Permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus: clinical presentation and epidemiology in Oman.
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AIM: To estimate the accurate incidence and prevalence of permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus, and to determine the clinical profile of this condition in the Sultanate of Oman. METHODS: All children diagnosed as having permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus between 1991 and 1995 in Oman were included in the study. RESULTS: The mean incidence was 2.2 per 100 000 live births/year and the prevalence among under 5s during 1995 was 2.0/100 000. Intrauterine growth retardation was noted in all (mean birthweight 1.86 kg), and diabetic ketoacidosis (mean plasma glucose 34.4 (SD 8.7) mmol/l, mean pH 7.17 (SD 0.09) in 80%. Hypertriglyceridaemia (mean serum triglyceride 19.06 (6.13) mmol/) was constant. No infant had clinical or immunological evidence of congenital viral infections. None had C-peptide excretion or circulating islet cell antibody during diagnosis or follow up. The other important features were parental consanguinity in all, HLA DR3/DR4 association in 80%, development of autoimmune hypothyroidism in one and observation of autoimmune disorders (insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and Hashimoto's thyroiditis) in family members. CONCLUSIONS: These findings strongly suggest an immune mediated aetiology for diabetes mellitus. The reported incidence of permanent insulin dependent neonatal diabetes mellitus in Oman is the highest in the world. (+info)
Homozygosity mapping in families with Joubert syndrome identifies a locus on chromosome 9q34.3 and evidence for genetic heterogeneity.
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Joubert syndrome is a rare developmental defect of the cerebellar vermis, with autosomal recessive inheritance. The phenotype is highly variable and may include episodic hyperpnea, abnormal eye movements, hypotonia, ataxia, developmental delay, and mental retardation. Even within sibships the phenotype may vary, making it difficult to establish the exact clinical diagnostic boundaries of Joubert syndrome. To genetically localize the gene region, we have performed a whole-genome scan in two consanguineous families of Arabian/Iranian origins, with multiple affected probands. In one family, we detected linkage to the telomeric region of chromosome 9q, close to the marker D9S158, with a multipoint LOD score of Z=+3.7. The second family did not show linkage to this region, giving a first indication of genetic heterogeneity underlying Joubert syndrome. These findings were supported by subsequent analysis of two smaller families-one compatible with linkage to 9q; the other, unlinked. We conclude that Joubert syndrome is clinically and genetically heterogeneous and that one locus maps to chromosome 9q. (+info)
Infectious and tropical diseases in Oman: a review.
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Oman is generally hot and dry, but the Salalah region in southern Dhofar province is relatively cool and rainy during the summer monsoon, and has a distinctive pattern of infection. Important, notifiable infections in Oman include tuberculosis, brucellosis (endemic in Dhofar), acute gastroenteritis, and viral hepatitis: 4.9% of the adults are seropositive for hepatitis B surface antigen and approximately 1.2% for hepatitis C virus. Infection with human immunodeficiency virus is uncommon, and leprosy, rabies, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever are rare. Between 1990 and 1998, the incidence of malaria, (>70% due to Plasmodium falciparum) decreased from 32,700 to 882 cases. Cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis (caused by Leishmania tropica and L. infantum, respectively) and Bancroftian filariasis occur sporadically. Intestinal parasitism ranges from 17% to 42% in different populations. A solitary focus of schistosomiasis mansoni in Dhofar has been eradicated. There are major programs for the elimination of tuberculosis, leprosy, and malaria, and to control brucellosis, leishmaniasis, sexually transmitted diseases, trachoma, acute respiratory infection in children, and diarrheal diseases. The Expanded Program on Immunization was introduced in 1981: diphtheria, neonatal tetanus, and probably poliomyelitis have been eliminated. (+info)
Crimean-congo haemorrhagic fever: a seroepidemiological and tick survey in the Sultanate of Oman.
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In 1995 and 1996, 4 persons from the Sultanate of Oman were confirmed with clinical Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF). To assess the prevalence of CCHF virus infection in Oman, a convenience sample of imported and domestic animals from farms, abattoirs and livestock markets was examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to CCHF virus. Ticks were collected from selected animals, identified, pooled by species, host and location and tested for evidence of infection with CCHF virus by antigen-capture ELISA. Serum samples from individuals working in animal and nonanimal contact-related jobs were also tested for CCHF antibodies. Serological evidence of infection was noted in 108 (22%) of 489 animals. Most of the ticks collected (618 of 912) from all species of sampled livestock were Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum, a competent vector and reservoir of CCHF virus. 243 tick pools were tested for CCHF antigen, and 19 pools were positive. Of the individuals working in animal contact-related jobs, 73 (30.3%) of 241 non-Omani citizens and only 1 (2.4%) of 41 Omani citizens were CCHF antibody-positive. Butchers were more likely to have CCHF antibody than persons in other job categories. The presence of clinical disease and the serological results for animals and humans and infected Hyalomma ticks provide ample evidence of the presence of CCHF virus in yet another country in the Arabian Peninsula. (+info)
Trial of a supplemental dose of four poliovirus vaccines.
