Corneal nerve loss in adolescents with obesity and acanthosis nigricans.

Background/aim: Obesity and related metabolic abnormalities in adults are associated with peripheral neuropathy. Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is associated with insulin resistance, fatty liver, hyperlipidemia and glucose intolerance, all of which are risk factors for neuropathy. The aim of this study was to investigate if obese adolescents with AN have evidence of small nerve fiber damage.

Factors Affecting Influenza Vaccination Uptake and Attitudes among Lebanese University Students: The Impact of Vaccination Promotional Programs and COVID-19 Pandemic.

Vaccination is the most effective preventative strategy against influenza, yet university students' influenza vaccination uptake remains low. This study aimed firstly to determine the percentage of university students who were vaccinated for the 2015-2016 influenza season and to identify reasons for non-vaccination, and secondly to examine the impact of external factors (on-campus/online influenza awareness campaigns and COVID-19 pandemic) on their influenza vaccination uptake and attitudes for the 2017-2018 and 2021-2022 influenza seasons. A descriptive study was conducted over three phases for three influenza seasons at a Lebanese university in the Bekaa Region.

Corneal Langerhans cells in children with celiac disease.

Celiac disease (CeD) is a common small bowel enteropathy characterized by an altered adaptive immune system and increased mucosal antigen presenting cells. This study aims to establish if quantification of corneal Langerhans cells (LCs) using corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) could act as a surrogate marker for antigen presenting cell status and hence disease activity in children with CeD. Twenty children with stable CeD and 20 age-matched controls underwent CCM and quantification of central corneal total, mature and immature LC density.

Motivation, satisfaction, and future career intentions of pharmacy students: A cross-sectional preliminary analysis.

Introduction: In recent years, the pharmacy profession has undergone many changes that impacted pharmacy educational programs and students' needs and experiences. In Lebanon, no previous studies have addressed students' perspectives of pharmacy studies and their future aspirations.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was randomly sent to all pharmacy students at the main campus of the Lebanese International University.

Anosmia (smell failure) and dysgeusia (taste distortion) in COVID-19: it is genetic.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a very contagious respiratory illness with has affected millions of individuals worldwide. In addition to the well-known symptoms of any respiratory virus, COVID-19 can present with anosmia (failure to smell) and dysgeusia (distortion of the sense of taste). It appears to be a genetic link to the biological mechanisms underlying COVID-19-related anosmia and dysgeusia.

Parental perception of medications safe storage in the State of Qatar.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify parental perception of household medication storage.

Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study utilizing a questionnaire was carried out at Hamad Medical Corporation, the solely tertiary pediatric hospital in the State of Qatar at the time of the study. Qatar is a young developing country with limited data on the awareness of medication storage among adults with children at home and on the safety practices regarding medication storage.

Parenting style in a rapidly developing country: A report from the state of Qatar.

Objective: To investigate the different styles of parenting in the State of Qatar, a country that is considered a cosmopolitan hub with rapid development.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Sidra Medicine, the only tertiary pediatric hospital in Qatar. Parents of children 3-14 years old were offered a questionnaire.

Delta variant of COVID-19: A simple explanation.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has undergone numerous mutations since its initial identification, leading to challenges in controlling the pandemic. Till date, several variants of concern have been identified. However, currently, the Delta variant (B.

Understanding multiseptated gallbladder: A systematic analysis with a case report.

Multiseptated gallbladder (MSG) (also known as "Honeycomb gallbladder") is a rare condition that was first described by Knetsch in 1952, and there are around 150 cases described over the world. MSG has been described as a congenital anomaly in most of the cases and as acquired in a few. Moreover, the phenomenon was described with a variety of different symptoms and management.

Medication take-back programs in Qatar: Parental perceptions.

Purpose: To identify parental perception of a take-back program for medications.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional study using a questionnaire was conducted at Hamad Medical Corporation, the only tertiary pediatric hospital in the State of Qatar at the time of the study. Qatar is a rapidly developing country with limited national data on the awareness of medication misuse among adults living with children at home and on the safety practices regarding medication disposal.

