Wafa Nichols - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Wafa Nichols
Archives of Disease in Childhood, Nov 1, 2008
Objective To estimate the incidence of major and minor congenital malformations among liveborn in... more Objective To estimate the incidence of major and minor congenital malformations among liveborn infants at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. An estimation of risk factors was also evaluated. Methods Between March 2004 and May 2005, a total of 5356 babies born at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, were enrolled in this study for malformations. Details of cases were recorded after parents’ interviews, clinical, radiological, and laboratory evaluations. Results One hundred and forty-seven (27.06/1000 live births) and 13 (2.39/1000 births) stillbirths had congenital anomalies. In all live births, incidences of major anomalies were 93.9% and minor were 6.1%. Mothers of babies with congenital malformation were 95.9% healthy, 3.4% were diabetic and 0.7% had cardiac malfomation. In 38.8% of cases parents were consanguineous. Among the live-born births, the most common system involved was cardiovascular (7.1/1000), followed by musculoskeletal/limb (4.1/1000), external genitalia (2.8/1000), urinary (2.6/1000), multiple chromosomal (2.2/1000), or facial (1.9/1000), central nervous system (1.9/1000), skin (1.7/1000), multiple single gene (1.3/1000), multiple sequence (0.75/1000), eyes (0.56/1000), unclassified (0.19/1000), musculoskeletal/abdominal (0.19/1000) and endocrine (0.19/1000). Conclusion Importance of genetic counseling is revealed in our study since more than three quarters of mothers were under 36 years, and may well plan future pregnancies.
ProQuest eBooks, 2000
A Comparison Of Clinico-Biological And Genetic M arkers In Sporadic Breast Cancer In Different Po... more A Comparison Of Clinico-Biological And Genetic M arkers In Sporadic Breast Cancer In Different Populations Wafa Makky Jonathan Ronald Nichols MSc (U.E.A) The aim of this thesis is to examine the hypothesis that breast cancer exhibits ethnic differences in incidence, age of presentation and aggressiveness. Two approaches were used: Firstly, International data was examined to find if differences in the age of presentation of breast cancer existed between low and high breast cancer incidence populations. Secondly, selected pathobiological parameters and genetic markers, chosen to act as surrogate markers of tumour behaviour, were examined in breast cancers from Western Region of Saudi Arabia, Leicester Asians and Leicester Europeans. Analysis of International data showed countries with the lowest incidence of breast cancer to have a significantly lower mean age of onset than countries with the highest incidence. The mean age of onset in the Western Region was less than Leicester Asians and Leicester Europeans. Statistically significant differences in ASIR were found between the study groups that varied with age. Breast cancers from Western Region and Leicester Asian women, when compared to the Leicester Europeans, were found to have a more aggressive profile of clinicopathological markers, but a less variable and possibly less aggressive nuclear morphometry. Molecular alterations at the markers studied appeared to be related to age, 16q exhibiting more Loss of Heterozygosity in older groups and p53 in the younger groups. 6q also showed differences in Loss of Heterozygosity with respect to age, but these differences varied between the populations studied. The results are consistent with a “two disease” model of breast cancer. It is proposed that the low age of onset seen in the Western Region is primarily due to a low incidence of “older type” of breast cancer rather than an absolute excess of “younger type”.
Background: Assessing the psychosocial, physical, and informational needs of any population of pa... more Background: Assessing the psychosocial, physical, and informational needs of any population of patients, and their perception on how these needs are being met, is an essential to planning an effective, comprehensive patient - centre d cancer support program. However, to our knowledge, no patient - centered community health needs assessment of breast cancer patients has been performed in Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study is to develop a culturally valid, health needs assessment tool fo r use with the local breast cancer community. Methods: Data driven inductive thematic analysis of recorded semi structured interviews of local breast cancer patients was performed. The resulting identified themes were compared to themes present in existing tools and the extent of congruency compared. Results: From the shortlist of published needs assessment tools, "Cancer Survivor Unmet Needs" and "Supportive Care Needs Survey - Short Form" have been demonstrated to have a highest...
