Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Ann Saudi Med 2022 Mar-Apr;42(2):119-126. Epub 2022 Apr 7.

From the Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is one of the complications of diabetes mellitus (DM), primarily type 1 DM. To our knowledge, only one study explored DKA readmission rates in Saudi Arabia.

Objectives: Identify and analyze precipitating factors for DKA admission and readmission. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2022 Mar-Apr;42(2):107-118. Epub 2022 Apr 7.

From the Department of Biochemical Metabolic Lab, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Newborn screening identifies individuals affected by a specific disorder within an apparently healthy population prior to the appearance of symptoms so that appropriate interventions can be initiated in time to minimize the harmful effects. Data on population based cut-off values, disease ranges for true positive cases, false positive rates, true positive rates, cut-off verification and comparisons with international cut-off ranges have not been done for Saudi Arabia.

Objective: Establish population-based cut-off values and analyte ratios for newborn screening assays and clinically validate the values. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2022 Mar-Apr;42(2):75-82. Epub 2022 Apr 7.

From the Department of Cardiology, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.

Background: The no-reflow phenomenon is associated with a considerable reduction in myocardial salvage in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated by primary percutaneous intervention (PCI). There has been no head-to-head comparison of intra-coronary epinephrine to adenosine in the management of no-reflow phenomenon.

Objectives: Evaluate the short- and long-term efficacy and safety of using intracoronary epinephrine versus adenosine for management of the catastrophic no-reflow phenomenon that may occur during primary PCI. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2022 Mar-Apr;42(2):96-106. Epub 2022 Apr 7.

From the Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Vitiligo is a common cutaneous disorder of the skin and hair caused by a systemic depigmentation disorder that affects 1% of the population or less due to its onset in early adulthood. Meta-analyses have documented a linkage between vitiligo and the vitamin D receptor () gene.

Objective: Investigate the relationship between the ApaI, BsmI, FokI and TaqI genetic variants in the gene with vitiligo in a Saudi population. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2022 Mar-Apr;42(2):83-88. Epub 2022 Apr 7.

From the Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University, Niğde, Turkey.

Background: The presence of nodules in the thyroid gland is common in iodine-deficient areas of the world. Recently, vitamin D levels were found to be lower than normal and sometimes deficient in malignant nodules of the thyroid.

Objective: Evaluate the relationship between the serum vitamin D levels and benign thyroid nodules in euthyroid patients. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2022 Mar-Apr;42(2):145. Epub 2022 Apr 7.

Consultant Radiologist, Head Of Department of Clinical Radiology, Al-Amiri Hospital, Head of Kuwait National Mammography Screening Program.

Ann Saudi Med 2022 Mar-Apr;42(2):69-74. Epub 2022 Apr 7.

From the Department of Medical Laboratory Services, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a massive impact on public health as well as the economy. Understanding the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among undiagnosed individuals is important for developing an informed pandemic response.

Objective: Investigate the prevalence of undiagnosed COVID-19 disease. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2022 Mar-Apr;42(2):139-144. Epub 2022 Apr 7.

From the Department of Surgery, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Renal lymphangiectasia is a rare disorder where perirenal, parapelvic, and/or intra-renal lymphatics are dilated. The clinical presentation of renal lymphangiectasia can range from asymptomatic to renal failure. Ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging have been used for the diagnosis. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2022 Mar-Apr;42(2):89-95. Epub 2022 Apr 7.

From the Liver Disease Research Center, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Clearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) can potentially slow or reverse liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Studies of fibrosis changes after treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are limited.

Objectives: We aimed to assess the impact of DAAs on fibrosis in HCV treatment responders. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2022 Mar-Apr;42(2):127-138. Epub 2022 Apr 7.

From the The Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Quzhou People's Hospital, Zhejiang, China.

Background: Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional death worldwide. The epidemiological characteristics of adult drownings are rarely reported.

Objective: Investigate factors associated with neurological prognosis in adult drowning inpatients. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2022 Mar 1:1-8. Epub 2022 Mar 1.

From the Nuclear Medicine, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, Turkey.

