Prevalence of tuberculosis among HIV patients in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Background: Tuberculosis [TB] is the commonest infection that has been reported in HIV/AIDS patients in developing countries. This cross sectional study has been conducted in the chest clinic, King Abdulaziz Hospital and Oncology Center to evaluate the prevalence of TB among these patients in Saudi Arabia

Methods: across sectional survey has been conducted in the City of Jeddah, Chest Department, King Abdul-Aziz Hospital and Oncology Center of total 172 HIV positive patients

Conclusion: we have found that the majority of HIV/AIDS patients had tuberculosis and the rest of them had a high susceptibility to get it. Radiograph has also TB findings .TB can occur at any stage of CD4+T cells depletion

Rickets among Saudi infants in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Background: In most developing countries, nutritional rickets is a major health problem. The aim of this study was to explore the magnitude of nutritional rickets among Saudi infants, and the various clinical presentations, as well as to address the possible operating risk factors behind the disease

Methods: Cross sectional study has been conducted among Infants, aged 4 - 24 months, who were seen and evaluated, at King Abdulaziz Hospital and Oncology center, pediatrics endocrine clinic in Jeddah - Saudi Arabia, during the period from January 2015 to December 2016, and confirmed to have rickets were included

Conclusion: Infants under 2 years of age are liable to have vitamin D deficiency and rickets, if they are exclusively breast fed and having inadequate exposure to sunlight. Delayed introduction of complementary foods and malnutrition are also important contributing factors in nutritional rickets. Vitamin D deficiency can present with variety of symptoms other than musculoskeletal symptoms like recurrent acute respiratory, diarrhea and seizures

Aspergillus flavus-induced brain abscess in an immunocompetent child: case report

Intracranial aspergillosis is an extremely rare manifestation of invasive aspergillosis in immunocompetent children and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. We report a 12-year-old immunocompetent male child who was referred to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May 2010 after a sudden-onset headache and loss of consciousness. Brain imaging revealed a large right space-occupying occipital lesion and the patient underwent a craniotomy and resection. Histopathology of the lesion revealed necrotising granulomatous fungal encephalitis with many hyphae engulfed by multinucleated giant histiocytes. Two days later, a computed tomography scan showed debulking of the fungal mass and the patient was discharged on oral voriconazole. However, imaging at a six-week follow-up showed progression of the abnormality. A residual or persistent fungal brain lesion was suspected. Further neurosurgical resection of the lesion was performed and cultures showed growth of Aspergillus flavus. The patient was treated successfully with antifungal therapy over the following two years

Localized maxillary ridge augmentation using onlay technique with a xenograft block for dental implant placement a case series

Xenograft bone blocks are made from animal derived bone, and are available as an "off the shelf" alternative to autogenous block grafting, in attempt to reduce post surgical morbidity. This case series of eight patients look at the success rate of using xenograft blocks for localised maxillary ridge augmentation for dental implant rehabilitation. In 2011, 8 patients presenting with missing incisor teeth and advanced bony defects at the missing tooth area, necessitating block onlay grafting prior to their implant treatment were rehabilitated using xenograft onlay grafting technique to restore the bone volume before implant placement. These xenogenic bone blocks [SP OsteoBiol Spongiosa blocks by Tecnoss Ltd, Torino-Italy] are equine cancellous bone with preserved collagen content. 7 out of 8 patients [87.5%] healed with no complications and their blocks were well integrated allowing for uneventful implant placement at each site. One out of 8 patients [12.5%] reported with infection and a failed block. These early results compare favourably with those from reports on the use of autogenous blocks when used in maxillary ridge onlay augmentation. However, this case series is limited to maxillary onlay grafting and reports on cases with a considerably short follow up. More well conducted clinical and histological studies are required to test the long term efficacy of the use of xenograft blocks in maxillary ridge augmentation

Hypolipidemic effect of silymarin in dyslipidaemia of different etiologies

Many drug and non drug approaches are utilized for the treatment of dyslipidemia; flavonoids, the major constituents of silymarin, have been proved to positively modify lipoproteins in experimentally - induced dyslipidemia. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of silymarin, when used alone or in combination with other hypolipidemic agents, on the lipid profile in dyslipidemic patients. Fifty seven patients with dyslipidaemia of various etiologies are involved in this clinical trial. They are randomized into three groups treated with either 400mg / day silymarin [gr. A] or 20 mg / day lovastatin [gr. B] or a combination of 200 mg/day silymarin and 10 mg/day lovastatin [gr. C] for 2 months, only 45 patients complete the study. Serum lipid profile [total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-C, VLDL-C and HDL-C] and liver functions indices [SGOT, SGPT, total bilirubin] were evaluated each month during the follow up period. Treatment with silymarin results in a significant decrease in TC, TG, LDL-C and VLDL-C levels, with a significant elevation in HDL-C levels, without any significant changes in liver function. Meanwhile, adjunct use of silymarin with lovastatin widens the scope of lovastatin-hypolipidemic effect, without increasing in the score of adverse effects, and ameliorating the hepatic damage emerged due to its use. The results presented in this study indicated that silymarin can be used alone in clinical practice for the treatment of dyslipidemia, and when combined with other hypolipidemic agents like lovastatin, improves therapeutic profile and ameliorate some of its adverse effects