Design and Rationale of the National Observational Multicentric Tunisian Registry of Hypertension: Protocol for Evaluating Hypertensive Patient Care in Clinical Practice.

Background: This study was designed to evaluate the care of hypertensive patients in daily clinical practice in public and private centers in all Tunisian regions.

Objective: This study will provide us an overview of hypertension (HTN) management in Tunisia and the degree of adherence of practitioners to international recommendations.

Methods: This is a national observational cross-sectional multicenter study that will include patients older than 18 years with HTN for a duration of 4 weeks, managed in the public sector from primary and secondary care centers as well as patients managed in the private sector.

Football in Times of COVID-19: A Recapitulation of Preventive Measures and Infection Control Policies Aiming at a Safe Game Environment.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) resulted in sporting event suspensions and cancellations, affecting competition calendars worldwide during 2020 and 2021. This challenged high-performance athletes' capacity to complete physical, technical, or tactical training during restricted movement measures (lockdown). With the Football World Cup organized in the last quarter of 2022, the past period of training and match disturbances challenged footballers concerning their performance and potential higher risk of injury at official matches' resumption.

Design and Rationale of the National Tunisian Registry of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Protocol for a Prospective Multicenter Observational Study.

Background: Coronary artery diseases remain the leading cause of death in the world. The management of this condition has improved remarkably in the recent years owing to the development of new technical tools and multicentric registries.

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the in-hospital and 1-year clinical outcomes of patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in Tunisia.

Predictors of assertive behaviors among a sample of first-year Tunisian medical students.

Assertiveness is a constructive interpersonal behavior alternative to manipulation and aggression. Medical students (MSs) have daily interpersonal interactions with colleagues, patients and families. Yet, communication deficiencies due to hesitancy to speak-up assertively lead to adverse patient outcomes.

Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae Antibodies in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the frequency of anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Eighty-three RA patients with positive anti-cyclic citrullinated antibodies (anti-CCP) and 160 healthy blood donors were included in this study. ASCA IgG and IgA were assessed with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Severe childhood lichen planus pemphigoides after hepatitis A vaccination.

Background: Lichen planus (LP) pemphigoides (LPP) is a very rare autoimmune bullous disorder, that is, exceptional in children.

Case Report: We report a case of LP pemphigoides with severe cutaneous and mucosal involvement in an 8-year-old girl who consulted for multiple vesicular and bullous lesions associated with shiny erythematous-purple plaques. The eruption occurred 2 months after vaccination against hepatitis A virus.

Frequency of serological markers of rheumatoid arthritis in patients with IgA anti-β2 glycoprotein I antibodies.

Aim: To determine the frequency of serological markers of RA in patients with anti-β2 glycoprotein I antibodies (aβ2GPI) of IgA isotype.

Material And Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 67 patients with aβ2GPI-IgA. Ninety healthy blood donors (HBD) were used as a control group.

Molecular characterization of CTNS mutations in Tunisian patients with ocular cystinosis.

Background: Ocular cystinosis is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by intralysosomal cystine accumulation in renal, ophthalmic (cornea, conjunctiva), and other organ abnormalities. Patients with ocular cystinosis are mostly asymptomatic and typically experience mild photophobia due to cystine crystals in the cornea observed accidently during a routine ocular examination. The ocular cystinosis is associated with different mutations in CTNS gene.

Differences in the Spirometry Parameters Between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Patients with COPD: A Matched Control Study.

Background: Comparison of spirometry parameters between Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients with underlying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been sparsely reported in the past. In this study, differences in the lung function parameters (LFPs), in particular spirometry values for forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV) and FEV/FVC ratio between Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients with COPD were assessed.

Methods: In this retrospective study, Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients with a diagnosis of COPD between 2012-2020 according to spirometry criteria (ie; post-bronchodilator (BD) FEV/FVC < 0.

