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Abstract. The accuracy of the visible light positioning (VLP) system is improved by using regression-based and interpolation-based approaches. These approaches are mixed with the received signal strength in both linear and nonlinear least... more
Abstract. The accuracy of the visible light positioning (VLP) system is improved by using regression-based and interpolation-based approaches. These approaches are mixed with the received signal strength in both linear and nonlinear least squares techniques. The simplicity of the model is the key point, where a highly accurate VLP system with only one equation “interpolation” is used instead of many complex equations. Gaussian noise and reflections up to three bounces with high reflectivity are the source of noise. In addition, the strength of the methods is studied by changing some affecting parameters. In a previous work, we introduced the regression-based approach in VLP-based systems with one reflection. Here, we extend the work with three reflections, leading to an increase in noise to examine system robustness. The approaches are compared to the traditional ones, and show a remarkable enhancement, e.g., the average error has been improved by 67%.
... Hepatitis C infection among drug addicts. Auteur(s) / Author(s). SHAWKY S. (1) ; GHABRAH TM (1) ; ABALKHAIL BA (1) ; SOLIMAN NK (1) ; ... Method: Structured questionnaires were copied from the files of patients hospitalized in Jeddah... more
... Hepatitis C infection among drug addicts. Auteur(s) / Author(s). SHAWKY S. (1) ; GHABRAH TM (1) ; ABALKHAIL BA (1) ; SOLIMAN NK (1) ; ... Method: Structured questionnaires were copied from the files of patients hospitalized in Jeddah Al-Amal Hospital during March/April 1998. ...
There has been much debate about the use of depleted uranium in the Gulf War and its health effects on United States and European war veterans. However, studies on the impact of this radioactive substance on the residents of the... more
There has been much debate about the use of depleted uranium in the Gulf War and its health effects on United States and European war veterans. However, studies on the impact of this radioactive substance on the residents of the surrounding Gulf region are far from adequate. Depleted uranium introduces large quantities of radioactive material that is hazardous to biological organisms, continues to decay for millennia and is able to travel tens of kilometres in air. If depleted uranium were used in the Gulf War, its impact on the health of people in the area would have been considerable. This review of depleted uranium-its origin, properties, uses and effects on the human environment and health-aims to trigger further research on this subject.
Background: The incidence of candidiasis caused by non-albicans Candida (NAC) species is increasing. Candida tropicalis has emerged as one of the most important NAC species. This study aims to examine the antifungal susceptibility profile... more
Background: The incidence of candidiasis caused by non-albicans Candida (NAC) species is increasing. Candida tropicalis has emerged as one of the most important NAC species. This study aims to examine the antifungal susceptibility profile and some virulence factors of C. tropicalis isolated from various clinical specimens. Methods: A total of 71 C. tropicalis isolates from various clinical specimens (69.01%, 18.31%, 9.86%, and 2.82% of isolates were collected from urine, respiratory samples, blood, and skin and soft tissue infections, respectively) from ICU patients in Alexandria, Egypt. The isolates were identified at species level by CHROMagar Candida and VITEK 2 compact system. Furthermore, the antifungal susceptibility was determined using the VITEK 2 system AST-YS07 card containing different antifungals. Hemolysin, phospholipase, and proteinase activity and biofilm formation were also tested as virulence factors. Results: Only 30 isolates (42.25%) were non-susceptible (MIC ≥ 4 ...
The Millennium Development Goals have documented a sharp rise in health inequalities over the past decades. With the advent of the Sustainable Development Agenda health is positioned at the core with health equity used as measure of... more
The Millennium Development Goals have documented a sharp rise in health inequalities over the past decades. With the advent of the Sustainable Development Agenda health is positioned at the core with health equity used as measure of governments’ success. This highlighted health expenditures as major concern in global health policy debates and raised the question whether countries do invest fair and sufficient money into the health of their people. This chapter focuses on the global economy from the perspective of health expenditures and aims to respond to this question by demonstrating global disparities in health expenditure and their potential relation to health inequalities. The chapter consists of four parts: first, the disparities in global expenditure on health as percent from gross domestic product, as well as absolute amount per capita, including the magnitude of global inequalities in health expenditure per capita; second, the global inequalities in health that can be attri...
