Management, Medication Use and Economic Burden of Asthma among Hajj and Umrah Pilgrims

Introduction:During Hajj and Umrah season, asthma-related acute admissions produce the enormous burden on healthcare facilities and causes delay in admissions for more severe cases, e.g. myocardial infarction,cardiac failureand severe trauma cases. Therefore, the snapshot of asthma-related admissions during the Hajj and Umrah season was determined by asthma-related admissions and medication use and economic burden during Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage season. Methodology:All asthma-related admissions during the month of Ramadan (fasting month) and Hajj pilgrimage were assessed from patients’data retrospectively. The convenience sampling strategy was used to retrievestudy variables. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 22.0 was used to analyze the data.Results:A total of 271 patients were selected as per inclusion criteria, the majority of them were males 153 (56.5%), while most of them were Saudi 70 (35.8%) and Egyptians 86 (31.7%). During hospitalization, the common treatment for acute exacerbations was inhaled corticosteroids 224 (86.3%), IV corticosteroids 129 (47.6%), Inhaled short-acting beta-agonists 244 (90%) and inhaled bronchodilators (ipratropium bromide) 237(87.5 5%). Conclusion:This periodic mapping of asthma-related admissions and its management during these massive gathering events is indeed a significant effort to explore issues of acute asthma exacerbations management and to provide information to plan for future interventions and policies.

Multilocus Sequence Typing Analysis of Invasive and Non-Invasive Group B Streptococcus of Hospital Origin in Malaysia

@#The aim of this study was to study the genotype of a hospital collection of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) from invasive and non-invasive sites. Fifty-one pre-characterised human of GBS were re-identified and further analysed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) in relation to previously published serotypes. Fifteen sequence types (ST) were found with ST1 being the most predominant. ST1 was also associated with majority of the invasive isolates. The genotypic distribution patterns of GBS in this study were largely in agreement with previous reports from other countries indicating the tendency of certain genotypes to prevail in human infection settings.

Growth, Body Composition and Resistance to Aeromonas hydrophila Challenge in Juvenile African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) Fed Diets Supplemented with Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis)

This study evaluates the growth, body composition, and resistance to Aeromonas hydrophila challenge in juvenile African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) fed diets supplemented with spirulina (Arthrospira platensis). Five experimental diets containing different percentages of locally grown dried spirulina (0, 1, 3, 5 and 7%) were fed daily to catfish juveniles at 5% of their body weight. The growth and body composition of the catfish were determined up to 90 days of the study period. At day 91, the catfish were intraperitoneally injected with 107 CFU/ml of virulent A. hydrophila. Generally, the growth and body composition of the catfish in spirulina inclusion groups showed no significant difference with the control group. The survival rate following A. hydrophila challenge was significantly low in the control group compared to all of the other treatment groups. After the challenge trial, only the white blood cell count value was significantly higher in all of the groups supplemented with spirulina compared to the control group. We concluded that the locally grown spirulina do not improve growth and body composition, but it increased the catfish resistance towards A. hydrophila infection.

Physalis minima Linn Methanolic Extract Reduces Blood Glucose Level without Compromising Sperm Quality in Normoglycaemic Mice.

Effects of Physalis minima Linn (PML) methanolic extract on blood glucose level and sperm quality of normoglycaemic mice have been investigated. Twenty four ICR male mice were randomly assigned to four groups and fed with maintenance diets (commercial rat chow, 5 g/head/day and water ad-libitum). Group A (n=6) served as a control and received additional 2 ml/kg bodyweight (bwt) of distilled water. Group B, C and D were supplemented with 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg bwt of PML, respectively. Bodyweight and blood glucose level were monitored on a weekly basis. After four weeks of treatment, all animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation and their epididymis was collected and subjected to sperm analysis. Bodyweight was increased (p<0.05) over time but no differences (p>0.05) were observed between treatments. Blood glucose was decreased significantly (p<0.05) in PML treated groups (dose dependent manner) compared to control. Sperm quality was not affected with PML supplementation. In conclusion, PML methanolic extract exhibit hypoglycaemic effect without affecting sperm quality in male mice.

Dental treatment of pediatric patients under general anesthesia at Prince Rashid Bin Al-Hassan Hospital: a retrospective study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the indications, characteristics of patients, and modalities of dental treatment of pediatric patients under general anesthesia at Prince Rashid military hospital in Irbid This was a hospital- based, non- comparative, retrospective study, conducted at Prince Rashid Bin Al-Hassan military hospital in the North of Jordan over a period of 7 years between January 2006 and February 2013. Medical records of all pediatric patients who were treated under general anaesthesia were included. Extracted data included: age, gender, indication for treatment, type of treatment and procedure[s], number of teeth treated, number of previous dental treatment under general anesthesia, general health status, outcome, and follow up period. All patients were preoperatively assessed for general anaesthesia fitness by a pediatrician. A total of 265 patients had dental treatment under general anesthesia, 144 [54.3%] males and 121 [45.7%] females with a male to female ratio of 1.2: 1 in both groups. The healthy patients were 226 [85.3%], 118 males and 108 females [male: female 1.1:1] and the disabled patients were 39 [14.7%], 28 males and 11 females [male: female 2.5: 1]. The mean age of the patients was 5.98 years with a range of 2.5 to 15 years. The commonest age group treated was 4 to 6 years and the least common was 13-18 years in both healthy and disabled patients. The main indication for treatment of disabled and healthy patients was extreme un-cooperation. The commonest dental treatment provided for healthy male patients was dental extraction and for healthy female patients was dental fillings, while in disabled patients it was dental extraction for both male and female patients. The majority of patients were treated once under general anesthesia although percentage of disabled patients treated more than one time under general anesthesia was slightly higher than healthy patients. The main cause of medical or mental disability was cerebral palsy and rare syndromes such as De Lange, Ellis Van Crevelled, Cockayne, and Sanjad Sakati. Follow up period ranged between 6 months and 7 years with an average of 2.8 years. Although dental treatment under general anesthesia is effective and has the privilege of comprehensive treatment being done in one visit, risks of general anesthesia pose limitations for its use. The main indication for treatment was extremely uncooperative children with extensive dental damage. The commonest dental treatment provided was extraction and rare syndromes were more frequently seen than previous reports

Frequency of abnormal waist circumference and associated risk factors in healthy adults

To find out the frequency of central obesity and risk factors for obesity based on waist circumference [WC] in healthy volunteers. This descriptive cross-sectional study in terms of data collection and analysis was conducted at Hayatabad Medical Complex [HMC] and Welfare Clinics in Peshawar City, from November 2005 till April 2006 [6 months]. A convenient sample of 1031 healthy volunteers accompanying their patient to Out Patient Department [OPD], Ward at HMC and at welfare clinics in the city were included in the study. A structured interview questionnaire was administered to all participants and their anthropometric measurements taken in standardized way. Out of 1031 individuals [778 males, 253 females] with mean age of 35.75 +/- 13.45 years, the frequency of high waist circumference was 57%, significantly higher in females [89%] compared to males [47%]. It increased with age peaking at 49-58 year age group and declining thereafter. Married subjects [67%], illiterates [69%], housewives [96%], car-owners [61%] and hypertensive subjects had significantly higher frequencies of increased waist circumference. Ethnicity [p=0.45], smoking [p=0.36] and awareness of risks [p=0.91] did not show significant association with frequency of increased waist. There is a very high frequency of increased waist circumference particularly among females. There is progressive increase in waist with increasing age with a decline later in life. There is positive association of increased waist with occupation, educational status, use of cars and married marital status. There is no association of high waist with smoking, awareness or ethnicity