Relationship of Dental Caries and Body Mass Index amongst School Children in Hail, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

ABSTRACT Objective: To determine caries prevalence and its association with body mass index in school children between 9-12 years of age in Hail, Saudi Arabia. Material and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study included 524 school children 9-12 years of age. These children were selected from 9 Public schools in Hail Province. Dental caries was recorded as per criteria established by the World Health Organization using assessment form for children 2013. Children were weighed using an electronic scale nearest to 0.1 kg with children attired in light clothing and wearing no shoes. The height was measured using a stadiometer to the nearest full centimeter with the children in a standing position. Body Mass Index (BMI) was determined using the formula BMI = kg/m2. Results: Caries prevalence in the population was 86%. The comparisons of mean DMFT between the groups demonstrate higher scores in the overweight group (mean=2.43) compared to normal weight (mean=1.85) and underweight children (mean=1.56) which is statistically significant (p=0.000). Bonferroni Post hoc test to compare the underweight and overweight group (p=0.000) and overweight and normal weight (p=0.000) were highly significant. Conclusion: A positive correlation of caries severity, namely DMFT, with BMI is established.

Paracetamol versus meperidine for relief of labour pain in primiparous women: a randomized controlled trial

Background: Most parturient women request analgesia, of which, there are two types; opioids and non-opioids. Opioids include morphine and meperidine, while non-opioids, which are milder forms of painkillers, include acetaminophen (paracetamol) and non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs. The major concerns associated with opioids are the risk of neonatal respiratory depression, the cost and availability.Methods: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of paracetamol versus meperidine for intra-partum pain relief. A total of 92 primiparous singleton term pregnant women were randomly allocated to receive intravenous paracetamol (1000 mg), or intramuscular meperidine (50 mg), at the beginning of the active phase of labor. The primary outcome was the labor pain perception, assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS), at baseline, 15, 30, 60 and 120 minutes after administration of the drug.Results: Women of both groups showed significant reduction of the VAS after administration of the medication. There were no differences between both groups regarding the mode of delivery and the durations of the first or second stages of labor. However, meperidine was associated with higher rates of dizziness and nausea/vomiting. The 1-min Apgar scores were significantly lower in meperidine group. However, there were no differences in the 5-min Apgar score, need for neonatal resuscitation or neonatal respiratory distress.Conclusions: intravenous paracetamol as analgesia during labor is effective with no fetal or maternal adverse effects. Its use should have more chance for intrapartum pain relief. Additionally, it can be used as adjuvant with other types of analgesics.

Effect of oxytocin infusion versus tranexamic acid on reducing blood loss during hysteroscopic myomectomy: a randomized controlled trial

Background: Women undergoing hysteroscopic myomectomy are prone to significant blood loss and hematological disturbances. Oxytocin is a uterotonic drug, used mainly in obstetric practice. Tranexamic acid is a haemostatic drug that has been used to reduce blood loss after trauma and in many surgeries. The aim of our study was to compare the safety and efficacy of oxytocin versus tranexamic acid in reducing perioperative blood loss during hysteroscopic myomectomy.Methods: This study included 60 patients scheduled for hysteroscopic myomectomy allocated into 2 groups: group A: received 10 mg/kg of tranexamic acid slowly intravenous after induction of anesthesia, while group B: received infusion of 10 IU of oxytocin at a rate of 400 mIU/min throughout the procedure. Preoperative and postoperative hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, need for blood transfusion, duration of operation, complications and medications adverse effects were recorded.Results: The 2 groups were comparable in terms of the mean difference between preoperative and postoperative hemoglobin a hematocrit levels, operative time, operative complication and medications’ adverse effects. No patients needed blood component transfusion in either group.Conclusions: It can be concluded that tranexamic acid and oxytocin are equally effective in reducing blood loss and transfusion requirements during hysteroscopic myomectomy with comparable good safety profiles. Both of them can be used according to availability and surgeon preferences.

Assessment of the prevalence of abnormal hysteroscopic findings in infertile women undergoing ART

Background: The endometrium plays an important role in implantation of good quality embryos in ART. Many studies have proved the negative impact of intra uterine pathologies on reproductive outcome whether spontaneous pregnancy or ART, because uterine anomalies may be associated with many obstetric complications such as miscarriage, preterm birth, premature rupture of membrane, malpresentation, postpartum bleeding and retained placenta. Aim of the work: This study aims to assess the prevalence of abnormal hysteroscopic findings among infertile women undergoing ART at Ain Shams Maternity University Hospital over the period from January 2007 to January 2017. Patients and Methods: This descriptive retrospective study was carried out on infertile couples planned for ART who were sent to ECDU for hysteroscopy in Early Cancer Detection Unit (ECDU), Ain Shams University Maternity Hospital. Case reports From January 2007 to January 2017 were reviewed. Results: The most prevalent congenital abnormality was endometrial polyp (18.4%) followed by uterine septum (6.9%). Conclusion: This study concluded that the most common uterine abnormality was endometrial polyp (18.4%), followed by uterine septum in 6.9% of patients. Also, thick endometrium was very common with a prevalence of 12.9%. Therefore, based on this high prevalence of abnormalities, this study is in agreement with the opinion that all women should be offered hysteroscopy, even if they have normal vaginal ultrasound and hysterosalpingography, because this is supposed to increase the detection rate of minor abnormalities, which theoretically will improve the reproductive outcome. Still, further interventional randomized controlled trials (RCT) are needed to verify the positive impact of routine use of hysteroscopy prior to ART

