Prothrombin Time and Activated partial Thromboplastin Time among type 2 none insulin dependent Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) Patients

Objective: to determine the prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplatin time among type 2 none insulin dependent Diabetes Mellitus Patients.Materials and methods Descriptive, prospective analytical case-control based study conducted in Abdelrahamn Elsedari Hospital, Sakaka city, Aljouf Region, Saudia Arabia during the period of March to July 2009. Fifty patients and ten normal controls were studied. Patients were those who fulfilled the clinical diagnosis of type II none insulin dependent Diabetes Mellitus of either sex in all age groups, on or off treatment. The controls were normal, non- Diabetes Mellitus individuals of either sex.ResultsThe results Show that the mean level of prothrombin time type 2 diabetic patients was 12.0 Sec and of control was 11.1 Sec, it was significantly correlated (P value = 0.02) and the mean level activated partial thromboplastin time  (APTT) was 30.7 Sec and of control was 31.2 Sec. This result was none significant (P. value = 0.826).ConclusionOur data further demonstrated that patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus had hypercoagulable state and hypofibrinolysis thereby indicating that the activation of coagulation and reduced fibrinolytic activity may contribute to the increased risk of vascular disease in type 2 diabetic patients

P-SELECTIN GLYCOPROTEIN LIGAND-1 GENE POLYMORPHISMS IN SUDANESE PREGNANT WOMEN WITH THROMBOSIS

Objectives: In this study we aimed to investigate whether P-selectin gene polymorphism is associated with thrombosis in Sudanese pregnant women in Khartoum state.Methods: After informed consent, 96 Sudanese pregnant women with thrombosis and 53 healthy pregnant women were recruited in the study. Genomic DNA was isolated from whole blood. Genotyping of PSGL-1 gene was performed by polymerase chain reaction amplification for exon 14 and electrophoresis.Results: The frequency of the B allele was found to be significantly higher in pregnant women with thrombosis (26%) compared to the controls (17.4%).Conclusion: The AB genotype was found to be higher in women with thrombosis 40.6% than in healthy controls 20% (p=0.02). Our results suggest that the PSGL-1 AB genotype is associated with an increased risk of thrombosis in Sudanese pregnant women

Molecular Characterization of Kidd Antigens Polymorphism (Jk) among Sudanese patients with Chronic Renal Failure in Khartoum State - Sudan

Background: The Kidd glycoprotein is expressed in the kidney, where it enables the kidney to build up a high concentration of urea, which is needed for the kidney to produce concentrated urine. The urea transport across Kidd null RBC membranes is ~1000 times slower than across normal RBC membrane. Chronic kidney disease develops slowly and, initially, show few symptoms. CKD can be the long term consequence of irreversible acute disease or part of a disease progression. The most common causes of chronic renal failure are related to poorly controlled diabetes, poorly controlled high blood pressure. Objective: the aim of this study was to assess the association between the Kidd antigen polymorphism and chronic kidney disease, in Sudan. Results: The distribution of kidd blood group between chronic kidneydisease patient and control group were (49%) and (50%) for Jk (a + b−), 40% and 44% for Jk (a + b+) and 11% and 6% Jk (a − b+) respectively. also there were different in ten samples represented genomic typing (Jk ab ) but phenoptying represented as (Jka). Conclusion: There were no obvious effects of  kidd antigens polymorphism on kidney function . Keywords: Kidd blood group, Genomic typing, Phenotyping, Chronic kidney disease

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020

The Hemotoxicity of Chemotherapeutic Regimens in Sudanese Children with Retinoblastoma

Background: There has been a rapid increase in cancer among Sudanese citizens from 1999 until this year. At least 80% of all patients who undergo chemotherapy will develop anemia as a complication. This inpatient analytical comparative study aims to examine the possible association between hemotoxicity and various chemotherapy regimens in Sudanese children diagnosed with retinoblastoma.Methods: This study enrolled 30 patients diagnosed with childhood retinoblastoma who were admitted from June 2006 to September 2008 to the Radiation and Isotope Center Khartoum. We collected 90 blood samples to examine for a possible association between anemia and the chemotherapeutic regimen. All patients (n=30) were included in each arm of the chemotherapy regimen.Results: Prior to the onset of chemotherapy, 50% of patients had normal hemoglobin levels, 43.3% had mild anemia, and 6.7% had moderate anemia. Post-cycle I treatment, there were only 6.7% who had normal hemoglobin levels. Mild anemia was observed in 60%, followed by 30% for moderate anemia and 3.3% of patients had severe anemia. Post-cycle II there were no patients with normal hemoglobin levels, however 26.7% had mild anemia and the majority of patients (approximately 73.3%) had moderate anemia.Conclusion: A correlation existed between hemoglobin values after completion of therapy to the overall treatment. We observed a decline of 1 to 2 g/dl in hemoglobin levels

Direct DNA Sequencing-Based Analysis of Microbiota Associated with Hematological Malignancies in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

Introduction. Bloodstream infections (BSI) among patients with hematological malignancies (HM) could predispose them to higher morbidity and mortality for various underlying conditions. Several microorganisms, either pathogenic or opportunistic normal human flora, could cause severe bacteremia and septicemia. While conventional methods have their own limitations, molecular methods such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) can detect these blood infections with more reliability, specificity, and sensitivity, in addition to information on microbial population landscape. Methodology. Blood samples from HM patients (n=50) and volunteer blood donor control individuals with no HM (n=50) were subjected to 16S rRNA gene amplification using standard PCR protocols. A metagenomic library was prepared, and NGS was run on a MiSeq (Illumina) sequencer. Sequence reads were analyzed using MiSeq Reporter, and microbial taxa were aligned using the Green Genes library. Results. 82% of the patients showed BSI with Gram-negative bacteria as the most predominant group. E. coli comprised a major chunk of the bacterial population (19.51%), followed by K. pneumoniae (17.07%). The CoNS and Viridans Streptococci groups are 17.07% and 14.63%, respectively. Other major species were S. aureus (9.75%), P. aeruginosa (7.31%), A. baumannii (4.87%), E. cloacae (4.87%), and P. mirabilis (4.87%). 34.14% of the cases among patients showed a Gram-positive infection, while 14.63% showed polymicrobial infections. Conclusion. Most of the BSI in patients were characterized by polymicrobial infections, unlike the control samples. Molecular methods like NGS showed robust, fast, and specific identification of infectious agents in BSI in HM, indicating the possibility of its application in routine follow-up of such patients for infections