Anthropometry of the nose pre- and post-photogrammetric adjustments in a sample of Syrian medical students. A cross-sectional study.

Background and Aims: The individual's perceived beauty, sense of identity, and general well-being are all influenced by the social implications of the esthetics of their facial appearance. One of the major indicators of one's facial beauty is anthropometric proportions. This study was conducted to measure and evaluate the anthropometric proportions in a Syrian population, and to determine their desired nasal shape. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on Syrian university students. Lateral and frontal pictures of the participants were taken using Canon EOS 250D from a standard distance of 100 cm. These pictures were analyzed, then nasal measurements were adjusted according to the participants' desire using Adobe Photoshop 2020. All anthropometric measurements were conducted on AutoCAD® 2019 software before and after the adjustments. Data was analyzed using the SPSS-25 using paired samples T test to compare the means. Results: The study included 53 females and 47 males. The mean age was 22.25. The mean unadjusted nasofrontal angle, nasolabial angle, nasomental angle, nasofacial angle, nasal index, Byrd and Hobar ratio, and Powell-modified Baum ratio were 141.80, 102.18, 129.21, 34.60, 71.71, 0.62, and 3.08 in the rhinoplasty-negative participants, and 145.89, 102.03, 130.20, 32.44, 67.96, 0.64, and 3.06 in the rhinoplasty-positive participants, respectively. While the mean of the adjusted previously mentioned angles were 144.59, 106.32, 131.19, 31.15, 62.91, 0.60, and 3.19 in the rhinoplasty-negative participants, and 146.31, 102, 130.20, 31, 62.55, 0.62, and 3.08 in the rhinoplasty-positive participants, respectively. Conclusion: In contrast to other populations, our study concluded that Syrians had unique anthropometric measurements and facial esthetics preferences. Moreover, the local plastic surgeons were able to identify most of the preferred nasal measurements for rhinoplasty in this ethnic group. It is advisable to use photogrammetry before rhinoplasty to identify the preferred nasal measurements of each individual to ensure the patient's satisfaction with the outcome of the surgery. Level of Evidence: Level IV, cross-sectional study.

Oral cancer knowledge and practice among medical students: A cross-sectional study during the Syrian crisis.

Background: lack of medical practitioners' knowledge about oral cancer has contributed to delays in referral and treatment. Oral cancer is amenable to treatment when detected early, which leads to better prognosis and survival rates. In this study, we aimed to assess the knowledge of the Syrian medical students about the risk factors of oral cancer, oral cavity changes associated with oral cancer, and the relation between the relation with Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and oral cancer. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted at the Syrian Private University. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires, which targeted social demographic information, general knowledge, risk factors, oral changes and HPV knowledge associated with oral cancer. Data was categorized and analyzed to assess and compare the levels of knowledge between clinical and preclinical students. Results: 301 out of 401 medical students responded to the questionnaires bringing the response rate to 75.25%. The study revealed adequate knowledge about oral cancer, general information, clinical features, risk factors and relation to HPV. Clinical students showed higher levels of awareness compared to pre-clinical students. No significance in knowledge was found between the genders. Conclusion: The findings of the present study suggest that there is a need to reinforce the medical curriculum concerning oral cancer education, particularly in prevention and early detection to improve practices.

Distribution and risk factors of cleft lip and palate on patients from a sample of Damascus hospitals - A case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: This case-control study was conducted to determine the distribution of cleft lip and/or palate, its association with family history, syndromes and serous otitis media (SOM), and its relation with several risk factors. METHODS: The case group comprised of 133 children born with cleft lip and/or palate, and the control was 133 non-cleft children born full-term. Data was collected including age, gender, origin and risk factors for cleft lip and palate from patients' files, interviewing supervising doctors, and the patient. Data was then filled out into Excel and underwent statistical analysis using the Goodness of Fit Test and Chi-Square to determine the significance of the results. RESULTS: Cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) was slightly higher among males (51.9%). Combined cleft lip and palate (CLP) was the most common presentation (42.1%). Cleft lips (CL) were mostly complete cleft (51,5%) incomplete cleft comprised (41.1%), In the sample 35.4% of the cases were bilateral, 32.3% were right unilateral, 28.3% were left unilateral and 4% were median cleft. Cleft palate (CP) was mostly complete (46.6%) there were incomplete clefts (40%), and the remainder were submucosal (13.4%). Isolated CL and combined CLP were higher in males (51.6%, 62.5% respectively). Both isolated CP and Tessier anomaly were more common in females (64.7% and 58.3% respectively). consanguineous marriages accounted for 36.1% of cases. 21.8% of the sample had a first-degree relative and 24.8% had a second degree relative born with CL/P. There were only 7 cases (0.05%) of syndromic CL/P: Down's (4), Pierre Robin's (2), and Van der Woude Syndrome (1). A relationship was found between CL/P and the risk factors: taking anticonvulsants (without specifying the drug) (p = 0.025, OR = 10.73 C.I. 95%), taking retinoic acid (p-value = 0.049, OR = 4.75 C.I. 95%), not consuming folic acid (p-value = 0.00, OR = 28.23 C.I. 95%), and smoking cigarettes (p-value = 0.046, OR = 2.00 C.I. 95%). There was no relationship with maternal alcohol consumption or maternal diabetes (p-values = 0.652 and 0.210, respectively). SOM was present in 63.2% of patients with CL/P and were mostly isolated CP. CONCLUSION: CL/P was only slightly higher among males. The most common condition was CLP. There was higher incidence of CL/P among second-degree relatives than first degree. Down's, Pierre Robin's, and Van der Woude Syndromes may be associated with CL/P. Taking anticonvulsants, taking retinoic acid, not consuming folic acid, and smoking cigarettes all have a role in the incidence of CL/P. More than half of the sample had an associated SOM.

