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Biomedical subjects

Faris Nassar

Publications and source records attributed to Faris Nassar.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

An unusual cause of pleural effusion.

Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a unique clinicopathological entity associated with human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) infection, occurring almost exclusively in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals. We report a rare case of HHV-8-negative PEL in an HIV-negative elderly patient who presented with pleural effusion. The patient was treated with CHOP and Rituximab. As opposed to the general poor outcome of this disease, our patient achieved complete remission and is still without signs of disease 11 months after the last treatment.

Aged, 80 and over↗
PubMed2006

Salmonella paratyphi endocarditis.

Endocarditis is a rare complication of salmonellosis. The most frequently observed species is Salmonella typhi. Endocarditis caused by Salmonella paratyphi is extremely rare with only three previous cases documented in the medical literature. We report a case of endocarditis caused by Salmonella paratyphi in an otherwise healthy young patient, with full recovery after appropriate antibiotic treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Suicidal attempts admitted to a general hospital in the Western Galilee: an inter-ethnic comparison study.

BACKGROUND: Deliberate self-harm is a relatively frequent cause of consultation in the emergency room of general hospitals. Despite its importance, few epidemiological studies of self-injury in Israel have been carried out, and of these, they mostly covered selected population groups. OBJECTIVES: To provide epidemiological data on self-harm in patients examined in the emergency room of a general hospital in the Western Galilee, with special emphasis on differential sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the Arab and Jewish subjects. METHODS: Demographic, clinical, and self-harm characteristics were extracted from hospital files for people aged 18 years and older admitted to the general hospital in Nahariya, Western Galilee, over a 24-month period (January 1996 to December 1997) following a suicidal attempt. Chi-square statistics, two-tailed t-tests, and logistic regression analyses were used to test the significance of inter-ethnic differences in risk factors. RESULTS: The overall incidence rate of suicidal attempts was 16.7 per 100,000 population of Northern District in 1996 (Arabs, 24.4 and Jews, 11.0); or 37.6 per 10,000 admissions (Arabs, 44.2 and Jews, 30.3). Among the Jewish male subjects, attempts rose markedly after the age of 40, while among their Arab counterparts the age distribution was even throughout all age groups. Among Jewish females, admissions for self-harm rose gradually with age, while among the Arab women there was a peak at the 20-29 year age group. Both ethnic groups differed significantly in their sociodemographic and clinical profiles, but they shared common characteristics with regard to the attempt. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest differential ethnic patterns of risk factors for self-harm. Further in-depth investigation of deliberate self-harm is warranted to better explore these factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

A rare lung manifestation with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN).

In this unusual case, we report the history of a patient who was hospitalized with pulmonary manifestations presenting as broncholitis obliterance organizing pneumonia (BOOP) associated with ANCA-negative pauci-immune glomerulonephritis. Other known causes for the occurrence of BOOP were excluded. Immediate diagnosis and treatment with a combination of steroids and cytotoxic therapy resulted in a complete remission and prevented eventual dialysis.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Bone marrow fibrosis and caseating granulomas associated with intravesicular BCG treatment.

Intravesicular instillation of bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), an attenuated variant of the virulent strain of Mycobacterium bovis, has been extensively used as the treatment of choice for bladder cancer since first approved in 1976. Adverse effects of treatment are rare and mostly local, with systemic reactions complicating up to 5% of patients. The majority of serious side effects have occurred in immunocompromised patients. Even more rare is bone marrow involvement. Only two previous cases are reported in the medical English literature; in these cases, the granulomas were non-caseating. We describe a patient who developed fever and pancytopenia associated with mycobacterial infection after intravesicular instillation of BCG. Caseating granulomas were seen in the bone marrow biopsy and, later, bone marrow fibrosis developed gradually, in spite of successful treatment with antimycobacterial agents.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Intravenous immunoglobulin for treatment of toxic epidermal necrolysis.

We report three female patients suffering from toxic epidermal necrolysis, with 30% to 70% epidermal detachment. Alleged causative agents were dipyrone, dibenzazepine, and allopurinol. All patients were treated by intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) and survived without further complications, although poor prognostic factors such as concomitant diabetes, large areas of epidermal detachment, and pancytopenia were present. We report these cases with emphasis on the concept that prompt diagnosis, withdrawal of causative drugs, and immediate treatment are imperative for the favorable outcome of the disease. Our patients can be added to the list of those patients who were successfully treated by IVIG, as indicated in this review of the literature.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Genotypic differences of Candida albicans and C. dubliniensis isolates related to ethnic/racial differences within the same geographic area.

Candida albicans and C. dubliniensis genotype differences among Israeli ethnic groups were assessed. Isolates from Jews (51), Arabs (35) and Druze (25) were genotyped. The distributions among ethnic groups were not different, however they differed (p = 0.002) from global populations. Therefore, C. albicans and C. dubliniensis genotype distribution differences in Israel are related to changes in all ethnic groups.

Candida albicans↗