Factors Affecting Early Maturation of Arteriovenous Fistulae Created at a Tertiary Centre in Oman

Objectives: An arteriovenous fistula is ideal for vascular access, the maturation of which is vital for hemodialysis. Our aim was to determine the risk factors associated with failure of maturation of arteriovenous fistulae. Methods: This retrospective cohort study, from January 2014 to December 2018 was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Oman, Patients were followed up for three months after surgery. Electronic medical records were accessed for demographics and clinical data. Data was analyzed using SPSS package. Univariant analysis was used to determine the risk factors associated with early maturation of AVF and multi variant analysis used to determine the predictive risk factors. Results: There were a total of 269 patients in the study. Female gender was a significant factor affecting maturity (P= 0.027). While factors not affecting maturation were age (P= 0.320), diabetes (P= 0.858), hypertension (P= 0.215), dyslipidemia (P= 0.215), coronary artery disease (P= 0.433), cerebrovascular accident (P= 0.864), congestive heart failure (P= 0.509), previous central venous catheter creation (P= 0.11), fistula type (P= 0.863) and fistula side (P= 0.861). Binary logistic regression showed that all risk factors were insignificant. Failure of early maturation was 11.5%. Conclusion: Our research has shown that the early maturation proportion of arteriovenous fistulae created at our hospital is at par with international literature.  Failure of maturation was significantly associated with the female gender. Results of this study can help nephrologists and vascular surgeons prognosticate maturation rates of arteriovenous fistulae. However, a larger study is needed for definitive conclusions. Keywords: CKD; AVF; maturation; early; failure; Oman

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Diabetic Nephropathy in Omani Type 2 Diabetics in Al-Dakhiliyah Region

Objective: To assess the prevalence and risk factors of diabetic nephropathy among Omani type 2 diabetics in Al-Dakhiliyah region of the Sultanate of Oman.Methods: A cross-sectional and a case control study designs were used to assess the prevalence and risk factors respectively. For the prevalence study a sample of 699 diabetic subjects were selected randomly from two polyclinics in Al-Dakhiliyah region; Sumail and Nizwa polyclinics. For the case control study, a sample consisting of 215 cases and 358 controls were randomly selected from those who were included in the cross-sectional study. A well designed questionnaire has been used to collect data regarding the disease and risk factors. Data was analyzed using SPSS19 statistical program.Results: Total prevalence of diabetic nephropathy was calculated as 42.5% (95% C.I: 38.83% - 46.15%). The difference in the prevalence in the two polyclinic catchment area was not significant. The prevalence was significantly higher among males (51.6%) compared to females (36.5%). Crude analysis of the risk factors showed significant association between diabetic nephropathy and the following factors; male gender, decreased literacy, long duration of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, retinopathy, neuropathy, family history of diabetic nephropathy, poor glycemic control (high HbA1c), and hypertriglyceridemia. Multivariate analysis showed the following factors to be independent risk factors; male gender, decreased literacy, long duration of diabetes, family history of diabetic nephropathy and poor glycaemic control (high HbA1c).Conclusion: The prevalence of diabetic nephropathy in this study was 42.5% and the significant risk factors associated with it included male gender, decreased literacy, long duration of diabetes, family history of diabetic nephropathy and poor glycemic control (high HbA1c)

Prevalence and risk factors of diabetic nephropathy in Omani type 2 diabetics in Al-Dakhiliyah region

Abstract Objective: To assess the prevalence and risk factors of diabetic nephropathy among Omani type 2 diabetics in Al-Dakhiliyah region of the Sultanate of Oman. Methods: A cross-sectional and a case control study designs were used to assess the prevalence and risk factors respectively. For the prevalence study a sample of 699 diabetic subjects were selected randomly from two polyclinics in Al-Dakhiliyah region; Sumail and Nizwa polyclinics. For the case control study, a sample consisting of 215 cases and 358 controls were randomly selected from those who were included in the cross-sectional study. A well designed questionnaire has been used to collect data regarding the disease and risk factors. Data was analyzed using SPSS19 statistical program. Results: Total prevalence of diabetic nephropathy was calculated as 42.5% (95% C.I: 38.83% -46.15%). The difference in the prevalence in the two polyclinic catchment area was not significant. The prevalence was significantly higher among males (51.6%) compared to females (36.5%). Crude analysis of the risk factors showed significant association between diabetic nephropathy and the following factors; male gender, decreased literacy, long duration of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, retinopathy, neuropathy, family history of diabetic nephropathy, poor glycemic control (high HbA1c), and hypertriglyceridemia. Multivariate analysis showed the following factors to be independent risk factors; male gender, decreased literacy, long duration of diabetes, family history of diabetic nephropathy and poor glycaemic control (high HbA1c). Conclusion: The prevalence of diabetic nephropathy in this study was 42.5% and the significant risk factors associated with it included male gender, decreased literacy, long duration of diabetes, family history of diabetic nephropathy and poor glycemic control (high HbA1c)

The Case of Roshonara Choudhry: Implications for Theory on Online Radicalization, ISIS Women, and the Gendered Jihad

As dozens of British women and girls travel to join Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, there are increasing concerns over female radicalization online. These fears are heightened by the case of Roshonara Choudhry, the first and only British woman convicted of a violent Islamist attack. The university student in 2010 stabbed her Member of Parliament, after watching YouTube videos of the radical cleric Anwar Al Awlaki. Current radicalization theories portray Choudhry as a “pure lone wolf,” a victim of Internet indoctrination, without agency. This article explores how gender factors in her radicalization, to present an alternative to existing theoretical explanations. An engagement with gender reveals its role in Choudhry's radicalization, first, in precluding her from a real‐world engagement with Islamism on her terms, pushing her to the Internet; then in increasing her susceptibility to online extremist messages; finally, in fomenting an eventually intolerable dissonance between her online and multiple “real” gendered identities, resulting in violence. The article emphasizes the transgressive nature of this act of female violence in Salafi‐Jihadi ideology; also, the importance of this gendered ideology as the foundation of ISIS recruitment online. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the operation of gender in the Jihad's production of violence, and roles for men and women alike