Background/Aims:Despite the remarkable increase in the incidence of Crohn's disease among Saudis in recent years, data about Crohn's disease in Saudi Arabia are scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical epidemiology and phenotypic characteristics of Crohn's disease in the central region of Saudi Arabia.Patients and Methods:A data registry, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Information System (IBDIS), was used to register Crohn's disease patients who presented to the gastroenterology clinics in four tertiary care centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between September 2009 and February 2013. Patients’ characteristics, disease location, behavior, age at diagnosis according to the Montreal classification, course of the disease, and extraintestinal manifestation were recorded.Results:Among 497 patients with Crohn's disease, 59% were males with a mean age at diagnosis of 25 years [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 24-26, range 5-75 years]. The mean duration from the time of complaint to the day of the diagnosis was 11 months, and the mean duration of the disease from diagnosis to the day of entry to the registry was 40 months. Seventy-seven percent of our patients were aged 17-40 years at diagnosis, 16.8% were ≤16 years of age, and 6.6% were >40 years of age. According to the Montreal classification of disease location, 48.8% of patients had ileocolonic involvement, 43.5% had limited disease to the terminal ileum or cecum, 7.7% had isolated colonic involvement, and 16% had an upper gastrointestinal involvement. Forty-two percent of our patients had a non-stricturing, non-penetrating behavior, while 32.8% had stricturing disease and 25.4% had penetrating disease.Conclusion:Crohn's disease is frequently encountered in Saudi Arabia. The majority of patients are young people with a predilection for males, while its behavior resembled that of western societies in terms of age of onset, location, and behavior.

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Renal angiomyolipoma is an uncommon benign tumor with an overall prevalence of 0.4% in Qatar. It has characteristic clinical features and its recognition is often challenging for proper clinical diagnosis and treatment in asymptomatic patients. Asymptomatic patients need regular radiological surveillance. In contrast, surgical interventions are mainly required in symptomatic patients with increased tumor size (≥4cm). Timely diagnosis and treatment is necessary to avoid complications such retroperitoneal hemorrhage and renal impairment.

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Simple SummaryMining is the extraction of materials of economic importance from the earth. It is an important source of employment and economic development. However, mining activities can impact on biodiversity, the environment, and human health, mainly through the emission of large quantities of heavy metals. Our objective was to investigate the impacts of gold mining on the Balochistan gerbil, a rodent that inhabits the natural environments of Saudi Arabia. Our results demonstrate the accumulation of heavy metals in the soil, in Arabian boxthorn plants, and in the different tissues of the gerbils. In addition, the gerbils exhibited liver, kidney, and lung injury associated with decreased antioxidants. These data may be of public interest and may call attention to the evaluation of the impacts of gold mining on the environment and nearby communities.AbstractMining can impact the environment, biodiversity, and human health through direct and indirect practices. This study investigated the effects of gold mining on Gerbillus nanus, in relation to organ dysfunction and redox imbalance. Soil samples, Lycium shawii, and G. nanus were collected from a site near a mining plant, and a control site. Soil and L. shawii samples from the mining site showed significantly higher cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), and vanadium (V) levels. Hepatic, renal, and pulmonary Cd, Pb, Hg, Zn, Cu, Fe, As, and V concentrations were significantly higher in G. nanus from the mining site. Markers of liver and kidney function were elevated in serum, and several histological manifestations were observed in the liver, kidney, and lung of G. nanus from the mining site. Malondialdehyde and nitric oxide levels increased, and glutathione and antioxidant enzymes decreased in the liver and kidney of G. nanus. In conclusion, mining practices trigger tissue damage and oxidative stress in G. nanus that live close to the mining site. These findings can represent a scientific basis for evaluating the environmental and health impacts of mining on nearby communities.