Parents attitudes toward the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine: A new concept in the State of Qatar.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the leading causes of cervical and genital cancer in both genders.

Purpose: To delineate parental attitude regarding HPV in Qatar.

Methods: A cross-sectional study using a questionnaire was conducted at Sidra Medicine, Qatar.

Maternal and neonatal outcomes in mothers with diabetes mellitus in qatari population.

Background: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a major cause of maternal, fetal, and neonatal morbidities. Our objective was to estimate the effect of both pre-pregnancy and gestational DM on the growth parameters of newborns in the Qatari population.

Methods: In this population-based cohort study, we compared the data of neonates born to Qatari women with both pre-pregnancy and gestational diabetes mellitus in 2017 with neonates of healthy non-diabetic Qatari women.

COVID-19 vector-based vaccine causing thrombosis.

The number of people affected by COVID-19 is staggering and countries are rushing and competing to vaccinate their populations. However, there has been a concern about the association between COVID-19 vector-based vaccines and thrombosis. The proposed mechanism by which a COVID-19 vector-based vaccine can cause thrombosis is called vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT).

Can virus-virus interactions impact the dynamics of the covid-19 pandemic?

Viral respiratory infections can occur in pandemics and can spread rapidly within communities resulting in health concerns globally. Several respiratory viruses co-circulate at one specific time. However, interface between different viruses has not been clearly established.

Corneal confocal microscopy identifies a reduction in corneal keratocyte density and sub-basal nerves in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Purpose: To assess whether alterations in stromal keratocyte density are related to loss of corneal nerve fibres in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).

Methods: Twenty participants with T1DM and 20 age-matched healthy controls underwent corneal confocal microscopy. Corneal sub-basal nerve morphology and corneal keratocyte density (KD) were quantified.

Letter to the Editor: COVID-19 utilization of ACE-2 receptor to enter the host cell.

Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

The psychological impact of the Syrian crisis on refugees living in Lebanon.

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the impact of war on Syrian refugees' life in Bekaa/Lebanon, focusing on psychological and physical symptoms, and to assess the prevalence of the most common symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in affected patients recruited in the study.

Design And Methods: This observational study was conducted over a period of 1 month-June 2019-in three main camps in the Bekaa region. After taking approval, a total number of 108 Syrian refugees were interviewed and asked about their quality of life and health conditions in camps, after leaving their country.

Parental perceptions of child's healthy diet: Evidence from a rapidly developing country.

Background: There are no studies in Qatar or in the Middle East to investigate parental perception of healthy diet in childhood.

Purpose: To investigate parental perception of childhood healthy diet in the State of Qatar.

Methods: Cross-sectional prospective study at Hamad Medical Corporation, State of Qatar.

From COVID-19 to clot: the involvement of the complement system.

In December 2019, the world observed an unexpected outbreak of an emerging disease named coronavirus (COVID-19) that was first reported in Wuhan city of Hubei province of China. Recent literature has shown the association between COVID-19 infection and derangement in the coagulation profile. In this paper, we are discussing thrombo-genesis, especially the role of the complement system in the immune response against COVID-19 and the pathogenesis associated with tissue inflammation and thrombosis.

Parental Perception of a Dental Home for Children with Special Needs.

Background And Objectives: There is a major gap in the literature that addresses parental perception of acquiring a dental home for children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN). The objectives of this study are to assess parental perceptions and challenges in acquiring a dental home for their CSHCN.

Methods: Cross-sectional prospective study using a questionnaire.

Corneal confocal microscopy demonstrates minimal evidence of distal neuropathy in children with celiac disease.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to utilise corneal confocal microscopy to quantify corneal nerve morphology and establish the presence of sub-clinical small fibre damage and peripheral neuropathy in children with celiac disease.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional cohort study of twenty children with celiac disease and 20 healthy controls who underwent clinical and laboratory assessments and corneal confocal microscopy. Corneal nerve fiber density (no.