Objective: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and training of health-care workers (HCW), and their perception of the preparedness of hospitals for communicable disease (CD) threats during mass gathering (MG) events.... more
Objective: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and training of health-care workers (HCW), and their perception of the preparedness of hospitals for communicable disease (CD) threats during mass gathering (MG) events. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted from June 1 to July 31, 2019, of doctors and registered nurses working in the emergency departments (EDs) of 5 main hospitals in Qatar. A self-administered online survey was used for data collection. Results: The overall mean knowledge score about CD threat among study participants was 75.0% (SD ± 18.1). The majority of the participants had a favorable attitude toward CD preparedness during MG events. The participants achieved high scores in attending workshops on triaging, first aid, and infection control. Study participants as well had favorable perceptions about the current preparedness of their respective hospitals to respond to CD outbreaks in MG events. Conclusions: The participants were knowledge...
Currently, there is no consensus on standard measure that can be routinely part of the health information systems to alert countries to inequalities in health and identify the priority health inequality conditions. To identify the health... more
Currently, there is no consensus on standard measure that can be routinely part of the health information systems to alert countries to inequalities in health and identify the priority health inequality conditions. To identify the health inequality measures relevant for assessing geographic and wealth inequalities; use the measures as a demonstration to what can happen in practice to recognize the geographic and wealth-related priority health inequalities within a country; and identify the geographic and wealth underprivileged populations. Egypt data were used as demonstration. Pearson coefficient of correlation was calculated to compare the various geographic and wealth health inequality measures. test was used to identify significant correlations. The relevant inequality measures were used to rank geographic and wealth health inequalities and identify the underprivileged populations. The wealth inequalities in health measured by the concentration index provide a familiar and perfo...
Identify the possible risk factors in our community that may influence having a disabled child, and identify the rehabilitation services available to disabled children. Data were collected from six rehabilitation institutes for auditory,... more
Identify the possible risk factors in our community that may influence having a disabled child, and identify the rehabilitation services available to disabled children. Data were collected from six rehabilitation institutes for auditory, visual and mental disabilities in Jeddah City during April 1999. Complete data available on sociodemographic and medical risk factors were extracted from the institutes' files. Personal interviews with the disabled were conducted to confirm information on the services offered to them. Certain modifiable risk factors affecting child health, such as early and late marriages and childbearing, illiteracy, unemployment, high parity and consanguineous marriages still exist in our community. Occupational hazards were also detected among military workers and working women. Disabilities related to perinatal health with antenatal, natal and postnatal components were also observed. According to resources available, various rehabilitation services are offer...
To explore the relationship between self-reported weight and height to actual weight and height in a cross-sectional representative sample of school students in Jeddah City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its relation to selected... more
To explore the relationship between self-reported weight and height to actual weight and height in a cross-sectional representative sample of school students in Jeddah City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its relation to selected socio-economic and socio-demographic factors. Also to evaluate the validity of self-reported weight and height measurements. Data was collected from a sample of Saudi school students in Jeddah City, KSA from 42 boys' schools and 42 girls' schools during the month of April 2000. Data collection was carried out by an in-person interview to collect sociodemographic and self-reported weight and height, as well as, actual measurement of weight and height. Body mass index was classified according to age and genders into underweight (<15th percentile), normal weight (>=15th percentile to <85th percentile), overweight (>=85th percentile to <95th percentile) and obesity (>=95th percentile). Validity of self-reported obesity, as compared to mea...
