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Primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) are a type of malignant tumors made up of small neuroectodermal-derived round cells that affect soft tissue and bone, with a wide range of clinical symptoms and histological commonalities depending on the site of the tumor. PNETs account for 4% of all pediatric and adolescent cancers. Here we report a case of a peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor in a five-year-old boy. Two days before admission, he complained of multiple attacks of vomiting and one episode of hematemesis, associated with subjective fever, abdominal pain, and distention. He also complained of weight loss and bruises on his face and lower extremities for the last four weeks. Upon physical examination, there was hepatomegaly to the right iliac fossa. Abdominal ultrasound showed that the liver is hugely enlarged with heterogeneous echo texture and smooth borders. A computed tomography scan with contrast showed hepatomegaly to the right iliac fossa region with no focal lesion. Bone marrow aspiration and bone marrow biopsy showed heavy infiltration by monomorphic cells. Moreover, liver biopsy was done for this patient, and it showed metastatic undifferentiated neuroblastoma. Before the liver biopsy results, the patient deteriorated rapidly and dead. Therefore, peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors (pPNETs) should be considered in the differential diagnosis of liver masses in young patients to early diagnosis and treatment, and to increase the survival rate.

Introduction Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that can be disabling to patients. Smoking has been proposed to be a risk factor for MS and to increase the risk of progression of the disease and its severity. However, it is still not clear how smoking affects people with MS (PwMS) regarding disease phenotype, symptoms, relapses, course, and disability. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of smoking on PwMS in Saudi Arabia. Methods This is an online questionnaire-based cross-sectional study. PwMS were randomly contacted through different MS societies and associations to participate in the study. The questionnaire inquired about demographics, MS phenotype and severity, and smoking status of the participants. Data were collected between May 30, 2021, and July 5, 2021. Results Four hundred twenty-nine PwMS participated in the study. The mean age was 33.7, with a mean disease duration of 8.1 years. About 61.1% of the participants were female. About 62.2% did not know the specific MS phenotype they have. About 35.7% were current or previous smokers, with a mean smoking duration of 13.9 years. Smoking was significantly associated with the presence of multiple MS symptoms (p-value = 0.009) and their number (p-value = 0.050). In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between pack-years smoking and the number of MS symptoms with a Pearson's r value of 0.165 (p-value = 0.001). No significant associations were found between smoking and recent relapses and disease progression, disability in terms of walking, needing a cane, or needing a wheelchair. Conclusion Smoking was shown to have a significant effect on the number of symptoms experienced by PwMS. Higher pack-years of smoking correlates positively and significantly with a higher number of MS symptoms. Further studies to examine these relations are hence warranted.