scholarly journals Prevalence of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene polymorphisms (C677T, and A1298C) among Saudi children receiving dental treatment

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Amina M. Bagher ◽  
Alexander P. Young ◽  
Thikryat Neamatallah ◽  
Reham M. Al-Amoudi ◽  
Sara M. Bagher ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, the encoded by the MTHFR gene, plays a crucial role in converting the amino acid homocysteine to methionine. Two polymorphisms of the MTHFR gene, C677T and A1298C, reportedly reduce enzyme activity, resulting in hyperhomocysteinemia. Patients with C677T and A1298C polymorphisms may be at higher risk for developing abnormal hyperhomocysteinemia, which has been linked to catastrophic neurological including fatal outcomes. OBJECTIVE: Determine the prevalence of the MTHFR gene variants C677T and A1298C among pediatric dental patients treated at King Abdulaziz University Hospital. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Clinics of pediatric dentistry department. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Healthy Saudi children 6–12 years old with no known allergies were screened for eligibility between May and December 2019. A single investigator collected saliva samples. The MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The prevalence of MTHFR gene variants (C677T and A1298C) among the subjects. SAMPLE SIZE: 138. RESULTS: MTHFR C677T polymorphism was present in 36.2% of the sample and 90.0% of children carrying this allele were heterozygotes. MTHFR A1298C polymorphism was present in 91.3% of the sample and 77.0% of the children carrying this allele were heterozygotes. No linkage disequilibrium between MTHFR C677T and MTHFR A1298C was observed within this sample. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found a high frequency of the MTHFR A1298C genotype, which was substantially more abundant than expected based on a Hardy-Weinberg distribution. Therefore, caution is advised in using N 2 O in Saudi children as the increased prevalence of this MTHFR allele may increase the incidence of serious adverse effects among these children. LIMITATIONS: Further studies are recommended with a larger sample size from randomly selected hospitals from different regions of Saudi Arabia. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 291-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Dag ◽  
T Bezgin ◽  
N Özalp ◽  
G Gölcüklü Aydın

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the total medicament doses and recovery profiles of patients for whom Bispectral Analysis (BIS) monitor was used to monitor sedation. Study design: Thirty-four uncooperative paediatric patients aged 3-6 years who attended to the Department of Pediatric Dentistry for dental treatment were enrolled in the study. Patients were randomly divided into 2 groups of 17 patients each. Physiological variables including oxygen saturation, blood pressure and heart rate were recorded. In one group (BIS-monitored group), drugs were administered to maintain patients’ BIS values between 60-70, while the other group (Non-BIS-monitored Group) was not monitored using BIS. Data was evaluated by Chi-square, Mann Whitney U, Independent Samples t, Paired Samples t and Wilcoxon signed tests, with a p-value of <0.05 considered to be statistically significant. Results: There was no significant difference in total anesthetic doses, incidence of adverse events or recovery profiles of patients between non- BIS-monitored and BIS-monitored groups (p≯0.05). However, distinct correlation was determined among mean values of UMSS and BIS values (p<0.05). Conclusion: BIS represents no advantage over the current commonly accepted methods for monitoring sedation depth in children.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (OCE2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shatha Alharazy ◽  
Eman Alissa ◽  
Adeel Chaudhary ◽  
Susan Lanham-New ◽  
M. Denise Robertson

