No abstract

SUMMARY. Platelet aggregation responses to adenosine diphosphate, adrenaline, collagen, arachidonic acid and ristocetin were measured in healthy subjects, predominantly blood donors residing in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia. They were divided according to ethnic origin into Saudi Arabs n = 517, Westerners (Europeans and Americans) n = 93, South East Asians (Koreans and Filipinos) n = 154, and West Africans n = 77. Significant differences in the aggregation responses were found between the four ethnic groups. Saudi Arabs and Westerners showed better aggregation responses to ADP than Asians and Africans. Aggregability in response to collagen was greater in Saudis and Africans than in Westerners and Asians. There was remarkable inhibition of adrenaline induced-aggregation in Asians while other populations produced comparable results. Inhibited responses to arachidonic acid were most prevalent among Westerners and to a lesser extent in Asians than in Saudis and Africans. Ristocetin-induced aggregation was significantly inhibited in Africans and less so in Asians and Arabs and most pronounced in Westerners. These variations in platelet aggregability, which could not be related to blood group distribution, smoking habits, income, physical parameters of height and weight may be due to genetic and dietary factors. These ethnic differences should be taken into account when assessing aggregation responses in patients.

Thyroid carcinoma is uncommon or very rare in the West. However, heretofore no documented study has been carried out in Saudi Arabia. This study is a retrospective analysis of the pathological aspects of thyroid cancer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between 1979 and 1985. Out of a total of 482 surgically removed thyroids, 82 (17%) were found to have carcinoma and the majority of these, 78 (95%), had a differentiated histology. Of the latter, papillary carcinoma was found in 68 (87%) patients, compared to an incidence range of 34 -80% from some Western populations. The male/female ratio was 1:1.9 and the majority of our patients (63%) were relatively young, in their second or third decades.Husseini Wali, Adnan Mofti, Siraj Malaika, D. M. Sabah, Thyroid Carcinoma in Riyadh. 1986; 6(3): 211-213 MeSH

Four patients had echinococcosis that required obstetric and gynecologic management. Patients under treatment for echinococcosis require timely contraceptive or prepregnancy advice, although reproductive function is rarely affected by the hydatid.EA Kidess, AS Akiel, HS Ba'aqeel, SS Malaika, Echinococcosis: An Obstetric and Gynecologic View. 1988; 8(3): 202-205 MeSH KEYWORDS: Echinococcosis; Pregnancy complications Human echinococcosis is relatively common in Saudi Arabia, and the sex incidence of patients with echinococcosis is 62.8% and 37.2% for females and males, respectively, with maximal incidence between the ages of 25 and 40 years, 1 the fertile age of females. Although mortality is low, complications may occur to make its morbidity of great interest in obstetrics and gynecology, especially in a country where pregnancy and motherhood are high priority. Here we describe four cases that stimulated us to evaluate and review the management of echinococcosis from obstetric and gynecologic viewpoints. Case Reports Case 1A 39-year-old woman, gravida 5, para 3 + 1, was referred with secondary amenorrhea of six weeks' duration and a positive pregnancy test. She had a four-year history of pain in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen. Four months prior to consultation, she underwent surgery for removal of a 5.7 × 5.2 cm hydatid cyst containing multiple daughter cysts from the right and left lobes of the liver with involvement of the diaphragm. Post-operatively a sixmonth course of mebendazole was prescribed. Four weeks prior to consultation, she was admitted with upper right quadrant pain, and fluid was aspirated from the right subdiaphragmatic area. For maternal medical indications, termination of pregnancy was approved. The patient underwent suction curettage, and an intrauterine contraceptive device was inserted. Both husband and wife refused tubal ligation. The histopathology report confirmed the presence of products of conception. This patient continued to receive mebendazole therapy. Case 2A 30-year-old woman, para 6 + 1, with regular menstrual cycles and no gynecological complaints gave a fouryear history of heaviness in the right hypochondrium. This became a colicky pain of a few weeks' duration and prompted her admission to the surgical service. Clinical, sonographic, and radiologic investigations suggested a hydatid cyst, and hydatid serology was positive. Liver function tests were normal. She underwent surgery, and a hydatid cyst measuring 12 × 15 cm and smaller multiple cysts were removed from the right lobe of the liver. Echinococcosis: An Obstetric and Gynecologic ViewAnnals of Saudi Medicine, Vol 8 No. 3; 1988 Postoperatively she received a six-month course of mebendazole. At postoperative consultation, contraception was advised, and an intrauterine contraceptive device was inserted. Case 3A 36-year-old woman, gravida 3, para 2 + 0, had regular menstrual cycles and an unremarkable gynecologic history. She presented for antenatal care at nine weeks' gestation. Her first pregnancy fiv...