The objectives of this study were to determine the relation between maternal education and various maternal risk factors, identify the impact of maternal education on the risk of childhood handicap and estimate the proportion of childhood... more
The objectives of this study were to determine the relation between maternal education and various maternal risk factors, identify the impact of maternal education on the risk of childhood handicap and estimate the proportion of childhood handicap that can be prevented by maternal education. Data was collected from all married women attending the two major maternity and child hospitals in Jeddah during April 1999. Women with at least one living child were interviewed for sociodemographic factors and having at least one handicapped child. The risk of having a handicapped child and the population attributable risk percent were calculated. Some potential risk factors are dominant in our society as approximately 30% of women did not attend school and 84% did not work. Consanguineous marriages accounted for about 43%. Pre-marriage counseling was limited as only 10% of women counseled before marriage. The proportion of unemployment and consanguineous marriages decreased significantly by i...
ABSTRACT
The celebration in Doha of the 30th anniversary of the Alma-Ata Declaration at the International Conference on Primary Health Care renewed the commitment of the Eastern Mediterranean Region to primary health care as the tool for better... more
The celebration in Doha of the 30th anniversary of the Alma-Ata Declaration at the International Conference on Primary Health Care renewed the commitment of the Eastern Mediterranean Region to primary health care as the tool for better health. The principles agreed at Alma-Ata in 1978 apply as much now as they did before. The event provided an opportunity for the Eastern Mediterranean countries to define future directions to steer the health systems to integrate primary health care and harness the intersectoral approach.
The current health insurance system in Egypt targets the productive population through an employment-based scheme bounded by a cost ceiling and focusing on curative care. Egypt Social Contract Survey data from 2005 were used to evaluate... more
The current health insurance system in Egypt targets the productive population through an employment-based scheme bounded by a cost ceiling and focusing on curative care. Egypt Social Contract Survey data from 2005 were used to evaluate the impact of the employment-based scheme on health system accessibility and financing. Only 22.8% of the population in the productive age range (19-59 years) benefited from any health insurance scheme. The employment-based scheme covered 39.3% of the working population and was skewed towards urban areas, older people, females and the wealthier. It did not increase service utilization, but reduced out-of-pocket expenditure. Egypt should blend all health insurance schemes and adopt an innovative approach to reach universal coverage.
Adolescence is an important period in an individualâs life. Overweight and obesity are fraught with several health problems even later in life. The objective of this study was to estimate the overweight, obesity, body fat and muscle... more
Adolescence is an important period in an individualâs life. Overweight and obesity are fraught with several health problems even later in life. The objective of this study was to estimate the overweight, obesity, body fat and muscle content of Saudi adolescents as compared to a recognized reference population. Data were collected from a sample of Saudi adolescents in Jeddah from 42 boys' and 42 girls' schools during the month of April 2000. Data collection was done by personal interviews to collect sociodemographic factors and by direct measurement of weight, height, triceps skin fold thickness (TSF) and mid-arm circumference (MAC). The 50th, 85th, and 95th percentiles (P50, P85 and P95) for body mass index (BMI) and triceps skin fold thickness (TSF) were taken, then the 50th, 90th, and 95th percentiles (P50, P90 and P95) for the mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC) were calculated. These measurements were compared with corresponding values of the National Health and Nutritio...
The objectives of this study were to explore the perception of body weight among students in schools in Jeddah City and identify the main determinants of self-perceived obesity, weight management goals and practices. Data were collected... more
The objectives of this study were to explore the perception of body weight among students in schools in Jeddah City and identify the main determinants of self-perceived obesity, weight management goals and practices. Data were collected from a sample of Saudi school children of 42 boys' and 42 girls' schools in Jeddah city during the month of April 2000. Personal interviews were conducted to collect data on socio-demographic factors, food choices, perception of body weight, weight management goals and weight management practices, as well as the actual measurement of weight and height. Students were asked about their perception of their body weight [responses included: very underweight (thin), slightly underweight, about right weight, slightly overweight and grossly overweight (obese)]. Proportion, prevalence and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Multiple logistic regression models were fitted to calculate the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for an attempt to lose weight and...
