Family violence among female medical students: its prevalence and impact on their mental health status - a cross-sectional study

Violence against women is recognized worldwide as a major public health problem. Studies show that violence affects the mental well-being of the victims. The study explores the prevalence of family violence among Saudi female medical students and its relationship with students' mental well-being and seeks to identify the effect of violence on students' academic achievements. This was a cross-sectional study on 1st- to 5th year Saudi female medical students, utilizing a validated violence screening questionnaire that asked the respondents about how often they were physically Hurt, Insulted, Threatened with harm, and Screamed at [HITS]. Furthermore, the study administered a validated mental well-being questionnaire, the Mental Health Inventory 5 [MHI-5], for the assessment of the mental status of the respondents. The analyses included simple univariate analyses, bivariate analyses and linear regression modelling. Of the total of 460 Saudi female medical students, 363 [79%] students participated in this study. Nineteen [5.3%] students confirmed being the victims of family violence. The victims had a mean MHI-5 score of 52%. A negative correlation was observed between violence and mental well-being scores. Significant association between the MHI-5 score and academic achievement was observed. The prevalence of family violence in this study is less than the reported figures in other studies. We could not demonstrate a direct relationship between family violence and academic achievement. Students' academic achievement was indirectly associated with the presence of family violence through changes in mental well-being

Lung filnctions in poorly controlled type 1 Saudi diabetic children and adolescents

To determine the lung function among Saudi type 1 diabetes mellitus [T1DM] children and adolescents. This study was conducted in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Pulmonology and University Diabetes Centre, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from December 2008 to July 2010. A group of 52 [26 male and 26 female] volunteer T1DM children were recruited with an age range from 8-14 years [mean 12.05 +/- 1.42 years], mean duration of disease of 5.25 +/- 0.47 years, and mean glycosylated hemoglobin of 11.27 +/- 0.31%. Spirometry was performed on an Electronic Spirometer [Compact Vitalograph, Stockwell, London, UK]. Pulmonary function in children with diabetes showed significant lower mean values of actual lung function parameters forced vital capacity [FVC], peak expiratory flow [PEF], and maximum mid expiratory flow rate [MMEF] compared to their predicted values. However, there was no significant reduction in the actual forced expiratory volume in the first second [FEV1], and FEV1/FVC% compared to their predicted values. The actual lung function data among Saudi T1DM children and adolescents showed significantly lower values of FVC, PEF, and MMEF compared to the predicted lung function data

Smoking among Saudi university students: consumption patterns and risk factors

Tobacco use is increasing among young people, especially in Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence and behavioural patterns of tobacco use among undergraduate students at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during the academic year 2008/09 and investigate factors that influenced their tobacco use. A cross-sectional study was done of a representative sample [n = 6793] of the undergraduate student population using a modified version of the global youth tobacco survey questionnaire. The prevalence of smoking was 14.5% among students, 22.2% and 2.2% among fathers and mothers and 43.1% and 14.8% for male and female siblings; 15.0% reported all or most of theirfriends smoked. The most important independent predictors of smoking were: friends' smoking [some: OR - 6.7 and all: OR - 54.9], sister's smoking [OR - 2.2], mother's smoking [OR = 2.1], single status [OR -1.7] and age [OR -1.18]

laryngeal presentation of Churg-Strauss syndrome in childhood

A 10- year-old female, known to have bronchial asthma, presented with an unusual laryngeal lesion, eventually diagnosed as Churg-Strauss syndrome [CSS]. She was referred to our hospital with history of recurrent stridor. On endoscopyhe, the larynx showed signs similar to recurrent respiratory papillomatosis [RRP]. CSS is a systemic disorder and is now defined as one of the ANCA [antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies]-associated vasculitides. CSS is a systemic disease that may involve unusual sites like the larynx. Such an unusual presenatation of CSS should be kept in mind, especially in patients with history of asthma

Assessment of the accuracy of death certification at two referral hospitals

Death certification is a vital source of information used in mortality statistics worldwide to assess the health of the general population. This study focuses on the consistency of information between the death reports and the clinical records [files] of deceased patients in two hospitals: the King Khalid University Hospital [KKUH] and King Fahad National Guard hospital [KFNGH] in Saudi Arabia. A random sample of the records of 157 deceased patients' registered in 2002 in the two hospitals was retrospectively reviewed independently to determine the underlying cause of death and compare them with death reports. It was also to check the accuracy of the translation from English in to Arabic. It was found that the underlying cause of death was misdiagnosed in 80.3% of the death reports. When the two hospitals were compared, no significant difference was observed [p>0.05]. In addition, 81.8% of the accurate [correct] death reports in both hospitals were of patients who had died of a malignant disease. However, the translation of the underlying cause of death in KFNGH was correct in 86.1% of the death reports, while in KKUH it was only 25%, which is highly statistically significant [p<0.0001]. With the limitation of studying only a small number of cases, these results indicate a discrepancy between the file and death reports in relation to the cause of death. Also, the translation of the cause of death was inconsistent in the two hospitals. Hence, there is a real need to adopt suitable measures to improve the quality of death certification

Synthesis and in vitro antitumor activity of some fused pyrazole and pyrazoline ring systems

