Pharmacokinetics-Based Adjusted Versus Standard Dose of Ribavirin Does Not Improve Virologic Response Rates in Chronic Hepatitis C Genotype 4 Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Optimal doses of Ribavirin (RBV) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment are not known. To assess the safety and efficacy of PegIFNalfa-2a in combination with an adjusted (ADJ) RBV dose based on early pharmacokinetics versus a fixed standard (STD) dose of RBV in chronic HCV genotype (GT) 4-naive patients in a randomized trial. One hundred eighty-one patients were randomized.

Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency and Calcium Homeostasis in Saudi Children.

Objective: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and vitamin D insufficiency (VDI) are significant health problems all over the world. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of VDD and VDI in children and adolescents residing in 8 provinces in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to also investigate calcium homeostasis in these subjects.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2110 participants aged between 6 and 15 years.

Assessment of microalbuminuria and albumin creatinine ratio in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Aim: We aimed to evaluate the levels of urine microalbumin, urine albumin creatinine ratio, plasma creatinine and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) among type 2 diabetic patients and assessed the correlation between microalbuminuria and plasma creatinine levels.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective chart review study was conducted at Department of Clinical Chemistry, King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during August to December 2014. The study included 100 male and female patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and excluding patients with type 1 DM.

Serum procalcitonin in cirrhotic patients with septic shock: relationship with adrenal insufficiency and clinical outcomes.

Background: Serum procalcitonin is commonly used to differentiate systemic inflammation due to infection from non-infectious causes. Limited data exist on the value of procalcitonin in predicting relative adrenal insufficiency (RAI). This study evaluated the value of procalcitonin in predicting RAI and mortality in cirrhotic patients with septic shock.

Prevalence of hepatitis delta antibody among HBsAG carriers in Saudi Arabia.

Background: There are a paucity of data available on the exact prevalence of delta hepatitis among HBsAg positive carriers in Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study was to determine the exact prevalence of delta antibody in HBsAg positive carriers in Saudi Arabia.

Patients And Methods: Between January 1996 and January 1997 the serum of 19,250 patients was tested for HBsAg.