Universal in-house neonatal hips ultrasonography screening in the United Arab Emirates.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate if the incidence of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) differs considering the geographical origin, clinical picture, or presence of risk factors in homogenous cohort of neonates born in Mediclinic Al Jowhara hospital, Al Ain, United Arab of Emirates (UAE). METHODS: Universal ultrasonography hips screening of the neonates in the maternity ward of Mediclinic Al Jowhara hospital, Al Ain, UAE, was carried out using the Graf method. The average age of the neonates was 3 days. Two groups were formed for comparison: I) the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) group (n=169, 47.7%), and II) the non-GCC group (n=185, 52.3%). RESULTS: The incidence of DDH was 1.7%. It was higher among neonates from the GCC region (2.9%) and significantly higher among girls from this region (6.3%). The incidence of immature hips (type IIa) was 9% and was similar regardless of origin or gender. CONCLUSION: Neonates from the GCC region, girls in particular, have a higher incidence of DDH. These results highlight the emergency to establish a national ultrasonography DDH screening program.

Evaluation of Serum Diamine Oxidase as a Diagnostic Test for Histamine Intolerance.

Histamine intolerance (HIT) is a clinical condition caused by decreased intestinal degradation of ingested histamine, primarily due to reduced enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO) activity, leading to histamine accumulation and causing various clinical manifestations. The measurement of serum DAO is commonly used as the main diagnostic test for HIT, although its diagnostic use is still uncertain. In this retrospective study, we aimed to assess the validity of DAO determination in patients with clinically suspected HIT. We measured DAO levels in 249 patients with suspected HIT and 50 healthy adult controls without HIT-related problems. Based on five clinical criteria, we divided patients into two groups: high (all five inclusion criteria; 41 patients) and low probability of HIT (≤4 inclusion criteria; 208 patients). Patients with a "high probability of HIT" had the lowest DAO (median: 8 U/mL, IQR: 6-10) in comparison to patients with a "low probability of HIT (median: 10 U/mL, IQR: 7-16, p = 0.0006) and healthy controls (median: 18 U/mL, IQR: 14-22, p < 0.0001). The specificity and sensitivity for DAO levels < 3/< 10 U/mL (manufacturer's set cut-off) to discriminate between patients with ''high probability of HIT'' and healthy controls were 100%/92% and 2%/71%. On the other hand, the specificity and sensitivity to discriminate between patients with ''high probability of HIT'' and ''low probability of HIT'' were 97%/61% and 2%/71%, respectively. Serum DAO determination represents an additional asset to the diagnosis of HIT based on clinical evaluation and assessment, but the diagnosis should not solely rely on DAO measurements.