High prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with psoriasis in Lebanon: a prospective study.

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects not only the skin but also other organs as well. Genetic factors play an important role in individual predisposition. Lately, a positive association has been confirmed between psoriasis and metabolic syndrome (MBS), in western as well as in Middle Eastern countries.

Acrodermatitis continua of Hallopeau is a clinical phenotype of DITRA: evidence that it is a variant of pustular psoriasis.

Acrodermatitis continua of Hallopeau (ACH) is a rare, chronic, sterile, pustular eruption that predominantly affects the fingertips with nail involvement. While some consider ACH a distinct entity, many believe it to be a variant of pustular psoriasis, especially as cases of ACH progressing to generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) have been reported. Recently, recessively inherited mutations in the IL36RN gene, which encodes interleukin-36 receptor antagonist (IL-36Ra), have been demonstrated to be the cause of familial GPP, a condition termed DITRA (deficiency of IL-36Ra).

Current reperfusion strategies for ST-elevation myocardial infarction in an academic medical center in a developing country: efficacy of primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Objectives: To study the reperfusion strategies currently being used in the treatment of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) at an academic medical center in a developing country and to analyze the door-to-balloon time (DBT) in those patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods: The study included all patients presenting with STEMI to the emergency department at the American University of Beirut Medical Center between July 2008 and February 2010. Data were collected prospectively from the patients' medical records.

Evaluation of the appropriateness criteria for coronary computed tomography angiography in an academic medical center in a developing country: comparison of the 2006 and 2010 criteria.

Background: The aims of this study are to analyze the risk profile and evaluate the appropriateness of patient referral to coronary CT angiography in a new MSCT laboratory in an academic medical center in a developing country.

Methods And Results: The study population consisted of 100 consecutive patients (mean age 53 ± 13 years, 83% males) who were referred to the new 64 slice MSCT laboratory at the American University of Beirut between July 2008 and July 2009. 52% of patients had chest pain and 48% were asymptomatic.

Prognostic factors of multiple sclerosis in Lebanon.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) has a variable disease course. Identifying early predictive prognostic factors is of paramount importance. Most of the data on these factors however comes from studies performed in western countries.

The interaction of gender and clinical risk profile in patients referred for exercise nuclear imaging versus exercise echocardiography.

Background: Exercise myocardial perfusion imaging (E-MPI) and exercise echocardiography (E-Echo) are thought to be compatible for the non-invasive evaluation of patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). The interaction of gender and clinical risk profile in the referral of patients to either of these two imaging modalities has not been well studied.

Methods And Results: This was a prospective study of 922 consecutive patients who were referred for either E-MPI (331 patients) or E-Echo (591 patients) at the American University of Beirut Medical Center in the year of 2008.

Acute coronary syndromes: clinical characteristics, management, and outcomes at the American University of Beirut Medical Center, 2002-2005.

Objectives: Data on acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in developing countries is scarce. In this report, we analyze the temporal trends in the management and outcomes of a large series of ACS patients hospitalized at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), a tertiary referral university hospital located in a middle income Middle Eastern developing country.

Methods: A total of 1025 consecutive patients hospitalized and discharged with the diagnosis of ACS were enrolled between 2002 and 2005.

The effect of war stress on multiple sclerosis exacerbations and radiological disease activity.

Objective: The relationship between stressful life events and multiple sclerosis (MS) exacerbations or radiological disease activity is at best controversial. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between exposure to war-related events incurred during the July 2006 Israeli-Lebanese war and clinical relapses and MRI disease activity among Lebanese MS patients.

Methods: We studied a group of 216 patients with clinically definite relapsing remitting MS (RRMS), on whom clinical data was available for the war period and for the preceding and following year(s).

Celiac disease, Behçet, and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in siblings of a patient with multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease of uncertain etiology. Many genetic and environmental risk factors have been associated with this disease including certain human leukocyte antigen haplotypes, Epstein-Barr virus infection, and vitamin D deficiency. We report a 30-year-old woman with MS, the product of consanguineous marriage, and three siblings with three different autoimmune diseases: idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, celiac disease, and Behçet's disease.

Variations in the referral patterns to stress nuclear imaging and stress echocardiography scans.

Background: Stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) and stress echocardiography (Echo) are commonly used for the noninvasive evaluation of patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). Very few studies have compared the referral patterns to these imaging modalities in terms of the clinical profile of patients, reasons for referral, and type of referring physicians.

Methods And Results: This was a prospective study of 1,020 consecutive patients who were referred for stress MPI (429 patients) or stress Echo (591 patients) at the American University of Beirut Medical Center in the year of 2008.