Background: Fetal effects of radiation are associated with the gestational week of exposure, dose, and duration of exposure, but the perception of risk of radiation in expecting mothers is greater than the actual risk of physical effects.

Objectives: Evaluate the overestimation of the teratogenic risk in women exposed to radiation and the role of teratological counseling in minimizing preconceptions.

Design: Analytical, cross-sectional. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2022 Jan-Feb;42(1):64-67. Epub 2022 Feb 3.

From the College of Medicine, Sulaiman Al Rajhi University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia.

Percutaneous Y-shape reconstructive biliary stenting in the Klatskin tumor is typically performed through bilateral biliary access. Single access from a right-side biliary entry is the more commonly used side for biliary access in general. We present a successful Y-shaped biliary stent reconstruction through a single left-side biliary approach. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2022 Jan-Feb;42(1):52-57. Epub 2022 Feb 3.

From the Internal Medicine Training Program, Oman Medical Specialty Board, Muscat, Oman.

Background: Globally, alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is considered a serious medical diagnosis associated with increasing morbidity and mortality. Little information has been reported on the scope of the problem in Oman.

Objective: Study clinical characteristics, management, quality of care, and health outcomes of patients managed for AWS. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2022 Jan-Feb;42(1):8-16. Epub 2022 Feb 3.

From the Doctoral School of Health Sciences, University of Pécs Medical School, Pécs, Hungary.

Background: Postoperative pulmonary complications in patients who undergo open heart surgery are serious life-threatening conditions. Few studies have investigated the potentially beneficial effects of preoperative physiotherapy in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Objectives: Assess the effects of preoperative chest physiotherapy on oxygenation and lung function in patients undergoing open heart surgery. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2022 Jan-Feb;42(1):29-35. Epub 2022 Feb 3.

From the Division of Translational Pathology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City.

Background: Screening programs for the most prevalent conditions occurring in a country is an evidence-based prevention strategy. The burden of autosomal recessive disease variations in Saudi Arabia is high because of the highly consanguineous population. The optimal solution for estimating the carrier frequency of the most prevalent diseases is carrier screening. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2022 Jan-Feb;42(1):17-28. Epub 2022 Feb 3.

From the College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences.

Background: Our understanding of the risk factors, prevalence, incidence rate, and age distribution of bladder cancer (BC) in Saudi Arabia is insufficient due to limited data.

Objective: Describe the epidemiology and analyze factors associated with survival in patients with BC in Saudi Arabia.

Design: Retrospective medical record review. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2022 Jan-Feb;42(1):1-7. Epub 2022 Feb 3.

From the Department of Surgery, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Taxes on tobacco products that increase the price and target demand-reduction have been shown to be an efficient means of reducing tobacco consumption. A new policy introduced in 2017 has increased the price of a 20-cigarette pack of the most popular brand to 27.50 SAR (7. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2022 Jan-Feb;42(1):36-44. Epub 2022 Feb 3.

From the Department of Emergency Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City.

Background: Acute poisoning is a major contributing factor to mortality and morbidity. There is a lack of research on the epidemiology of acute poisoning risk factors in Saudi Arabia.

Objectives: Descriptive overview of poisoning cases at a tertiary care center. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2022 Jan-Feb;42(1):58-63. Epub 2022 Feb 3.

From the Cardiac Cath Lab, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Background: The rise in the incidence of implantation is one of the main causes behind the increased rate of CIED infection, which is considered as a serious life-threatening complication. The need of risk factor assessment has become a necessity to prevent further complications and provide prompt management.

Objectives: Identify the risk factors of infection postoperatively among patients who have implantable cardiac devices. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2022 Jan-Feb;42(1):45-51. Epub 2022 Feb 3.

From the Department of Respiratory Intensive Care Unit, Sultan Abdulhamid Han Training and Research Hospital, University of Health Science, Istanbul, Turkey.

Background: Pneumonia is among the most serious infections in the elderly. The evaluation of prognosis and predicting the outcome is essential in managing the treatment of patients with pneumonia.

Objective: Evaluate factors that might affect the mortality of elderly patients hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in two age groups. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2021 Nov-Dec;41(6):376-382. Epub 2021 Dec 2.

