Trends in Epithelial Cell Abnormalities Observed on Cervical Smears over a 21-Year Period in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Kuwait

Objectives: This study aimed to analyse trends in epithelial cell abnormalities (ECAs) in cervical cytology at a tertiary care hospital in Kuwait. Methods: ECAs in 135,766 reports were compared over three seven-year periods between 1992 and 2012. Conventional Papanicolaou (Pap) smear tests were used in the first two periods and ThinPrep (Hologic Corp., Bedford, Massachusetts, USA) tests were used in the third. Results: Significant increases in satisfactory smears, atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) and atypical glandular cells of undetermined significance/atypical glandular cells (AGUS/AGCs) were seen in the second and third periods (P <0.001). No significant increases were observed among low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSILs) or high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs) (P >0.05). An increase was noted in carcinomas between the first and second periods although a significant decline was seen in the third (P <0.014). Conclusion: Satisfactory smears, ASCUS and AGUS/AGC increased during the study period although no significant increases in LSILs, HSILs or carcinomas were observed

Prevalence of Infectious Organisms Observed in Cervical Smears Between 1997–2014 at Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, Kuwait

Objectives: This study aimed to examine gynaecological infectious agents observed in conventional and modified Papanicolaou cervical smears (CS) at a tertiary care hospital in Kuwait. Methods: This retrospective study analysed 121,443 satisfactory CS samples collected between 1997–2014 at the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, Kuwait. Conventional CS samples were obtained between 1997–2005, while modified CS were obtained between 2006–2014 following the introduction of ThinPrep® testing (Hologic Corp., Bedford, Massachusetts, USA). All samples were initially screened by cytoscreeners before being analysed by cytopathologists to determine the presence of specific infectious agents. Results: Overall, 8,836 (7.28%) of the cervical samples had infectious agents; of these, 62.48% were conventional and 37.52% were modified CS samples. The most frequently observed infectious agents were Candida species (76.05%), Trichomonas vaginalis (9.72%), human papillomavirus (HPV; 9.3%), Actinomyces-like organisms (3.23%), Chlamydia trachomatis (1.27%) and the herpes simplex virus (HSV; 0.43%). There were significantly more cases of Candida species, HPV-associated changes, C. trachomatis, T. vaginalis and Actinomyces-like organisms detected in conventional compared to modified CS samples (P <0.050 each). However, there was no statistically significant difference in the frequency of HSV-associated changes (P = 0.938). The presence of two infectious agents in the same sample was identified in 0.87% of samples. Conclusion: Among CS samples collected during an 18-year period, Candida species were most frequently detected, followed by T. vaginalis and HPV. The identification of potential infectious agents is a valuable additional benefit of Papanicolaou smear testing. Keywords: Cervical Smears; Papanicolaou Test; Infection; Candida; Trichomonas vaginalis; Human Papilloma Virus; Cytology; Kuwait

Evaluation of NMP179 for the detection of dyskaryosis using immunocytochemical and morphometric methods

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Association of HPV genotypes with external anogenital warts: a cross sectional study

Abstract Background This study was undertaken to determine the distribution of type-specific human papillomavirus (HPV) in external anogenital warts, and the correlation with clinical presentation of warts and demographic data of patients. Methods Genital warts specimens were obtained from 129 men and 27 women attending a dermatology clinic, who had been advised surgical excision. The tissues were fixed and screened for HPV DNA by using real-time PCR. HPV genotype was determined by PCR-based sequencing. Results Sixteen different HPV genotypes were detected, comprising 4 oncogenic HPV genotypes (16, 18, 33, 38), 2 low-risk HPV types (LR) (6, 81), HPV 9, and other types associated with common warts (1a, 2, 4, 7, 27b, 27, 57b, 57c, 65). Oncogenic HPV types were found in 34.62% of patients, LR HPV types in 14.4%, HPV 9 in 0.64%, and common warts type in 50.6%. The prevalence of HPV infection with a single type was 88.4, 9.0% for two types, and 2.6% for three types. Multiple logistic regression model showed that age, gender, nationality, number of warts, size of each wart, and positive history of wart in sexual partner, were not predictors of HPV type. However, patients with anogenital warts of one to six months duration were three times more likely to have oncogenic HPV infection compared to those with less than one month. Conclusions This study shows that oncogenic HPV types are detected in around 35% of patients with genital warts, and are prevalent in warts of one to six months duration

Global Challenges Global Challenges Research Article Open Access A Preliminary Assessment of Global CO2: Spatial Patterns, Temporal Trends, and Policy Implications

