Prevalence of medical conditions among patients attending dental teaching clinics in northern Jordan

AIM: This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of self reported medical conditions among dental patients attending dental teaching clinics in north Jordan. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A total of 1,509 patients were included, of which 46.1% were males and 53.9% were females. All age groups were included and ranged between 14 and 78 years. The findings were analyzed in relation to age and gender. RESULTS: Overall, gastrointestinal disease was most prevalent (11.9%), followed by bleeding tendencies (9.3%), renal disorders (8.7%), respiratory disease (8.3%), and hypertension (6.4%). Only 3.2% of the participants reported having antibiotics prescribed for them prior to a dental procedure for prophylactic purposes. CONCLUSION: Due to the high frequency of medical conditions, thorough evaluation of patients' medical and dental care histories should be a mandatory first step in their management.     

Stage IIB carcinoma of the cervix that is associated with pelvic kidney: A therapeutic dilemma

Locally advanced cervical cancer with congenital pelvic kidney is reported uncommonly. A 50-year-old patient with stage IIB cervical cancer and pelvic kidney was treated with irradiation and concurrent chemotherapy. Follow-up evaluation for 2 years revealed normal renal function and no evidence of recurrent disease.     

Face and brow presentation in northern Jordan, over a decade of experience

BACKGROUND: Malpresentation is a deviation from the normal presentation, which occurs in approximately 5% of labours (Seeds and Cefalo in Clin Obstet Gynaecol 25:145-156, 1982). The commonest form of malpresentation at delivery is breech presentation followed by face and brow presentation. OBJECTIVES: To review the incidence and management of face and brow presentation in north of Jordan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective review of the experience of face and brow presentation deliveries in the two main civil hospitals in north of Jordan between 1995 and 2005. RESULTS: The incidence of face and brow presentation was 1 in 813 and 1 in 1,689 deliveries, respectively. There was no significant increase in the incidence of prematurity nor very low birth weight and no higher incidence of postmaturity among those delivered by face or brow in the same period. All the foetuses presenting by the brow and by face (mentoposterior) and only 16.7 % of foetuses presenting by face (mentoanterior) were delivered by caesarian section. CONCLUSION: The incidence of face and brow presentation was 1 in 813 and 1 in 1,689 deliveries, respectively. All the babies presenting by brow presentation did undergo caesarean section. The management of face and brow presentation is heading towards a safe delivery and not merely to accomplish vaginal delivery.     

Thailand intensive external quality assessment schemes as dynamic tools for improving laboratory quality and standard

The term 'external quality assessment (EQA)' has been recommended by WHO consultative meeting in 1980. It has been using to run the retrospective and com-parative statistic tests' reliability among the EQA participants of their organizers. EQA schemes in all fields of laboratory pathology should provide objective information as tools to assist laboratory analysts ensuring the test result quality and on the contrary deciding error-eradicated actions, or more or less improving national test performance quality and standard. Scoring assessment has been designed in the EQA schemes to assist monitoring, and encouraging quality and standard of laboratory performance in the long run of consecutive trials. The Faculty of Medical Technology of Mahidol University now as a collaborating WHO:SEARO EQA organizers, has provided wider EQA schemes, servicing participants all around Thailand, including 400 labs in clinical chemistry of EQAC scheme, 150 labs in clinical hormone of EQAH scheme, 200 labs in clinical microscopy of EQAM scheme, and 190 labs in clinical immunology and serology of EQAI schemes. Regular EQA newsletters, and yearly summer-time seminar and training prove to be the essential education tools promoting both laboratory quality and standard intensively.     

Hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal function in adolescent females with beta-thalassemia major.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in adolescent female patients with beta-thalassemia major. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective study of the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis function of 31 beta-thalassemia major females aged between 13 and 22 years and in 12 control females aged between 12 and 22 years. All were treated at Princess Rahma Teaching Hospital, Irbid, Northern Jordan between April 2001 and April 2003. RESULTS: Of the 31 beta-thalassemia major females, 13 (41.9%) had delayed puberty. Hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis dysfunction was found in 15 patients (48.4%). Twelve patients (38.7%) had hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and 5 (16.1%) had ovarian failure. High levels of serum ferritin were significantly higher in patients with delayed puberty. CONCLUSION: Pituitary and ovarian dysfunction are common problems in beta-thalassemia major patients. The main possible cause is iron overload. This stresses the need for intensive and regular use of chelation therapy to prevent damage to the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis.     

Full-term viable abdominal pregnancy: a case report and review

A full-term abdominal pregnancy culminating in the birth of a live healthy baby by laparotomy is described.     

Dorsal metacarpal veins: anatomic variation and potential clinical implications

The dorsal metacarpal veins are frequently cannulated. Cannulation success is determined by several variable anatomic features. The objective of this study is to classify, for the first time, the anatomic variants of the dorsal metacarpal veins. In this cross-sectional study, 520 university students and staff were conveniently recruited. The dorsal metacarpal veins in 1040 hands were studied. Venous visibility was enhanced by either tourniquet application or near-infrared illumination. Variant patterns of the dorsal metacarpal veins were classified. The final analysis included 726 hands, for an exclusion rate of 30 %. Eight pattern types were identified. Three anatomic features informed the variation. Bilateral symmetry of the dorsal metacarpal veins was present in 352 participants (83 % of the total). The overall frequency distribution of variants in both hands was similar (P = 0.8). The frequency distribution of variants was subject to sexual dimorphism (P = 0.001), ethnic variation (P < 0.001), and technical variation (P < 0.001). The anatomic variants of the dorsal metacarpal veins were sorted into decreasingly frequent primary, secondary, and tertiary groups. The groups may signify a progressive increase in difficulty of peripheral cannulation, in the mentioned order. As such, primary patterns are the most common and likely the easiest to cannulate, while tertiary patterns are the least common and likely the most difficult to cannulate. The preceding premise, in tandem with the bilateral asymmetry of the veins, is clinically significant. With cannulation difficulty likely signifying an underlying tertiary pattern, the contralateral dorsal metacarpal veins are probabilistically characterized by a primary pattern and are, as such, the easier option for peripheral venous cannulation.     

Early spica cast for fracture shaft of femur in children: the north of Jordan experience

This is a case series study that was conducted to assess the findings and usefulness of early spica in children less than 10 years of age. Forty patients less than 10 years of age with femoral shaft fractures were treated by early hip spica between 2000 and 2005 and were followed up for 6 months. The setting was a public university hospital and a public university-affiliated hospital in the north of Jordan. Ultimate shortening of the affected limb of ≥2 cm was observed in those patients with an overlap between fragments of ≥2 cm in the first post-spica X-ray. One case of significant angulation and no cases of rotation deformities were observed. It is concluded that early spica cast in children under the age of 10 is an effective treatment modality. Only in the presence of overlap of ≥2 cm between fragments in the first post-spica X-ray, there would be a chance of ultimate shortening of the affected limb by ≥2 cm. Children aged ≥6 are more liable to develop leg shortening.