comparison of red-green color vision deficiency between medical and non-medical students in Pakistan

To investigate the prevalence of red-green color vision deficiency [CVD] among medical and dental students compared with non-medical students. This descriptive, cross-sectional study compared the prevalence of CVD between medical and non-medical Pakistani students. A total of 926 medical and dental students from Baqai Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan were compared with 7288 non-medical students from Nadirshaw Edulji Dinshaw University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan, and Pakistan Air Force [PAF] Public Schools [Muree and Sargodha], Pakistan. Standard Ishihara color vision charts were used, which provided an accurate assessment of CVD. More than 3 mistakes from plates 10-17 identified students as having red green CVD. The study was carried out from September 2003 to December 2008. The overall prevalence of CVD in the study population was 2.75%. They were no significant differences between male students in engineering college versus medical college [2.7% versus 4.4%, p=0.125], or between schools and universities [3.1% versus 3.1%, p=0.930]. A small proportion of the Pakistani population suffers from red-green CVD, more prominent in males. We found no differences between students in engineering college versus medical college, or between schools and universities in different geographical locations within Pakistan

Reference range values of fractional exhaled nitric oxide in healthy Arab adult males

To determine the reference values of the fraction of exhaled nitric oxide [FENO] among healthy, non-smoking male adults and its correlation with age, height, weight, and body mass index [BMI]. This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Departments of Physiology and Medicine, College of Medicine and King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, from September 2007 to August 2008 on healthy non-atopic, non-smoking male Saudi subjects. The FENO was measured online using the single-breath technique according to recent guidelines of the American Thoracic Society [ATS]. We studied 121 subjects with a mean age of 31.00 +/- 12.24 years, BMI of 27.23 +/- 6.64, and FEV1/FVC 85% [81-92%]. The FENO ranged between 7.66 parts per billion [ppb] and 46.6 ppb [mean 22.79 +/- 8.13], with >84% of subjects recording levels <30 ppb and >95% with levels <40 ppb. The FENO negatively correlated with body weight [r=0.3888, p=0.001] and BMI [r=0.238, p=0.009]. No correlation was observed between FENO, FEV1/FVC ratio, age, and height. The reference values of FENO for non-smoking, non-atopic male Saudi adults fall between 7.66 and 46.6 ppb [mean 22.79 +/- 8.13], similar to other populations. The FENO negatively correlates with body weight and BMI