Trachoma in Sudan: Risk Factors and Clinical Stages in Patients From Two Eye Care Hospitals, 2015.

Background Trachoma is a leading infectious cause of blindness globally. While it has largely been eliminated in developed countries, it remains endemic in many developing regions. This study aimed to examine the clinical stages of trachoma and identify common sociodemographic and household characteristics associated with the disease among patients in Sudan.

Incidence and root causes of surgical site infections after gastrointestinal surgery at a public teaching hospital in Sudan.

Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are common healthcare-associated infections and associated with prolonged hospital stays, additional financial burden, and significantly hamper the potential benefits of surgical interventions. Causes of SSIs are multi-factorials and patients undergoing gastrointestinal tract procedures carry a high risk of bacterial contamination. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, associated factors, and causing microorganisms of SSIs among patients undergoing gastrointestinal tract surgeries.

A system dynamics model of clinical decision thresholds for the detection of developmental-behavioral disorders.

Background: Clinical decision-making has been conceptualized as a sequence of two separate processes: assessment of patients' functioning and application of a decision threshold to determine whether the evidence is sufficient to justify a given decision. A range of factors, including use of evidence-based screening instruments, has the potential to influence either or both processes. However, implementation studies seldom specify or assess the mechanism by which screening is hypothesized to influence clinical decision-making, thus limiting their ability to address unexpected findings regarding clinicians' behavior.

The effect of genetic polymorphisms of RARA gene on the adverse effects profile of isotretinoin-treated acne patients.

Objective: Isotretinoin is a vitamin A-derived medication that is associated with significant adverse effects including arthralgia/ myalgia, nose bleeds, headache, dyslipidemia, liver dysfunction and depression. The mechanism for development of such adverse effects remains elusive, and it is not known why adverse effects develop only in some patients. In this study, we examined the association between rs9303285, rs2715554 and rs4890109 genetic polymorphisms in the retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARA), one of the main targets of isotretinoin, and the adverse effects of oral isotretinoin therapy.