A review of the literature on the health benefits of Salat (Islamic prayer).

INTRODUCTION: Recent studies explored the association between health and religious practice/spirituality. Several studies revealed that religious commitment and spirituality are generally associated with better health outcomes. Throughout the world, millions of Muslims perform salat (prayer) regularly five times a day. Salat is not only a physical activity but involves recitations of various Quranic verses and performance of certain postural positions. Several studies showed that salat does have positive effects on health status. This review aims to investigate the effects of Islamic salat on general health. METHODS: A series of searches were conducted of Medline databases published in English between 1966 and October 2020 with the following keywords: Prayer, salat, health, and Islam. RESULTS: Several positive effects of salat on health were identified. These include: psychological, neurological, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal effects. CONCLUSION: Salat is a non-pharmacological intervention and resource, and may be included in the holistic care and rehabilitation program aimed at the well-being of patients.

Islamic medical jurisprudence syllabus: A Review in Saudi Arabia.

INTRODUCTION: The ever-increasing technological advances of Western medicine have created new ethical issues awaiting answers and response. The use of genetic therapy, organ transplant, milk-banking, end-of-life care and euthanasia are of paramount importance to the medical students and need to be addressed. METHODS: A series of searches were conducted of Medline databases published in English between January 2000 and January 2017 with the following keywords: medical ethics, syllabus, Islam, jurisprudence. RESULTS: Islamic medical jurisprudence is gaining more attention in some medical schools. However, there is still lack of an organised syllabus in many medical colleges. CONCLUSION: The outlines of a syllabus in Islamic medical jurisprudence including Islamic values and moral principles related to both the practice and research of medicine are explored.

Sildenafil (viagra) and the heart.

Sildenafil (Viagra) is the most effective oral therapy currently available for erectile dysfunction. Patients should be given clear instructions regarding the use of sildenafil. The most common side effects include flushing, headaches, dyspepsia, and transient visual changes. In combination with nitrates, it can and has caused fatal hypotension. It should not be prescribed to patients on nitrates. Additionally, nitrates should not be administered to anyone who has recently ingested sildenafil. Synergetic blood pressure lowering has not been observed when sildenafil was used with other classes of antihypertensives. Sildenafil is not offered to patients with low cardiac output states, those on intensive regimens to prevent heart failure or those with acute coronary ischemia.

Plasma lipids: when to measure after myocardial infarction?

Current medical textbooks do not give clear advice on the optimal time to measure plasma lipids following myocardial infarction. Many physicians still defer the measurement for three months. We studied the plasma lipids in 132 patients with myocardial infarction. Measurements were made on admission and 24, 48 and 72 hours later and 103 patients had their plasma lipids measured at three months. Forty-three patients had hypercholesterolaemia (cholesterol greater than 7 mmol/1) at admission. Total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein fell appreciably in the first three days after myocardial infarction. The former returned almost to its admission level by three months, whilst the latter did not. Triglycerides showed no important changes, whilst high density lipoprotein levels had significantly increased at three months. Total cholesterol levels at three months were different from the 24, 48 and 72 hour values. Our findings suggest that plasma lipids should be measured on admission after myocardial infarction. Deferring the measurement by one or two days will give results which may not reflect pre-infarction levels.

Heart transplantation for Churg-Strauss syndrome.

A patient with heart failure caused by Churg-Strauss syndrome was successfully treated with transplantation. The case was unusual because there was little evidence of Churg-Strauss syndrome in the lung. The patient remains well on standard transplant immunotherapy.

Cardiac complications of total parenteral nutrition: the role of two-dimensional echocardiography in diagnosis.

We report three cardiological complications of total parenteral nutrition in four patients, all of the complications were detected by two-dimensional echocardiography. We discuss these complications and make suggestions as to the role of echocardiography in patients on total parenteral nutrition.

Ruptured aneurysm of sinus of Valsalva co-existing with a single coronary artery.

The clinical and surgical findings in a 41-year-old male with the unusual co-existence of a ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm and a single coronary artery are described. The literature is reviewed and the significance of a single coronary artery discussed.

Myocardial infarction: a complication of amitriptyline overdose.

A 22 year old woman was admitted with amitriptyline overdose. Twenty six hours later she developed acute myocardial infarction. Cardiotoxic effects of tricyclic antidepressants are discussed and the importance of considering myocardial infarction as a complication of tricyclic antidepressant overdose is emphasized.

Echocardiographic diagnosis of quadricuspid aortic valve.

Isolated quadricuspid aortic valve is very rare. The identification of this malformation can be made by cross-sectional echocardiography. Two cases of quadricuspid aortic valve diagnosed by cross-sectional echocardiography are described.

Echocardiographic diagnosis of multiple congenital aneurysms of the sinus of Valsalva.

Aortic regurgitation developed in a 56 year old man with severe nephrotic syndrome. Cross sectional echocardiography showed bilateral aneurysms of the sinus of Valsalva and a bicuspid aortic valve. He died of intercurrent pneumonia. Postmortem examination confirmed the presence of the congenital aneurysms.

Cardiac tamponade complicating central venous catheter.

Cardiac tamponade complicating central venous catheters is usually fatal. We present a 23 year old woman who developed cardiac tamponade 12 hours after the insertion of a subclavian line. Early recognition of this complication and urgent pericardiocentesis led to her survival.

Left ventricular thrombosis in acute transmural myocardial infarction.

To determine the incidence and natural history of left ventricular thrombosis in acute transmural myocardial infarction we performed serial two-dimensional echocardiography in 51 patients. Seventeen patients had inferior infarcts. None of these developed left ventricular thrombosis. The remaining 34 patients had anterior infarcts. Ten of these developed left ventricular thrombus at an average of 4 +/- 2 days after admission. All patients with left ventricular thrombosis had apical akinesia or dyskinesia. Patients with anterior myocardial infarction and akinesia or dyskinesia of the apex are at high risk of developing left ventricular thrombosis. Peak aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase enzyme activity were of little value in identifying this high risk group.