The prevalence of oral mucosal lesions and related factors in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory multi systematic disease of unknown aetiology. SLE has a wide range of symptoms. The most common symptoms are joint pain, skin rash and fever. Oral lesions in SLE manifest in a variety of forms, such as oral mucosal ulceration, mouth burns, xerostomia and salivary gland diseases, temporomandibular joint disease, periodontal disease, dysgeusia, white lesions, oedema, bleeding and petechiae. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions and their related factors in patients with SLE, giving the lack of comprehensive statistical data in Syria and the differences between reported prevalence. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed in the Al-Mouassat University Hospital in Damascus. Patients were evaluated appropriating observation, clinical examination, completing questionnaires, studying patient's medical records and paraclinical laboratory tests if required. Four types of oral lesions were evaluated: ulcer, erythema, white plaque and spots. The diagnosis of these lesions was made according to observation and clinical examination, and the location of each lesion was also recorded. Data were analysed using SPSS version 16.0. RESULT: In this study, 42 (70% %) out of 60 patients (38 women and 4 men) had oral lesions, while 18 (30%) had none. The most common areas for the lesions were the buccal mucosa (26.1%) and the lips (14.2%). Of the 42 patients with oral lesions, 12 (27.6%) showed ulcers. There was a significant relationship between the following factors and oral lesions: oral hygiene status, the duration of the disease involvement, frequency of pregnancies, the amount of daily use of corticosteroids without significant difference between dosage groups, and medications used for SLE treatment other than corticosteroids (p < 0.008) without mentioned names or dosages. Conversely, age, sex, cigarette smoking and medications other than those used for SLE treatment were not significantly related to the presence of oral lesions (p value was greater than 0.05 in all subjects).

Foreign body aspiration in a tertiary Syrian centre: A 7-year retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Paediatric foreign body aspiration constitutes significant lethal sequela worldwide. This is the first descriptive Syrian study that aims to describe the epidemiology of foreign body aspiration in a tertiary centre in Syria. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study conducted at the Children's University Hospital, Damascus, from 2011 to 2018 during the Syrian crisis. The children underwent rigid bronchoscopy at Al Mouwasat University hospital, the only properly equipped hospital to perform paediatric rigid bronchoscopy in Damascus. We included all cases with complete medical records of children under the age of 13 years with positive bronchoscopy findings of foreign body aspiration. The records of patients were examined, and data extracted included physical examination, CXR reports, bronchoscopy reports, and complications. Statistical package for social sciences 25.0 program for Windows was used to report frequencies, percentages, means, medians, and standard deviations. RESULTS: Of 560 children diagnosed with foreign body aspiration, the peak incidence was at the age of 1-3 years 376 (67.2%). Most patients presented with an explicit history of inhalation 453 (80.9%). The most frequent clinical findings were dyspnoea 320 (57.1%), wheezing 308 (55%), and chest retraction 209 (37.35%). Hyperinflation 260 (46.4%) followed by pulmonary infiltration 197 (35.2%) were the most common abnormal radiological findings. Seeds 273 (48.8%) were the most frequent foreign body extracted by rigid bronchoscopy. The right main bronchus 255 (40.2%) was the most frequent site of foreign body lodgement. Lobar pneumonia 16 (2.8%) was the commonest complication of foreign body aspiration. CONCLUSION: Foreign body aspiration is a major public health problem in Syria. The child's welfare must be our paramount concern. To prevent this accident, we should address a change in raising public health awareness with regards to appropriate food and eating habits. This would limit hazardous complications.