Publications by authors named "Mohamed Rahal"

The Algerian hedgehog, which is an endemic Mediterranean species, is a nocturnal and terrestrial insectivorous mammal. ' populations are widespread in various habitats comprising human agglomeration, such as rural, suburban or natural ecosystems. However, the impact of the habitat's characteristics on its diet remains unknown in Algeria.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Coxiella-like bacteria are a large group of yet-to-isolate and characterize bacteria phylogenetically close to the agent of Q fever, Coxiella burnetii, and often associated with ixodid ticks worldwide. This study was designed to assess the presence of Coxiella-like endosymbionts (CLE) in ticks and to describe their genetic diversity in different tick species infesting cattle in Algeria. A total of 765 ticks were collected from three locations.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Neurogenin3 (NEUROG3) is required for endocrine lineage formation of the pancreas and intestine. Patients with NEUROG3 mutations are born with congenital malabsorptive diarrhea due to complete loss of enteroendocrine cells, whereas endocrine pancreas development varies in an allele-specific manner. These findings suggest a context-dependent requirement for NEUROG3 in pancreas versus intestine.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a hemoglobinopathy characterized by hemolysis, oxidative stress, and vaso-occlusive crises. Thromboembolism also remains a serious complication and probably underestimated in the SCD. Our objective was to seek the existence of hemostasis abnormalities that predispose to thrombosis such as elevation of FVIII and Physiological inhibitors of coagulation deficiency.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Objectives: 18F-FDG PET yields physiologic information that allows for identifying cancer based on altered tissue metabolism. The aim of this study was to prospectively validate the predictive value of positron emission tomography (PET) in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the esophagus treated by pre-operative chemotherapy followed by esophagectomy.

Design And Setting: Prospective efficacy and toxicity study of patients enrolled between January 1999 and September 2003.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL) is an aggressive primary brain tumor. Cranial irradiation alone rarely results in long-term disease control or prolonged survival. We retrospectively analyzed data on the effect of adding high-dose methotrexate (HDMTX) prior to whole brain irradiation (WBI).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of the doxorubicin followed by cisplatin/docetaxel as primary chemotherapy for patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). For this evaluation, 59 patients with LABC (T2-T4, N0-N2, M0) received three cycles of doxorubicin, followed by three cycles of cisplatin/docetaxel and followed by definitive surgery and locoregional radiotherapy with or without tamoxifen. The primary end point was pathologic complete response (pCR) in breast and axilla.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Metaplastic carcinoma of the breast (MCB) is a rare form of cancer containing mixture of epithelial and mesenchymal elements in variable combinations. Few and conflicting clinical data are available in the literature addressing optimal treatment modalities, prognosis and outcome. A retrospective study was conducted to review all patients with MCB diagnosed and treated at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center between 1994-2004.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Despite the fact that Ewing sarcoma family of tumors (ET) is chemosensitive, long-term survival is extremely rare for patients with primary refractory or recurrent disease. There is no standard salvage chemotherapy regimen available in this context. In this study the authors reviewed their experience with the combination of etoposide, ifosfamide, and cisplatin in adult patients with recurrent or refractory disease.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF