We reviewed 24 'real-life' effectiveness studies of omalizumab in the treatment of severe allergic asthma that included 4117 unique patients from 32 countries with significant heterogeneity in patients, clinicians and settings. The evidence underscores the short-and long-term benefit of anti-IgE therapy in terms of the following: improving lung function; achieving asthma control and reducing symptomatology, severe exacerbations and associated work/school days lost; reducing healthcare resource utilizations, in particular hospitalizations, hospital lengths of stay and accident specialist or emergency department visits; reducing or discontinuing other asthma medications; and improving quality of life -thus confirming, complementing and extending evidence from randomized trials. Thus, omalizumab therapy is associated with signal improvements across the full objective and subjective burden of illness chain of severe allergic asthma. Benefits of omalizumab may extend up to 2-4 years, and the majority of omalizumab-treated patients may benefit for many years. Omalizumab has positive short-and longterm safety profiles similar to what is known from randomized clinical trials. Initiated patients should be monitored for treatment response at 16 weeks. Those showing positive response at that time are highly likely to show sustained treatment response and benefit in terms of clinical, quality of life and health resource utilization outcomes.Over the past four decades, the prevalence, morbidity and mortality of asthma have increased significantly (1-4). In particular, severe asthma, which affects about 10% of all patients with asthma, presents with significant morbidity, high healthcare resource utilization and impaired quality of life (5). As there is no cure for asthma, the objective of treatment is to control the clinical aspects of the disease (6). Despite guidelines for the evaluation, classification and management of asthma, most patients and certainly those with severe asthma are controlled suboptimally (7-10).Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is an antibody class associated with hypersensitivity and allergic reactions (11). IgE elicits an immune response by binding mainly to the high-affinity receptor (FceRI) found on the surface of mast cells and basophils. In the mast cell, activation of these receptors through cross-linking with IgE causes the cell to release inflammatory mediators (11).Omalizumab (Xolair Ò , Novartis basel, Switzerland) is a recombinant humanized monoclonal anti-IgE antibody that inhibits the binding of IgE to high-affinity receptors. It is indicated as add-on treatment to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and long-acting b2-agonists (LABA). Initial treatment response is evaluated at 16 weeks, and treatment is continued in patients showing a response at that time. Phase III trials with study periods up to 12 months have shown omalizumab to reduce the frequency of asthma exacerbations and concomitant medication burden and improve symptom severity and quality of life, while also being safe (12-15). Effica...

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In this largest population-based study to date, we found an increased risk of cleft palate, with or without cleft lip, in class II+ obese mothers compared with normal-weight mothers; underweight mothers may also have an increased risk, but this requires further study. These results also suggest that extremes of weight may have a specific effect on palatal development.

<b><i>Objective:</i></b> To examine the association of sociodemographic variables with the odds of being obese among adults in Saudi Arabia, and to examine whether or not the association between the educational level and the odds of being obese among adults in Saudi Arabia is modified by the income level. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A total of 3,925 participants were recruited for this cross-­sectional study. Sociodemographic and anthropometric data were collected using standardized procedures. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models were examined, with a dichotomous obesity status variable as the outcome. Furthermore, an interaction term for income level with educational level was tested and appeared significant. Thus, additional regression models were run in order to examine the association between educational level and obesity status separately among the low- and higher-income groups. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Compared to participants with a college degree or higher, illiterate participants and those with an elementary education had higher odds of obesity (OR: 2.76, 95% CI: 1.81–4.22, and OR: 2.68, 95% CI: 1.89–3.82, respectively). However, participants with a low income had lower odds than participants who had a higher income (OR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.70–0.99). Examining the association between educational level and obesity while stratifying by income revealed that a negative association between education and obesity exists among both income groups. However, the magnitude of the ORs was higher among participants with higher income, suggesting a stronger association between education and obesity among wealthier individuals. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Individuals in the highest income bracket with lower levels of education may have greater odds of obesity. Targeting them in intervention programs is warranted.