CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS IN SULAIMANI PEDIATRIC TEACHING HOSPITAL AND COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT DIAGNOSTIC METHODS FOR ITS DETECTION

The present study aimed to investigate the presence and prevalence of Cryptosporidium among children in Sulaimani Pediatric Teaching Hospital and to determine the best method for its diagnosis. The study started from the 1st of Jun. to the 1st of Sept. 2012. Two hundred fifty stool samples were collected from children of 6 month to 12 years of age from both genders who attended the hospital. Stool samples were inspected by modified acid-fast stain as a standard method, direct wet mount, Crypto-Strips method and enzyme linked immunosorbant assy (ELISA). Modified Ziehl-Neelsen technique revealed 38 (15.2%) positive cases for Cryptosporidium oocysts, of 22 males and 16 females, 4-6 years of age group was more susceptible to infection with Cryptosporidium and highly significant relationship was found between the genders and between different age groups of infection with a highly significant difference between rural and urban area. The highest rate of infection was found in the soft type of stool samples with a significant difference between them. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium was 13.6% by using direct wet mount, 6.8%, for ELISA and 4.4% by Crypto-Strips method in comparison with MZN method. It is concluded that cryptosporidiosis found to be endemic in Sulaimani city for the first time and the modified acid-fast stain was the most reliable technique for its diagnosis

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Diabetic Retinopathy Among Primary Health Care Physicians in Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) has been shown to be the third most observed cause of visual loss in Saudi Arabia. In the Al-Hasa region in particular, the prevalence of DR has been shown to be 30%. Primary health centre (PHC) physicians play a central role in the early detection and prevention of DR. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding DR of PHC physicians in Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia.Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at PHCs in Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was provided to every participant along with a consent form. Out of 71 centres in the region, 63 were included in this study. The questionnaire consisted of three sections and a total of 18 questions. Statistical analysis was carried out using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 21 software program (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).Results: One hundred forty-one of 209 physicians completed the questionnaire for a response rate of 67%. The mean of overall knowledge score for all participants was 2.6 ± 1.16 points out of four points. Only 34 (24.1%) of the participants correctly referred their diabetic patients according to the guidelines of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Additionally, only 52 (36.9%) physicians educated their patients regarding the early detection of diabetic complications.Conclusion:  The present study concluded that there exist gaps in applying the correct guidelines. Physicians' attitudes toward patient education were overall satisfactory. Further medical symposiums and workshops are warranted to teach physicians about diabetic complications and screening schedules, including DR

The Main and Most Important Radiological Role in the Future of the Healthcare Management: A Systematic Theoretical Review

This study aimed at exploring the main and most important Radiological role in the future of the healthcare management through a systematic theoretical review.  As radiology plays the key role of jumping in to investigate dis­ease diagnosing, staging, monitoring and following it over time and offering expertise and consultation on disease states. And highlighting that this discipline is now in a stage of profound metamorphosis through out of building the value of radiology and the radiologist, to empower radiologists to be larger contributors to care teams. The study concluded that the current radiology model, though useful in many respects, needs to adapt to changing economic incentives and in one way or another align itself with those of the clinicians radiologists serve.

