Siraj A. Mira

Prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus in Rural Saudi Arabia

Several studies have clearly shown the impact of modernization on the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in susceptible communities. Saudi Arabia has faced a rapid development program over the last two decades. In a recent study, we found a high prevalence of diabetes mellitus in urban Saudi Arabia. A total of 5222 rural subjects of both sexes were involved in a study of the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the western region of Saudi Arabia. Random capillary blood glucose, body weight and height, and income were recorded. The results showed an overall prevalence of 4.3%. There was a rise of prevalence with age and higher-income groups. Prevalence also differed with sex. The overall prevalence in women (5.9%) was twice that for men (2.9%; P <.001). Obesity occurred in 41.2% of our diabetic subjects compared to 29.3% in nondiabetic subjects (P < .001). Multiple logisticregression analysis with body mass index (BMI) as the dependent variable showed that sex and income status were significant factors (P < .0001 and P < .04, respectively). When blood glucose was fixed as the dependent variable, the analysis showed that age, income, and BMI were significant factors (P < .004, P < .0001, and P < .045, respectively).

Simultaneous measurement of phenobarbital, carbamazepine, phenytoin and 5-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-5-phenylhydantoin in serum by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A rapid, highly sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of phenobarbital, carbamazepine, phenytoin and its main metabolite, 5-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-5-phenylhydantoin, in 50 µl of serum. Serum protein was precipitated with an acetonitrile solution containing 5-(4-methylphenyl)-5-phenylhydantoin as the internal standard. The drugs were eluted from a 5 µm, C-18 reversed-phase column at 40 °C with a mobile phase consisting of an acetonitrile-methanol-phosphate buffer of pH 4.8 (22 + 28 + 50%V/V), at a flow-rate of 1 ml min–1 with UV detection at 214 nm. Each analysis required no longer than 12 min. Quantitation was achieved by the measurement of the peak-height ratio and the relative and absolute recoveries varied from 94 to 109%. Within-day coefficients of variation ranged from 1.2 to 3.22% and between-day coefficients of variation from 2.0 to 3.4% in subtherapeutic, therapeutic and toxic concentrations.

The Pattern of Complications in Saudi Arabian Diabetics

The pattern of complications in 533 Saudi Arabian diabetics followed over a 2-year period at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, is reported. The subjects consisted of 137 type 1 (25.7%) an...

Evaluation of the fluorescence polarization immunoassay for quantitation of digoxin in serum

Digoxin in serum was measured by fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) and by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Intraday precision of the FPIA method determined by replicate analysis of three controls (low, medium, and high) gave coefficients of variation of 5.41, 2.67, and 2.37%, respectively. The interday coefficients of variation were 5.71, 4.55, and 1.93% for the low, medium, and high controls, respectively. The mean recovery for three spiked controls was 98%. Quantitative results obtained by FPIA on serum samples from patients receiving digoxin were compared with the results obtained by RIA. The correlation coefficient was 0.989. The stability of the standard curve in FPIA was evaluated by recalibrating the instrument at two intervals, 21 days apart, and superimposing the standard curve. No significant changes were found in polarization values.

Current practice patterns and training status of selected graduates at the King Abdulaziz University College of Medicine, Saudi Arabia.

Summary. Graduate doctors are the primary output of medical education programmes. It is important for institutions to identify systematically the types of medical activities in which their former students are involved in order to determine the effectiveness of the curriculum, assessing academic standards and reviewing admissions policies.

Prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus in Rural Saudi Arabia: A Reply

We fully agree with the analysis that socioeconomic development has a direct influence on the results of studies on the epidemiology of diabetes mellitus. However, we think Dr. Duarte will agree that socioeconomic development alone does not provide an adequate explanation of the whole picture. The ethnic interpopulation differences (even after adjustment for obesity) (1-4) and the high prevalence rates of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in certain populations (5,6) point to a probable susceptibility factor(s) that still needs clarification.