence. Reports suggest that up to 13% of all inguinal hernia repairs worldwide, irrespective of the approach, are repaired for recurrence. The reason as to why inguinal hernias recur is most likely multifactorial.

Pinning down social vulnerability in Sindh Province, Pakistan: from narratives to numbers, and back again.

This paper reflects critically on the results of a vulnerability assessment process at the household and community scale using a quantitative vulnerabilities and capacities index. It validates a methodology for a social vulnerability assessment at the local scale in 62 villages across four agro-ecological/livelihood zones in Sindh Province, Pakistan. The study finds that the move from vulnerability narratives to numbers improves the comparability and communicational strength of the concept.

Return to Sport After Surgical Management of Proximal Hamstring Avulsions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Objective: To assess the rates and timing of return to sport for the surgical management of proximal hamstring avulsions (PHAs).

Methods: Three databases, PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE, were searched from database inception until October 7, 2017, by 2 reviewers independently and in duplicate. The inclusion criteria were studies reporting return to sport outcomes for surgical management of acute, chronic, complete, and partial PHA.

Spectrum of the KIT Gene Mutations in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors in Arab Patients.

Background: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, which originate from the interstitial cells of Cajal. These tumors are characterized by expression of CD117 and CD34 antigens and activating mutations in the KIT and PDGFRA genes. While KIT and PDGFRA mutations have been extensively studied in other populations, the spectrum of mutations in Arab patients remains unknown.

A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of Perioperative Outcomes of Laparoscopic-assisted Rectal Resection (LARR) Versus Open Rectal Resection (ORR) for Carcinoma.

Aims And Objectives: The aim was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the randomized evidence to determine the relative merits of perioperative outcomes of laparoscopic-assisted (LARR) versus open rectal resection (ORR) for proven rectal cancer.

Materials And Methods: A search of the Medline, Embase, Science Citation Index, Current Contents and PubMed databases identified English-language randomized clinical trials comparing LARR and ORR. The meta-analysis was prepared in accordance with the PRISMA statement.

Horses Referred to a Teaching Hospital Exclusively for Acupuncture and Herbs: A Three-Year Retrospective Analysis.

Equine acupuncture and herbal medicine are increasingly popular and have been anecdotally used in the treatment of a number of conditions. There is, however, a lack of data on the most commonly treated conditions in horses. The medical records of 164 horses presented exclusively for acupuncture and herbal therapy over a three-year period from October 2012 to October 2015 were evaluated from a mixed animal integrative medicine service at a veterinary academic teaching hospital.

Correction to: Causes of recurrence in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.

In the original publication, affiliation 3 was incorrectly published for the author 'Darius Ashrafi'. The correct affiliation should read as 'Department of Surgery, Sunshine Coast University Hospital, Birtinya, QLD, Australia.

The dimensions of the hip capsule can be measured using magnetic resonance imaging and may have a role in arthroscopic planning.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate the dimensions and thickness of the hip joint capsule. Secondarily, the study assessed whether there were any described correlations between capsule thickness and stability of the hip joint.

Methods: Four databases (PubMed, Ovid [MEDLINE], Cochrane Database, and EMBASE) were searched from database inception to May 2018, and two reviewers independently and in duplicate screened the resulting literature.

Pharmaconutrition administration on outcomes of elective oncological surgery for gastrointestinal malignancies: is timing everything?-a review of published meta-analyses until the end of 2016.

The last 25 years have seen an increasing number of publications attesting the benefits of pharmaconutrition in the management of patients undergoing elective oncological gastrointestinal surgery. A number of randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses suggest the use of pharmaconutrition in this group of patients produces superior outcomes to standard nutritional formulations in terms of postoperative infective complications, anastomotic breakdown and length of hospital stay. The use of pharmaconutrition products, therefore, has gained increasing acceptance for use in elective gastrointestinal oncological surgical populations and been incorporated into practice guidelines.

Management of oesophageal intramucosal carcinoma.

We present an interesting case of an intramucosal carcinoma (IMC) in the setting of Barrett's oesophagus in a 66-year-old woman. Her clinical course highlights the shifting paradigm in the approach to management of Barrett's oesophagus and IMC. With innovation in imaging and endoscopic treatment modalities, patients are detected earlier and managed prior to development of malignancy.

Return to Sport and Clinical Outcomes After Surgical Management of Acromioclavicular Joint Dislocation: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: To evaluate the rate at which athletes return to sport after surgical management of acute and chronic acromioclavicular (AC) joint dislocations.

Methods: Three databases-PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE-were searched from database inception until October 28, 2017, by 2 reviewers independently and in duplicate. The inclusion criteria were English language studies that reported return to sport outcomes in patients undergoing surgical management of AC joint dislocations.

Causes of recurrence in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.

