Adherence to Statin Among Diabetic Patients in Diabetic Centers in Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia.

Background Dyslipidemia affects approximately one-third of Saudi Arabia's adult population. Dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), smoking, and a familial predisposition to cardiovascular disease (CVD) are significant risk factors for CVD. It can be prevented effectively through lifestyle changes and lifelong statin therapy; however, poor adherence limits its effectiveness. This study is designed to assess the level of adherence to statin prescription in patients with DM in diabetic centers in the Qassim region and to assess the factors associated with neglecting to take medication. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted among 226 diabetic patients who were prescribed statins. Medication adherence was assessed using the eight-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8). Demographic and clinical data were collected, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with medication adherence. Results Of the 226 patients, 29.7% had high adherence, 32.7% had medium adherence, and 37.6% had low adherence to statin medication. Patients diagnosed with diabetes for less than five years had the highest proportion of low adherence (41.2%). No significant associations were found between medication adherence and gender, nationality, or educational level. Conclusion The study found that medication adherence to statins in diabetic patients in the Al Qassim region of Saudi Arabia is suboptimal, with a significant proportion of patients having low adherence. Patients diagnosed with diabetes for less than five years had the highest proportion of low adherence, suggesting that patients with a shorter disease duration may require additional support or interventions to improve their medication adherence. Healthcare providers should emphasize the importance of medication adherence and work with patients to develop personalized treatment plans that include medication and lifestyle modifications to optimize lipid control and improve overall health outcomes in diabetic patients.

Quality of Life in Thyroid Cancer Patients.

Thyroid cancer ranks as the ninth most common cancer worldwide and third in Saudi Arabia. Given thyroid cancer's high incidence, thyroid cancer patients' quality of life (QoL) has been a concern for many years. However, no study has been dedicated to assessing thyroid cancer patients' QoL in Saudi Arabia. Thus, we aimed to fill this gap by assessing thyroid cancer patients' QoL in Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional study was conducted among thyroid cancer patients attending outpatient clinics at the Diabetes and Endocrinology Centre, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Qassim region, Saudi Arabia, from 2017 to 2023. The European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) assessed the patients' QoL through an individual interviewer-administered technique. We used RStudio to perform statistical analysis. Statistical differences between groups based on QoL scores were assessed using the Wilcoxon and Kruskal-Wallis rank-sum tests. Our results showed that for QoL scores of functional domains, the lowest was in social functioning, and the highest was in cognitive functioning. Regarding the subscales of symptoms, the highest scores were fatigue and insomnia. In conclusion, numerous factors affect thyroid cancer patients' QoL. Recognition and appropriate management of these factors will improve the overall QoL; there is a need to understand what is driving these factors in further clinical studies.

Assessment of osteoporosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A study from the central region of Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: To understand the impact of diabetes on bone mineral density and whether it increases the likelihood of osteoporosis. METHODS: This study was performed on 327 Saudis (aged >40 years) who were screened for osteoporosis and diabetes mellitus (DM). The levels of osteoporosis were determined by an estimation of Bone mineral density (BMD) using a DEXA scan examination. The data on BMD from diabetic subjects were compared with healthy nondiabetic controls. RESULTS: Out of 327 enrolled subjects, 38 (11.6%) were found to be osteoporotic, whereas 138 (42.2%) had DM. The data showed that the number of patients with osteoporosis in the DM group was 14 (36.8%), significantly lower than in nondiabetic patients, 21 (55.2%) (p=0.0015). Notably, the data showed no significant difference in the mean BMD of the femur in patients with DM (0.926 g/cm2) and non-diabetes (0.936 g/cm2) (p=0.280; T-score p=0.4746). The mean BMD levels in the spine of the DM study group (1.049 g/cm2) were significantly higher when compared with nondiabetic healthy controls (0.990 g/cm2) (p=0.0031). CONCLUSION: Patients with diabetes had higher lumbar BMD than nondiabetics, although femoral BMD was similar. Patients with diabetes have a lower osteoporosis risk than nondiabetics.