Journal of the Egyptian Society of Parasitology, 2005
There is a demand for studying the role of Toxoplasma gondii in cell death seeking aiding prevent... more There is a demand for studying the role of Toxoplasma gondii in cell death seeking aiding prevention of the disease. The neuro-pathological changes in the cerebellum cortex in case of acquired toxoplasmosis had been studied. Adult Balb C mice were infected by intra peritoneal injection of T. gondii RH strain. Immuno-histochemical expression of pro apoptotic marker Bax had been applied in parallel with Hematoxylin and Eosin stain to study the layers of cerebellum cortex. The focal necrosis in the cerebellum was expressed. Necrosis was explained on the basis of hypoxic ischemia resulting from existing vasculitis followed the infection. Purkinje cell layer was markedly affected in the form of disfiguring and focal loss of cells with apoptotic and necrotic changes. Thinning of both the molecular and internal granular layers was recorded morphometricly. Morphometric study reveals non significant change in the ratio between the viable to non viable cells in all cerebellum layers among exp...
Tumor Biology, 2012
Results from studies on efficacy of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 15.3 (CA... more Results from studies on efficacy of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 15.3 (CA 15.3) and thymidine kinase (TK1) as diagnostic and prognostic tools for primary breast cancer (BC) have presented conflicting results, and usefulness of these markers for clinical use in BC remains unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate potential of concentration of the sera CEA, CA15.3 and TK1 peptides' use as markers in the diagnosis and prognosis of breast lesions of Libyan patients. Serum tumour markers were studied in 20 healthy subjects, 30 patient with benign lesion diseases and 50 patients with histologically confirmed BC diagnosed at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Misurata, Libya during the period 2005-2009. The concentrations of the BC patients' cutoff points used for diagnostic and prognostic sensitivity were 8.82 ng/ml, 35.57 U/ml and 32.57 U/mg/protein for CEA, CA15.3 and TK1, respectively. Increased CEA (>8.82 ng/ml), CA 15.3 (>35.57 U/ml) and TK1 (>32.57 U/mg/protein) concentrations were found in 62 %, 70 % and 78 % of the BC patients, respectively. For all three tumour markers, increased concentrations correlated increased tumour size and nodal involvement. Significantly higher serum TK1 levels were found in patients with advanced disease (p < 0.0001) and TK1 levels also correlated with disease-specific survival (DSS, p < 0.07). The combined data set of the three markers' data from three markers increased the diagnostic sensitivity to 90 %. The serum marker analysis for CEA, CA 15.3, and S-TK1 concentrations is shown to be a useful tool for identification of malignant cases in our BC population and for the prognostic evaluation of patients with primary BC. Increased concentrations of the markers were also observed to be higher in patients with advanced tumours and indicative of the development of distant metastasis.
Archives of Disease in Childhood, Nov 1, 2008
Objective To estimate the incidence of major and minor congenital malformations among liveborn in... more Objective To estimate the incidence of major and minor congenital malformations among liveborn infants at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. An estimation of risk factors was also evaluated. Methods Between March 2004 and May 2005, a total of 5356 babies born at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, were enrolled in this study for malformations. Details of cases were recorded after parents’ interviews, clinical, radiological, and laboratory evaluations. Results One hundred and forty-seven (27.06/1000 live births) and 13 (2.39/1000 births) stillbirths had congenital anomalies. In all live births, incidences of major anomalies were 93.9% and minor were 6.1%. Mothers of babies with congenital malformation were 95.9% healthy, 3.4% were diabetic and 0.7% had cardiac malfomation. In 38.8% of cases parents were consanguineous. Among the live-born births, the most common system involved was cardiovascular (7.1/1000), followed by musculoskeletal/limb (4.1/1000), external genitalia (2.8/1000), urinary (2.6/1000), multiple chromosomal (2.2/1000), or facial (1.9/1000), central nervous system (1.9/1000), skin (1.7/1000), multiple single gene (1.3/1000), multiple sequence (0.75/1000), eyes (0.56/1000), unclassified (0.19/1000), musculoskeletal/abdominal (0.19/1000) and endocrine (0.19/1000). Conclusion Importance of genetic counseling is revealed in our study since more than three quarters of mothers were under 36 years, and may well plan future pregnancies.
