Prevention in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Lifelong Focused Approach.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex highly heritable disorder, in which multiple environmental factors interact with the genes to increase its risk and lead to variable clinical presentations and outcomes. Furthermore, the inherent fundamental deficits of ASD in social attention and interaction critically diverge children from the typical pathways of learning, "creating" what we perceive as autism syndrome during the first three years of life. Later in life, training and education, the presence and management of comorbidities, as well as social and vocational support throughout the lifespan, will define the quality of life and the adaptation of an individual with ASD.

Mental and physical comorbidity in an Arab primary health care setting.

Background: There are no published studies on the comorbidity of common mental conditions (anxiety, depression, and somatization) and physical illnesses in the Arab world. Our aim was to estimate the prevalence of common mental conditions comorbid with physical illnesses among primary care attenders in Kuwait, and the sociodemographic characteristics associated with this comorbidity.

Methods: The Patient Health Questionnaires for somatization, anxiety and depression (PHQ-SAD) were administered to a representative sample of 1046 attenders (M: F = 429: 617; mean age 37.

Nurses' Attitude Towards Patients with Mental Illness in a General Hospital in Kuwait.

Introduction: Stigma and discrimination have been reported to cause unnecessary delay in mentally-ill patients seeking help, which adversely affects a patient's outcome. The attitude of health care professionals has been described as being, even more, negative than that of the general public, which worsens the prognosis for patients with a mental illness.

Aims: The aim of this study was to describe the attitude of nurses toward mentally-ill patients in a general hospital.

Prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in the primary health clinic attendees in Kuwait.

Background: A substantial proportion of primary clinic attendees suffer from psychiatric disorders and many of them are neither recognized nor adequately treated by primary clinic physicians.

Objectives: To determine the point prevalence of, and identify risk factors for, depression, anxiety, and somatisation disorder in the primary health clinics in the country.

Method: The Physical Health Questionnaires (PHQ-SADs), were administered to a randomized sample of 1046 primary clinic attendees in all the five governorates of the country over a 5-month period.

Use of second-generation antipsychotics in the acute inpatient management of schizophrenia in the Middle East.

Background: Management of acute psychotic episodes in schizophrenic patients remains a significant challenge for clinicians. Despite treatment guidelines recommending that second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) should be used as monotherapy, first-generation antipsychotics, polypharmacy, and lower than recommended doses are frequently administered in clinical practice. Minimal data exist regarding the use of SGAs in the Middle East.

Extracurricular research activities among senior medical students in Kuwait: experiences, attitudes, and barriers.

Background: Research is the foundation of scientific advancement and improvement in quality of health care, which ensures the good health of the community. The aim of this study is to explore experiences, attitudes, and barriers of medical students in Kuwait University (KU) in regards to extracurricular research.

Methods: A questionnaire about extracurricular research activities (ie, any research activity that is not part of the required undergraduate curriculum, such as publishing a paper, research elective, etc) was distributed to 175 senior medical students (years 6 and 7).

Three-piece Inflatable Penile Prosthesis: Surgical Techniques and Pitfalls.

Penile prosthesis surgery plays a vital role in the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). As far as outcome is concerned, it is one of the most rewarding procedures for both patients and surgeons. We describe our surgical technique for implantation of the three-piece inflatable penile prosthesis and point out the major surgical pitfalls accompanying this procedure and their specific management.