Parental Knowledge Toward Meningococcal Disease and Vaccination in Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is a bacterial infection caused by Neisseria meningitidis, which primarily affects the meninges, with a high incidence in young children. The most effective technique for preventing IMD is vaccination, which has been available for over 40 years through meningococcal polysaccharide capsule-containing vaccines. This study aims to assess the parental knowledge of meningococcal disease and vaccination in the Makkah region of Saudi Arabia. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted between September and December 2023 among 597 parents in the Makkah region using a validated online survey. The collected data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Results The study sample included 597 parents, of which 339 (56.8%) were female and 258 (43.2%) were male. Our research demonstrated that 388 (65%) participants had an insufficient understanding of IMD, while 209 (35%) had a sufficient understanding. There was a significant correlation between the knowledge score and the completion of the routine vaccination and whether vaccinating a child is essential for the protection of other members of society. Conclusions Based on our study, only around one-third of the participants demonstrated a sufficient level of knowledge regarding IMD and its vaccination. To provide a more accurate assessment of the Saudi population, additional research should be conducted in various regions and cities.

Primary ovarian lymphoma: A case report.

While Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) often involves the ovaries at time of autopsy, it is rarely present at the time of diagnosis. Here we present a case of a 20-year-old who presented with a large adnexal mass and elevated B-HCG, CA-125, and LDH. The patient underwent exploratory laparotomy, and frozen section of the left ovarian mass was suspected to be a dysgerminoma. Final pathologic diagnosis was Ann Arbor stage IVE Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, germinal center subtype. Patient is currently undergoing chemotherapy and has received the 3 of a planned 6 cycles of R-CHOP.

Factors That Affect the Likelihood of Undergoing Cosmetic Procedures Among the General Population of Western Region, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Cosmetic procedures are surgical and non-surgical procedures that improve and reshape body or facial structures to improve someone's appearance, self-esteem, and confidence. In recent years, these procedures have gained more popularity, and both the number of procedures performed and the cosmetic procedure market are growing dramatically worldwide. The objective of our research is to carry out a cross-sectional investigation to assess the factors that affect the likelihood of undergoing cosmetic surgery in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia. METHODS: In this study, a descriptive, cross-sectional methodology was employed. The intended sample includes residents of Makkah, Medina, Jeddah, and Al-taif cities who are 18 years of age or older, representing the general population. Data collection was carried out through an online questionnaire created using Google Forms, which was disseminated electronically via social media platforms. The questionnaire gathered demographic information and questions that evaluate the time spent on social media, likelihood of having cosmetic surgery, cosmetic surgery experience, social media exposure, personal experience, and self-rating of attractiveness. RESULTS: The study included a total of 507 participants, with 389 (76.7%) being female and 118 (23.3%) being male. In our sample, there was a significant correlation between the likelihood of undergoing cosmetic surgery in women who have a longer exposure to media and lower self-rating of attractiveness. For men, media exposure and previous cosmetic procedures were significantly affecting their likelihood of undergoing cosmetic procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Females who had a lower self-rating of attractiveness and a longer exposure to social media were more likely to undergo a cosmetic procedure. However, to gain a more comprehensive understanding, further research should be conducted.

Endometrial tumors with yolk sac tumor-like morphologic patterns or immunophenotypes: an expanded appraisal.

Uterine yolk sac tumors have gained increased recognition in recent years. The current study is a multi-faceted examination of yolk sac tumor-like phenotypes in endometrial tumors, based on an analysis of 3 groups of uterine tumors: Group 1: 9 endometrial tumors that had been classified as yolk sac tumor, or as having a yolk sac tumor component, were assessed with a 35-marker immunohistochemical panel, with the goal of defining their immunophenotypic spectrum; Group 2, comprised of 70 endometrial carcinomas of various histotypes, were analyzed for their expression of SALL4, Glypican-3, and AFP, to assess the specificity of these markers for yolk sac tumors relative to endometrial carcinomas; Group 3, comprised of 626 archived cases of endometrial carcinoma/carcinosarcoma, reviewed to define the frequency of yolk sac tumor-like morphology therein. Yolk sac tumor areas in the Group 1 cases were consistently immunoreactive for SALL4 and Glypican-3; variably positive for AFP (89%), Villin (89%), PLAP (78%), 34ßE12 (67%), CAM 5.2 (62.5%), EMA (56%), CD117 (50%), p16 (50%), CDX2 (44%), p53 (44% aberrant), MOC31 (37.5%), CK7 (33%), GATA3 (33%), CK5 (25%), and PAX8 (11%); and were negative for CD30, Napsin A, OCT4, estrogen, androgen, and progesterone receptors. 29 (41%) of the 70 group-2 cases expressed at least one of the 3 markers, and 96% of the positive cases was a high-grade histotype. Glypican-3, SALL4, and AFP were positive in 30, 20, and 2.8% of group-2 cases respectively; however, co-expression of any 2, or all 3 markers was uncommon (<9 and 1.4% of cases respectively). Potential yolk sac tumor-like morphology was identified in 5 (0.8%) of 626 group-3 cases, and three were ultimately deemed to be true yolk sac tumor phenotypes based on their morphologic and immunophenotypic similarity to the group 1 cases. These findings highlight the broad immunophenotypic spectrum of uterine yolk sac tumors, the potential pitfalls associated with using immunophenotypes alone to define yolk sac tumor differentiation in endometrial carcinoma, and the utility and limitations of morphologic assessment to identify yolk sac tumors at this site.

Breast cancers with a HER2/CEP17 ratio of 2.0 or greater and an average HER2 copy number of less than 4.0 per cell: frequency, immunohistochemical correlation, and clinicopathological features.

