Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive genetic disease caused by mutations in the CFTR gene, with various clinical manifestations that affect pulmonary, digestive, exocrine and male reproductive functions as well as the bones and kidneys. This study aimed to reveal the spectrum of CFTR gene mutations in Arab CF patients and their corresponding clinical phenotypes among the 22 Arab countries. We searched four literature databases (PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science and Scopus) from their times of inception to January 2018. All possible search terms were used to encompass the different clinical phenotypes, disease incidences, CFTR mutations, ages and consanguinity rates of CF patients in the 22 Arab countries. Our search strategy identified 678 articles; of these, 72 were eligible for this systematic review. We retrieved data from 18 Arab countries; only 1766 Arab patients with CF were identified, even after additional searches using Google and Google Scholar. The search uncovered a wide spectrum of mutations, some of which are shared with other ethnic groups and some unique to Arab patients. Although the clinical phenotypes of Arab patients were typical of CF, several distinct phenotypes were reported. Despite the rarity of genetic epidemiological studies of CF patients among the 22 Arab nations, the disease is frequently reported in Arab countries where consanguineous marriage is common. Therefore, significant attention should be paid to this problem by implementing carrier and premarital screening, newborn screening and genetic counselling.

Purpose: Stroke is the second leading cause of death and the third leading cause of disability worldwide. Diabetes mellitus and the associated hyperglycemia are important risk factors for acute ischemic stroke and are associated with poor prognosis. Neurovascular protection is an important therapeutic target to achieve in patients with stroke, especially in those receiving thrombolytic reperfusion therapy. Sodium glucose-linked cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a novel class of antidiabetic agents that target SGLT2. Hyperglycemia exacerbates the neuronal damage through the SGLT2 transporter. The purpose of this narrative review is to discuss the pleiotropic effects of SGLT2 inhibitors and their role in the treatment and prevention of ischemic stroke in experimental and clinical studies. Methods: We searched the PubMed database using different term combinations from the date of inception to May 2019. Deselection methods were followed to exclude unrelated articles. The total number of articles included was 14. Findings: In experimental models, SGLT2 inhibitors have a protective mechanism against neuronal dysfunction and damage through various mechanisms. From a clinical perspective and based on current evidence, SGLT2 inhibitors reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, especially in patients with heart failure. Implications: SGLT inhibitors may have neurologic and/or vascular protective effect after acute ischemic stroke based on experimental studies. However, getting an accurate judgment of this effect is hard to achieve because only a few animal studies are available. Furthermore, and unlike animale studies, clinical studies provided uncertain answers on whether SGLT2 inhibitors would provide neuroprotective effect. In addition, several studies used combination of drugs along with SGLT2 inhibitors. Conclusions: It is unlikely that SGLT inhibitors have a positive or negative effect on stroke risk, but the question that remains unanswered is whether SGLT inhibitors can yield a protective effect after acute ischemic stroke. Future observational studies and registries may be the first step to help answer this question.