ABSTRACT
One hundred and twenty eight children suffering from leukaemia were admitted to King Fahd Hospital of the University in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia during the period of January 1982-December 1992. Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia was the most common whilst chronic granulocytic leukaemia the least common among the studied group.
Subject(s)
Leukemia , Adolescent , Age Distribution , Child , Child, Preschool , Hospitals, University , Humans , Incidence , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Leukemia/classification , Leukemia/epidemiology , Leukemia/pathology , Saudi Arabia/epidemiology , Sex DistributionABSTRACT
Two sisters, aged 6 and 2 1/2 years, presented with macrocephaly and delayed motor development and were found on computerized tomography to have bilateral arachnoid cysts of the sylvian region. Cystoperitoneal shunting of the larger cysts resulted in considerable neurological improvement in both children. Subsequent screening of the patients' urine for organic acids showed that the two sisters were suffering from glutaric aciduria type I (GA-I). To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report to provide clear radiological and surgical evidence of the association between GA-I and bilateral arachnoid cysts of the sylvian region. The role of the shunting procedure used in these cases is discussed.
Subject(s)
Arachnoid Cysts/complications , Arachnoid Cysts/genetics , Cerebral Aqueduct , Glutarates/urine , Arachnoid Cysts/diagnostic imaging , Cerebral Aqueduct/diagnostic imaging , Cerebral Aqueduct/surgery , Child , Child, Preschool , Drainage , Female , Humans , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
Cord blood specimens from 513 normal Saudi neonates from the Eastern Province were screened for the deficiency of erythrocyte pyruvate kinase enzyme using the fluorescent spot test. The enzyme activity of the deficient specimens and 108 randomly selected samples was assayed spectrophotometrically. The results indicate that the incidence of this enzyme deficiency is 3.12% which is higher than that reported previously. The findings are compared with those reported by others and the possible factor responsible for the high incidence of this deficiency is discussed.
Subject(s)
Erythrocytes/enzymology , Fetal Blood/enzymology , Pyruvate Kinase/deficiency , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Pyruvate Kinase/blood , Saudi ArabiaABSTRACT
The identification of hepatic granuloma (HG) as a histiocytic or epithelioid cell collection is generally an easy task for the pathologist. However, most workers agree that arriving at a specific etiologic diagnosis, based solely on the morphology of the granuloma, may prove quite a tedious exercise. Of 404 histologically reviewed liver biopsies from 404 patients, 40 were normal, 62 showed carcinoma, and 243 revealed evidence of either acute or chronic nongranulomatous liver disease (NGLD). The remaining 59 biopsies had HG, constituting an incidence figure of 14.6%. The latter 59 patients qualified for further clinicopathological analysis, which constituted the material for this study. The HG was due to schistosomiasis in 32, tuberculosis in 19, brucellosis in four, drugs in two, and to typhoid and ruptured fat cysts (lipogranuloma) in one patient each. The study was done to delineate the histological and other features that might be of value in identifying the etiology of HG.
Subject(s)
Granuloma/epidemiology , Liver Diseases/epidemiology , Liver/pathology , Adult , Biopsy , Female , Granuloma/etiology , Humans , Incidence , Liver Diseases/etiology , Liver Diseases, Parasitic/epidemiology , Male , Saudi Arabia/epidemiology , Schistosomiasis/epidemiology , Tuberculosis, Hepatic/epidemiologySubject(s)
Ductus Arteriosus, Patent/drug therapy , Ductus Arteriosus/anatomy & histology , Ductus Arteriosus/physiology , Ductus Arteriosus, Patent/physiopathology , Ductus Arteriosus, Patent/surgery , Heart Defects, Congenital/physiopathology , Humans , Indomethacin/adverse effects , Indomethacin/therapeutic use , Infant, Newborn , Infant, Premature, Diseases/drug therapy , Infant, Premature, Diseases/physiopathologySubject(s)
Endocarditis, Bacterial , Child , Child, Preschool , Echocardiography , Endocarditis, Bacterial/diagnosis , Endocarditis, Bacterial/epidemiology , Endocarditis, Bacterial/etiology , Endocarditis, Bacterial/therapy , Female , Heart Defects, Congenital/complications , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , MaleABSTRACT
Three Saudi children suffered from lead intoxication as a result of ingestion of a preparation prescribed by a traditional practitioner. Two of them showed no symptoms of lead intoxication while the third child gave a history of symptomatic intoxication in the form of convulsions. The blood lead levels were increased in all patients and radiographic lead bands were seen in the long bones of the three children. The blood lead concentration was decreased by Na-Ca-EDTA and BAL treatment in the three patients.
Subject(s)
Lead Poisoning/etiology , Medicine, Traditional , Bone and Bones/analysis , Child, Preschool , Diarrhea/drug therapy , Dimercaprol/therapeutic use , Edetic Acid/therapeutic use , Female , Humans , Infant , Lead/blood , Lead Poisoning/drug therapy , Male , Powders , Recurrence , Saudi ArabiaABSTRACT
A 4 1/2-year-old girl had colonic malacoplakia of two years' duration, the presenting symptom being rectal bleeding. Abdominal tuberculosis and Escherichia coli lumbar abscess were diagnosed at the age of 3 1/2 years. Despite antituberculous treatment, there was no improvement and she died from protein-losing enteropathy. The patient is discussed and the literature reviewed, with special emphasis on the incidence of malacoplakia in children, the aggressive nature of colonic malacoplakia, and the lack of response to treatment. A brief review of the pathogenesis of malacoplakia is considered.