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BACKGROUND: The immunogenicity of oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV), particularly the type 3 component, is lower in infants in most developing countries than in infants in industrialized countries. We conducted a multicenter trial in Oman to evaluate the response to a supplemental dose of four poliovirus vaccine formulations. METHODS: At nine months of age, infants were randomly assigned to receive inactivated-poliovirus vaccine (IPV), administered subcutaneously; trivalent OPV manufactured in the United States or in Europe; or monovalent type 3 OPV. Serum samples were collected at enrollment and 7 and 30 days later. All of the infants had previously received five doses of OPV. RESULTS: We enrolled 1025 infants; 785 (76.6 percent) met all the study requirements. At enrollment, 96.8 percent of the infants were seropositive for poliovirus type 1, 98.0 percent for type 2, and 88.0 percent for type 3. At 30 days there were no significant increases in type 3 seroprevalence or in the median antibody titer in the groups of infants who received OPV. Among the recipients of IPV, type 3 seroprevalence increased from 87.8 percent at enrollment to 97.1 percent at 30 days (P<0.001), and the median antibody titer increased from 1:228 to 1:1448 or higher (P<0.001). The rapid initial increase in the antibody titer suggests a secondary immune response. CONCLUSIONS: A supplemental dose of IPV has excellent immunogenicity and leads to increases in the titer of antibodies against type 3 poliovirus, whereas supplemental doses of the oral vaccines do not have these effects. (+info)
Molecular identification of new picornaviruses and characterization of a proposed enterovirus 73 serotype.
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Enteroviruses (EV) have traditionally been identified by using serotype-specific antisera in a virus-neutralization test. Three EV strains isolated in California, USA, in 1955, 1964 and 1978, and a 1995 Oman isolate, were found to be antigenically related to one another; however, the strains were not neutralized by standard EV typing antisera, suggesting that they may represent a new EV serotype. The isolates were characterized genetically by RT-PCR coupled with amplicon sequencing and comparison to a database of enterovirus nucleotide sequences. The strains were 75.3 to 87.2% identical to one another in complete VP1 nucleotide sequence, but no more than 68% identical in sequence to the prototype strain of any EV serotype. Their complete capsid sequences were closely related to one another, but only distantly related to those of any EV prototype strain. The California and Oman isolates were most closely related to members of EV cluster B, suggesting that they are unclassified members (i.e. a new serotype) of cluster B. The complete genome sequence was determined for one isolate, CA55-1988, and the predicted polyprotein sequence was 86.5 to 89.2% identical to those of other cluster B EV and 56.7 to 61.9% identical to the polyprotein sequences of EV belonging to other clusters. Isolation of this new EV serotype from samples obtained on two continents and over a period of 40 years suggests continued circulation over a wide geographical area. In keeping with standard picornavirus nomenclature, we propose that this new serotype be named 'enterovirus 73' (EV73). (+info)
Battle casualities.
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Eighty casualities, mainly due to explosive devices, sustained over a period of 3 1/2 months by the armed forces of the Sultan of Oman in counterinsurgency operations are analysed and their management by a British field surgical team is described. Of the 73 who reached the surgical centre alive, 56 per cent had suffered major injuries, yet all but 2 survived, giving an overall survival rate of 88.75 per cent (71/80). The effects of first aid and rapid evacuation on survival and their influence on the surgical work load and on the facilities required for treatment are assessed, together with their relevance to the planning of military and civilian accident services. (+info)
Blood pressure and its reactivity in the offspring of first cousin hypertensive and first cousin normotensive parents: a preliminary report.
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The aim of this preliminary study was to determine whether young offspring of first cousin hypertensive parent(s), have higher blood pressure (BP) reactivity in response to their first BP measurement, as compared to the offspring of first cousin normotensive parents. The BP of 135 boys aged 9-10 years was measured, for the first time ever, after a 10-min supine rest, and subsequently, twice at 10-min intervals. The offspring of first cousin hypertensive parent(s) reacted with significantly higher systolic and diastolic BP than the offspring of normotensive first cousin parents in all three measurements. This study indicates that at an early age, the offspring of first cousin hypertensive parents, react with exaggerated BP response at their first casual BP measurement. We hypothesise that familial aggregation of BP may show more expression amongst the offspring of consanguineous marriage of hypertensive parent(s). (+info)