Correlation of Transient Elastography with Liver Iron Concentration and Serum Ferritin Levels in Patients with Transfusion-Dependent Thalassemia Major from Oman.

Aims: In a longitudinal study, we aimed to assess the correlation between ultrasound transient elastography (TE), serum ferritin (SF), liver iron content (LIC) by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2* along with the fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score as a screening tool to detect significant liver fibrosis among chronically transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia (TDT) patients.

Methods: The study was conducted at a tertiary health center treating TDT patients. Transient elastography was performed within 3 months of Liver MRI T2* examinations at the radiology department over a median of one-year duration.

Pilomatrixoma of the Male Breast: Case Report and Literature Review.

Pilomatrixoma is a rare benign skin adnexal tumor arising from the hair follicles. Its occurrence in the male breast is extremely uncommon with very few cases reported worldwide. Pilomatrixoma may masquerade as a malignant tumor due to the presence of foci of calcification.

Mortality and complications in Omani patients with beta-thalassemia major: a long-term follow-up study.

Beta thalassemia major (β-TM) is a genetic blood disorder requiring lifelong blood transfusions.  The resulting iron overload damages multiple organs, particularly the heart and endocrine organs. This study aimed to describe and assess the predictors of survival and complications in Omani patients with β-TM.

Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis: Six years of experience and the current evidence in literature.

Objectives: This study aimed to retrospectively describe the clinicopathological pattern and management experience of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis in women receiving care at the Royal Hospital, a tertiary care centre in Oman. The study then compared the researchers' experience with the current literature trends.

Methods: The data of patients from January 2012 to December 2017 were reviewed retrospectively, after receiving ethical approval from the Centre of Studies and Research.

Cognitive Function in Adults with Beta-Thalassemia Major in Oman: A Pilot Study.

Objectives: Neurocognitive dysfunction has been established in several studies in children with beta-thalassemia major (TM). However, despite its wide occurrence in populations across the Arabian Peninsula, scant attention has been paid to shedding light on neuropsychological functioning among adults with TM. This study aimed to examine the level of neuropsychological functioning among Omani adults with TM regularly followed-up at a tertiary care hospital in Oman.

Iron Overload in Patients With Heavily Transfused Sickle Cell Disease-Correlation of Serum Ferritin With Cardiac T2 MRI (CMRTools), Liver T2 MRI, and R2-MRI (Ferriscan®).

The treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD) is mainly supportive, except for a minority, who receive bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Serum ferritin (SF) is routinely available but is notoriously unreliable as a tool for iron-overload assessment since it is an acute-phase reactant. Although blood transfusion is one of the most effective ways to deal with specific acute and chronic complications of SCD, this strategy is often associated with alloimmunization, iron overload, and hemolytic reactions.

Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans Mimicking Primary Breast Neoplasm: A case report and literature review.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a rare, slow-growing mesenchymal neoplasm of the dermis and subcutaneous tissues that has a low-to intermediate-grade malignancy. DFSP commonly involves the trunk and extremities, and very rarely the breast skin, mimicking a primary breast neoplasm with few reported cases in the literature. We report a 35-year old female patient who was referred to the Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman in 2017, with a two-year history of a slow growing left breast lump.

Abnormal diastolic function and Global longitudinal strain in patients with Thalassemia Major on long term chelation therapy.

Cardiac complications are the major cause of mortality in patients with Thalassemia major (TM). Cardiac T2* MRI is currently the gold standard for assessing myocardial iron concentration. The aim of our study was to assess whether any echocardiographic parameter would correlate with these findings in patients well established on chelation therapy.

Cardiac T2* MR in patients with thalassemia major: a 10-year long-term follow-up.

The consequence of regular blood transfusion in patients with thalassemia major (TM) is iron overload. Herein, we report the long-term impact of chelation on liver iron concentration (LIC) and cardiac T2* MR in patients with TM. This is a retrospective cohort study over 10 years of adolescents and adults with TM aged at least 10 years who had their first cardiac T2* MR between September 2006 and February 2007.

Noninvasive assessment and risk factors of liver fibrosis in patients with thalassemia major using shear wave elastography.

Objectives: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of liver fibrosis and assess the risk factors for developing significant liver fibrosis in patients with Thalassemia Major (TM).

Methods: All patients with TM over the age of 10 years were included in the study.

Results: A total of 94 eligible patients underwent 2-D SWE.

Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans: A Rare Malignancy of the Breast.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) of the breast is a rare skin cancer with only a few cases reported in the literature. It corresponds to approximately 1% of all soft tissue sarcomas and to less than 0.1% of all malignancies with annual incidence of 0.

Coordination versatility of tridentate pyridyl aroylhydrazones towards iron: tracking down the elusive aroylhydrazono-based ferric spin-crossover molecular materials.

The two potentially tridentate and monoprotic Schiff bases acetylpyridine benzoylhydrazone (HL(1)) and acetylpyridine 4-tert-butylbenzoylhydrazone (HL(2)) demonstrate remarkable coordination versatility towards iron on account of their propensity to undergo tautomeric transformations as imposed by the metal centre. Each of the pyridyl aroylhydrazone ligands complexes with the ferrous or ferric ion under strictly controlled reaction conditions to afford three six-coordinate mononuclear compounds [Fe(II)(HL)(2)](ClO(4))(2), [Fe(II)L(2)] and [Fe(III)L(2)]ClO(4) (HL = HL(1) or HL(2)) displaying distinct colours congruent with their intense CT visible absorptions. The synthetic manoeuvres rely crucially on the stoichiometry of the reactants, the basicities of the reaction mixtures and the choice of solvent.

Knowledge of tuberculosis among medical professionals and university students in Oman.

This study in Oman investigated knowledge about tuberculosis among 142 medics (medical students, paramedics) and 133 non-medics (arts and social science students). Knowledge was assessed using a validated questionnaire with 28 statements on general knowledge, risk factors and diagnosis of tuberculosis. As expected, tuberculosis knowledge was significantly higher among medics but there was no significant difference between men and women.

Vipassana meditation:: A naturalistic, preliminary observation in Muscat.

Objectives: To assess the effects of Vipassana meditation on the physical and psychological health in a multi-ethnic population in the city of Muscat.

Method: The subjects were participants of a Vipassana meditation course taught in a ten-day residential retreat. Self-assessments of health-related parameters and physical and psychological symptomatology were collected from them before and immediately after the course.