Purpose: Recurrence after laparoscopic inguinal herniorrhaphy is poorly understood. Reports suggest that up to 13% of all inguinal herniorrhaphies worldwide, irrespective of the approach, are repaired for recurrence. We aim to review the risk factors responsible for these recurrences in laparoscopic mesh techniques.

Middle East observational study in metastatic soft tissue sarcoma: an epidemiological study on the treatment patterns (MOON).

Purpose: Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are a heterogeneous group of rare mesenchymal neoplasms, accounting for < 1% of all newly diagnosed malignancies. These tumors can occur in almost any anatomic site though they most frequently occur in the extremities. The objective of the study was to describe the epidemiology, treatment paradigm, and real-world outcomes in the clinical management of metastatic STS (mSTS) in the Middle East and North Africa (MEA) region.

Initial experience of video capsule endoscopy at a tertiary center in Saudi Arabia.

Background/aim: No prior experience with video capsule endoscopy (VCE) has been published from Saudi Arabia. In this study, we aim to report the first Saudi experience with VCE.

Patients And Methods: A prospective study was conducted between March 2013 and September 2017 at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Meta-analysis of histopathological outcomes of laparoscopic assisted rectal resection (LARR) vs open rectal resection (ORR) for carcinoma.

Background: We conducted a meta-analysis of the randomized evidence to determine the relative merits of histopathological outcomes of laparoscopic assisted (LARR) versus open rectal resection (ORR) for rectal cancer.

Data Sources: A search of PubMed and other electronic databases comparing LARR and ORR between Jan 2000 and June 2016 was performed. Histopathological variables analyzed included; location of rectal tumors; complete and incomplete TME; positive and negative circumferential resection margins (+/-CRM); positive distal resected margins (+DRM); distance of tumor from DRM; number of lymph nodes harvested; resected specimen length; tumor size and perforated rectum.

Arthroscopic-Assisted Latissimus Dorsi Tendon Transfer for Massive Rotator Cuff Tears: A Systematic Review.

Background: Arthroscopic-assisted latissimus dorsi tendon transfer (LDTT) has shown promising results with good outcomes in patients with massive rotator cuff tears (MRCTs), as reported by individual studies. However, to the best of the authors' knowledge, no systematic review has been performed to assess the collective outcomes of these individual studies.

Purpose/hypothesis: The primary purpose of this study was to assess patient outcomes after arthroscopic-assisted LDTT for the management of MRCTs.

Kinetic analysis for cyclic CO capture using lithium orthosilicate sorbents derived from different silicon precursors.

A series of Li4SiO4 was synthesized using LiNO3 and six different silicon precursors. The precipitated-silica-derived Li4SiO4 presented the highest CO2 capacity in a 10 h sorption test, and ZSM-5-derived Li4SiO4 demonstrated the most rapid CO2 sorption. The CO2 sorption kinetics predominantly followed the nucleation mode and could be accurately described by the Avrami-Erofeev model.

Earlier anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is associated with a decreased risk of medial meniscal and articular cartilage damage in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: To evaluate the association between surgical timing and the incidence of secondary meniscal or chondral damage in children and adolescents with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures.

Methods: Three electronic databases, PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE, were systematically searched from database inception until October 16, 2017 by two reviewers independently and in duplicate. The inclusion criteria were English language studies that reported the incidence of meniscal and articular cartilage damage in children or adolescent athletes with ACL injuries as well as the timing of their ACL reconstruction (ACLR).

Stroke Presenting as a Complication of Sarcoidosis in an Otherwise Asymptomatic Patient.

A stroke occurring in young patients in the absence of common risk factors needs a thorough investigation of the underlying cause to prevent its recurrence. Herein, we discuss a case of stroke with rare etiology in a 28-year-old male presenting within 30 minutes of speech difficulty and right-sided weakness. The initial triage workup showed an abnormal configuration of the P wave in the 12 lead echocardiograph (ECG) and his chest x-ray (CXR) showed mediastinal widening.

Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in Pakistan; A systematic review.

Objectives: Primary aim was to review the literature on the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and Vision threatening diabetic retinopathy (VTDR) in Pakistan.

Methods: A search of the bibliographic databases (Medline, Pub med, and Google scholar) was conducted from 1990 to March 2017. Articles about prevalence of DR and VTDR in Pakistan were retrieved and scrutinized.

Fluid Extravasation in Shoulder Arthroscopic Surgery: A Systematic Review.

Background: Arthroscopic surgery of the shoulder joint has become increasingly more common given its advantages over open surgery; however, one rare but potentially life-threatening complication is fluid extravasation into the surrounding tissues, causing edema, respiratory compromise, abnormal results on laboratory blood tests, and possibly death. Currently, no systematic review exists that summarizes the existing clinical research on this topic.

Purpose: To perform a systematic review on fluid extravasation as a complication of shoulder arthroscopic surgery, specifically assessing clinical presentation, risk factors, management, and outcomes.