Prevalence of tobacco usage and its effect on the periodontal health parameters in the mining employees and the general population - A comparative study

Objective: Comparison of the prevalence of usage of tobacco products and its effect on the periodontal health parameters of the mining laborers and the general population of Udaipur city, India. Materials and methods: the cross sectional study was performed on the sample of 980 adults including 500 mining employees and 480 subjects from the general population. The presence or absence of the tobacco products usage was noted. The ADA type III examination using the community periodontal probe was done. The data obtained was subjected to chi-square and Cramer' v statistical analysis. Results: 79.40% of the mining-employees and 61.67% of the general population used different tobacco products, the difference noted was statistically significant (p=0.000). The most common periodontal condition amongst the mining employees and the general population was the presence of calculus (39% and 35.63% respectively) followed by the 4-5mm periodontal probing depth (29.20% and 26.04% respectively). The difference spotted was significant (p=0.018). There was statistically significant difference between the tobacco users and non- users for the different periodontal conditions (p=0.000). Conclusion: the tobacco product usage was high in mining employees group. There was a positive correlation between the usage of tobacco products and the periodontal health parameters (AU)

Formulation and Evaluation of Ketoconazole Polymeric Films for Topical Application.

The objective of the current paper was to prepare and evaluate various polymeric films for fungal infection treatment and its impact on volunteer patients. Different Eudragit polymeric films containing Ketoconazole as antifungal drug were prepared by solvent casting technique. The prepared films were tested for their physicomechanical properties as tensile strength, physical endurance, elasticity, water vapor permeation and water loss. The release of ketoconazole from the prepared medicated films was examined. It is involved 20 volunteers suffering from legs fungal infection. Ten of the patients used the films and a follow up study was carried out for 14 days, in comparison with other patients who applied ketoconazole medicated ointment, cream gel and Emulgel. The results revealed that films prepared with Eudragit RL 100 containing glyceryl triacetate produced maximum release of ketoconazole both In vitro and In vivo as compared with other topical dosage forms as ointment, cream, gel and Emulgel. Moreover, the films constitute a simple and convenient method for treatment of various fungal infections. As conclusion, the use of antifungal drugs such as Ketoconazole incorporated in polymeric films, the output results provided promised evidence in the treatment of dermatophytosis.

Health education materials for Arab patients: content and design preferences

To investigate the content and design preferences of printed health education leaflets among Arab patients. A survey questionnaire to 17 subjects [women: n = 8, men: n = 9; age range 17-70 years] and three focus-group discussions [total 16 participants] were used to assess preferences by showing samples of Arabic health education materials. The questionnaire was administered by interviewers. For the focus-group discussions, the sessions were conducted by a trained interviewer, audio recorded and analyzed thematically. The subjects' educational level was from no formal schooling to university level. In survey component, all patients preferred photographs over clipart. Typeface ['font'] preferences were for Simplified Arabic in 8 subjects [47%] and Mudir MT in 7 [41%]; the 16-point font size was favored by 14 [82%] patients. In the three focus-group discussions, themes that participants expressed included use of standard Arabic with local dialects, short sentences, and culturally appropriate advice with practical and quantifiable examples. The participants preferred health education materials to be color trifold brochures illustrated with pictures and not clipart and written in Arabic using the Simplified Arabic font in 16-point size

Prevalence of chlamydophila pneumoniae in patients with pneumonia in the Main University Hospital in Alexandria

Pneumonia is a common illness in all parts of the world. It is a major cause of death among all age groups and is the leading cause of death in children in low income countries. This prospective study was done at Department of chest diseases and microbiology from January 2011 to July 2011. A total of 60 patients, with pneumonia were included in the study. The present study was conducted on 60 patients with pneumonia who have been admitted to the Chest Department in the Main University Hospital in Alexandria [55 patients] and El Maamoura Chest Hospital [5 patients] in the period from January 2011 to April 2011. The patients were subdivided into 2 groups: group I includes 30 patients with CAP and group II includes 30 patients with HAP; 16 patients with COPD, 7 patients with bronchial asthma, 4 patients with bronchogenic carcinoma and 3 patients with ILF. We can conclude that, Chlamydophila pneumoniae cannot be ignored as a cause of pneumonia. ELISA is an excellent screening test because of its high sensitivity for detection of C. pneumoniae while PCR is more accurate because of its high sensitivity and high specificity in diagnosis of C. pneumoniae infection.DM is a risk factor for C. pneumoniae infection