RESUMO
Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common but preventable disease and has a prevalence of 5%-14% in the general population. It is characterized by airflow limitation and persistent respiratory symptoms. In this survey, we aimed to assess the awareness of COPD among the general population in the Aseer Region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Method: This was an observational, cross-sectional study in which predesigned electronic questionnaires were distributed to 504 randomly selected community personnel utilizing phone services. The collected data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics software, version 24 for Windows (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results: Participants were asked 11 questions with yes-or-no answers based on awareness and symptoms of COPD: 35.5% of participants had heard about the COPD as a term and 72% had no detailed information about COPD. Only 3.5% of participants had relatives with COPD. During the survey on COPD symptoms, 31% of participants chose shortness of breath and the rest chose cough (20%), sputum production (15%), wheezing (14%), and chest pain (19%). Almost two-third of the participants had no idea about COPD symptoms. For the most disease knowledge, majority of the study participants had very poor knowledge about the disease that was evident in the 22 questions intended to assess this domain. Social media sites ranked as the most popular source of information on COPD among the study participants. Conclusion: Awareness about COPD among the general population in the Aseer Region in KSA is poor. It is advisable to carry out programs to increase their level of awareness.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells (MDSCs) are used as markers for short-term immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) course. This study aimed to assess their reliability to predict the sustained treatment response within 6 months. METHODS: We tested the sensitivity and specificity of MDSCs and proposed cut-off MDSCs values to predict the prognosis in newly diagnosed ITP. We enrolled 80 adults with primary ITP; 50 newly diagnosed (group I), 30 chronic (group II), and 20 controls (group III). Flow cytometry was used for peripheral blood MDSCs estimation with correlation, sensitivity, and specificity of MDSCs to predict sustained treatment response. RESULTS: After 6 days and 6 months of treatment, MDSCs were significantly higher than pre-treatment in group I, (P < 0.001, P < 0.001). MDSCs were significantly higher in group I compared to groups II and III, (P < 0.001 for both). Cut-off values were 15.75% and >5.9% at 6 days and 6 months respectively. MDSCs sensitivity was 85.7% and 100% and specificity was 94.44% and 100% at 6 days and 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: MDSCs may constitute a reliable predictor for ITP initial and prolonged treatment response with good sensitivity and specificity. This may guide the use of a specific therapeutic agent as maintenance therapy or its replacement in practice.