This paper aims to consider the available mortality data as an insight to epitomize the mortality pattern and the main leading causes of death specific to the Easter Mediterranean Region (EMR) in order to set priorities for future... more
This paper aims to consider the available mortality data as an insight to epitomize the mortality pattern and the main leading causes of death specific to the Easter Mediterranean Region (EMR) in order to set priorities for future research in the region. Data was taken from the last 3 World Health Organization (WHO) mortality statistics. Crude mortality rates were compared between the 6 WHO regions for the years 1998, 1999 and 2000. Proportional mortality and standardized proportional mortality ratios were calculated for the causes of death and types of malignant neoplasm deaths and compared between the EMR and the other regions of the world. Spearman coefficient rank-order correlation was calculated to detect significant correlation between the ranking of the main causes of death in EMR and the 3 basic demographic, socio-economic and health care indicators in the 6 regions of the world. The results of this study showed that approximately 9 per 1,000 of the world's population di...
The objectives of this study were to 1. assess the knowledge and attitude of the 5th year female medical students towards the objective structured examination in general and in Community Medicine in particular prior to the exam, 2. Detect... more
The objectives of this study were to 1. assess the knowledge and attitude of the 5th year female medical students towards the objective structured examination in general and in Community Medicine in particular prior to the exam, 2. Detect any change in students' knowledge and attitude after passing the exam, 3. Identify the students' evaluation for future objective structured examination in Community Medicine and Primary Health Care and 4. Compare the students' performance in the objective structured examination in Community Medicine and Primary Health Care to the results of multiple choice questions evaluation in the department. There were 2 data sets, the first was collected by self-administered pre and post-objective structured examination questionnaires from all female medical students in the 5th year during the academic year 1996-1997 and the 2nd was copied from the students' results for objective structured examination and multiple choice questions in the depar...
The relationship between marriage before 16 years and pregnancy outcome throughout the childbearing period was examined. Participants included all married women attending six randomly selected primary health care units in Jeddah with at... more
The relationship between marriage before 16 years and pregnancy outcome throughout the childbearing period was examined. Participants included all married women attending six randomly selected primary health care units in Jeddah with at least one infant and complete medical files. Early teenage marriage was found for 27.2% of women. Most of these were illiterate (57.1%), housewives (92.4%) and grand multiparae (66.7%). They were at twice the risk of spontaneous abortion, four times the risk of combined fetal death and infant mortality, and twice the risk of losing pregnancies any time during their childbearing years. They remained at high risk of poor pregnancy outcome throughout their reproductive lives. Despite tradition, marriage should be discouraged before 16 years.
The foundation of health starts as early as undergraduate medical education. Medical education in the Kingdom has always been successful in promoting the medical profession and population health. The current issue in the Kingdom is... more
The foundation of health starts as early as undergraduate medical education. Medical education in the Kingdom has always been successful in promoting the medical profession and population health. The current issue in the Kingdom is quality assurance in all organizations including the health field. Thus emerges the value of evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of the current system in meeting health needs and expectations. The aim of this paper was to analyze the current situation in order to design a frame for the direction of promotion of medical education and practice that best meets health needs and expectations. In fact, medical practice is a multidisciplinary process that is showing continuously changing theories. It has a broad scope of serving the whole community and improving the quality of life of all population categories. The huge quantity of information, needed to be retained by medical professionals, necessitates the move away from traditional methods of educatio...
To explore the relationship between self-reported weight and height to actual weight and height in a cross-sectional representative sample of school students in Jeddah City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its relation to selected... more
To explore the relationship between self-reported weight and height to actual weight and height in a cross-sectional representative sample of school students in Jeddah City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its relation to selected socio-economic and socio-demographic factors. Also to evaluate the validity of self-reported weight and height measurements. Data was collected from a sample of Saudi school students in Jeddah City, KSA from 42 boys' schools and 42 girls' schools during the month of April 2000. Data collection was carried out by an in-person interview to collect sociodemographic and self-reported weight and height, as well as, actual measurement of weight and height. Body mass index was classified according to age and genders into underweight (<15th percentile), normal weight (>=15th percentile to <85th percentile), overweight (>=85th percentile to <95th percentile) and obesity (>=95th percentile). Validity of self-reported obesity, as compared to mea...