Reversibility of pancreatic β-cells dysfunction after vitamin D and calcium supplementation: a pilot study in a population of obese and prepubescent North-African children.

The mechanisms of diabetogenesis in children remain largely obscure. This study aimed to determine the impact of vitamin D and calcium supplementation on pancreatic β-cells function in terms of insulin secretion and sensitivity. This was a quasi-experimental study involving 30 obese and prepubescent Tunisian children (57% boys).

Epidemiologic features and management of hypertension in Tunisia, the results from the Hypertension National Registry (NaTuRe HTN).

Background: Hypertension is the leading cause of morbi-mortality in our country. Thus, we conducted this national survey on hypertension to analyze the profile of the Tunisian hypertensive patient and to assess the level of blood pressure control.

Methods: Nature HTN is an observational multicentric survey, including hypertensive individuals and consulting their doctors during the period of the study.

Symptoms of Nomophobia, Psychological Aspects, Insomnia and Physical Activity: A Cross-Sectional Study of ESports Players in Saudi Arabia.

(1) Background: ESports is a new trend of sports, which has gained considerable popularity worldwide. There is a scarcity of evidence that focuses on the lifestyle of ESports players (eSP) particularly on symptoms of nomophobia, level of anxiety, sleep quality, food consumption and physical activity. (2) Objective: to determine the prevalence and relationship between symptoms of nomophobia, psychological aspects, insomnia and physical activity of eSP in Saudi Arabia.

Unicystic Ameloblastoma Mimicking Lateral Periodontal Cyst.

Intraosseous unicystic ameloblastoma (UA) is a rare subtype of a true neoplasm of odontogenic epithelial origin: ameloblastoma. Despite its rareness, dealing with UA is problematic. It is usually mistaken for an odontogenic cyst, and biopsy is rarely relevant because of its multiple growth patterns.

Sex-specific response to whole-body vibration training: a randomized controlled trial.

A few studies have indicated that males and females respond differently to whole-body vibration (WBV) training. However, the existing insights are still insufficient and they cannot be transferred to sex-specific practice planning. To evaluate the effect of 5-week WBV training on neuromuscular [countermovement jump (CMJ), squat jump (SJ)] and cardiovascular [heart rate and blood pressure] data, taking into account sex-specific effects.

Validation of Beck Cognitive Insight Scale - Arabic version in a Tunisian sample.

Objectives: Cognitive insight reflects cognitive processes concerning patients' capacity of distancing from and reevaluation of anomalous beliefs and misinterpretations. The purpose of the present study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Arabic version of the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale.

Methods: The English language version of the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale was translated into Literary Arabic.

Sex differences in pulmonary function parameters among Indigenous Australians with and without chronic airway disease.

Background: Studies assessing normative values and sex differences in pulmonary function test parameters (PFTPs) among Indigenous populations are sparse.

Methods: PFTPs were compared between male and female Indigenous Australian adults with and without chest radiologically proven chronic airway diseases (CADs).

Results: 485 adults (56% were female) with no significant difference in age, body mass index or smoking status between sexes were included.

IgA anti-beta-2 glycoprotein I antibodies in chronic hepatitis C.

Background And Study Aims: Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) have been reported not only in various autoimmune conditions but also in other infections, such as chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection. The aim of this study is to evaluate the frequency of aPL in patients with CHC.

Patients And Methods: Ninety-six CHC patients and 90 healthy blood donors (HBD) were studied.

A CD40 variant is associated with systemic bone loss among patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: Little is known about genes predisposing to systemic bone loss (SBL) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Therefore, we examined the association between SBL and variants of genes playing a critical role in both immune response and bone homeostasis among patients with RA.

Methods: IRAK-1 rs3027898, IRAK-2 rs3844283, IRAK-2 rs708035, IFIH1 rs1990760, CD40 rs48104850, TNFAIP3 rs2230926, and miR146-a rs2910164 were genotyped in 176 adult RA patients.