Saudi Med J
-
To explore nephrologists' concerns and recommendations in counseling their advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients on Ramadan fasting. ⋯ This research addresses nephrologists' perspectives about Ramadan fasting for patients with advanced CKD. It highlights factors they consider when advising CKD patients about fasting, which were used to suggest applications in practice. Further studies are needed to comprehend nephrologists' and CKD patients' perspectives on fasting.
-
To identify the epidemiologic profile of cerebral vein thrombosis (CVT) among fasting women using oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) during the holy month of Ramadan. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on all patients diagnosed with CVT and using OCPs from records at a tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during 2016-2017. The study participants were categorized into 2 groups (an intermittently fasting group during the holy month of Ramadan and a non-fasting group). Results: Out of 108 female patients with CVT, 36.1% were secondary to OCP, of whom 41% participants were fasting. ⋯ Dehydration (p=0.003) amongst the fasting group and protein S deficiency (p=0.027) in the non-fasting group were identified as the 2 prominent risk factors. Unfractionated heparin was the most common anticoagulant therapies used during the initiation phase for non-fasting (36.4%) and fasting groups (50%). Conclusion: All women who are using OCP should undergo formal written risk assessments for factors of CVT. Our study suggests that the negative effects of OCPs use might outweigh its benefits; thus, it should be prescribed with caution, more so in fasting patients.
-
To validate and assess the reliability of the new version of an Arabic speech intelligibility rating among di erent raters. ⋯ The Arabic SIR demonstrated excellent reliability with strong consistency. It showed its clinical ability in distinguishing healthy subjects from patients along with follow up of speech development skills over time. The Arabic SIR can be used by parents to evaluate post-CI progress of their children.
-
To evaluate the accuracy and e cacy of ne-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in diagnosing thyroid nodules, correlating it with the histopathological findings. ⋯ The findings for FNAC from our data set of 314 patients showed a sensitivity value of 79.8%, specificity of 82.1%, accuracy of 74.8%, positive predictive value of 74.8%, and negative predictive value of 85.9%. Conclusion: Our study showed that FNAC has high sensitivity and speci city in the initial evaluation of patients with thyroid nodules. When guided by ultrasonography, the accuracy can be markedly improved. Molecular markers once widely available can improve the diagnostic power of FNAC to be no less than the histopathologic evaluation of thyroid tissue.
-
The current research aims to study the impact of raising tobacco tax and implementation of plain packaging on male smokers' quitting intentions in Saudi Arabia. ⋯ Although the current price of cigarette packs reported to be very high by the participants, imposing a new higher tax may motivate smokers who had plans to quit in the near future. Plain packaging seems to be an effective new strategy in addition to tobacco taxation in Saudi Arabia, yet, more time and further research are required to assess the effectiveness of the strategy.