Immunogenicity of meningococcal ACYW135 polysaccharide vaccine in Saudi children 5 to 9 years of age

Meningococcal tetravalent polysaccharide vaccines were observed to be immunogenic in Saudi children 5 to 9 years of age, with >90% having serum bactericidal antibody titers of > or = 8 for serogroups A, Y, and W135; for serogroup C, 77% were putatively protected after vaccination.     

Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon

An association between a vascular lesion and a life threatening coagulopathy is called Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon (KMP). It includes thrombocytopenia, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy. We cannot overstate the need for excellent and careful screening. Treatment modalities of KMP have included medication, radiation, embolization and surgery. Corticosteroids have traditionally been the mainstay of treatment. We report a 4-month-old girl with an extensive vascular lesion involving the left parotid, submandibular, and parapharyngeal regions, and with KMP. We treated her with a mega dose of corticosteroids. Her coagulopathy resolved, and her vascular lesion improved.     

Ossifying fibromyxoid tumor of the ethmoid sinus in a newborn: report of a case and literature review

Ossifying fibromyxoid tumor (OFT) of soft parts is a benign soft tissue tumor commonly located in the extremities. In this paper, a 3-week-old boy presented with left nasal mass at birth. He was found to have an OFT involving the ethmoid sinus. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of OFT in a newborn with involvement of the sinuses. This rare tumor should alert Pediatric Otolaryngologists to include it in the differential diagnosis of pediatric soft tissue tumors in sinuses.     

Epidemiology of the human immunodeficiency virus in Saudi Arabia; 18-year surveillance results and prevention from an Islamic perspective

Background  

data on HIV epidemiology and preventive measures in Islamic countries is limited. This study describes the results of 18-year of HIV surveillance in Saudi Arabia (SA) and the preventive measures implemented from an Islamic perspective.     

Methodological considerations on the design and analysis of an equivalence stratified cluster randomization trial

The World Health Organization and collaborating institutions in four developing countries have conducted a multi-centre randomized controlled trial, in which clinics were allocated at random to two antenatal care (ANC) models. These were the standard 'Western' ANC model and a 'new' ANC model consisting of tests, clinical procedures and follow-up actions scientifically demonstrated to be effective in improving maternal and newborn outcomes. The two models were compared using the equivalence approach. This paper discusses the implications of the equivalence approach in the sample size calculation, analysis and interpretation of results of this cluster randomized trial. It reviews the ethical aspects regarding informed consent, concluding that the Zelen design has a place in cluster randomization trials. It describes the estimation of the intracluster correlation coefficient (ICC) in a stratified cluster randomized trial using two methods and reports estimates of the ICC obtained for many maternal, newborn and perinatal outcomes. Finally, it discusses analytical problems that arose: issues encountered using a composite index, heterogeneity of the intervention effect across sites, the choice of the method of analysis and the importance of efficacy analyses. The choice of the clustered Woolf estimator and the generalized estimating equations (GEE) as the methods of analysis applied is discussed.     

Overweight and Obesity in Saudi Arabian Adult Population, Role of Sociodemographic Variables

The objectives of this Community-based National Epidemiological Household Survey, conducted between 1990–1993, were to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Saudi Arabia and to examine its association with the socio-demographic characteristics of the adult population. A sample of Saudis 20 years and over was selected using a multistage stratified cluster sampling technique with probability proportionate to size. The selected subjects were requested to visit primary health care centers in their localities. Physicians in these clinics took measurements of heights and weights and collected other relevant data. Obesity was measured by the Body Mass Index, using the Quetelet Index. The results showed the sample of 10,651 subjects of which 50.8% were males, had a mean age of 35.8 years (SD = 14.27 years). The prevalence of overweight was 31.2% (95% confidence interval: 30.3%, 32.1%); 33.1% for males and 29.4% for females. For obesity, the overall prevalence was 22.1%; males 17.8% and females 26.6%. The study design suggested that these estimates could be closer to the true values. The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age, residential area, region, income, gender, and education are statistically significant predictors of obesity. The prevalence of obesity was higher in females than males, lower in subjects living in rural areas with traditional lifestyles than those in more urbanized environments, and increased with increasing age. The observed prevalence and pattern of overweight and obesity with age and gender is similar to those observed in the Arab community and some Western nations. There is a need for increased physical activity and better nutrition education programs to reduce the extent of obesity and to pre-vent the serious health consequences, especially, in the middle age group.