This study offers a comprehensive analysis of the distribution, evolution, and driving factors of CO2 emissions from 1990 to 2016 at multiple spatial scales. Utilizing 26 indicators encompassing various facets of CO2 emissions, it is employed principal component analysis (PCA) and empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) to identify the dominant characteristics of global CO2 emissions. This model retained three core components, accounting for 93% of the global CO2 variation, reflecting emission trajectories and associated economic metrics, such as Gross domestic product (GDP). The analysis differentiated the effects of these components based on countries' economic standings. Using a novel aggregated index, significant national contributors to global CO2 emissions are pinpointed. Notably, the leading contributors are found among developed nations (e.g., the United States, Canada, Japan), Gulf states (e.g., Saudi Arabia, Qatar), and emerging economies (e.g., China, Brazil, Mexico). Furthermore, these results highlight that shifts in global CO2 emissions over the past 30 years are predominantly influenced by factors like industrial emissions and GDP. Results also demonstrate a distinct relationship between a country's CO2 emissions and its physical and socioeconomic factors. Specifically, the nation's coastline length, population density in coastal regions, and the diversity of its climatic conditions significantly influence its carbon footprint.This publication is made possible by an NPRP award [NPRP13S-0206-200272] from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foun-dation) and High Impact Grant (HIG) award [211] from Qatar University. The open access publication of this article was funded by the Qatar National Library (QNL).Peer reviewe

Assessment of carbon footprint in Qatar's electricity sector: A comparative analysis across various building typologies

Carbon footprint (CF) estimation has emerged as an integral tool for greenhouse gas (GHG) management, providing direction for emission reduction strategies and verification processes. Since capturing the full lifecycle emissions of goods and services at the city level can be methodologically challenging due to the fact that cities have multiple sources of emissions (e.g. transportation, waste, buildings), our study focused on evaluating the carbon footprint of various types of urban buildings across six sectors. This evaluation was conducted in one of the most rapidly urbanized cities in the Middle East, Doha City, Qatar, and was based on electricity consumption data from 2017 to 2020. Using multiregional input–output life cycle assessment (MRIO-LCA) and hot/coldspot analysis, this study identified CF emission spatiotemporal patterns and the major buildings responsible for the highest emissions. The results indicated that residential villas and the commercial sector had the highest electricity consumption and steady increases in CF emissions during the study period, whereas hotels had the lowest annual electricity consumption among all sectors. The study also identified significant CF emission hotspots from Doha residential buildings in the southwestern and northeastern areas. In contrast, the CF hotspots from commercial buildings were concentrated in the industrial area in the southern part of the city and in the West Bay area in the eastern part. Overall, the findings of this study provide important policy implications and a comprehensive assessment of dynamic changes in CF emissions from different building types.This publication was made possible by an NPRP award [NPRP13S-0206-200272] from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation) and High Impact Grant (HIG) award [211] from Qatar University.Peer reviewe

Human papillomaviruses-related cancers Presence and prevention strategies in the Middle East and North African Regions

WOS: 000342901200014PubMed ID: 25424787Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are estimated to be the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide. Meanwhile, it is well established that infection by high-risk HPVs is considered the major cause of cervical cancer since more than 96% of these cancers are positive for high-risk HPVs, especially types 16 and 18. Moreover, during the last 2 decades, numerous studies pointed-out the possible involvement of high-risk HPV in several human carcinomas including head and neck, colorectal and breast cancers. The association between high-risk HPVs and cervical cancer and potentially other human malignancies would necessitate the introduction of vaccines which were generated against the 2 most frequent high-risk HPVs (types 16 and 18) worldwide, including the Middle East (ME) as well as North African countries. The presence of high-risk HPVs in the pathogenesis of human cancers in the ME, which is essential in order to evaluate the importance of vaccination against HPVs, has not been fully investigated yet. In this review, we present an overview of the existing epidemiological evidence regarding the presence of HPV in human cancers in the ME and the potential impact of vaccination against HPV infections and its outcome on human health in this region.Canadian Institutes for Health Research, (CIHR) the Cancer Research Society Inc. of Canada; National Colorectal Cancer Campaign; Fonds de la Recherche en Sante du Quebec (FRSQ-Reseau du Cancer)Fonds de la Recherche en Sante du QuebecThe authors are thankful to Mrs A Kassab and Mr. B Al Moustafa for their reading of the manuscript. The research works from Dr Al Moustafa's laboratory has been supported by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, (CIHR) the Cancer Research Society Inc. of Canada, the National Colorectal Cancer Campaign, and the Fonds de la Recherche en Sante du Quebec (FRSQ-Reseau du Cancer)