Australasian Medical Journal
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Nutritional status of children less than five years and associated factors in Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia
Get PDFBackgroundThe nutritional status of children below five years is considered as one of the most important indicators for child survival and it is a reflection of their overall health.AimsThe main objective of this research is to investigate the nutritional status of children below five years of age and to assess the different associating factors that could likely influence the nutritional status of the children.Methods A cross-sectional survey targeted 440 children aged below five years who were randomly selected from four clusters in the Jazan region. A questionnaire was designed to collect a set of information related to the nutritional status of the children.Results The prevalence of underweight among the children was 15.9 per cent. Moderately underweight accounted for 14.1 per cent [95 per cent CI:11.8−19.0], while less than 1 percent [0.8 per cent; 95 per cent CI:0.28−2.25] were severely underweight. Up to 89.5 per cent [95 per cent CI:85.9−92.3] of the children had normal weight for their height. Prevalence of wasting was only 10.5 per cent; about 9.9 per cent moderately, while 0.6 per cent were severely wasted. No significant difference was found between these indicators for males and females. Significant positive correlation was found between underweight, stunting and wasting among the children of 0−59 months (r=0.578, p < 0.0001) and (r=0.413, p < 0.0001), respectively.ConclusionIn conclusion, the nutritional status of children under five years produced acceptable intermediate results, but it is still below levels for other parts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Future interventions are needed to address some of the shortfall in the nutritional status among the Jazan population
Dapagliflozin effects on hospitalization for heart failure reduction, and major adverse cardiovascular events
Get PDFBackgroundUntil recently, there are no available preventive measures for macrovascular complications of diabetes mellitus (DM). Sodium-glucose co-transporter inhibitors (SGLT-2i) are a relatively new class of medications with cardio-renal protection. However, it is unknown, whether this is a class effect. Also, the exact mechanisms of action are not fully understood.AimsThe current review aimed to assess dapagliflozin effects on the major cardiovascular adverse events (MACE) and heart failure hospitalization rate (HHF) and its mechanisms of action.Methods The Pub Med, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar databases were systematically searched for relevant articles. Articles published in the English language from the first available article up to November 2019 were approached. The terms dapagliflozin, SGLT-2i, MACE, HHF, and mechanisms of action were used with proteans AND or OR. Out of two hundred-ten articles retrieved, only twenty-nine fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria.Results Dapagliflozin reduced HHF, all-cause mortality, bumetanide induced hyperuricemia, and interstitial fluid volume with a lower rate of diuretic use. Possible mechanisms of action were: a reduction of oxidative stress, lowering of cardiac hexosamine biosynthetic pathway activation, reduced cytosolic sodium and calcium, and increased serum magnesium. Dapagliflozin effects on MACE are mixed. The above effects seem to be a class character across various population including normal people without diabetes with no differences across gender.ConclusionDapagliflozin reduced HHF (superior to empagliflozin) and all-cause mortality. The drug acts at cellular levels and not simple diuresis and haemoconcentration
Anaemia characteristic in end stage renal disease patients receiving haemodialysis at King Salman armed forced hospital in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
Get PDFBackgroundChronic kidney disease (CKD) is a disease associated with high rate of morbidity and mortality mainly due to cardiovascular disease. Anaemia is the most common haematological abnormality in end stage renal disease.AimsThe current Study aimed to determine the laboratory characteristic and management of anaemia among haemodialysis patients.Methods A cross sectional study conducted among 112 adult patients with the diagnosis of end stage renal disease (ESRD) on haemodialysis at King Salman Armed Forced Hospital in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, data were collected by a pre-tested data collection sheet.Results There were 112 patients with a mean age of 43 years. The mean haemoglobin value was 10.5g/dL, which was lower than the target haemoglobin range recommended by Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI). Twenty- eight patients (25 per cent) had haemoglobin values between 11.0 and 12.0g/dL. Only seven patients (6.3 per cent) exceeded the recommended range (>12g/dL) and seventy- seven (68.7 per cent) had less than recommended range. The majority of patients had been receiving haemodialysis for two or more years. The most common primary cause of end stage renal failure was diabetic nephropathy. Hypertension was the most common co-morbidity, followed by diabetes, and ischemic heart disease.ConclusionPatients with end stage renal disease at a high risk for anaemia which should be investigated for correctable causes such as Iron-deficiency before initiating erythropoietin replacement therapy
Familiarity and awareness of facial cosmetic and oral maxillofacial surgery among dental and medical undergraduate students
