Medicine
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Observational Study
The prevalence of PI*S and PI*Z SERPINA1 alleles in healthy individuals and COPD patients in Saudi Arabia: A case-control study.
Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) is an acute phase protein produced in hepatocytes. Its deficiency affects the lungs and liver. A case-control study was carried out to determine the prevalence of 2 common deficiency alleles, PI*S and PI*Z, for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) in both healthy and chronic obstructive pulmmonary disease (COPD)-affected Saudi populations and to clarify the importance of genetic tests in the screening of people at risk for COPD. ⋯ The AAT deficiency genotype frequencies (PI*ZZ, PI*SS, and PI*SZ) were 6.5 per 1000 and 87 per 1000 for normal and COPD-affected Saudi individuals. Our results indicated a high prevalence of AATD alleles in the normal Saudi population and an association between AAT deficiency and pulmonary disease development. Additionally, our research confirms the importance of genetic screening to achieve early and accurate diagnosis of AATD.
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Utilization of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for treatment of high-grade gliomas (HGGs) has been slowly increasing with variable reported success rates. ⋯ Our results suggest that SRS holds promise as a relatively safe treatment option for HGG. In terms of efficacy at this time, there are inadequate data to support routine utilization of SRS as the standard of care for newly diagnosed or recurrent HGG. Further studies should be pursued to define more clearly the therapeutic role of SRS.
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Central nervous system (CNS) involvement of graft versus host disease (GvHD) is a rare cause of CNS disorders after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Chronic CNS GvHD symptoms are heterogeneous and include cerebrovascular manifestations, demyelinating disease and immune-mediated encephalitis. CNS-Acute GvHD is not formally defined in literature. ⋯ CNS-related GvHD is a rare cause of CNS disorders after allo-HSCT and is associated with a poor prognosis.
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Comparative Study
Outcomes of robotic versus laparoscopic surgery for mid and low rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy and the effect of learning curve.
Randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer is safe and can accelerate recovery without compromising oncological outcomes. However, such a surgery is technically demanding, limiting its application in nonspecialized centers. The operational features of a robotic system may facilitate overcoming this limitation. ⋯ No significant difference was observed between the second robotic and laparoscopic groups. Although the robotic approach may offer potential advantages for rectal surgery, comparable short-term outcomes may be achieved when laparoscopic surgery is performed by experienced surgeons. However, our results suggested a shorter learning curve for robotic surgery for rectal cancer, even in patients who exhibited more advanced disease after undergoing nCRT.
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Case Reports
Delayed recovery of the affected finger extensors at chronic stage in a stroke patient: A case report.
A 33-year-old male presented with complete weakness of the right extremities due to corona radiata infarct. ⋯ We demonstrated unusual delayed and long-term recovery of the affected finger extensors in a patient with corona radiata infarct using DTT and TMS.