ProQuest eBooks, 2000
A Comparison Of Clinico-Biological And Genetic M arkers In Sporadic Breast Cancer In Different Po... more A Comparison Of Clinico-Biological And Genetic M arkers In Sporadic Breast Cancer In Different Populations Wafa Makky Jonathan Ronald Nichols MSc (U.E.A) The aim of this thesis is to examine the hypothesis that breast cancer exhibits ethnic differences in incidence, age of presentation and aggressiveness. Two approaches were used: Firstly, International data was examined to find if differences in the age of presentation of breast cancer existed between low and high breast cancer incidence populations. Secondly, selected pathobiological parameters and genetic markers, chosen to act as surrogate markers of tumour behaviour, were examined in breast cancers from Western Region of Saudi Arabia, Leicester Asians and Leicester Europeans. Analysis of International data showed countries with the lowest incidence of breast cancer to have a significantly lower mean age of onset than countries with the highest incidence. The mean age of onset in the Western Region was less than Leicester Asians and Leicester Europeans. Statistically significant differences in ASIR were found between the study groups that varied with age. Breast cancers from Western Region and Leicester Asian women, when compared to the Leicester Europeans, were found to have a more aggressive profile of clinicopathological markers, but a less variable and possibly less aggressive nuclear morphometry. Molecular alterations at the markers studied appeared to be related to age, 16q exhibiting more Loss of Heterozygosity in older groups and p53 in the younger groups. 6q also showed differences in Loss of Heterozygosity with respect to age, but these differences varied between the populations studied. The results are consistent with a “two disease” model of breast cancer. It is proposed that the low age of onset seen in the Western Region is primarily due to a low incidence of “older type” of breast cancer rather than an absolute excess of “younger type”.
Background: Assessing the psychosocial, physical, and informational needs of any population of pa... more Background: Assessing the psychosocial, physical, and informational needs of any population of patients, and their perception on how these needs are being met, is an essential to planning an effective, comprehensive patient - centre d cancer support program. However, to our knowledge, no patient - centered community health needs assessment of breast cancer patients has been performed in Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study is to develop a culturally valid, health needs assessment tool fo r use with the local breast cancer community. Methods: Data driven inductive thematic analysis of recorded semi structured interviews of local breast cancer patients was performed. The resulting identified themes were compared to themes present in existing tools and the extent of congruency compared. Results: From the shortlist of published needs assessment tools, "Cancer Survivor Unmet Needs" and "Supportive Care Needs Survey - Short Form" have been demonstrated to have a highest...
Journal of the Egyptian Society of Parasitology, 2005
There is a demand for studying the role of Toxoplasma gondii in cell death seeking aiding prevent... more There is a demand for studying the role of Toxoplasma gondii in cell death seeking aiding prevention of the disease. The neuro-pathological changes in the cerebellum cortex in case of acquired toxoplasmosis had been studied. Adult Balb C mice were infected by intra peritoneal injection of T. gondii RH strain. Immuno-histochemical expression of pro apoptotic marker Bax had been applied in parallel with Hematoxylin and Eosin stain to study the layers of cerebellum cortex. The focal necrosis in the cerebellum was expressed. Necrosis was explained on the basis of hypoxic ischemia resulting from existing vasculitis followed the infection. Purkinje cell layer was markedly affected in the form of disfiguring and focal loss of cells with apoptotic and necrotic changes. Thinning of both the molecular and internal granular layers was recorded morphometricly. Morphometric study reveals non significant change in the ratio between the viable to non viable cells in all cerebellum layers among exp...
Tumor Biology, 2012
Results from studies on efficacy of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 15.3 (CA... more Results from studies on efficacy of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 15.3 (CA 15.3) and thymidine kinase (TK1) as diagnostic and prognostic tools for primary breast cancer (BC) have presented conflicting results, and usefulness of these markers for clinical use in BC remains unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate potential of concentration of the sera CEA, CA15.3 and TK1 peptides' use as markers in the diagnosis and prognosis of breast lesions of Libyan patients. Serum tumour markers were studied in 20 healthy subjects, 30 patient with benign lesion diseases and 50 patients with histologically confirmed BC diagnosed at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Misurata, Libya during the period 2005-2009. The concentrations of the BC patients' cutoff points used for diagnostic and prognostic sensitivity were 8.82 ng/ml, 35.57 U/ml and 32.57 U/mg/protein for CEA, CA15.3 and TK1, respectively. Increased CEA (>8.82 ng/ml), CA 15.3 (>35.57 U/ml) and TK1 (>32.57 U/mg/protein) concentrations were found in 62 %, 70 % and 78 % of the BC patients, respectively. For all three tumour markers, increased concentrations correlated increased tumour size and nodal involvement. Significantly higher serum TK1 levels were found in patients with advanced disease (p < 0.0001) and TK1 levels also correlated with disease-specific survival (DSS, p < 0.07). The combined data set of the three markers' data from three markers increased the diagnostic sensitivity to 90 %. The serum marker analysis for CEA, CA 15.3, and S-TK1 concentrations is shown to be a useful tool for identification of malignant cases in our BC population and for the prognostic evaluation of patients with primary BC. Increased concentrations of the markers were also observed to be higher in patients with advanced tumours and indicative of the development of distant metastasis.