The 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology and College of American Pathologists (ASCO/CAP) guidelines classified breast cancers with a fluorescence in situ hybridization dual-probe HER2/CEP17 ratio of 2 or greater as "amplified," inclusive of cases with a HER2 copy number less than 4. The 2018 ASCO/CAP update assigns HER2/neu status for the latter group in a fashion that is highly dependent on the associated immunohistochemical findings. Herein, the authors define the frequency, immunohistochemical correlates, and other clinicopathological features of breast cancers with HER2/CEP17 ratio of 2 or greater and HER2/neu copy number less than 4 (group A), based on an analysis of an institutional cohort assessed for HER2/neu status by both florescence in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry and scored using 2013 ASCO/CAP criteria. Group A cases were compared with a group B of HER2/neu-amplified breast cancers with a HER2/neu copy number of 4 or greater regarding a variety of clinicopathological features. One hundred sixty-nine (14%) of 1201 cases were HER2/neu amplified, 18 (10.7%) in group A and 151 (89.3%) in group B. By immunohistochemistry, 61.1% of group A cases were HER2/neu negative, 7 (38.9%) were equivocal, and none were positive. In contrast, 66.9% of group B cases were HER2 positive (3+). We could not demonstrate statistically significant differences between the 2 groups regarding standard clinicopathological variables. In summary, our group A cases account for 1.5% of breast cancers, and 10.7% of all HER2/neu-amplified cancers classified as such based on 2013 ASCO/CAP criteria. They are predominantly HER2/neu negative by immunohistochemistry, which suggests that they are biologically different from classically HER2/neu-amplified cases and which validates the 2018 ASCO/CAP guideline against automatically classifying such cases as HER2/neu amplified.

Comparative Pathologic Analysis of Breast Cancers Classified as HER2/neu-Amplified by FISH Using a Standard HER2/CEP17 Dual Probe and an Alternative Chromosome 17 Control Probe.

At our institution, breast cancer cases that generate an equivocal HER2/neu (HER2) result by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using the dual HER2/chromosome enumeration probe (CEP17) are reflexed to an assay that utilizes an alternative control probe (lissencephaly gene1 [LIS1] [17p13.3]/retinoic acid receptor α [RARA] [17q21.2]). This study examines whether cancers that are classified as HER2-amplified with an alternate probe are clinicopathologically similar to those that are classified as such using the HER2/CEP17 probe. Reports for 1201 breast cancers were reviewed, and clinicopathologic findings were compared between HER2/CEP17-equivocal cases that became HER2-amplified using the alternate probe (group A: n=48), HER2-amplified cases using the HER2/CEP17 probe (group B: n=169), and HER2-nonamplified cases using the HER2/CEP17 probe (group C: n=910). Of 1201 cases tested using the HER2/CEP17 probe, 169 (14%) were HER2-amplified, 122 (10%) were equivocal, and 910 (76%) were nonamplified. Additional testing with the alternative probe on the 122 equivocal cases reclassified 48 (39%) of them to HER2-amplified, and such cases comprised 22% of all HER2-amplified tumors. A higher proportion of tumors with HER2 copy number between 5.0 and 5.9 became positive upon additional testing when compared with those with a priori HER2 copy numbers between 4.0 and 4.9 (P=0.0362). Group A cases, compared with group B cases, were more frequently positive for estrogen receptor (97.91% vs. 72.18%, P<0.0001) and progesterone receptor (85.41% vs. 59.17%, P=0.0009). Most group A cases (71%) were HER2 equivocal (score 2+) by immunohistochemistry, whereas most group B cases (60%) were positive (score 3+). Groups A and B showed no significant differences regarding patient age, lymph node status, tumor grade, histotype, and stage distribution. In summary, among our HER2-amplified cohort of breast cancers, alternative probe-detected cases were more frequently estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor positive than HER2/CEP17-detected cases, and were more frequently discordant with HER2 immunohistochemistry results. These findings raise the possibility of underlying biologic differences between these 2 groups, which warrants further study. However, the tumors were largely comparable regarding all other clinicopathologic variables. As it is unknown whether HER2-targeted therapy is truly beneficial in this subgroup of patients, future clinical trials should specifically evaluate this subset.

Immunogenicity of Candidate MERS-CoV DNA Vaccines Based on the Spike Protein.

MERS-coronavirus is a novel zoonotic pathogen which spread rapidly to >25 countries since 2012. Its apparent endemicity and the wide spread of its reservoir host (dromedary camels) in the Arabian Peninsula highlight the ongoing public health threat of this virus. Therefore, development of effective prophylactic vaccine needs to be urgently explored given that there are no approved prophylactics or therapeutics for humans or animals to date. Different vaccine candidates have been investigated but serious safety concerns remain over protein or full-length spike (S) protein-based vaccines. Here, we investigated the immunogenicity of naked DNA vaccines expressing different fragments of MERS-CoV S protein in mice. We found that plasmids expressing full-length (pS) or S1-subunit (pS1) could induce significant levels of S1-specific antibodies (Abs) but with distinct IgG isotype patterns. Specifically, pS1 immunization elicited a balanced Th1/Th2 response and generally higher levels of all IgG isotypes compared to pS vaccination. Interestingly, only mice immunized with pS1 demonstrated significant S1-specific cellular immune response. Importantly, both constructs induced cross-neutralizing Abs against multiple strains of human and camel origins. These results indicate that vaccines expressing S1-subunit of the MERS-CoV S protein could represent a potential vaccine candidate without the possible safety concerns associated with full-length protein-based vaccines.