Dementia in Qatar

Dementia is a major public health problem among the elderly in developed countries and a growing problem in the underdeveloped countries. There is no published data on dementia in any of the Arabic countries. The aim of this study was to determine the different sub-types of dementia among Qataris. A retrospective and prospective ongoing hospital-based study in which all medical records of the patients with diagnosis of dementia seen at the Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar, between June 1997 and June 2003, whether inpatient or outpatient were reviewed. Dementia was defined according to diagnostic and statistical manual [DSM] IV criteria. Those who had dementia were evaluated by a psychologist, psychiatrist, neurologist and a geriatrician. All had brain computerized tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, or both and routine blood tests. Finally, they were classified into sub-types according to the cause of dementia. Out of 300 patients, 134 fulfilled the inclusion criteria, most of them were illiterate, married and non-smokers. Among those dementia sub-types were: Alzheimer disease [AD] 39 [29%], vascular dementia [VaD] 30 [22%], mixed AD and VaD 20 [15%] and Parkinson's disease with dementia 8 [6%] were noted. The rest of them had dementia due to other medical conditions. Our study, which is the first of its kind in this part of the world, showed that AD is more prevalent than VaD. It also showed that patients and their families seek medical help late due to the general belief among the public that forgetfulness and other associated cognitive impairment are part of the normal aging process. The emergence of new drugs and advancement in the prevention of cerebrovascular diseases makes early diagnosis of dementia sub-type important. A community based study, to show the real prevalence and incidence of sub-types of dementia, is highly indicated. These data are necessary for planning and setting up community services and health care programs for demented patients

Dementia in Qatar.

Dementia is a major public health problem among the elderly in developed countries and a growing problem in the underdeveloped countries. There are no published data on dementia in any of the Arabic countries. The aim of this study was to determine the different sub-types of dementia among Qataris. A retrospective and prospective ongoing hospital-based study in which all medical records of the patients with diagnosis of dementia seen at the Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar, between June 1997 and June 2003, whether inpatient or outpatient were reviewed. Dementia was defined according to diagnostic and statistical manual [DSM] IV criteria. Those who had dementia were evaluated by a psychologist, psychiatrist, neurologist and a geriatrician. All had brain computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging or both and routine blood tests. Finally, they were classified into sub-types according to the cause of dementia. Out of 300 patients, 134 fulfilled the inclusion criteria, most of them were illiterate, married and non-smokers. Among those dementia sub-types were: Alzheimer disease [AD] 39 [29%], vascular dementia [VaD] 30 [22%], mixed AD and VaD 20 [15%] and Parkinson's disease with dementia 8 [6%] were noted. The rest of them had dementia due to other medical conditions. Our study showed that AD is more prevalent than VaD. It also showed that patients and their families seek medical help late due to the general belief among the public that forgetfulness and other associated cognitive impairment are part of the normal aging process. The emergence of new drugs and advancement in the prevention of cerebrovascular diseases makes early diagnosis of dementia sub-type important. A community based study, to show the real prevalence and incidence of sub-types of dementia, is highly indicated. These data are necessary for planning and setting up community services and health care programs for demented patients

Light and electron microscope study of albino rat testis at different ages

Forty male albino rats were used to study the histological picture of testis at different age groups. They were classified into three groups; prepubertal [20 rats divided equally into two subgroups: A [7 days], and B [21 days]], adult [10 rats, 3-4 months] and senile [10 rats, 16-18 months]. After anesthesia, small pieces of testes were dissected and processed for light and electron microscope study. In rats aged 7 days, the testis showed seminiferous cords lined by spermatogonia and Sertoli cells. Large rounded, pale-stained gonocytes occupied their centers. The cords were surrounded by more than one layer of myoid cells. Leydig cells were small and found in clusters. Their cytoplasm showed many lipid droplets and mitochondria with disrupted cristae. At 21 days of postnatal life, most cords turned into tubules lined by spermatogonia, spermatocytes and Sertoli cells, whereas, apoptotic gonocytes appeared towards the adluminal side. Tight junctions began to appear on cell membrane of Sertoli cells. In the adult group, the seminiferous tubules were lined by stratified germinal epithelium with spermatids at different stages of development and surrounded by a single layer of flattened myoid cells. Inter-Sertoli tight junctions divided the tubules into basal and adluminal compartments. Leydig cells had oval nuclei and their cytoplasm showed sER. mitochondria, few lipid droplets of variable sizes. In old aged rats, there were wide interstitial spaces. Some tubules showed wide lumina and reduced epithelial lining. They were surrounded by thickened irregular basement membrane. Germ cells of such tubules showed pyknotic nuclei and wide intercellular spaces. Sperms had highly attenuated darkly stained head, and malformed tail. Sertoli cells showed large lysosomes and vacuoles. Leydig cells appeared with irregular nuclei and their cytoplasm showed many lipid droplets and vacuoles. It could be concluded that the two extremities of age have adverse effects on fertility in males. Giving birth at senility for good generations is in doubt

Social and environmental aspects of kerosene poisoning in children in Jeddah

The main objective of the present study was to identify the social and enviornmenal aspects of kerosene poisoning in children, at King Abdulaziz Hospital [KAH], Jeddah. An open-ended questionnaire to the attending member of the family; by the attending physician in emergency was carried out in the emergency department KAH, during the period from April 1992 to May 1995. Kerosene poisoning was observed to be more common in children aged 1-3 years [86.5%], living in overcrowded homes [89.5%], with poor facilities [83.5%], and in homes where kerosene was stored in beverage containers easily accessible to the children, 80.5% of the families sought medical help within the first 2 hours after ingestion. Knowledge of toxic nature of kerosene was lacking in most of the families. The study indicated that kerosene poisoning was common in children of families living in overcrowded homes with minimum facilities, in which kerosene was easily accessible to children. Public awareness is needed to educate the families of the hazards of kerosene poisoning

correlation between alpha-fetoprotein and glycosylated hemoglobin in diabetic pregnancy

An inverse relationship between the concentration of glycosylated hemoglobin and serum alpha fetoprotein was observed in prospective study of 56 pregnant women with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus [r = 0.8222, p < 0.05]. No similar correlation was found among 27 healthy pregnant women [r = 0.0879]. Because the level of glycosylated hemoglobin in pregnancy correlates with poor outcome including the occurrence of fetal anomaly, it may be important to quantify glycosylated hemoglobin in pregnancies with low alpha fetoprotein levels. These results also suggest that the maternal concentration of glycosylated hemoglobin can be used to adjust serum alpha fetoprotein values before their interpretation in the screening of pregnant women with diabetes mellitus