Get PDFBackgroundFacial cosmetic and oral maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) is primarily a surgical specialty of dentistry concerned with the management of diseases of the jaws, mouth, face and neck regions. It is indeed common knowledge that many medical professionals and the public have a very low awareness of OMFS.AimsThis multicentric study aimed to investigate and check the familiarity and awareness of facial cosmetic and OMFS among dental and medical undergraduate students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Methods This cross-sectional study was distributed among medical and dental undergraduate students of different universities in Saudi Arabia, between September and December, 2019. The questionnaire consisted of 23 variables that were divided into 2 sections: (a) demographic information (b) facial cosmetic and OMFS questions. Ethical approval was granted by the Research Ethics Committee. All analyses were performed using SPSS, version 24.Results Total of 412 dentistry students and 452 medicine & surgery students included. A much higher percentage of dental students (80.6 per cent) have heard about Facial cosmetic and, p < 0.001. Among the specific Facial Cosmetic & OMFS, ‘fractures of the jaw and face’ was known by most of the dental (77.7 per cent) and medical (63.7 per cent) students. The mean awareness score was higher among the dentistry students compared to medicine & surgery students (8.88±4.47 vs. 8.78±4.40 out of 17.ConclusionLevel of Familiarity and awareness was reasonable. This study ascertains the need for an effective educational program to increase the awareness
Successful treatment of belly dancer’s dyskinesia with levetiracetam
Get PDFBelly Dancer’s Dyskinesia is an extremely rare hyperkinetic movement disorder. It is a form of axial myoclonus which affects the diaphragm and abdominal muscle, causing pain and discomfort. It is characterized by brief, repetitive contractions of the diaphragm and abdominal muscles, which can be suppressed with deep respiration. Diagnosis is mainly made by clinical examination, but can be challenging, and treatment can be difficult. Here we report a case of Belly Dancer’s Dyskinesia which was successfully treated with Levetiracetam
Identifying barriers that affect medical doctors’ learning of dental trauma
Get PDFBackgroundIt is important that medical doctors are familiar with the management of emergency dental trauma before referring a patient to a dentist. Correct diagnosis and treatment techniques are essential for a predictable and optimal long-term prognosis.AimsThe aim is to identify and categorize statements from the literature related to barriers (factors that hinder learning) on dental trauma for medical doctors.MethodsThe authors reviewed ten papers pertaining to medical doctors’ knowledge of dental trauma and identify some common barriers to learning.ResultsThe barriers identified were classified as internal (factors associated with the learner) or external (factors associated with the learning environment). Internal barriers negatively impact learners and may cause medical doctors to lose enthusiasm or interest in the subject. External barriers, on the other hand, often arise from within the university or teaching hospital and may affect medical students’ and doctors’ theoretical learning of dental trauma or hamper their clinical experience. ConclusionFrom a limited body of literature, this report has identified some common barriers that affect doctors’ learning of dental trauma. Consequently, to further investigate the relevance of these barriers and their impact on dental trauma learning, a systematic review in this area is indicated
Multiple sclerosis following bariatric surgery: A report of five cases
Get PDFMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease that affects the central nervous system. The underlying cause of multiple sclerosis is unknown, yet there are various predisposing factors. Currently, bariatric surgery is an increasingly common solution for obesity. It has been reported that bariatric procedures result in miscellaneous neurological complications. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case series to report the occurrence of MS following bariatric surgery. Here we report the cases of five patients who were recruited for inclusion following neurological examination, complete cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) study, enhanced cranial as well as spinal cord magnetic resonance (MR) images. Diagnosis of multiple sclerosis was made based on McDonalds criteria (2010). All cases were diagnosed with relapsing-remitting form of multiple sclerosis (RRMS) after various types of bariatric surgeries
Effect of levothyroxine plus liothyronine combination therapy on hypothyroid patients quality of life
Get PDFBackgroundLiothyronine combination with Levothyroxine(T4-T3) has been tried to improve the quality of life among hypothyroid patients on levothyroxine immunotherapy and normal thyroxine stimulating hormone levels. However, the efficacy of such a combination is unknown. The current review aimed to assess the effects of T4-T3 combination therapy on quality of life.AimsThe current review aimed to compare levothyroxine mono-therapy versus T4-T3 combination therapy on quality of life among hypothyroid patients.Methods The Pub Med and Google Scholar databases were systematically searched for relevant articles. Articles published in the English language from the first available article up to March 2020 were approached. The terms hypothyroidism, levothyroxine, and liothyronine were used. Out of hundred and eight articles retrieved, only six fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria.Results In majority of randomized control trials (4 out of 6 RCTs), T4/T3combination therapy fail to show superiority over the standard levothyroxine mono-therapy.ConclusionLevothyroxine remain the standard of care in hypothyroid patient