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Glycosuria can be isolated or it can be associated with other tubulopathies like proximal renal tubular acidosis, Fanconi syndrome and endocrine conditions like diabetes mellitus. The SLC5A2 gene codes for the SGLT2 transporter, which is responsible for glucose reabsorption in the proximal tubule. Previously reported cases show that mutation in this gene is associated with intellectual disability, seizure disorder and renin and angiotensin system dysfunction. In his early childhood, a male child displayed persistently high urine glucose levels. We ruled out diabetes mellitus and other tubulopathies before diagnosing the child with familial renal glycosuria, with a novel mutation in the SLC5A2 gene, and screened family members for the same condition. Child's father was found to have isolated renal glycosuria and tested positive for mutation in the SLC5A2 gene.

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This report describes two cases of tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy secondary to incessant ectopic atrial tachycardia (EAT) in an infant presenting with severe left ventricular dysfunction and hemodynamic instability. The two cases were managed differently. The first required mechanical ventilation and was resistant to conventional antiarrhythmic drugs. After the initiation of enteral ivabradine (0.15mg/kg) the heart rate slowed with significant improvement in hemodynamics, peripheral perfusion and sinus rhythm was restored after 12 hours. Ivabradine was continued and the patient was discharged home after 10 days of hospitalization. The second case was managed by early initiation of ivabradine and resulted in restoration of sinus rhythm within 4 hours, thus avoiding trials of conventional anti-arrhythmic drugs with unstable hemodynamic profile. The infant was discharged after 5 days of hospitalization on ivabradine..

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OBJECTIVES: Stigma and discrimination undermine the quality of life of people with HIV and their access to health services. This study aimed to assess HIV-related knowledge, attitudes and practices among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Oman. METHODS: This cross-sectional study took place between July and November 2016. A questionnaire was distributed to 1,400 government HCWs to determine HIV-related knowledge, attitudes and practices. RESULTS: A total of 1,281 HCWs participated (response rate = 92%). Routine tasks, such as dressing wounds, drawing blood and touching clothes, were a cause of concern for 24-52% of HCWs. Only 69% correctly answered questions regarding the transmission of HIV via eating/drinking and mosquito bites. Compared to other HCWs, doctors had significantly higher knowledge (mean = 0.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.19 to 0.73; P <0.001), attitude (mean = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.31 to 1.24; P = 0.001) and practice (mean = 2.07, 95% CI: 1.59 to 2.55; P <0.001) scores. Expatriates also scored significantly higher in knowledge (mean = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.93 to 1.23; P <0.001), attitude (mean = 1.23, 95% CI: 0.98 to 1.48; P <0.001) and practice (mean = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.82 to 1.34; P <0.001) compared to Omani nationals. Finally, those with >15 years' work experience scored significantly higher on knowledge (mean = -0.60, 95% CI: -1.12 to -0.08; P = 0.025) and attitude (mean = -0.99, 95% CI: -1.87 to -0.10; P = 0.029) compared to those with less experience. CONCLUSION: The high rate of HIV-related stigma among HCWs in Oman should be rectified in order to achieve the 90-90-90 target set by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.

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OBJECTIVES: An outbreak of acute gastroenteritis due to Shigella flexneri occurred in August 2012 in the catchment area of the Wadi Sahtan Health Center in Rustaq, Al Batinah South Governorate, Oman. The aim of this study was to discover possible causes of this outbreak in the villages of Fassa, Rogh and Amk and to measure the risk of exposure among cases and controls. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted in September 2012 in Fassa, Rogh and Amk. All households in the three villages were interviewed. Case and control households were compared to determine possible exposure avenues, including place of residence, source of drinking water, hand hygiene levels and practices related to drinking water, food preparation and environmental sanitation. RESULTS: Residing in Fassa (P <0.0001; odds ratio [OR] = 4.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.22-10.63) and average hand hygiene practices (P = 0.008; OR = 13.97, 95% CI = 1.58-123.36) were associated with an increased risk of contracting shigellosis. No significant differences were found with regards to the other exposure avenues. CONCLUSION: This was the first study conducted in Oman regarding an outbreak of shigellosis in a community setting. The only variables that significantly impacted the risk of acute gastroenteritis were residing in Fassa and average hand hygiene practices. The source of the outbreak could not be identified. However, septic tank sanitation and water and food consumption practices were not satisfactory in the studied villages. These need to be addressed to prevent similar outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis in this region in the future.

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The present work aims at preparing aqueous suspension of Solid lipid Nanoparticles containing Chitosan (CT) which is a biopolymer that exhibits a number of interesting properties which include controlled drug delivery. Carbamezapine (CBZ) is a lipophilic drug which shows it antiepileptic activity by inactivating sodium channels. The solid lipid Nanoparticles (SLN) of Chitosan-CBZ were prepared by using solvent injection method using ethanol as organic solvent. The prepared SLN formulations exhibited high encapsulation efficiency, high physical stability. The drug incorporated SLNs have demonstrated that the controlled release patterns of the drug for prolonged period. The prepared SLNs were characterized for surface morphology by SEM analysis, entrapment efficiency, zeta potential, FTIR, DSC and In-vitro diffusion studies. The hydrodynamic mean diameter and zeta potential were 168.7 ± 1.8 nm and -28.9 ± 2.0 mV for SLN-chitosan-CBZ respectively. Therefore chitosan-SLN can be good candidates to encapsulate CBZ and to increase its therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of Epilepsy.

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