مسح العمال في دول مجلس التعاون الخليجي ٢٠١٢

This report presents the results of the 2012 GCC survey of migrant workers residing in Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted by the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute at Qatar University. All those connected with this project are grateful to the thousands of migrant workers who gave their valuable time to participate in this survey. The successful completion of this survey was made possible through the contributions of many dedicated individuals who work for SESRI at Qatar University and for the Pan Arab Research Center (PARC) which, in collaboration with SESRI, collected the data in Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. At SESRI, the 2012 GCC survey of migrant workers benefitted from a strong and dedicated leadership team. The project received enthusiastic support and valuable advice from Dr. Darwish Alemadi, Director of SESRI. Dr. Abdoulaye Diop, Head of Research at SESRI, was the Lead Principal Investigator and was involved in all phases of the project. Dr. Kien T. Le, Associate Research Professor at SESRI was the Co-Principal Investigator and was actively involved in the development, design, management, and data analysis of the project. Survey Operations Manager, Dr. Elmogiera Fadlallh Elsayed Elawad, was responsible for the recruitment and training of interviewers, as well as supervision of the data collection. Survey Research Technology Specialist, Anis Ben Ridha Miladi wrote the programming script for data collection in Qatar. Senior Research Assistants Semsia Al-Ali Mustafa, Mohammed Hassan M. T. AL-Subaey, Sara Ali Ahmed Zikri as well as Fatimah Ali A. Al-Fayyad Al-Khaldi, Policy Analyst, at SESRI, Qatar University, assisted the team throughout all the phases of the project including the writing of this report. John Lee Holmes, Head of CATI Operations and Catherine Samir Nasrallah, Research Assistant at SESRI, Qatar University, assisted in reviewing and editing this final manuscript. SESRI is also grateful to the Pan Arab Research Center (PARC) for conducting the data collection in Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. SESRI recognizes and greatly appreciates the excellent work done by Sami Raffoul, PARC General Manager, Khaled H. Cheaib, Senior Researcher at PARC in assisting with the questionnaire design and data collection.‏يعرض هذا التقرير نتائج مسح العمال في دول مجلس التعاون الخليجي 2012 ‏المقيمين في البحرين ، سلطنة عمان ، والكويت، وقطر والمملكة العربية السعودية. أجرى الدراسة معهد البحوث الاجتماعية الاقتصادية المسحية في جامعة قطر. وجميع العاملين على هذا المشروع يتقدمون بالشكر والتقدير لآلاف العمال الذين قاموا بالمشاركة في هذه الدراسة ‏تم الانتهاء بنجاح من هذه الدراسة بفضل مساهمة العديد من الأفراد العاملين في معهد البحوث الاجتماعية الاقتصادية في جامعة قطر وفى المركز العربي للبحوث والدراسات الاستشارية (PARC‏)، الذى قام بجمع البيانات في البحرين، وسلطنة عمان، والكويت، وقطر والمملكة العربية السعودية. في معهد البحوث الاجتماعية الاقتصادية المسحية، استفاد مسح العمال في دول مجلس التعاون الخليجي 2012 من الفريق القيادي القوي والمتخصص. وحصل المشروع على دعم ونصائح قيمة من الدكتور درويش العمادي، مدير معهد البحوث الاجتماعية الاقتصادية المسحية، والدكتور عبدالله ديوب، رئيس قسم البحوث بمعهد البحوث الاجتماعية الاقتصادية المسحية، الذي كان الباحث الرئيسي الأول، وشارك في جميع مراحل المشروع. وكان الدكتور كين تي لي، استاذ البحوث المشارك في معهد البحوث الاجتماعية الاقتصادية المسحية ، والباحث الرئيسي المشارك، والذي شارك بفاعلية في وضع، وتصميم وإدارة وتحليل بينات المشروع

Association Between Chronic Renal Failure and Thyroid Hormone

Background: The idea of the study is to follow the relation between CR.E and thyroid hormones. Material and Methods: The levels of serum urea , creatinine ,total thyroxin (TT4) , Tri-iodothyronine (TT3) , free T4 (fT4) , freeT3 (fT3) and Thyrotropin (TSH) were measured in the serum of 80 Patients with varying grades of chronic renal failure (CRF) ; and 40 healthy individuals . They were divided into 3 groups  as : Group 1 containing 40 healthy individuals as control group; Group 2 containing 40 Patients on conservative management ; and Group 3 containing 40 Patients on Regular haemodialysis therapy.     Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the association between chronic renal failure and thyroid function.   Results: Groups 2 and 3 showed significant increased in urea and creatinine compared with control group ( P< 0.001) and significant decreased in TT4(P < 0.01) , TT3(P < 0.001) , fT4( P < 0.01) and fT3( P< 0.001) , whereas TSH values were not significantly altered .      Conclusions: Uremia is accompanied with endocrine disorders , due to impaired degradation of hormones , because of failed kidney functions and to the interference of the uremic environment with extra renal degradation or synthesis and secretion of certain hormones

