Saeed Akhtar - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Saeed Akhtar

The FASEB Journal, 2015

We investigated differences in maternal and infant related birth variables among various national... more We investigated differences in maternal and infant related birth variables among various nationalities residing in Kuwait and evaluated major predictors of pregnancy outcome. In a cross-sectional s...

Cancer Causes & Control, 2020

World journal of urology, Jan 5, 2018

This meta-analysis of published case-control and cohort studies sought to quantify the magnitude ... more This meta-analysis of published case-control and cohort studies sought to quantify the magnitude and direction of association between chronic UTI (defined as the infection of the urinary tract that either does not respond to treatment or keeps recurring) and risk of bladder carcinoma (BCa) (i.e., including mainly urothelial carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma). A literature search was conducted using Medline, Embase, Ovid, Web of Science, Science Direct and Cochrane Library, which was supplemented with manual search of reference lists of the identified articles. Case-control and cohort studies examining UTI as a predictor of BCa risk published through June 2016 were eligible. Using random-effects models, odds ratios (OR) or relative risks (RR) from eligible studies were combined to synthesize summary effect estimates. The included studies were assessed for methodological quality and potential publication bias. Heterogeneity by study characteristics was examined by s...

Multiple sclerosis and related disorders, Jan 25, 2018

Anti-JC virus (JCV) antibody testing has been used increasingly to stratify multiple sclerosis (M... more Anti-JC virus (JCV) antibody testing has been used increasingly to stratify multiple sclerosis (MS) patients into different disease modifying therapies. We assessed JCV serostatus stability longitudinally in MS patients who were regularly tested for anti-JCV antibody and examined the demographic and clinical factors associated with JCV serostatus. The data of MS patients who were screened for anti-JCV antibody using the two-step second-generation ELISA were collected between 1st October 2014 and 31st October 2015 at the MS clinic, Kuwait. Demographics, disease characteristics and JCV serostatus, including antibody index (AI), were obtained for patients with at least 12-months of follow-up results. Stable JCV serostatus was defined as anti-JCV antibody status that remained consistently negative or positive throughout the observation period. A change in serostatus was confirmed by a follow-up test at 6 months. Patients were labeled as JCV seroconverters (negative to positive), JCV ser...

Neuroepidemiology, Jan 21, 2017

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex immune-mediated disorder of the central nervous system with ... more Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex immune-mediated disorder of the central nervous system with undefined etiology. Genetic predisposition and environmental factors play an imperative role in MS causation and its sustained increasing burden worldwide. This study examined the age, period, and cohort effects on MS incidence rates in Kuwait. In this retrospective cohort study, data on MS cases diagnosed between January 1, 1980 and December 31, 2014 and registered in National MS Registry and reference population were obtained. Age-period-cohort (APC) analysis was conducted using a loglinear Poisson regression model to supplement the descriptive and graphical presentation. Descriptive statistics were complemented with APC parameters' estimates including net drift, local drift, age at onset curve, and longitudinal age trend. Age effect was presented as incidence rates (per 105 person-years), whereas period and cohort effects were presented as adjusted relative rates. A total of 1,131...

Journal of the neurological sciences, Jan 15, 2015

This study aimed to assess the incidence and prevalence of pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (PO... more This study aimed to assess the incidence and prevalence of pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) along with temporal and gender differentials in these estimates in Kuwait. We identified MS patients with pediatric (age <18 years) onset between 1994 and 2013 from national MS registry. Year and gender-specific incidence rate and prevalence estimates were computed. Multivariable Poisson regression analyses of time-series cross-sectional panel data were conducted to evaluate temporal and gender related variations in yearly POMS incidence rate and prevalence. 122 POMS patients were identified; of which 90 (73.8%) were females. During 2013, POMS incidence rate and prevalence (per 100,000) were 2.1 and 6.0 respectively. Multivariable Poisson regression model revealed statistically significant 5% increase in POMS incidence rate (p=0.002) and 6% increase in prevalence (p<0.001) from 1994 to 2013. Furthermore, during the study period, female children were more likely to have higher P...

International Journal of Neuroscience, 2014

Background: Predicting disease progression over time is challenging despite the available literat... more Background: Predicting disease progression over time is challenging despite the available literature data. Aim: To assess whether baseline clinical variables of MS patients would predict the conversion to progressive phase of the disease. Materials &amp;amp;amp;amp; methods: Utilizing the national MS registry, patients who had relapsing onsets and had confirmed EDSS score at baseline and follow-up visits were included. Primary progressive MS and CIS patients were excluded. Clinical variables (gender, age at onset, disease duration, number of relapses, EDSS score) were collected. The end point was conversion to secondary progressive MS. Chi Square and multivariable logistic regression were used to determine the influence of clinical variables on disease progression. Results: Data of 803 MS patients with relapsing onset were analyzed. Eighty five (10.6%) patients reached the end point. The risk of disease progression was significantly higher in men (p = 0.015), in patients who developed MS ≥ 40 years of age (p = 0.041) and who had ≥ 3 relapses during their disease course (p &amp;amp;amp;lt; 0.001). Spinal cord presentation at onset was predictive of progression (aOR = 2.01; p = 0.06) while optic neuritis at onset was associated with lower risk of progression (aOR = 0.30; p = 0.03). EDSS score at first visit did not influence disease progression when tested at 2 different cutoffs (EDSS &amp;amp;amp;lt; 4 vs. ≥ 4 and EDSS &amp;amp;amp;lt; 6 vs. ≥ 6) using multivariable logistic regression analysis (p = 0.960 and p = 0.866), respectively. Conclusion: Men and patients who presented at age 40 yeas or beyond had increased risk of MS progression. Spinal cord symptoms at onset and 3 or more relapses were predictive of progression.

