• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.216-224
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• 2019

The number of patients from Middle Eastern Arabic countries is steadily increasing in respect to the South Korean government's medical tourism strategies. Word of mouth is one of the main determinants concerning the Middle Eastern Arab patients' medical tourism destination. Further, patients' satisfaction affects repurchase and revisit intention. This study aimed to measure the level of Middle Eastern Arab patients' satisfaction, and to measure the effect of different medical factors on satisfaction in such patients who are seeking medical attention in South Korea. A 110 Middle Eastern Arab patients who visited South Korea for medical purposes participated in our survey between November, 2016 and April, 2017. All factors had a high mean (${\geq}4.24$; ${\geq}84.8/100$) except for one factor (hospital halal meals (3.82; 76.4)). To identify factors influencing participants' overall satisfaction we used multiple regression analysis. Physicians, interpreters, and halal meals were the main factors influencing overall Middle Eastern Arab patients' satisfaction. Physicians and interpreters in Korea are recommended to be oriented to basic Islamic beliefs and Middle Eastern Arab patients' behavior. Daily communication, such as speaking directly to the patient, limiting important issues to two or three at a time, and translating sentence by sentence, could help to improve Middle Eastern Arab patients' satisfaction. Enlisting Middle Eastern nutrition specialists in medical institutions in South Korea may substantially improve non-medical services satisfaction such as halal food and dietary restrictions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.23
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• pp.10427-10431
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• 2015

Background: To determine the prevalence, types, and risk factors of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) among a group of Arab Jordanian dental patients, and to evaluate their awareness and attitudes toward early diagnosis and treatment. Materials and Methods: A total of 1,041 patients attending a University Hospital for dental care were examined for the presence of OPMDs. Histopathological examination was performed on all cases clinically diagnosed and patients were directly interviewed to evaluate their knowledge and attitudes toward early detection and treatment of oral cancer. Results: The prevalence of OPMDs overall was 2.8%. Lichen planus/lichenoid lesions were the most common lesions (1.8%) followed by leukoplakias (0.48%), chronic hyperplastic candidiosis (0.38%), and erythroplakia (0.096%). Smoking, alcohol, and age (>40 years) were the main identifiable risk factors. Patients with OPMDs displayed a general lack of awareness and negative attitudes towards early diagnosis and treatment. Conclusions: OPMDs among Arab dental patients are relatively uncommon and awareness about oral cancer among Jordanian dental patients is low. Interventions to improve public knowledge about oral cancer and attitudes toward early diagnosis and treatment are urgently indicated.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.1277-1280
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• 2015

Aim: To report epidemiologic and anatomoclinical transitions of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) in Tunisia. Materials and Methods: Data including clinico-pathological data for 208 cases of T4d or PEV 3 non-metastatic breast cancer diagnosed between 2005 and 2010 were collected from patient records. Chi2 and Z tests were used to compare variables with two Tunisian historical series and a series about Arab-American patients. Results: Thirty three percent of our patients had their first child before 23 years of age and 56% had their menarche before 12 years, 75% never receiving oral contraception. Obesity was observed in 42% of women and IBC occurred during pregnancy in 13% of cases. Tumor grade was II-III in 90% of cases, HR was negative in 52%, HER2 was over expressed in 31% and invasion of more than 3 axillary nodes occurred in 18% of patients. We observed a pCR rate of 19% after neoadjuvant treatment (anthracyline-taxane used in 79%, trastuzumab in 27% ). Compared to historical Tunisian series (since 1996), IBC epidemiology remained stable in terms of median age, menopausal status and obesity. However we observed a significant decrease in median clinical tumor size and number of positive axillary lymph nodes. Comparison to IBC in Arab-Americans showed a significant difference in terms of median age, menopausal status, positivity of hormonal receptors and educational level. Conclusions: Our assessment of epidemiologic transition showed a reduction of clinco-pathological stage of IBC, keeping the same characteristics as compared to Tunisian historical series over a period of 14 years. Features seem to be different in Arab-American patients, probably related to migration, "occidentalization" of life style and improvement in socio-economic level.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.18
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• pp.7533-7537
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• 2014