AbstractVitamin D (vitD) deficiency is highly prevalent in the Middle East (including Saudi Arabia) despite the abundance of sunlight. Older individuals in particular are at high risk of being vitD deficient. VitD binding protein (DBP), which acts as a carrier of vitD and its metabolites, has been reported to influence vitD status. In our study we aimed to investigate vitD status among postmenopausal women and its relation to DBP. A cross-sectional study was conducted at the King Fahad Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Seventy six postmenopausal females (age ≥ 50 years) who were not taking vitD supplementation and who were resident in Jeddah city, were randomly recruited from internal medicine clinics at King Abdulaziz University Hospital. Anthropometric measures, blood pressure, lifestyle history, dietary vitD intake and fasting blood samples were obtained from all study participants. Serum total 25 hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D), DBP, albumin, parathyroid hormone, calcium, phosphate, magnesium and metabolic bone parameters were analysed. VitD deficiency was defined as serum total 25(OH)D level below 30 nmol/L. The mean (± SD) serum level of total 25(OH)D was 46.9 ± 28.9 nmol/L with 36 % of the study population being vitD deficient. Although non-significant, the vitD deficient group had lower DBP and higher dietary vitD intake levels when compared with those with serum vitD > 30nmol/L. In addition, DBP was inversely correlated with vitD dietary intake (r = -0.233, P = 0.046). In conclusion, vitD deficiency is highly prevalent among postmenopausal women living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Intake of a vitD rich food seems to be associated with low DBP levels. Genetic polymorphisms in DBP will be studied in the future to find out a possible explanation for the differences in vitD status and DBP between individuals as well as the concomitant relationship between dietary vitD intake, DBP and serum 25(OH)D levels.


Hypertension ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 1338-1341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin M. O’Shaughnessy ◽  
Beiyuan Fu ◽  
Franco Ferraro ◽  
Ian Lewis ◽  
Sarah Downing ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulelah Kinkar ◽  
Dalya Alqarni ◽  
Abdulaziz Alghamdi ◽  
Sahal Wali ◽  
Nasser Alghamdi ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Epilepsy is a chronic disease characterized by periodic seizures that result from abnormal integrated firing impulses in the brain. It is one of the most common neurological disorders. Over the past few years, there has been increasing awareness about the effect that having a child with epilepsy has on parents and the reciprocal impact of parental knowledge and attitudes regarding epilepsy on the affected child. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess parental knowledge, attitudes, and behavior toward their epileptic children. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018 by the Pediatric Neurology Department of King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A sample size of 115 of 332 parents who have a child diagnosed with epilepsy and aged 18 years or younger were recruited for this study. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 21. Data analysis was performed using an independent <italic>t</italic> test, a chi-square test, one-way analysis of variance, and correlation analysis. RESULTS A total of 115 participants answered the questionnaire; of these, 65 (56.5%) were men, with an average age of 40.3 years, and the mean age of the children was 9.0 years. Overall, 85 (85/115, 73.9%) children were taken care of by both of their parents. The mean parental knowledge score was 7.49 (SD 2.08) out of 12, and it was significantly related to the educational level of the parent (<italic>P</italic>=.004). The knowledge question that was most frequently answered incorrectly was “Diagnosis of epilepsy is usually made based on at least two unprovoked seizures.” As only 28.7% (33/115) of participants chose the correct answer, mean parental attitude score was 26.51 (SD 4.284) out of 35, and there was no significant relation with the educational level of parents (<italic>P</italic>=.13); however, it was negatively correlated with the child’s age (<italic>P</italic>=.045). Mean parental behavioral score was 23.35 (SD 4.121) out of 35, and there was no significant relation with the educational level of the parents (<italic>P</italic>=.24). The most negatively answered question for the behavior section was “I can leave my child without supervision,” with a mean score of 2.25 (SD 1.09) out of 5. Gender did not play a significant role in parental knowledge, attitudes, or behavior (<italic>P</italic>=.44, <italic>P</italic>=.77, and <italic>P</italic>=.99, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Parental knowledge in our sample still needs improvement. Therefore, more awareness campaigns should be made for the community and for the parents of affected children to create a supportive environment for the children and help them thrive and develop.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khaloud Tariq ◽  
Arooj Ul Hassan ◽  
Muhammad Hassan ◽  
Shahab Ud Din ◽  
