Tobacco smoking in Egypt: a scoping literature review of its epidemiology and control measures

Background: According to World Health Organization [WHO] reports, the prevalence of smoking is increasing in many developing countries, including Egypt. The aim of this study is to summarize the published data in the literature about tobacco smoking in Egypt. Methods: A computerized literature search of PubMed and relevant Egyptian journals was conducted using the relevant keywords. The findings of retrieved studies were extracted and discussed in a narrative approach. Results: Our search retrieved 44 relevant studies. The most updated prevalence of tobacco smoking in Egypt is 22% in 2010 and is increasing. Highly significant odds ratios were reported for sibling, parent, and peer smoking as risk factors for smoking. Cardiovascular disorders, malignant tumors, and erectile dysfunction are common complications of smoking in the Egyptian population. Efforts to control tobacco smoking are available, but inadequate. Conclusions: Tobacco smoking is a prevalent health problem in Egypt, associated with cardiovascular disorders and malignant tumors. Health education programmes should be delivered through mass media and school-based programmes to reach a large section of the Egyptian population

Retrospective study of the corticosteroids administration in glioblastoma patients as a prognostic factor in the disease

Background: Glioblastoma multiforme [GBM] is the most common and most malignant of the glial tumors. Optimum management consists of maximal safe surgical resection, followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy treatment then adjuvant chemotherapy with temozolomide. A considerable part from the care of patients with GBM involves general medical management, containing corticosteroids. Despite steroids common use, there is experimental and clinical evidence that corticosteroids have direct effects on tumor cell proliferation and apoptosis

Aim of the Work: was to discuss the clinical relation between corticosteroids usage in Glioblastoma Multiforme [GBM] patients and quality of life as well as the disease progression free survival according to the recorded data from the joined hospitals

Patients and Methods: Retrospective analysis of 66 adult patients diagnosed with GBM by surgery or imaging criteria. In order to assess the relation between corticosteroid dependence and the survival, patients were recruited into two groups [arms] according to dependency. Arm [A] was steroid dependent [34 patients] and arm [B] was steroid non-dependent [32 patients]

Results: Corticosteroids dependency was statistically significant correlated to both Overall Survival [OS] [median 2.5 in arm [A] vs. 13.1 months in the arm [B], p < 0.001], and Progression-free survival ratio [PFS] [median 2.3 in arm [A] vs. 9.4 months in arm [B], p = 0.035]. Also, steroid dependency was independent prognostic factor by doing the COX regression analysis

Conclusion: Dependence on corticosteroids during course of treatment is identified as a poor prognostic factor