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent cancer type, and the leading cause of death from cancer among women in Israel. The Bedouin-Arab (BA) population in southern Israel is characterized by a high rate of consanguinity, common hereditary disorders, and transition from a semi-nomadic, traditional society to a more sedentary and urbanized society. In this hospital-based study, the demographic and the clinicopathological characteristics of BC in BA were compared with Jewish patients. Materials and Methods: 85 BA patients treated at the Soroka Medical Center, Beer Sheba, during the years 2004-2012, were studied and compared with 180 consecutive Jewish patients treated during the year 2007. Clinicopathological features compared included age, menopausal state, number of births, a history of BC in first-degree relatives, tumor size (T), extent of lymph-node involvement (N), distant metastases (M), stage, grade, estrogen and progesterone receptor (ER/PR), and Her2 status. Types of treatment, relapse rate and site, as well as outcome were also studied. Cox's regression models were applied for studying disease-free, and overall survival. Results: Compared with Jewish patients, BA patients were younger (average age $49{\pm}12$ yrs vs $59{\pm}13$, p<0.001), had a lower rate of BC in first-degree relatives (p<0.001), and a larger number of births ($6{\pm}4.2$ vs $2.5{\pm}1.9$, p<0.001). BA patients had larger tumors (p=0.02), more extensive lymph-node involvement (p=0.002), and more advanced stage (p=0.003). Grade, ER, PR, and Her2 status were similar in the two ethnic groups. Relapse type was most commonly systemic in BA patients (p=0.05), and loco-regional in Jewish patients (p=0.02). Median survival was 63, and 35 months for Jewish and BA patients, respectively (log-rank test, p=0.02). In Cox multivariate analysis, stage and PR status (HR-0.14, p<0.0001; HR-3.11, p=0.046), but not ethnicity, influenced overall survival. Conclusions: BC presents a decade earlier, and with more advanced disease in BA compared with Jewish patients. Biologic parameters including grade, ER, PR, and Her2 status were similar in both groups. Although prognosis was worse in BA than in Jewish patients, it was affected only by stage and PR status, but not by ethnicity.

• Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.238-247
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• 2018

Background: We aimed to estimate the proportion of patients with diabetes who achieved target glycemic control, to estimate diabetes-related costs attributable to poor control, and to identify factors associated with them in the United Arab Emirates. Methods: This retrospective cohort study used administrative claims data handled by Abu Dhabi Health Authority (January 2010 to June 2012) to determine glycemic control and diabetes-related treatment costs. A total of 4,058 patients were matched using propensity scores to eliminate selection bias between patients with glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) <7% and HbA1c ${\geq}7%$. Diabetes-related costs attributable to poor control were estimated using a recycled prediction method. Factors associated with glycemic control were investigated using logistic regression and factors associated with these costs were identified using a generalized linear model. Results: During the 1-year follow-up period, 46.6% of the patients achieved HbA1c <7%. Older age, female sex, better insurance coverage, non-use of insulin in the index diagnosis month, and non-use of antidiabetic medications during the follow-up period were significantly associated with improved glycemic control. The mean diabetes-related annual costs were $2,282 and $2,667 for patients with and without glycemic control, respectively, and the cost attributable to poor glycemic control was $172 (95% confidence interval [CI], $164-180). The diabetes-related costs were lower with mean HbA1c levels <7% (cost ratio, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.88-0.99). The costs were significantly higher in patients aged ${\geq}65$ years than those aged ${\leq}44$ years (cost ratio, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.25-1.70). Conclusion: More than 50% of patients with diabetes had poorly controlled HbA1c. Poor glycemic control may increase diabetes-related costs.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.585-589
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• 2012

Background: Israeli Arabs are considered as a developing society characterized by poverty and high levels of smoking among men. The purpose of this study was to describe their incidence, mortality and survival rates for oral and pharyngeal cancer between the years 1970-2006. Studies such as this in the Arab world, where the population is almost the same as the Arab population in Israel, are rare. Methods: The incidence and survival data were derived from all relevant registered data at the National Cancer Registry. The group of lesions included cancer of the lips, tongue, buccal mucosa, floor of the mouth, salivary glands, gums, palate and pharynx. Morphological description was according to WHO classification. Results: Most diagnosed patients were male. The mean age was 54.4 years, and mean years of survival were 3.83. The oropharynx was the most common site (28.3%) while the palate was the least frequent (3.12%). Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was the most common histological feature (66.3%), while basal cell carcinoma (BCC) was the least (3.9%). The overall 5 years survival rate was 59.4%, this being highest for BCC (82.1%), while SCC was significantly lower (56.2%) (p<0.001). Lip cancers survived better than other sites. Conclusions: Data from this society are similar to other developing societies in the majority of the results. The incidence of oral and pharyngeal cancer is lower among the Arab population, in comparison to the Jewish population in Israel.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.21
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• pp.9199-9202
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• 2014