Pattern of Congenital Dislocation of the Hip in Arar City, Northern Saudi Arabia

Background: Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is one of the most widely discussed abnormalities in neonates. The etiology of DDH is unknown. There are many insights, however, from epidemiologic/demographic information. Aim of the study: To determine the incidence, risk factors and treatment modalities of congenital dislocation of the hip (CDH) in Arar city, Northern Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is prospective study involve 955(19100hips) infants referred to Arar central hospital. During the period from 1 January 2014, to 31 December 2016, each infant was evaluated by history taking, clinical and sonographic examination for hip abnormality. Results: The incidence of (CDH) was 3.1% (73.3% were females), 70.0% of the affected had positive family history and in 46.7% there was consanguinity between parents. In 80.0% there was regular follow up during pregnancy. 16.7% had history of oligohydramnios. Breech presentation was found in 26.7% and 15.0% delivered by caesarian section. First born children constituted 25.0%. The left hip joint was more affected( 41.6%) , the right hip joint affected in  28.3% and bilateral CDH were involved in 13.3%. In the studied cases, 40.0% of the infants were treated surgically, 30% conservatively, 16% by both and 14% were referred to higher centers. Conclusion and recommendations: CDH in Arar, Central hospital and by inference in Northern region of Saudi Arabia was found to be 3.1%. Awareness programs, routine neonatal hip joint examination at birth and up to one year of age as well as ultrasound examination of pelvis in high-risk babies are strongly recommended

Surgical Management of Thermal Injury: Narrative Review

Extensive burn care advanced over the past few decades to the point where burn victims can now often live. The goal of treating a severely burned patient nowadays is to help them return to their communities, families, and places of employment as fully participating members of society, rather than only preserving their life and ability to function. Burns are a common and difficult critical care issue. Specialized hospitals prioritize achieving optimal functional recovery, infection prevention, and patient stabilization. Over the past few decades, researches on burns have attracted a lot of attention. A number of significant discoveries have improved patient stability and reduced mortality, particularly in the case of younger patients and those with intermediate-degree burns. The presence of dead tissue over a burn wound hinders the healing process and serves as a breeding ground for bacteria. Consequently, clearing the eschar as soon as possible and getting a clean wound bed as soon as possible, can be regarded as the main objective to initiate the process of wound healing, either through autografting or spontaneous epithelization. This review article provides a comprehensive overview of the surgical management of thermal injuries. The article also discusses the importance of early surgical intervention, including debridement, skin grafting, and other surgical techniques. Additionally, it explores the latest advancements in surgical management and the potential future directions in this field. Overall, this review aims to provide a valuable resource for healthcare professionals involved in the care of patients with thermal injuries

Clinical characteristics of asymptomatic and symptomatic COVID-19 patients in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

Background: The first case of COVID-19 infection in Saudi Arabia was reported in Qatif on March 2nd, 2020. Here, we describe the clinical characteristics of the initial COVID-19 patients in that area. Methods: This is an observational study describing the clinical presentation, radiographic and laboratory data of COVID-19 cases. Results: From March 1st, 2020 to April 5th, 2020 we identified a total of 82 adult COVID-19 patients. The median age of the patients was 50 years, with a range of 30 to 60 years and most of patients were female 54 (65.9%). Of all the patients, 29 (35.4%) were contacts and 43 (52.4%) were returning travelers, mainly from Iraq (65% of the total returning travelers). Comorbidities were present in 50% of patients, G6PD deficiency in 33%, hypertension in 27%, and diabetes mellitus in 26%. Chest radiographs were abnormal in 46% of symptomatic and 15.5% of asymptomatic patients (P value = 0.0035). Of all patients, 4 (4.87%) required intensive care admission. There was no significant difference in time to negative RT-PCR with mean days to negativity of 13.6 and 16.9 for asymptomatic and symptomatic group, respectively (P value = 0.42). Conclusions: In the initial Epicenter of the COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia, the majority of the patients were asymptomatic and were returning travelers. Comorbidities were present in nearly half of the patients

COVID-19 Vaccination Among Diverse Population Groups in the Northern Governorates of Iraq

Objectives: The present study was carried out to investigate COVID-19 vaccination coverage among populations of internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, and host communities in northern Iraq and the related underlying factors.Methods: Through a cross-sectional study conducted in five governorates in April–May 2022, 4,564 individuals were surveyed. Data were collected through an adapted questionnaire designed to gather data on participants.Results: 4,564 subjects were included (59.55% were 19–45 years old; 54.51% male). 50.48% of the participants (51.49% of host communities, 48.83% of IDPs, and 45.87% of refugees) had been vaccinated with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. 40.84% of participants (42.28% of host communities, 35.75% of IDPs, and 36.14% of refugees) had been vaccinated by two doses, and 1.56% (1.65% of host communities, 0.93% of IDPs, and 1.46% of refugees) were vaccinated with three doses.Conclusion: Sociodemographic factors including age, gender, education, occupation, and nationality could affect vaccination coverage. Moreover, higher acceptance rate of vaccination is associated with belief in vaccine safety and effectiveness and trust in the ability of the vaccine to prevent complications