Impact of diabetes on hospital adverse cardiovascular outcomes in acute coronary syndrome patients: Data from the Saudi project of acute coronary events

Diabetes mellitus [DM] is a major public health problem in Saudi Arabia. DM patients who present with acute coronary syndrome [ACS] have worse cardiovascular outcomes. We characterized clinical features and hospital outcomes of diabetic patients with ACS in Saudi Arabia. ACS patients enrolled in the Saudi Project for Assessment of Acute Coronary Syndrome [SPACE] study from December 2005 to December 2007, either with DM or newly diagnosed during hospitalization were eligible. Baseline demographics, clinical presentation, therapies, and in-hospital outcomes were compared with non-diabetic patients. Of the 5055 ACS patients enrolled in SPACE, 2929 [58.1%] had DM [mean age 60.2 +/- 11.5, 71.6% male, and 87.6% Saudi nationals]. Diabetic patients had higher risk-factor [e.g., hypertension, hyperlipidemia] prevalences and were more likely to present with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction [40.2% vs. 31.4%, p < 0.001], heart failure [25.4% vs. 13.9%, p < 0.001], significant left ventricular systolic dysfunction and multi-vessel disease. Diabetic patients had higher in-hospital heart failure, cardiogenic shock, and re-infarction rates. Adjusted odds ratio for in-hospital mortality in diabetic patients was 1.83 [95% CI, 1.02-3.30, p = 0.042]. A substantial proportion of Saudi patients presenting with ACS have DM and a significantly worse prognosis. These data highlight the importance of cardiovascular preventative interventions in the general population.

Renal cell carcinoma: Clinico-pathological retrospective study on Yemeni patients

The aim of this study is to highlight the pattern of renal cell carcinoma among Yemeni patients and to correlate this type of cancer with some epidemiological risk factors. The clinical records of 22 patients with renal cell carcinoma, admitted to Al-Gamhoria Teaching Hospital in Aden and Ibn-Khaldoon General Hospital in Lahj Governorate between 1999 - 2002, were studied retrospectively. The mean age of the male patients was 55 years, and the females was 45 years. Renal cell carcinoma was more common in males than females, with a ratio of 2:1. Smoking habits was found in association with the disease in 73.3% of the male patients. Patients with blood group A were with higher rate [54.6%] of RCC than patients with other blood groups. Renal cell carcinoma affected the left kidney more than the right kidney. One third of the patients presented classical triad [hematuria, pain, mass]. Anemia and increased ESR were found in 77% and 91% of the cases respectively. Renal failure was present in 9% of the cases. Clear cell type was the most common pathological variant of RCC with 77%. We concluded that further studies of RCC in larger series are needed to elucidate the frequency, types, risk factors, and the relationship between blood group and renal cell cancers

Fine needle aspiration biopsy of the thyroid gland: a retrospective study of 184 cases

The aim of this retrospective study is to analyze the frequency of nodular thyroid and to determine the incidence of benign diseases and thyroid cancer among patients who underwent fine needle aspiration biopsy. The study is based on cytopathology reports of all thyroid FNAB performed at The New Modern Histopathological Laboratory in Al-Mansourah, Aden, from 2006-2007, which are reviewed and data of final pathologic results, such as sex, age, and residential area were obtained. The total cytopathology reports were 184. Females were predominantly affected by thyroid nodules with a female to male ratio of 8.7:1. In general, the mean age was 36.45 +/- 11.3 years. Males had a higher mean age [43.2 +/- 12.5 years] compared to females [35.7 +/- 10.8 years]. Most of the patients [131], representing [71.2%], were from Ibb Governorate. The benign thyroid diseases, reported in this study, were: nodular colloid goiter 101 cases [54.9%], follicular adenoma 35 cases [19%], diffuse colloid goiter 12 cases [6.5%], Hashimoto's thyroiditis 10 cases [5.4%], toxic diffuse goiter 8 cases [4.4%], multinodular goiter 7 cases [3.8%], Thyroid cyst 7 cases [3,8%]. Thyroid malignancy is represented exclusively by papillary carcinoma only; it was found in 4 cases [2.2%]. A significant difference was found in the occurrence of thyroid diseases between females and males [p < 0.05]. In conclusion, these results are in accordance with those of previous studies done in Yemen, and it provides useful information for further studies