Survival of patients with non-viral hepatocellular carcinoma treated with trans-arterial chemoembolization: A multicenter cohort study.

Background And Study Aims: Few studies have considered patients treated with trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for non-viral-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with some reporting that those patients may have larger tumors, emphasizing the need for determination of the factors affecting survival in such patients. This work aims to study the characteristics and survival of patients with non-viral related HCC treated with TACE.

Patients And Methods: This is a multicenter observational study.

Permanent pacemaker implantation associated tricuspid regurgitation.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of tricuspid regurgitation in patients with dual-chamber permanent pacemaker implantation.

Methods: This study included 153 patients undergoing permanent pacemaker implantation. All eligible candidates had baseline transthoracic echocardiography to rule out preexisting tricuspid regurgitation.

Computed Tomography-Guided Radiofrequency Ablation of Osteoid Osteoma in Atypical Sites: Efficacy and Safety in a Large Case Series.

Rationale And Objectives: Although computed tomography (CT) guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is accepted as the gold standard treatment for osteoid osteoma (OO) in extremities, most researchers have omitted OO in critical sites. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CT-guided RFA in the management of OO in atypical sites.

Materials And Methods: A prospective interventional study conducted on 34 patients (12 women and 22 men; mean age, 22.

Ischemia-modified albumin as a marker of vascular dysfunction and subclinical atherosclerosis in β-thalassemia major.

Background: Ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) is an altered type of serum albumin that forms under conditions of oxidative stress and an independent predictor of major adverse cardiovascular events.

Objectives: To measure the levels of IMA in 45 children and adolescents with β-thalassemia major (β-TM) compared with 30 healthy controls and assess its relation to lipid peroxidation, vascular complications and subclinical atherosclerosis.

Methods: β-TM patients without symptoms of heart disease were studied focusing on transfusion history, chelation therapy, serum ferritin, malondialdehyde (MDA) and IMA levels.

Type-D personality: a predictor of quality of life and coronary heart disease.

The present study examined the association oftype-D personality (and its components) with quality of life in cardiac patients compared with healthy people. A sample of 80 patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and 70 healthy people aged 45-60 years completed the WHO quality of life brief questionnaire and the 14-item type-D personality scale. A significantly higher percentage of the MI group scored positive for type-D personality compared with healthy individuals (71% versus 33%).

Neonatal jaundice in Saudi newborns with G6PD Aures.

Sixty-five of 3261 (2%) Saudi neonates were found to be severely G6PD-deficient during a cord blood screening programme conducted from April to December, 1992. However, at the time of molecular studies, the blood samples were available from only 20 randomly selected children, aged from 1 to 6 years. DNA analyses showed that seven (three boys, four girls) of these 20 (35%) had G6PD Aures (nt 143 T - > C), a variant associated with favism which was recently reported in an Algerian.

Haematological aspect of malaria in a population based hospital, Saudi Arabia.

In Saudi Arabia, although the malaria is nearly extinct from urban areas, anophelines breeding however still exists in the coastal and oasis regions of the Kingdom. Imported cases of malaria are also seen as the country continues to employ a large expatriate work force from malarious countries. Data were analysed on 69 malaria patients (35 Saudis; 34 non-Saudis) to assess the haematological and clinical manifestations.

Hematological values and their assessment as risk factor in Saudi patients with stroke.

The retrospective analysis of hematological data on 500 consecutive Saudi patients (342;158F) (mean age 63 +/- 17 yrs) with stroke whose composition was: large infarctions 260 (52%); lacunar infarctions 121 (24.2%), intracerebral hemorrhage 107 (21.2%) and subarachnoid hemorrhage 12 (2.

Stroke in a Saudi Arabian National Guard community. Analysis of 500 consecutive cases from a population-based hospital.

Background And Purpose: We sought to determine the crude incidence rate, patterns, and risk factors associated with different types of stroke in a defined Saudi population.

Methods: Records of 500 (342 male, 158 female) consecutive patients with first-ever stroke admitted from December 1982 to June 1992 in a hospital that exclusively serves the Saudi Arabian National Guard community were reviewed. Diagnosis was confirmed by brain computed tomography, and the most likely etiology was determined on the basis of relevant clinical, radiological, and laboratory data.

Lead poisoning among Saudi children.

Ten Saudi children with clinical and laboratory findings related to lead intoxication were seen at the King Fahad National Guard Hospital from 1984 to 1988. A presumptive diagnosis of chronic lead poisoning was made retrospectively on 12 other children with hypochromic and microcytic anemia whose other laboratory data were consistent with lead poisoning. The ages of the children ranged from six months to 13 years.

Heterogeneity of gamma-globin chain synthesis in Saudi newborns.

Cord blood samples from 655 unselected neonates born to Saudi mothers at King Fahad National Guard Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were analysed to determine the levels of gamma-globin chains in Saudis. The percentage of three types of gamma-chains of human fetal hemoglobin (A gamma T, G gamma and A gamma I) was obtained by high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method. Although the majority of babies (631/655) had normal G gamma values in the range of 58-74%, there were only 69% with normal G gamma/A gamma ratio.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency and diabetes mellitus.

This hospital-based study demonstrates a statistically significant higher prevalence of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency among the Saudi patients with diabetes mellitus (12.4%) as compared to healthy population controls (2.0%) (p less than 0.

Increased incidence of hyperbilirubinaemia in 'unchallenged' glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in term Saudi newborns.

The incidence of severe hyperbilirubinaemia was significantly higher among the G6PD-deficient Saudi infants born at term than in non-deficient babies (34% vs 9%) (p less than 0.005). No apparent offending factors were detected in either the babies or their mothers.

Haematological status of blood-donors with sickle cell trait and alpha thalassaemia in northern Nigeria.

Northern Nigeria is an endemic area for sickle haemoglobin (HbS), and it is common practice in many hospitals to accept blood for transfusion from donors with sickle cell trait (HbAS). In 212 healthy HbAS blood donors, the proportion of HbS was found to range between 24-47%. The HbS levels less than 38% were presumably due to the interaction of sickle-cell gene with the alpha + thalassaemia gene.

Variability of sickle cell disease in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

The clinical and hematologic features of sickle cell disease in two groups of patients of different ancestral origin, but living in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, are presented. Twenty-eight patients of southwestern origin were matched for gender, age, and diagnosis with an equal number of patients of eastern origin. The disease was diagnosed in all patients at birth, and follow-up study was done on a regular basis.

Blood dyscrasia in unofficial vendors of petrol and heavy oil and motor mechanics in Nigeria.

The risk of blood dyscrasia has been measured in Nigerians exposed to benzene in petrol through inhalation and ingestion while employed selling petrol syphoned from oil-drums at the roadside. Significant degrees of anaemia, hypochromia, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia were found in male vendors of heavy oil for motor scooters (n = 20), vendors of petrol and heavy oil (n = 52) and vendors of petrol alone (n = 46) compared to adolescent (n = 49) and adult (n = 80) male controls. Motor mechanics (n = 57) working at small repair workshops were also at risk of anaemia through exposure to petroleum products.

Pneumococcal infections in eastern Saudi Arabia: serotypes and antibiotic sensitivity patterns.

The serotypes and antibiotic sensitivity patterns of Streptococcus pneumoniae infections were studied in 208 patients. Male to female ratio was 3 to 1. The main underlying diseases were cardiopulmonary disease (53%), sickle cell disease (13%), diabetes mellitus (11%) and malignancies (11%).