Salem Khalil

Intestinal Parasites: Incidence and Etiology in over 1,000 Patients at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh

ABSTRACT Stool specimens from 3,817 patients were examined for presence of intestinal parasites during the calendar year 1985 at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh. Pro...

Etiology of Bacteremia in a Referral Hospital in Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT The incidence and eitology of bacteremia for the calendar year 1985 was investigated at King Faisal Specialist Hospital (KFSH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the results were compared with two...

Multiple myeloma: A review of 92 cases at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

A review of 92 cases of multiple myeloma (66 males and 26 females) seen at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre from October 1975 through December 1987 revealed the age for affected patients ranged from 23 to 90 years (mean, 56 years). Six percent of the patients were less than 40 years old at the time of diagnosis. Bone pain was the most common presenting symptom in our patients (80%), most frequently involving the back. Anemia was the initial finding in 74%, followed by plasmacytoma (22.8%), hypecalcemia (19.6%), and renal insufficiency (18.5%). Skeletal survey abnormalities were seen in 92.4% of the cases, with osteolytic lesions as the predominant finding. Serum protein electrophoresis showed a monoclonal paraprotein in 78% of the cases, of which 55.5% were the IgG class. Free light chains were detected in the urine of 20 patients. The median survival time for all patients was 68 months. Twenty patients died of renal failure and/or infection. The combination of melphalan and prednison was used for treatment in 37 patients, while 31 patients received the M2 protocol and 19 patients received different therapy such as VCEP (vindesine, cyclophosphamide, VP 16 and prednisone), MPV (melphalan, prednisone, and vincristine) or high-dose melphalan. Five patients either refused treatment or died before treatment could be started.

Application of polymerase chain reaction to detect rearrangement of immunoglobulin heavy chain genes in lymphoproliferative disease.

As part of our routine work-up in the diagnosis of lymphoproliferative disease, we used a rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to amplify the DNA fragments of the framework 3 (FR3) region of the immunoglobulin heavy (IgH) chain genes. The assay does not involve hybridization, nested priming, or sequencing of the amplified PCR product. It was performed on 66 specimens of B-cell lymphoproliferative disease, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma, hairy cell leukemia and follicular lymphoma. Twenty-six specimens of negative controls, including acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia in myeloid transformation and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, were also analyzed. The assay was performed with 77% sensitivity and 100% specificity. The standard IgH chain gene rearrangement by Southern blot analysis is reserved for the remaining negative cases if clinically indicated.

Flow cytometry screening for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria: A single-center experience in Saudi Arabia.

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a rare acquired clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorder, characterized by the deficiency of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) that anchors proteins in cell membranes. PNH is manifest variously with hemoglobinuria, thrombosis, or bone marrow failure. This retrospective study was aimed at assessing the incidence and characteristics of patients diagnosed with PNH in the King Fisal Specialist Hospital and research center.

Prevalence and relative proportions of CLL and non-CLL monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis phenotypes in the Middle Eastern population

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hemonc.2016.09.003 1658-3876/ 2016 King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). * Corresponding author at: Oncology Center, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, P.O. Box 3354, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia. E-mail address: maljurf@kfshrc.edu.sa (M. Aljurf).

Monoclonal Gammopathy: Ten Years' Experience at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT One hundred eleven cases of monoclonal gammopathy seen between 1976 and 1986 were reviewed. The mean age of the patients was 53 years, and the male to female ratio was 1.5:1. Of 111 cases,...