Identify the possible risk factors in our community that may influence having a disabled child, and identify the rehabilitation services available to disabled children. Data were collected from six rehabilitation institutes for auditory,... more
Identify the possible risk factors in our community that may influence having a disabled child, and identify the rehabilitation services available to disabled children. Data were collected from six rehabilitation institutes for auditory, visual and mental disabilities in Jeddah City during April 1999. Complete data available on sociodemographic and medical risk factors were extracted from the institutes' files. Personal interviews with the disabled were conducted to confirm information on the services offered to them. Certain modifiable risk factors affecting child health, such as early and late marriages and childbearing, illiteracy, unemployment, high parity and consanguineous marriages still exist in our community. Occupational hazards were also detected among military workers and working women. Disabilities related to perinatal health with antenatal, natal and postnatal components were also observed. According to resources available, various rehabilitation services are offer...
Research Interests:
The foundation of health starts as early as undergraduate medical education. Medical education in the Kingdom has always been successful in promoting the medical profession and population health. The current issue in the Kingdom is... more
The foundation of health starts as early as undergraduate medical education. Medical education in the Kingdom has always been successful in promoting the medical profession and population health. The current issue in the Kingdom is quality assurance in all organizations including the health field. Thus emerges the value of evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of the current system in meeting health needs and expectations. The aim of this paper was to analyze the current situation in order to design a frame for the direction of promotion of medical education and practice that best meets health needs and expectations. In fact, medical practice is a multidisciplinary process that is showing continuously changing theories. It has a broad scope of serving the whole community and improving the quality of life of all population categories. The huge quantity of information, needed to be retained by medical professionals, necessitates the move away from traditional methods of educatio...
The objectives of this study were to determine the relation between maternal education and various maternal risk factors, identify the impact of maternal education on the risk of childhood handicap and estimate the proportion of childhood... more
The objectives of this study were to determine the relation between maternal education and various maternal risk factors, identify the impact of maternal education on the risk of childhood handicap and estimate the proportion of childhood handicap that can be prevented by maternal education. Data was collected from all married women attending the two major maternity and child hospitals in Jeddah during April 1999. Women with at least one living child were interviewed for sociodemographic factors and having at least one handicapped child. The risk of having a handicapped child and the population attributable risk percent were calculated. Some potential risk factors are dominant in our society as approximately 30% of women did not attend school and 84% did not work. Consanguineous marriages accounted for about 43%. Pre-marriage counseling was limited as only 10% of women counseled before marriage. The proportion of unemployment and consanguineous marriages decreased significantly by i...
To identify the trend, possible risk factors and any pattern change of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Egypt over a decade. All HCC patients attending Cairo Liver Center between January 1993 and December 2002, were enrolled in the... more
To identify the trend, possible risk factors and any pattern change of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Egypt over a decade. All HCC patients attending Cairo Liver Center between January 1993 and December 2002, were enrolled in the study. Diagnosis of HCC was based on histopathological examination and/or detection of hepatic focal lesions by two imaging techniques plus alpha-fetoprotein level above 200 ng/mL. The duration of the study was divided into two periods of 5 years each; period I (1993-1997) and period II (1998-2002). Trend, demographic features of patients (age, gender, and residence), risk factors (HBsAg, HCV-Ab, schistosomiasis and others) and pattern of the focal lesions were compared between the two periods. Logistic regression model was fitted to calculate the adjusted odds ratios for the potential risk factors. The population attributable risk percentage was calculated to estimate the proportion of HCC attributed to hepatitis B and C viral infections. Over a decade,...
