Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factors among Employees and Their Families of a Saudi University: An Epidemiological Study

Objectives:To assess the prevalence of non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factors among Saudi university employees and their families; to estimate the cardiovascular risk (CVR) amongst the study population in the following 10years. Methods:The NCD risk factors prevalence was estimated using a cross-sectional approach for a sample of employees and their families aged ≥ 18 years old, in a Saudi university (Riyadh in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; KSA). WHO STEPwise standardized tools were used to estimate NCD risk factors and the Framingham Coronary Heart Risk Score calculator was used to calculate the CVR. Results:Five thousand and two hundred subjects were invited, of whom 4,500 participated in the study, providing a response rate of 87%. The mean age of participants was 39.3±13.4 years. The majority of participants reported low fruit/vegetables consumption (88%), and physically inactive (77%). More than two thirds of the cohort was found to be either overweight or obese (72%), where 36% were obese, and 59% had abdominal obesity. Of the total cohort, 22–37% were found to suffer from dyslipidaemia, 22% either diabetes or hypertension, with rather low reported current tobacco use (12%). One quarter of participants was estimated to have >10% risk to develop cardiovascular disease within the following 10-years. Conclusion:The prevalence of NCD risk factors was found to be substantially high among the university employees and their families in this study

Lipids, obesity and gallbladder disease in women: insights from genetic studies using the cardiovascular gene-centric 50K SNP array

Gallbladder disease (GBD) has an overall prevalence of 10-40% depending on factors such as age, gender, population, obesity and diabetes, and represents a major economic burden. Although gallstones are composed of cholesterol by-products and are associated with obesity, presumed causal pathways remain unproven, although BMI reduction is typically recommended. We performed genetic studies to discover candidate genes and define pathways involved in GBD. We genotyped 15,241 women of European ancestry from three cohorts, including 3216 with GBD, using the Human cardiovascular disease (HumanCVD) BeadChip containing up to ~ 53,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Effect sizes with P-values for development of GBD were generated. We identify two new loci associated with GBD, GCKR rs1260326:T>C (P = 5.88 × 10(-7), ß = -0.146) and TTC39B rs686030:C>A (P = 6.95 x 10(-7), ß = 0.271) and detect four independent SNP effects in ABCG8 rs4953023:G>A (P=7.41 × 10(-47), ß = 0.734), ABCG8 rs4299376:G(>)T (P = 2.40 × 10(-18), ß = 0.278), ABCG5 rs6544718:T>C (P = 2.08 × 10(-14), ß = 0.044) and ABCG5 rs6720173:G>C (P = 3.81 × 10(-12), ß(=)0.262) in conditional analyses taking genotypes of rs4953023:G>A as a covariate. We also delineate the risk effects among many genotypes known to influence lipids. These data, from the largest GBD genetic study to date, show that specific, mainly hepatocyte-centred, components of lipid metabolism are important to GBD risk in women. We discuss the potential pharmaceutical implications of our findings

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Histological and Histochemical studies of Esophagus in Mabuya aurata septemaeniata

The wall of the esophagus in Mabuya aurata septemaeniata as in high vertebrates consists of four layers, mucosa, submucosa,muscularis and serosa. Mucosa forms many unorganized short and long folds penetrate inside the esophageal cavity. Mucosa contains two sub layers, first one is lining epithelium which includes two types of cells, simple ciliated columnar epithelial cells and goblet cells, second one is lamina properia. Mucosa does not have muscularis mucosa. There is no esophageal glands within esophagus. Many special stains were used as (Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS)) to detect Carbohydrates in goblet cells. Alcian blue were used to detect the amount of goblet cells within lining epithelium. Alcian blue + PAS together confirm that the secreted mucin from goblet cells was acidic

Effect of silver nanoparticles in the liver of female quail (Coturnix coturnix )

This study aimed to identify the alterations of liver in the quail (Coturnix coturnix) exposed by nanosilver particles.45 quail (females) were collected from agriculture research center in Abu-Ghraib, divided into (6) groups including: T1(12 quails were exposed to 4ppm), T2 (12 quails were exposed to 8ppm) and T3 (12 quails were exposed to 12ppm) of silver nanoparticles solution for 60 days. As well as three groups for control (3 females for each). Birds were dissected to isolate livers for histological preperations after fixation with Bouin's fluid, Routine stains Hematoxyline and eosin were used. Histological study showed that the structure of liver in a control groups consist of hepatocytes arranged radially cords around the central vein, Polygonal in shape with central nucleus. Sinusoid found between hepatocytes cords. The histological alterations in liver tissue included congestion of central vein, Fibrinous exudates , Infilteation of inflammatory cells, Thickness of capsule , Loss radial arrangement of hepatocytes , Incidence of fatty degeneration, Hydropic and Hyaline degeneration of hepatocytes , Appearing of councilman bodies, Pyknotic necrosis and few dilated of sinusoids in liver of group exposed to 4ppm. While the alterations in the liver with group 8ppm included occurance of precipitation of proteins near the vessels which known Amylloid , central vein dilation, An increase thickness of wall blood vessels, In addition an incidence of hemorrhage and hyaline degeneration of liver cells. Liver in group 12ppm suffer from incidence of fatty changes, Hydropic degeneration, Necrosis, Increase numbers of Concilman bodies, An incidence of giant cells, Atrophy of liver cells, Appearance of caceous necrosis and increase dilation of sinusoids and congestion