Retrospective Analysis of Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Uropathogens Isolated from Pediatric Patients in Tertiary Hospital at Al-Baha Region, Saudi Arabia

Introduction: Prompt diagnosis and initiation of treatment are essential in preventing long-term renal scarring. However, increasing antibiotic resistance may delay the initiation of appropriate therapy. Methodology: A retrospective chart review was performed for patients admitted to the pediatric department with urinary tract infection (UTI) diagnosis in a large tertiary care hospital in Al Baha, Saudi Arabia, from May 2017 to April 2018. The study included children of both sexes under the age of 14 years. Results: Out of 118 urinary bacterial samples, Escherichia coli was the main etiologic agent in the community- and hospital-acquired infections. The infection rate was higher in girls (68.64%) than in boys (31.36%). The commonest isolates were Escherichia coli (44.07%), extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (11.86%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (9.32%), Enterococcus faecalis (7.63%), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (4.24%), and coagulase-negative Staphylococci (3.39%). The current study demonstrates that nitrofurantoin (19%) was the most commonly prescribed medication in the inpatient and outpatient departments, followed by trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (16%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (15%), cefuroxime (10%), azithromycin (8%), ceftriaxone (7%), and ciprofloxacin (4%), while amikacin, amoxicillin, ampicillin, cefepime, imipenem, phenoxymethylpenicillin were prescribed less commonly due to the high resistance rate. Conclusion: The microbial culture and sensitivity of the isolates from urine samples should be routine before starting antimicrobial therapy. Current knowledge of the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of uropathogens in specific geographical locations is essential for choosing an appropriate empirical antimicrobial treatment rather than reliance on recommended guidelines.

Causes of irreversible unilateral or bilateral blindness in the Al Baha region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Purpose

To determine the causes of irreversible unilateral and bilateral blindness that cannot be rehabilitated medically, optically nor surgically in Al Baha province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Methods

There were a retrospective chart review and examination of patients presenting to King Fahad Hospital Al Baha, Saudi Arabia, with unilateral or bilateral blindness from June 2011 to September 2011. Blindness was defined as best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of less than 0.05 (Snellen, 20/400) or a visual field no greater than 10° around central fixation. Data were collected on patient demographics, ocular disease either primary or secondary to systemic diseases and laterality if unilateral involvement.

Results

One hundred consecutive patients were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the study sample was 58 ± 2.28 years (range, 1–90 years). The male to female ratio was 3:2. The most common cause of blindness in one or both eyes per person was diabetes (30% of patients) followed by glaucoma (23%). Reclassification of the causes of the blindness according on World Health Organization (definition of blindness which included both eyes) did not change the causes of blindness. There were 76% patients with unilateral blindness. The most common causes of unilateral blindness were diabetes mellitus (DM) (19 patients; 27%), glaucoma (17 patients; 23%) and retinal diseases (other than that caused by DM) (17 patients; 23%). In the entire study sample, the male-to-female ratio for patients with blindness from DM was 2:1. Diabetic macular edema caused 87% of the cases of blindness in patients with DM mostly in the left eye.

Conclusion

Diabetes mellitus and then glaucoma are the major causes of irreversible blindness in the Al Baha region in Saudi Arabia. Public health plans should be developed to encourage proper patient health education in the region. Additionally, effective screening should be performed at the primary health care centers for diabetes.

Main vegetation types and plant species diversity along an altitudinal gradient of Al Baha region, Saudi Arabia

Plant species composition patterns and vegetation types were investigated along Elevational Gradients in Al Baha region, Saudi Arabia. Sandy plain, wadis, drainage lines, rocky outcrops, hills and fallow lands occur over a wide geographic range encompassing variation in plant species and communities among these different ecological sites. To provide a quantitatively based classification of the vegetation we used Multi Variant Statistical Package (MVSP) software, followed by the re-arrangement of a matrix of the similar plant species in rows and similar sample sites in columns. Plant density and environmental variables were measured and recorded in each quadrat. Two-way indicator species analysis and Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) were used to analyze the relationships between vegetation and environmental variables, while Arc Map was used to analyze the pattern of plant species density. A total of 59 sample plots (25 × 25 m), stratified, randomly-placed relevés were collected in Al Baha region, along a cross section running from south-west to north-west. About 190 plant species belonging to 59 families were recognized. This study showed that these plant species formed 15 vegetation types that primarily correspond mainly to different combinations of elevation, and topography. The study concluded that this research has provided the first quantitative and systematic survey of the vegetation in Al Baha region.