A subgroup of HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and/or hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA levels below the cutoff values of international guidelines may have significant liver disease and miss... more
A subgroup of HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and/or hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA levels below the cutoff values of international guidelines may have significant liver disease and miss the opportunity for early treatment. Histopathological changes of HBeAg-negative CHB patients at initial presentation irrespective of HBV-DNA and/or ALT levels to increase the likelihood of patients for treatment are evaluated. CHB patients attending Cairo Liver Center from January 2006 to May 2008 had biochemical, serological, and virological screening as well as liver biopsy that was assessed by Metavir score. Fifty-two HBeAg-negative CHB patients (46 male and 6 female) with a median age of 37.5 years were included in the study. Significant fibrosis (>or=F2) was found in 26% (5/19) of patients with serum HBV-DNA <2,000 IU/ml, and 53% (21/40) of patients with ALT level <2xULN. Liver biopsy increased candidacy for treatment by nearly 25% before implementation of the recommended lower ALT levels (30 U/l for male and 19 U/l for female patients), and by 21.2% after implementation of the lower ALT level. Implementation of the lower ALT level increased the candidacy of patients for treatment by 4% (two patients), whereas liver biopsy increased eligibility for treatment by 55.8 % (27/49). Liver biopsy is more reliable than either ALT or HBV-DNA levels in the decision to treat Egyptian HBeAg-negative CHB patients, even with the implementation of the recommended lower ALT levels.
A study was performed among university and school employees as a step in detecting the prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors among school and university staff and the relation of the various risk factors to... more
A study was performed among university and school employees as a step in detecting the prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors among school and university staff and the relation of the various risk factors to hypercholesterolemia and to predict the 5-years probability of development of CHD. All university staff and a sample of school workers in Jeddah were included in the study. Data were collected by interview and self-administered questionnaires, as well as by direct observation and measurement of weight, height, blood pressure, and total blood cholesterol. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the impact of various risk factors on hypercholesterolemia. The 5-year risk of development of CHD was calculated to identify the proportion at highest risk. Some CHD risk factors were detected among the participants as 18.8% were current cigarette smokers, around half were classified as overweight, and 19.9% were classified as hypertensive. Hypercholesterolemia was present in 10.1% and was significantly related to older age (40 years and over) and place of work. The estimated risk of CHD in the coming half-decade for those classified in the fifth quintile was 0.068. The Q(5)/Q(1) ratio has shown that those classified in the fifth quintile were at 3.6 times more risk of developing CHD in the coming 5 years than those classified in the first quintile. CHD risk factors are becoming prevalent in our society. The risk of development of CHD in the coming decades is not trivial. Short- and long-term health strategies are recommended to decrease the risk of CHD and improve the quality of life.
Recently, there has been increasing concern about the decline in breast-feeding pattern in developing countries. The objectives of this study were to document the recent breast-feeding trends in Jeddah during the first year of an... more
Recently, there has been increasing concern about the decline in breast-feeding pattern in developing countries. The objectives of this study were to document the recent breast-feeding trends in Jeddah during the first year of an infant's life and identify the probable maternal risk factors implicated in breast-feeding cessation. Data were collected from six randomly selected primary health care centres in Jeddah City. All married women with an infant </= 12 completed months of age were interviewed, and information on socio-demographic characteristics, breast feeding and contraceptive use were collected. Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratios for the various maternal risk factors related to breast-feeding cessation. A total of 400 women were enrolled in the study. Their mean age at delivery was 28.0 years (SD = 4.1 years). Approximately 40.0% had never attended school, 43.0% had at least five children and 13.8% were smokers. Deliveries by caesarean section were reported by 13.0% of women and contraceptive use by 44.7%, among whom oral contraceptives were the commonest method. Around 94.0% of women ever initially breast fed their infants, and this proportion dropped to 40.0% by the infant's 12th month. Women who delivered by caesarean section (OR = 1.9 [95% CI 1.3, 2.8]P = 0.001) and those who used oral contraceptives (OR = 1.5 [95% CI 1.1, 2.2]P = 0.031) were at higher risk of stopping breast feeding and lower probability of maintaining breast feeding to the 12th month post partum than those who delivered vaginally and did not use oral contraceptives. Breast-feeding practice seems to decline rapidly during the first year of the infant's life. Health care professionals should promote breast-feeding practice as early as the antenatal period. They should also take into consideration the impact of caesarean section deliveries and early oral contraceptive use to avoid their negative impact on breast-feeding practice.
