Introduction: Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a serious complication of pregnancy involving nausea and vomiting which affects all facets of the lives of many women. Helicobacter pylori infection has been linked to HG in some regions of the world. However, the prevalence of H. pylori in Saudi Arabian pregnant women and its link to HG has not been the subject of previous research. Detecting and treating H. pylori infection in women early in their pregnancies may lower the likelihood of adverse maternal outcomes. This study aims to assess the connection between the pathogenesis of HG and H. pylori infection in this population. Methods: Forty-five pregnant women with HG were recruited from the outpatient clinic for antenatal care in the Gynecology and Obstetrics Department at King Abdulaziz University Hospital. Forty-five pregnant women without HG were matched as controls. Both groups underwent testing for the H. pylori antigen in stool samples. Results: A statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) was observed between the cases and controls in terms of the occurrence of H. pylori. Thirty-eight women in the HG group (84.4%) tested positive for H. pylori, while the same was true of only 20 of the controls (44.4%). The mean level of blood hemoglobin in positive cases was significantly lower than that in negative cases (9.56 ± 1.29 vs. 11.90 ± 1.18 g/dl, P = 0.012). Conclusion: H. pylori may play a contributing role in the presence of HG in the study population. It may be included with other investigations of HG, especially with cases that do not respond to conventional management and continue into the second trimester. Women with H. pylori were also more likely to suffer from anemia compared to those without the infection. For this reason, those working with pregnant women should pay close attention to those infected with H. pylori. Additional large case-control studies are necessary to better understand the part H. pylori plays and the pathogenesis of HG.

BackgroundBeing aware of the limits of traditional discipline-based education, the Faculty of Dentistry at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) tasked basic medical science faculty members with developing a new integrated curriculum for undergraduate dental students to be applied in the 2014/2015 academic year.ObjectiveTo determine the students’ perceptions of the restructured curriculum and elicit student suggestions for improvement.MethodsA questionnaire was distributed to all first-year dental undergraduate students (n=192) enrolled in the academic year of 2014/2015. The questionnaire was written in English and included standard questions designed to determine student satisfaction toward the restructured curriculum. The different variables in the study were analyzed with descriptive statistics and the significance level was measured by SPSS version 16, using the descriptive statistics and Chi-square test.ResultsAt the end of the first year, a large majority of students rated their overall experience with the course as good or excellent and agreed that the connection between basic and clinical sciences was made clear in the dental relevance sessions. In general, students’ experience with the instructors was positive. However, although most students felt that assessment methods were fair and reflected the curriculum, the overall success rate was lower than that of the previous academic year (2013/2014) (P=0.002), when the traditional-discipline based curriculum was still in place.ConclusionHaving completed the first step of the restructuring of the first-year basic science dental curriculum, our plan for the next phase in the curriculum integration process is to increase inter-course and inter-topic integration and supplement the delivery of the course material with more clinical case scenarios.

Integrative Physiology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Physiology Background and Objective: Previous studies have identified the role of irisin and vitamin D in energy homeostasis. However, the effect of irisin and vitamin D on energy regulation has not been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, in this study, the effects of a vitamin D-deficient diet and irisin on total energy expenditure (TEE), food intake, and blood metabolites were investigated in rats.Methods: Sixteen healthy weaned male albino rats were randomly divided into two groups: a group fed a normal balanced growth diet (group A: n = 8) and a group fed a normocalcemic diet that is vitamin D deficient with limited ultraviolet (UV) light exposure (group B, n = 8). After 6 weeks, the volumes of respiratory gases were measured by open-circuit indirect calorimetry. Serum irisin, 25-OHVD 3 , calcium, insulin, and glucose levels were measured using ELISA. The respiratory quotient (RQ), energy expenditure, and Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) were calculated.Results: Rats with hypovitaminosis D were hypoirisinemic. Food intake, RQ (to the range of using endogenous fat), and glucose levels reduced significantly, while insulin levels increased. Body weight and TEE were non-significant changed. Additionally, irisin was strongly and positively correlated with body weight under normal conditions (r = 0.905, p < 0.01), and a moderate negative correlation in group B (r = −0.429, p < 0.05). TEE and irisin showed no significant correlation. Conclusion:This study demonstrated that the early changes in energy homeostasis and irisin levels during states of hypovitaminosis D are affected by long-term consumption of a vitamin D-deficient diet with limited UV exposure.

No abstract

No abstract