From the Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Alkharj, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Ultraportable or pocket handheld ultrasound devices (HUD) may be useful for large-scale abdominal aortic aneurysm screening. However, the reproducibility of measurements has not been compared with conventional cart-based ultrasound machines.

Objectives: Investigate the intra- and inter-operator reproducibility of a HUD compared with a conventional ultrasound machine for aortic screening. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2021 Nov-Dec;41(6):327-335. Epub 2021 Dec 2.

From the Department of Nephrology, Baskent University, Antalya, Turkey.

Background: SARS-CoV2/COVID-19 emerged in China and caused a global pandemic in 2020. The mortality rate has been reported to be between 0% and 14.6% in all patients. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2021 Nov-Dec;41(6):336-349. Epub 2021 Dec 2.

From the Department of Surgery, Qingyang's People's Hospital, Qingyan, China.

Background: Predictors of recurrence in patients with lymph node-negative gastric cancer (GC) who have undergone curative resection have been widely investigated, but not the effects of predictors on timing of recurrence.

Objective: Determine the factors associated with early and late recurrence in patients with node-negative GC.

Design: Retrospective cohort. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2021 Nov-Dec;41(6):369-375. Epub 2021 Dec 2.

From the Department of Surgery, King Abdullah Hospital, Bisha, Asir, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Thyroidectomy is the surgical removal of all or part of the thyroid gland for non-neoplastic and neoplastic thyroid diseases. Major postoperative complications of thyroidectomy, including recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, hypocalcemia, and hypothyroidism, are not infrequent.

Objective: Summarize the frequency of surgical complications of thyroidectomy. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2021 Nov-Dec;41(6):313-317. Epub 2021 Dec 2.

From the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Intravascular intrauterine transfusion (IUT) is considered a safe procedure, but complications still occur, including fatalities.

Objective: Review the outcomes of Rh alloimmunization, including indications and possible complications.

Design: Retrospective cohort (medical record review). Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2021 Nov-Dec;41(6):350-360. Epub 2021 Dec 2.

From the Department of Infection and Immunity, Research Centre, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Data on human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and survival rates among HPV-infected women are scarce in Saudi Arabia.

Objective: Assess the prevalence of HPV genotypes in cervical biopsy specimens and its effect on survival over a 10-year timeframe.

Design: Retrospective, cross-sectional. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2021 Nov-Dec;41(6):361-368. Epub 2021 Dec 2.

From the Department of Nephrology, Kayseri City Education and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey.

Background: The modified creatinine index (mCI), as a surrogate marker of muscle mass, has been associated with poor outcomes in patients undergoing hemodialysis. However, a single assessment may not reflect the clinical significance before an adverse clinical endpoint.

Objective: Analyze mCI trajectories and their association with all-cause mortality in incident hemodialysis patients. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2021 Nov-Dec;41(6):383-391. Epub 2021 Dec 2.

From the Center of Infectious Diseases, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.

Background: The safety and efficacy of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) for the treatment of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) remain uncertain. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to draw a firmer conclusion.

Methods: We searched the Cochrane library, PubMed, Embase, and China Biology Medicine disc to identify relevant RCTs performed before January 2020. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2021 Nov-Dec;41(6):392-395. Epub 2021 Dec 2.

From the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Sakarya Training and Research Hospital, Sakarya, Turkey.

A high rate of thrombotic complications have been observed in patients infected with COVID-19. These complications are related to increased blood hypercoagulabity, which can cause both venous and arterial thrombosis. We report a case of a 60-year-old man with COVID-19 pneumonia and thrombotic occlusion of the infrarenal abdominal aorta at the time of admission to the hospital. Read More

Ann Saudi Med 2021 Nov-Dec;41(6):318-326. Epub 2021 Dec 2.

From the Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.

Background: In our previous report on Turkish COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care, the 24 patients in a single ICU were elderly and mortality was high. We extended our analysis to include patients admitted to ten ICUs.

Objectives: Report the demographics, clinical features, imaging findings, comorbidities, and outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Read More