... the efforts of a 3-day workshop held April 13-16, 2008 in Cairo and entitled Gender and HIV: Policy Lessons for Low ... The aim was to mark advances in confronting gender issues and to establish specific objectives for... more
... the efforts of a 3-day workshop held April 13-16, 2008 in Cairo and entitled Gender and HIV: Policy Lessons for Low ... The aim was to mark advances in confronting gender issues and to establish specific objectives for gender-sensitive HIV prevention and care in countries with ...
To measure HIV prevalence and related risk behaviors among male injection drug users (IDUs) in Cairo, Egypt in the context of the first survey wave of an integrated biological and behavioral surveillance system. Given the hidden nature of... more
To measure HIV prevalence and related risk behaviors among male injection drug users (IDUs) in Cairo, Egypt in the context of the first survey wave of an integrated biological and behavioral surveillance system. Given the hidden nature of injection drug use, we used the peer-referral methodology of respondent-driven sampling in a cross-sectional study to recruit a sample of male IDUs in Cairo between May and August 2006. Behavioral data were collected through face-to-face interviews and serum was obtained for HIV antibody testing. Population estimates were produced using respondent-driven sampling Analysis Tool. The study enrolled 413 male IDUs. The population estimated HIV prevalence was 0.6% (95% confidence interval 0.1-1.8). More than half (53.0%) reported injecting drugs with used needles or syringes and nearly one-third (32.4%) shared their used needle or syringe with one or more persons in the preceding month. Overall, 70.5% had sex in the preceding year, of whom 9.4% reported sex with male partners and 13.2% reported sex with commercial sex workers in the preceding 12 months. Ever use of a condom during sex was low with all partner types and only 5.8% ever had an HIV test. This first survey wave of integrated biological and behavioral surveillance system in Egypt to track the HIV epidemic among male IDUs found relatively low prevalence of infection compared to global estimates, though the figure is many times higher than the general population. In addition, risky injection practices and unprotected sex were high with sexual networks including men who have sex with men, female sex workers, wives, and other regular and casual partners. The respondent-driven sampling method was effective in recruiting male IDUs and the results are being used to inform surveillance and prevention programs.
Background: The studies carried out on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are scarce in Egypt. Nevertheless, they presumed an upward trend for HCC among chronic liver disease (CLD) patients. The objectives of this research were to determine... more
Background: The studies carried out on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are scarce in Egypt. Nevertheless, they presumed an upward trend for HCC among chronic liver disease (CLD) patients. The objectives of this research were to determine the trend of HCC, the possible risk factors implicated in its development and the population attributable risk of HCVAb and HBsAg positivity for HCC. Methods: Medical records of all patients attending Cairo Liver Center during the years 1992-1995 were reviewed to determine the sociodemographic characteristics, HCVAb, HBsAg and HCC status. Prospectively, 200 HCC cases' stored sera as well as 120 healthy control were tested for aflatoxin B(1) quantitatively and qualitatively. Results: HCC accounted for 4.7% (321/6850) of CLD patients included in the study. HCVAb positive cases were strikingly high (71.1%) and HBsAg positive cases were reported in 22.4% of patients. There was an annual significant rise of HCC ranging from 3.6% in 1992 to 5.3% in 1995. HCC was significantly more prevalent among old age groups (60 years) than younger age groups. The impact of gender and past history of schistosomiasis on HCC was not proved by this study. HCVAb and HBsAg positivity were the two significant independent risk factors for HCC. The population attributable risk percent has shown that HCC cases attributed to HCVAb positivity accounted for 51.1%; while HBsAg positivity only explained 21.3% of cases. Aflatoxin B(1) was detected in 17% of HCC cases compared to 9.4% of healthy control. Risk ratio=2(95%). Conclusion: HCC is showing an increasing trend among our patients. Its development is mainly due to high rates of HCVAb and HBsAg positivity. HBsAg positive patients were at double risk to develop HCC and HCVAb positive patients were at 1.6 more risk. The high prevalence of HCVAb positivity renders its contribution to the development of HCC over seven-fold higher than HBsAg positivity. Short and long term health strategies are crucial to prevent and control HCC in Egypt.