Growth hormone therapy in short-stature patients with kyphoscoliosis: a literature review.

The aim of the study was to conduct a literature review on growth hormone therapy in short-stature patients with kyphoscoliosis. The search strategy was performed in which all the relevant papers published in 20 years were included on Pub Med, Central, and Google scholar by using keywords short stature, growth hormones, adverse events of growth hormones in kyphoscoliosis, safety. The study investigation supports the idea that giving human growth hormone (HGH) to a diverse population of short-statured children does not enhance the occurrence of scoliosis. Patients on HGH therapy for progressing scoliosis had syndromes in which scoliosis was more prevalent in an age-matched group. Short stature attributed to progressive growth failure is prevalent in all mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) disorders, as per the existing research on growth and growth hormone in MPS. MPS should be explored in children who are being tested for short stature since growth failure might be the presenting symptom.

Woodhouse-Sakati syndrome (WSS): A case report of 3 Saudi sisters with urogenital anomalies.

Woodhouse-Sakati syndrome (WSS) is a rare genetic condition of autosomal recessive inheritance pattern. The disease is characterized by a group of disorders, including diabetes mellitus, alopecia, hypogonadism, intellectual disability, and progressive extrapyramidal signs. This syndrome is related to an inherited neurodegenerative disorder's heterogeneous group characterized by the accumulation of iron in the brain, caused by a mutation in the DCAF17 gene. This report discusses the case of 3 Saudi sisters having WWS. The 3 sisters aged 18, 22, and 25 years took birth to consanguineous parents (first-degree cousins). The sisters initially had normal developmental growth with deprived scholastic performance because of the intellectual difficulties. At puberty, the secondary sexual characteristics were not developed in the patients, and they faced primary amenorrhea. They were found to have features typical of WSS, but they also had gynecological anomalies, which are considered unusual findings in WSS patients.

Exacerbation of N-nitrosodiethylamine Induced Hepatotoxicity and DNA Damage in Mice Exposed to Chronic Unpredictable Stress.

Psychological stress contributes to increased susceptibility to a number of diseases including cancer. The present study was designed to assess the effect of chronic unpredictable stress on N-nitrosodiethylamine induced liver toxicity in terms of in vivo antioxidant status and DNA damage in Swiss albino mice. The animals used in this study were randomized into different groups based on the treatment with N-nitrosodiethylamine or chronic unpredictable stress alone and post-stress administration of N-nitrosodiethylamine. The mice were sacrificed after 12 weeks of treatment, and the status of major enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, liver function markers, lipid peroxidation and the extent of DNA damage were determined in circulation and liver tissues of all the groups. The N-nitrosodiethylamine treated group showed significantly compromised levels of the antioxidant enzymes, lipid peroxidation, and the liver function markers with enhanced DNA damage as compared to chronic unpredictable stress or control groups. A similar but less typical pattern observed in the chronic unpredictable stress treated mice. All the measured biochemical parameters were significantly altered in the group treated with the combination of chronic unpredictable stress and N-nitrosodiethylamine when compared to controls, or chronic unpredictable stress alone and/or N-nitrosodiethylamine alone treated groups. Thus, exposure to continuous, unpredictable stress conditions even in general life may significantly enhance the hepatotoxic potential of N-nitrosodiethylamine through an increase in the oxidative stress and DNA damage.

A 94-year-old man with recurrent hypoglycemia caused by non-islet cell tumor hypoglycemia (NICTH).

Non-islet cell tumor hypoglycemia (NICTH) is a rare but serious paraneoplastic syndrome in which a tumor secretes the high molecular weight form of IGF-II, causing hypoglycemia and requiring early diagnosis and management. Here, I report a rare case of NICTH caused by fibrosarcoma in a 94-year-old male with recurrent hypoglycemia. This case report describes the clinical presentation and diagnostic and management issues involved in a case of NICTH that was diagnosed at a tertiary care institute.