Zunaira Arooj ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Fasting places prohibitions on eating and drinking for a certain period of time. Although many dental treatments have been said to be safe and can be performed while fasting, other may result in breaking of fast. The study aims to evaluate the perception of dental patients of Lahore, Pakistan regarding effect of such treatments and hygiene measures during fasting. Methods : It was a cross-sectional survey carried out in 2 dental teaching hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan from September- October 2018. Patients were asked to complete a self-administered structured questionnaire developed to assess the knowledge regarding dental treatments, and hygiene practices while fasting. The questionnaire consisted of 7 items regarding the influence of dental treatments such as filling, scaling, and extraction etc. on fasting. Questions were also added regarding maintenance of oral hygiene such as brushing and its effect on fast. Frequencies and percentages are used to display results. Chi-squared test was used for statistical analysis to estimate difference between gender, and educational status with perception of procedures breaking fast. Results : Out of 415 responses, 374 were included for analysis. About 76.2% respondents believed that undergoing extraction broke fast. Scaling was thought to nullify the fast by 45.5% of respondents. 52.9% perceived root canal treatment to break fast along with 67.6%, who believed anaesthesia administration broke fast. As far as oral hygiene was concerned, brushing was reported to break fast by 57.5% with the use of mouthwash invalidating fast by 63.4%. Conclusion : The respondents were generally aware of some procedures not breaking fast however, most thought that administration of anaesthesia, undergoing root canal treatment, and extraction invalidated fast. Also, hygiene maintenance measures such as brushing and use of mouthwash during was also thought to break fast. It is imperative that the healthcare providers should be familiar with the effect of dental treatments and oral hygiene measures on fasting state that can influence the treatment plan of the patients.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wahbi Albishi ◽  
Marwan Ahmad Albeshri ◽  
Hatan Hisham Mortada ◽  
Khaled Alzahrani ◽  
Rakan Alharbi ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Surgical site infections (SSIs) are one of the leading causes of death, and its prevention is a key element of applying the concept of patient safety and quality care. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge about SSIs and risks of wound infection among medical physicians in King Abdulaziz University Hospital. METHODS All surgical and medical consultants, specialists, residents, and medical interns were invited to participate in the study. A 20-Item multiple-choice questionnaire was developed by reviewing the previous literature and with the help of a group of certified surgeons to assess the level of knowledge in all participants. RESULTS A total of 119 doctors were included in this study. Among all respondents, 92 (77.3%) were intern doctors, 16 (13.4%) were resident doctors, and 11 (9.2%) were specialist doctors. Moreover, 66 (55.5%) doctors knew the definition of SSI. Only one-quarter, that is, 30 (25.2%) doctors knew about the incidence of SSI. In addition, 8 doctors (6.7%) had good knowledge, 75 (63.0%) had fair knowledge, and 36 (30.2%) had poor knowledge regarding SSI according to this study. CONCLUSIONS Level of knowledge about SSIs and risks of wound infections among medical physicians should be improved to ensure better wound care and quality care for the patients.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 1143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristiano Scandurra ◽  
Roberta Gasparro ◽  
Pasquale Dolce ◽  
Vincenzo Bochicchio ◽  
Benedetta Muzii ◽  
...  

The aim of this monocentric cross-sectional study was to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the Italian version of the Level of Exposure-Dental Experiences Questionnaire (LOE-DEQ) in an Italian sample of 253 dental patients ranging from 18–80 years of age. The LOE-DEQ assesses 16 potential dental distressing experiences and 7 general traumatic life events through 4 subscales: (1) dentists’ behaviour and patients’ emotions (DBPE); (2) distressing dental procedures (DDP); (3) other distressing dental events (ODDE); and (4) general traumatic events (GTE). Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the original 4-factor model had adequate fit to the data obtained from the Italian sample. Criterion validity was partially confirmed as only DBPE and DDP positively correlated with dental anxiety. Similarly, convergent validity was also partially confirmed as DBPE, DDP, and ODDE correlated with negative beliefs towards the dentist and the dental treatment. Discriminant validity was fully confirmed, as all correlations were below 0.60. Finally, DDP was the factor most associated with high dental anxiety. This study offers evidence of the reliability and validity of the LOE-DEQ in the Italian context, providing Italian researchers and dentists with a tool to assess dental and general distressing experiences in dental patients.


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