Dietary Fat Intake and KRAS Mutations in Colorectal Cancer in a Moroccan Population.

Epidemiologic data support an association between diet and mutations in the Kirsten-ras (KRAS) gene involved in colorectal cancer (CRC) development. This study aimed to explore the associations between fat intake and KRAS mutations in codons 12 and 13 in cases of CRC in the Moroccan population. A multicenter case-series study nested in a large-scale Moroccan CRC case-control study was conducted. Among all CRC cases recruited, 151 specimens were available for the DNA mutation analysis. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (Cis) for KRAS mutation status according to the fat intake variables. A KRAS mutation was detected in the CRC tumor of 34.4% of the patients among whom 65.4% had a single mutation at codon 12 and 34.6% had a single mutation at codon 13. Compared to low levels of consumption, a positive association was observed between high polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) consumption (>16.9 g/day) and prevalence of KRAS mutations (OR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.01-4.59). No statistically significant associations were observed for total fat, monounsaturated fatty acids, saturated fatty acids and KRAS mutations. The results of this study suggest that PUFA may be relevant in the etiology of CRC, possibly through the generation of G > A transitions at the KRAS oncogene. Further studies are needed to verify and explain this finding.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Moroccan version of the incontinence quality of life questionnaire (I-QoL) in urinary incontinence patients.

OBJECTIVE: Because of the importance and prevalence of incontinence in women, there is growing interest in the development and use of well-designed quality of life questionnaires. The objective of this study is to adapt and validate, the I-QoL, a quality of life questionnaire, in Moroccan dialect, and to assess its psychometric properties in people suffering from urinary incontinence STUDY DESIGN: One hundred patients (77 % female) with a symptom of urinary incontinence participated in the study and filled out the Moroccan version of the questionnaire. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire were assessed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α), the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and confirmatory factor analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that the Moroccan version of the I-QOL has very good psychometric properties. The overall I-QoL summary score and subscales showed high internal consistency (alpha ranging from 0.94 to 0.99). Inter-rater reliability was substantial for the three subscales and the total score. The ICC, assessing reproducibility at two weeks, ranged from 0.89 to 0.99, demonstrating the stability of the scores. The I-QOL was able to discriminate between different levels of self- perceived severity. Significant differences in I-QOL scores (p<0.001) were observed when comparing I-QOL scores by the number of incontinence-related medical visits made by patients during the past year. CONCLUSION: The Moroccan version of the I-QOL is a valid and reliable tool to determine the influence of urinary incontinence on health-related quality of life in Moroccan persons.

Risk factors and prevalence of use of different tobacco products among school adolescents in the North Central region of Morocco: a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: The rising number of youth smokers is a major concern to public health in Morocco. The implementation of appropriate preventive measures would require information about the prevalence and determinants of tobacco use. Data on tobacco consumption among adolescents in the North Center of Morocco are scarce. Therefore, the current study aims at investigating the risk factors of smoking and the prevalence of the use of different forms of tobacco among school teenagers in the North-Centre region of Morocco. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in North Central Region of Morocco among students in public secondary schools selected by stratified cluster random sampling. The statistical unit devised was a school class from the seventh to the twelfth grade of the Moroccan educational system. RESULTS: A total of 3020 students (53% were males) and an average age = 16 ± 2.1 years were included in the study. The prevalence of the use of cigarettes was 16.1% (95% CI: 14.8% - 17.4%).For other tobacco types such as hookah, snuff and tobacco chewing, the prevalence was respectively 70.6%, 42.8% and 35.0% for cigarettes smokers. The level of current tobacco use was noticeably higher among boys (15.0% vs. 2.5%, p < 0,001) and high school students in comparison to middle school pupils (21.2% versus 11.9%; p < 0,001). CONCLUSION: Among young people, all types of smoking are growing increasingly in our Moroccan society; this alarming result can contribute to help the decision-makers to make decisions and force us obviously to take preventive measures rapidly.