This research work describes the synthesis of some pyrazole and pyrazoline fused ring systems substituted with variable biologically-active chemical species. All of the newly synthesized target compounds were selected by the NCI for in-vitro antitumor screening. Six compounds namely, 3, 4a,b, 5a,b and 9a have passed successfully through the primary 3-cell line assay and were promoted for the full panel 60-cell line assay. These active compounds exhibited broad spectrum of antitumor activity against most of the tested tumor cell lines. Compound 5a proved to be the most active antitumor agent in the present study with GI[50], TGI and LC[50] MG-MID values of 8.12, 25.7 and 69.2 microM, respectively, with high sensitivity towards some leukemia, melanoma and renal cell lines. The other five active compounds showed variable degrees of appreciable antitumor activity [GI[50] and TGI MG-MID values range 14.1-19.5 and 38.0-53.7 micro M, respectively]

Reversible pulmonary hypertension post adenotonsillectomy

An 18-month-old boy presented with signs and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension of 12 months duration. Confirmatory laboratory studies, in the form of echocardiography and overnight oximetry, were carried out, which showed hypoxemia and severe pulmonary hypertension. He had adenotonsillectomy, which resulted in complete resolution of signs and symptoms of pulmonary hypertension. Chronic upper airway obstruction should not be overlooked as it is a reversible cause of pulmonary hypertension

Cardiac diseases as a risk factor for stroke in Saudi children

To ascertain the role of cardiac diseases as a risk factor for stroke in a cohort of Saudi children who were evaluated in a retrospective and prospective study. Children with cardiac diseases were identified from within a cohort of 104 Saudi children who presented with stroke. They were seen as inpatients in the Pediatric Wards or evaluated at the Outpatient Clinics of the Division of Pediatric Neurology [DPN], and the Division of Pediatric Cardiology at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the periods July 1992 to February 2001 [retrospective study] and February 2001 to March 2003 [prospective study]. A comprehensive form for clinical, neuroimaging, neurophysiological and laboratory data retrieval was designed and completed for each patient. Cardiac evaluation included 12-lead ECG and serial echocardiograms. Cardiac catheterization and 24-hour ambulatory ECG [Holter] were conducted on clinical discretion. Cardiac diseases were the underlying risk factor for stroke in 6 [5.8%] of the 104 children [aged one month to 12 years]. The patients [4 males and 2 females] were evaluated at the DPN at a mean age of 5.3 years [range = 1 - 8 years; median 6.5 years]. Onset of stroke was at a mean age of 34 months [range = 4 months - 8 years; median = 30 months]. Five patients had stroke in association with congenital heart disease [CHD], whereas the sixth had restrictive cardiomyopathy. The identified CHD consisted of membranous ventricular septal defect in a 5-year-old boy who had moyamoya syndrome and sickle cell beta - thalassemia, asymptomatic patent ductus arteriosus [PDA] in a 17-month-old girl, atrioventricular canal defect and PDA in an 8-year-old boy who also had Down syndrome, partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage in a one-year-old boy, and Tetralogy of Fallot in an 8-year-old boy. The latter patient developed hemiparesis secondary to a septic embolus, which evolved into brain abscess involving the right fronto-parietal region. This was successfully managed surgically. The sixth patient was an 8 1/2 -year-old girl who had hemiparesis and complex partial seizure in association with restrictive cardiomyopathy. Serial echocardiograms depicted resolution of the cardiac abnormalities within 5 years and subsequent normal findings. Cardiac diseases, as a group, constitute a significant risk factor for stroke in Saudi children. Early diagnosis of these diseases is important to prevent further recurrences of stroke, and because some of them are potentially curable.

role of helicobacter pylori in esophagitis and peptic ulcer disease in Iraq

The objectives of this study are to determine the prevalences of Helicobacter pylori [H.pylori] infection in symptomatic, but endoscopically normal patients as well as in patients with endoscopically and histologically proven esophagitis, gastritis, duodenitis, duodenal ulcer, and gastric ulcer. The study extended over the period November 1999 through June 2000. Biopsy specimens were harvested from intact areas of gastric antral mucosa, duodenal bulb, gastric body and lower third of esophagus of each one of 200 patients undergoing eseophago-gastro-duodenoscopy in endoscopy unit of Tikrit General Hospital [TGH], Salahuddin Governorate, Tikrit City, Iraq. The biopsies were submitted for histopathological, cultural and biochemical investigations. Seven biopsy samples were taken from each patient. Written consent was taken from each patient. The patients were pooled from various districts of the governorate. Results:Helicobacter pylori was detected in antral biopsies of the following categories of patients: in 73.9% of patients with endoscopic gastritis, in 75% of patients with gastric ulcers, in 86% of patients with endoscopic duodenitis, in 88.6% of patients with duodenal ulcers and in 57.7% of patients with endoscopic esophagitis, but absent in all patients with totally normal endoscopies. Although H.pylori has no role in the development of esophagitis, it is a prevalent pathogen and is associated with many gastro-intestinal diseases and has an important role in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer disease and gastritis in our district

Brain tumours: analysis of signs and symptoms in fifty Iraqi patients

Fiftypatienrs having brain tumors were studied, their signs and symptoms were analyzed. There was no sex preponderance; headache was the commonest symptom. Eighty-six% of the patients experienced headache, in 56% of them headache formed a chief complaint. Visual disturbance was the second most common symptoms, it occurred in 58% of patients. Papilodema was present in 70% of patients. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was not elevated in patients with primary intracranial tumours. Skull x-ray was not helpful in the diagnosis while CT scan was the mainstay in the diagnosis of a brain tumour