Background The current study aimed to evaluate the previously unexplored correlation between undergraduate medical students’ attendance during their surgical clerkship and their academic performance. It also aimed to explore any difference in the attendance rate between male and female students and whether this difference, if present, affects the academic performance. Methods A retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study has been conducted on 331 undergraduate medical students during their surgical clerkships at the College of Medicine and Medical Sciences (CMMS) at Arabian Gulf University (AGU), Bahrain from September 2018 to June 2020. Results There was a positive statistically significant correlation between students’ attendance during surgical clerkship and academic performance (r = 0.360, P <  0.01). Mean attendance rate was greater in each increasing category of academic performance: 47.95% in the weak category (less than 65%, n = 42), 57.62% in the good performance category (65% to less than 75%, n = 108), 67.82% in the very good performance category (75% to less than 85%, n = 126), 83.16% in the excellent performance category (85% and above, n = 55). The mean attendance rate of male students was 59.76% (SD = 25.73), compared to 66.92% (SD = 24.30) in the female students. T-test indicated that the difference between the mean attendance of the two groups of the students (male, female) was statistically significant (t = 2.483, p <  0.05). On the other hand, the difference between the mean academic performance for the two groups of students, male & female, (t = 0.284, p = 0.777) was not statistically significant. Conclusions Our study showed a significant relationship between undergraduate medical students’ attendance during their surgical clerkship and their academic performance. Further studies are needed to stratify this correlation according to clinical and theoretical teaching activities. No significant difference was observed in academic performance between female and male students.

Background Laterality in breast cancer means an increased frequency of left-sided breast cancers compared to right-sided breast cancers ranging between 1.05 and 1.26. It was first described in 1935 by Fellenberg, Sweden. The explanation of this phenomenon is not clear, but the association with other factors was found. This study aimed to explore the laterality of breast cancer in Bahrain as a model for Arabian countries. The association of laterality with the clinicopathological characteristics of the tumor was also analyzed to explore any applied clinical value. Methods This is a cross-sectional, retrospective review of a particular ethnic population to study laterality of breast cancer versus a number of clinicopathological factors, as well as prognosis. The study analyzed 228 breast cancer patients treated in Arabian Gulf University facilities in Bahrain between 1999 and 2020. Three bilateral breast cancer and two malignant phyllodes patients were excluded. The following variables were analyzed: laterality ratio (Lt/Rt) and the association between laterality and clinicopathological characteristics (age at diagnosis, family history of malignancy, size of the tumor, tumor grade, histological type, hormonal receptors and HER2, axillary lymph node status, tumor stage, five-year survival rate, nulliparity, and multifocality). Results The laterality ratio (Lt/Rt) was 1.06 and was 0.97 for patients below 50 years of age, and 1.19 for patients 50 years of age and above. Analysis of our data showed a statistically significant association between laterality and tumor stage (p. value =0.025) at presentation, and laterality and family history of malignancy (p. value =0.052). Right-sided breast cancer was associated with a higher positive family history of malignancy and an increased ratio of locally advanced and metastatic disease, and a reduced 5-year survival in relation to size and stage. Left-sided breast cancer was associated with higher early tumor stage. Conclusion This is the first study exploring the issue of breast cancer laterality in a defined Arabian population. The laterality ratio in this study was 1.06, which is consistent with the globally published range (1.05 to 1.26) and is increasing with increasing age. The association between breast cancer laterality, and the hormonal and HER2 is still not widely addressed in the available literature, although other clinicopathological characteristics were extensively analyzed.

IntroductionA mesenteric inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare solid tumor of intermediate malignant potential that affects children, adolescents, and young adults predominantly. IMT is mostly encountered in the lung. We report a case of malignant jejunal mesenteric IMT in a 61-year-old male patient who presented with vague abdominal pain and generalized weakness. CT scan revealed a mesenteric mass displacing the attached jejunum. Surgical resection was curative.DiscussionAn extensive literature review was performed to update and further analyze the already available data. A total of 35 cases with mesenteric IMT were reported previously. Only five cases of jejunal mesenteric IMT were reported. Mesenteric IMT demands vast effort to reveal the diagnosis due to its vagueness in the clinical presentation. Mesenteric IMT resembles each other in plenty of pathological and immunohistochemical characteristics.ConclusionTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of malignant jejunal mesenteric IMT in the elderly. Surgical resection was curative.

An extremely rare case of Paraspinal Desmoid Fibromatosis in a 39-year-old female patient, postliposuction: A case report and literature reviewDesmoid fibromatosis is a slow growing, locally aggressive mesenchymal tumor. It primarily affects female adults. On the other hand, it rarely affects children and older adults. A large number of desmoid fibromatosis tend to arise from extra-abdominal locations, most commonly in the extremities. We report a case of paraspinal desmoid fibromatosis in a 39-year-old female patient. The patient presented post-liposuction with painless swelling in her lower back, which progressed to become painful after 2 years. Lumbar spine MRI revealed a mass in the right paramedian area opposite to the level of L2, not infiltrating the underlying structures with normal overlying subcutaneous tissue. Wide local excision with free margins was opted. Discussion: A case report and literature review were performed. Ninety-seven (97) cases of paraspinal fibromatosis were reported. Desmoid tumor fibromatosis requires significant effort to be diagnosed due to its ambiguous clinical presentation. Conclusion: According to the English literature review, our case is the first paraspinal desmoid fibromatosis post liposuction of the back. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first extensive literature review involving all the reported cases of paraspinal fibromatosis. Worldwide, there still in need for a consensus agreement on guidelines for standardized treatment of desmoid fibromatosis.

Is laterality in breast Cancer still worth studying? Local experience in BahrainBackground: Laterality in breast cancer means an increased frequency of left-sided breast cancers compared to right-sided breast cancers ranging between 1.05 and 1.26. It was first described in 1935 by Fellenberg, Sweden. The explanation of this phenomenon is not clear, but the association with other factors was found. This study aimed to explore the laterality of breast cancer in Bahrain as a model for Arabian countries. The association of laterality with the clinicopathological characteristics of the tumor was also analyzed to explore any applied clinical value. Methods:This is a cross-sectional, retrospective review of a particular ethnic population to study laterality of breast cancer versus a number of clinicopathological factors, as well as prognosis. The study analyzed 228 breast cancer patients treated in Arabian Gulf University facilities in Bahrain between 1999 and 2020. Three bilateral breast cancer and two malignant phyllodes patients were excluded. The following variables were analyzed: laterality ratio (Lt/Rt) and the association between laterality and clinicopathological characteristics (age at diagnosis, family history of malignancy, size of the tumor, tumor grade, histological type, hormonal receptors and HER2, axillary lymph node status, tumor stage, five-year survival rate, nulliparity, and multifocality). Results:The laterality ratio (Lt/Rt) was 1.06 and was 0.97 for patients below 50 years of age, and 1.19 for patients 50 years of age and above. Analysis of our data showed a statistically significant association between laterality and tumor stage (p. value =0.025) at presentation, and laterality and family history of malignancy (p. value =0.052). Right-sided breast cancer was associated with a higher positive family history of malignancy and an increased ratio of locally advanced and metastatic disease, and a reduced 5-year survival in relation to size and stage. Left-sided breast cancer was associated with higher early tumor stage.