Traffic Injury Prevention, 2013

Nutrients, 2018

Several observational studies have reported an association between low levels of vitamin D (VD) a... more Several observational studies have reported an association between low levels of vitamin D (VD) and poor cognition in adults, but there is a paucity of data on such an association in adolescents. We investigated the association between VD and cognitive function or academic achievement among 1370 adolescents, who were selected from public middle schools in Kuwait, using stratified multistage cluster random sampling with probability proportional to size. Plasma 25-hydroxy VD (25-OH-D) was measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). An age-adjusted standard score (ASC), calculated from Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices test, was used to evaluate cognitive function; academic achievements were extracted from the schools' records. Data on various covariates were collected from the parents through a self-administered questionnaire and from the adolescents using face-to-face interviews. 25-OH-D was weakly correlated positively with ASC (ρ = 0.06; = ...

Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, 2014

Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition, 2013

The present review aims to highlight the magnitude of iron status of Pakistani population and pos... more The present review aims to highlight the magnitude of iron status of Pakistani population and possible remedies to address iron deficiency among vulnerable groups. A computer-based search was carried out on "PubMed", "Google…

BMC Neurology

Objective It has been reasoned that stressful life events tend to alter immune function thereby i... more Objective It has been reasoned that stressful life events tend to alter immune function thereby increasing the susceptibility to autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS). Using the database of Kuwait National MS Registry, this quasi-experimental study assessed the impact of the first Gulf War (Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990) on MS risk in Kuwait. Methods MS incidence data from 1980 to 2019 were obtained from the Kuwait National MS Registry. Annual age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) (per 105 person-years) were computed using the World Standard Population as a reference. Interrupted time series analysis with the option of autoregressive order (1) was used to evaluate the impact of the first Gulf War on MS risk by treating 1990 as an intervention year. Results Estimated baseline annual ASIR (per 105 person-years) was 0.38 (95% CI: -1.02, 1.78; p = 0.587). MS ASIRs (per 105 person-years) tended to increase significantly every year prior to 1990 by 0.45 (ASIR per 105...

BMC Medical Research Methodology, 2022

Background The aims of this cross-sectional study were to i) assess one-year period prevalence of... more Background The aims of this cross-sectional study were to i) assess one-year period prevalence of one, two, three or more road traffic crashes (RTCs) as an ordinal outcome and ii) identify the drivers’ characteristics associated with this ordinal outcome among young adult drivers with propensity to recurrent RTCs in Kuwait. Methods During December 2016, 1465 students, 17 years old or older from 15 colleges of Kuwait University participated in this cross-sectional study. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. One-year period prevalence (95% confidence interval (CI)) of one, two, three or more RTCs was computed. Multivariable proportional odds model was used to identify the drivers’ attributes associated with the ordinal outcome. Results One-year period prevalence (%) of one, two and three or more RTCs respectively was 23.1 (95% CI: 21.2, 25.6), 10.9 (95% CI: 9.4, 12.6), and 4.6 (95% CI: 3.6, 5.9). Participants were significantly (p 3) speeding tickets (pORad...

Dermatology (Basel, Switzerland), Jan 30, 2018

This study aimed to (i) assess the prevalence of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) at... more This study aimed to (i) assess the prevalence of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) at homes, (ii) assess the prevalence of atopic dermatitis and (iii) evaluate the association between ETS exposure and atopic dermatitis status among adolescents. During October 2015, a cross-sectional study design was implemented using a self-administered, modified version of the ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) questionnaire among students enrolled in nine high schools of one of the six governorates of Kuwait. Prevalence of ETS exposure at home (1 or more smokers at home vs. none) and atopic dermatitis were computed. A multivariable log-binomial regression model was used to evaluate the adjusted association between ETS exposure and atopic dermatitis. Of 800 invited students, 746 (93.3%) participated, of whom 74.8% were Kuwaiti and 50.1% were female with a mean (SD) age of 16.8 (0.68) years. Prevalence of ETS exposure at home was 54%. Prevalence of atopic de...

Revue Scientifique et Technique de l'OIE, 2003

Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de santé de la Méditerranée orientale = al-Majallah al-ṣiḥḥīyah li-sharq al-mutawassiṭ

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 3 towns in Karachi, Pakistan to investigate the prevalen... more A cross-sectional study was conducted in 3 towns in Karachi, Pakistan to investigate the prevalence of and factors associated with the use of smokeless tobacco among 772 high-school adolescent males. A structured questionnaire collected data on sociodemographic factors and history of cigarette and smokeless tobacco use. Prevalence of smokeless tobacco use (gutka, snuff, niswar) was 16.1% (95% CI: 13.5%-18.9%). On multiple logistic regression analysis, the factors significantly related to smokeless tobacco use among the sample were: attending government school [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 6.3], smoking cigarettes (OR 3.2), not seeing anti-tobacco advertisements (OR 1.5), family history of tobacco use (OR 3.9), use of betel quid (OR 2.9) and use of areca nut (OR 3.2).

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 2005

Cancer Causes & Control, 2012