Qatar Medical Journal - Volume 2012, Issue 1

In Baghdad in 931 AD Caliph Al Muqtadir learned that a patient had died as the result of a physician's error. There upon he ordered his chief physician, Sinan Ibn Thabit bin Qurrah to examine all those who practiced the art of healing. In the first year of the decree more than 860 were examined in Baghdad alone. From that time on, licensing examinations were required and administered in various places. Licensing Boards were set up u Read More

Qatar Medical Journal is the official periodical of the medical community in Qatar. Papers considered for publication in Qatar Medical Journal are those reporting original work, review articles and case reports that are particularly relevant to medicine in the broad sense. Editorials and Review articles are by invitation.

Abstract Objective: The objective was to explore the body mass index (BMI) of women as related to the different parameters of the in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure and outcome. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study on 206 couples analyzed epidemiological features, characteristics of ovarian stimulation and number and quality of retrieved oocytes, as well as pregnancy outcome according to three groups of BMI values: 20 Read More

Abstract Background: Convulsive status epilepticus (CSE) in childhood is a medical emergency and its epidemiology should be studied separately from adult CSE; this study reviewed pediatric cases reported in Qatar in 2008. Methods: A retrospective study for a defined pediatric age group (30 days <  age <  15 years) with SE was carried out in Qatar for 12 months and included 25 patients. Results:: Of the patients, 56% male, 44% female, 5 Read More

Periodontal diseases comprise a large group of predominantly infectious and/or inflammatory disorders affecting periodontal tissues. They are diagnosed by assessment of the dento-gingival area, including the the gingival sulcus depth, and the presence of bleeding with radiographic assessment of the alveolar bone. The prevalence of periodontitis (PD) is reported to be 20-50% worldwide;(1) while the aggressive form of PD is found in l Read More

To determine the oral health status of 15-yearold. Qatari students, 527 (216 males, 311 females) were selected randomly from five regions of Qatar to be examined according to World Health Organization standards using the standardized simplified version of Community Periodontal Index (CPI) to evaluate the severity and prevalence of periodontal diseases. The oral health status was recorded by the simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S Read More

A cross-sectional stratified cluster sample of 4291 children (2187 boys and 2104 girls) aged 6 to18 years attending primary public schools in Qatar was used to determine the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity among primary school children in Qatar using BMI as an indicator. Structured questionnaires were used to obtain socio-demographic data. Anthropometric measures were taken by trained nurse. The study revealed a hi Read More

To estimate the potential risk of malignancy in endometrial polyps and to investigate the possible clinical risk factors. Clinical, sonographic, hysteroscopic and pathological data were reviewed of 337 women with pathologically confirmed endometrial polyps diagnosed in Qatar between 2000 and 2010. The polyps were benign in 95.6% of cases, pre-malignant in 2.3%, and malignant in 2.1 % of cases. Advanced age, menopausal status and vagina Read More

Superior vena cava syndrome and constrictive pericarditis are rare complications of intrapericardial hematoma. We herein report a young patient presenting with a mass attached to the heart causing pressure on the right atrium and superior vena cava, and leading to superior vena cava syndrome and constrictive pericarditis. The exact pathogenesis was not determined but possibly was related to pericardiocentesis 29 years prior to pres Read More

A study was carried out to investigate the status of p53 proteins and their relation to the occurrence of TEL-AML-1 translocation in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) attending the oncology unit at Basrah maternity and children hospital during the period from May 2009 to April 2010. A total of 100 blood samples were collected from 40 newly diagnosed ALL cases, and 60 healthy children served as controls. Anti-p53 antibody Read More

Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (UP) is a common pediatric hematologic disorder. Bone marrow aspiration (BMA) is often performed in children with acute ITP to rule out leukemia, aplastic anemia or other hematologic diseases. However, whether BMA is needed in children with typical and hematological features of acute ITP has been questioned. To determine whether BMA is indicated in acute childhood ITP, samples were exam Read More

Work-related injuries constitute a large sector of patients seen at Al Khor Hospital's Emergency Department. The aim of this study is to describe the characteristics, frequency and mechanism of work-related injuries presenting to the emergency department. Patients of all ages with work-related injuries presenting to the Emergency Department at Al Khor Hospital at any time, from May to November 2009, were included in the study. D Read More

Pulmonary sequestration is a rare congenital malformation of the lower respiratory tract characterized by a non-functioning mass of lung tissue that is not communicating with the normal tracheo-bronchial tree and receives its vascular supply from a systemic artery. We report the first case of intrapulmonary sequestration in Qatar, of a 22 year-old Qatari male who presented with recurrent chest infection. This case study includes a Read More

Pai Syndrome was first described in 1987 as a constellation of three developmental anomalies: i) complete median cleft palate, ii) cutaneous polyps and iii) midline lipomas of the central nervous system.(1) Since then, eighteen cases have been reported by Pai et al,(1) Preece et al,(2) Morgan and Evans,(3) Rudnikschoneborn and Zerres,(4) Mishima et al,(5) Al Mazrou et al,(6) Coban et al,(7), Szeto et al,(8) Guion-Almeida et al,(9) and Castori et Read More

A 63-year old Yemeni male, known case of endstage renal disease (ESRD), hypertension and diabetes mellitus, underwent craniotomy and endoscopic removal of an intraventricular mass. Peri-operatively he was started on cefazolin, a normal diet and regular hemodialysis without heparin. The international normalising ratio (INR) increased rapidly, reaching 4.2 on day five but responded equally rapidly to parenteral Vitamin K and wit Read More

Tuberculous Tenosynovitis of the hand usually presents late because of its non-specific nature that starts insidiously and becomes indolent. Although most of the tuberculous tenosynovitis reported has been the primary focus of the disease, tuberculous tenosynovitis of the hand can be the presenting feature of multiple foci skeletal tuberculosis. In this case series we report three cases of tuberculous tenosynovitis with three different presen Read More

Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (ION) is a rare complication of interferon (IFN) during treatment of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) with all reported cases occurring within three months of the start of therapy. We report a case of a late bilateral sequential ischemic optic neuropathy after 36 weeks of pegylated-interferon therapy. In contrast to previous reports, we recommend a regular ophthalmological follow-up throughout the whole course of inter Read More