Incidence, causative organisms, and risk factors of bloodstream infections in pediatric liver transplant patients: a systematic review.

Bacterial bloodstream infections (BSI) are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in pediatric solid organ transplant recipients. This systematic review aimed to pool global data from leading transplant institutions and identify the overall incidence, risk factors, and causative organisms of BSI in pediatric liver transplant recipients. A systematic review of the PubMed and OVID databases was conducted from 2000 to 2022. The initial search yielded 252 unique articles, which were independently reviewed by 2 authors. Articles that reported pediatric-specific data on BSI in isolated liver transplant patients were included, including the incidence of BSI, isolated organisms, and involved risk factors involved. This systematic review was registered with PROSPERO (ID: CRD42023403206). Fourteen articles from the United States, France, Iran, Japan, Korea, South Africa, Thailand, and Turkey were included. A total of 4,812 liver transplants were included in the final analysis. The mean patient age was 25 months (age range, 0-18 years), and 50.9% were male. The overall incidence of BSI was 23.5% (range, 14.7%-55%). The most commonly reported organisms were Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus, Klebsiella spp., and Escherichia coli. Among the risk factors studied, postoperative biliary complications, a medical history of biliary atresia, and younger age were the risk factors most commonly associated with BSI. Bacterial BSI after pediatric liver transplantation occur at a high incidence, with a unique organism profile notable for a higher percentage of gram-negative organisms. Further studies are required to determine the most appropriate prophylactic and empirical antibiotic management strategies for this population.

Growth of Diabetes Research in United Arab Emirates: Current and Future Perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most prevalent metabolic diseases in the UAE. During the last two decades, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has experienced tremendous development in all fields including DM research. The present study sheds light on the growth in DM research in UAE and represents a guide for DM researchers to create more focused future directions in DM research. OBJECTIVES: The main objective of the present study is to investigate and document the changes that occurred in DM research in the UAE over the last two decades. METHODS: Several research databases were reviewed and all the articles that involved any form of DM research within the UAE were selected. Inclusion criteria were: (i) Research studies related to DM and conducted by institutions based in UAE (ii) Research studies related to DM and conducted in the population of UAE and (iii) Research articles related to DM and the authors (principal investigators or co-investigators) are from UAE. RESULTS: Between the years of 1996 and 2000, there was an average of 6.4 articles about DM being published per year. This pattern changed dramatically between years 2011 to 2015 where an average of 22.8 articles were being published. In addition, a significant increase was noticed in the year 2015 with 42 articles published per year. It was also found that 46.8% articles involved clinical study, 12.1% were basic research, 17.5% cross-sectional studies, 8.91% reviews, 8.2% were cohort and all the other types of research represented about 5.58%. CONCLUSION: Significant progress has been noticed in DM research in the UAE during the last two decades. Based on the findings of the present study, more focus should be given to the case reports and clinical trials.

The symptoms and risk of sleep apnea among adults in the United Arab Emirates.

INTRODUCTION: Recently, sleeping disorders and snoring are being recognized as a public health concern with various risk factors and health consequences. The main objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence of snoring and sleep apnea among adults (20-60 years) in Sharjah (United Arab Emirates, UAE) and assess the major risk factors as well as the general knowledge among the population. METHODS: A self-administrated Questionnaire of five sections including both Berlin questionnaire (BQ) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scales (ESS) were given to a randomly selected population in Sharjah between the ages of 20-60 years. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22.0. RESULTS: Nearly 34.2% of the study population reported to be snorers, and 43.2% of snorers were at high risk of sleep apnea based on the BQ. Gender was significantly associated with snoring (P = 0.038), as 40.8% of males reported snoring compared to 28.7% of females. Elderlies (50-60 years) were at a higher risk, and obesity (body mass index >30) was considered to be a powerful risk factor as 46.8% of the obese participants reported snoring. Those who scored higher on the ESS were more likely to be snorers (P = 0.001) and were likely to fall into the high-risk category in the BQ (P = 0.007). In addition, smoking (P = 0.005), hypertension (P = 0.005), and nasal septal deviation (P = 0.024) were also considered as risk factors. CONCLUSION: Prevalence and major risk factors within the UAE are similar to those in other countries. Sleeping disorders and snoring campaigns and management facilities should be considered to raise the awareness about these issues and manage their risk factors.