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Biomedical subjects

A K al-Aska

Publications and source records attributed to A K al-Aska.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Laparoscopy in tuberculous peritonitis.

Intra-abdominal tuberculosis remains a significant health hazard in the developing countries. In countries where sophisticated medical facilities are not easily available, laparoscopic examination of intra-abdominal organs is helpful. In this study, 22 patients were found to have peritoneal tuberculosis out of 82 laparoscopic examinations. The major clinical presentation in these patients were abdominal pain, weight loss, fever and ascites. Tuberculin test was not always positive. Direct visualization of the peritoneum and obtaining peritoneal biopsies provide the definitive tissue diagnosis to confirm the clinical diagnosis.

Adult↗

Experimental treatment of Brucella melitensis infection in sheep with oxytetracycline alone or combined with streptomycin.

The efficacy of oxytetracycline (OTC) alone or combined with streptomycin in the treatment of 118 Najdi ewes believed to have been naturally infected with Brucella melitensis, was evaluated by culture of selected tissues and organs at slaughter. Groups of sheep were given 250, 500 or 1,000 mg of OTC intraperitoneally (i/p) daily for six weeks and in the respective groups at necropsy 52, 69 and 100% of sheep were found to be Brucella-free. Treatment with 250 mg OTC (daily for six weeks i/p) combined with 1,000 mg streptomycin (daily for three weeks intramuscularly) increased the percentage of Brucella-free sheep to 82%. When a group of sheep were each inoculated i/p with 1,000 mg of long-acting OTC every three days over a period of six weeks, 75% of them were Brucella-free at necropsy. B. melitensis was isolated from all (24) non-treated (control) sheep. The results showed that long-term treatment with a high dose of OTC alone had succeeded in eliminating B. melitensis from a group of 16 naturally infected sheep.

Abortion, Veterinary↗

Laboratory-acquired brucellosis.

Brucellosis is endemic in Saudi Arabia and hospital laboratories are handling increasing numbers of specimens for diagnosis. We report four cases of laboratory-acquired brucellosis.

Accident Prevention↗

Neurological syndromes of brucellosis.

Eleven patients with brucellosis presented with neurological features closely simulating transient ischaemic attacks, cerebral infarction, acute confusional state, motor neuron disease, progressive multisystem degeneration, polyradiculoneuropathy, neuralgic amyotrophy, sciatica and cauda equina syndrome. Most patients improved quickly after adequate antibiotic treatment but chronic cases responded poorly. These protean neurological manifestations of brucellosis indicate that the underlying pathological mechanisms are diverse.

Adult↗

Gastrointestinal manifestations of brucellosis in Saudi Arabian patients.

Gastrointestinal manifestations of brucellosis in 340 Saudi Arabian patients are reported. Sixty seven per cent of patients presented with gastrointestinal disturbances. The most frequent symptoms were anorexia (40%), abdominal pain (16%), vomiting (11%), and diarrhoea (6%). Hepatomegaly (32%), splenomegaly (29%) and abdominal tenderness (15%) were major abnormalities on physical examination. In endemic areas for brucellosis, gastrointestinal disturbances in the presence of fever of obscure etiology, should raise the possibility of brucellosis.

Brucellosis↗