Background: Kurdish women with breast cancer have more unfavorable prognostic factors than their Turkish and Arab counterparts. However, the effects of these factors on breast cancer survival among these ethnic groups remain unclear. We therefore investigated the impact of ethnicity on survival in breast cancer patients in Turkey. Materials and Methods: Ethnicity, age, stage at diagnosis, tumor characteristics, treatments given (surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone therapy), and survival times were recorded. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to estimate the overall survival times and survival plots. Log-rank test was used to compare the survival curves.Results: Of the 723 breast cancer patients included in the study, 496 (68.7%) were Turkish, 189 (26.2%) were Kurdish, 37 (5.1%) were Arabic and 1 was Armenian. Kurdish women with breast cancer had larger tumor sizes and higher rates of hormone receptor negative tumors than Turkish and Arab patients. Mean follow-up time was 118.4 [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 95.4-141.3] months, and it was 129.9 (95% CI: 93.7-166.2), 124.2 (95% CI: 108.4-140.1) and 103.1 (95% CI: 85.9-120.4) months for Turkish, Arabic and Kurdish patients, respectively. Conclusions: Kurdish ethnicity is associated with higher rates of hormone receptor negative and triple-negative tumors and with worse survival. Clinical and epidemiological research is warranted to elucidate reasons underlying overall survival, variations in tumor biology, differences in treatment responsiveness, and effects of social factors among ethnic groups in Turkey.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.3997-4001
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• 2016

Background: Cancer is a worldwide health problem and pain is among the most common and unpleasant effects affecting well-being of cancer patients. Accurate description of pain can help physicians to improve its management. Many English tools have been developed to assess pain. Onkly a limited number of these are applied in Arab countries. Our aim was to assess the quality, the nature and the severity of pain using the short McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) on cancer patients in the National Institute of Oncology (NIO) in Rabat, Morocco. Materials and Methods: The tool used is the SF-MPQ inspired from the Arabic version of the MPQ. The subjects were cancer patients (N=182) attending the NIO, from 24th October 2015 to 8th January 2016, aging ${\geq}18$ years old, experiencing pain and coming to have or to update their pain medication. Results: The rate of participation was 96.3%. Eight patients had difficulties to express their pain using descriptors, but could use the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the body diagram. The most frequent sensory descriptors were 'Throbbing', 'Shooting', 'Hot-Burning'. The most used affective descriptor was 'Tiring-Exhausting'. The mean VAS was 6.6 (2.4). The mean score of all items was 11.9 (7.8). The patients were suffering from severe pain. The internal consistency of the form was s acceptable. Conclusions: The findings indicate that most of the patients attending the pain center of the NIO could use the descriptors of the SF-MPQ to describe their pain. They indicate the usefulness of the SF-MPQ to assess the nature and the severity of pain in cancer patients. This tool should be tested in other Moroccan and Arabic contexts associated with other tools in clinical trials.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4321-4326
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• 2012

The current study aimed at exploring the knowledge and beliefs of men aged forty years and over towards prostate cancer screening and early detection in three Arab countries. The field work was conducted in three countries; Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, during the period February through December 2011. Our target population were men aged 40 years and over. It was a population-based cross sectional study comprising 400 subjects at each site. In addition to socio-demographic data, history of the present and past medical illness, practice history of prostatic cancer examination, family history of cancer prostate; participants were inquired about their knowledge and attitude towards prostate cancer and screening behavior using two different likert scales. The percentage of participants who practiced regular prostate check up ranged from 8-30%. They had poor knowledge and fair attitude towards prostate cancer screening behavior, where the mean total knowledge score was $10.25{\pm}2.5$, $10.76{\pm}3.39$ and $11.24{\pm}3.39$ whereas the mean total attitude score was $18.3{\pm}4.08$, $20.68{\pm}6.4$ and $17.96{\pm}5.3$ for Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan respectively. The respondents identified the physicians as the main sources of this information (62.4%), though they were not the main motives for regular checkup. Knowledge was the only significant predictor for participants' attitude in the multiple regression models. Participants' attitudes depends mainly on level of knowledge and quantity of information provided to the patients and their families. Such attitudes should rely on a solid background of proper information and motivation from physicians to enhance and empower behaviors towards prostate cancer screening practices.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.34-39
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• 2021

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to assess the occurrence, location, and dimensions of the intraosseous vascular canal in the lateral wall of the maxillary antrum using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, we examined 400 CBCT scans from our archive of patients who had earlier reported to a dental teaching hospital in the United Arab Emirates. The prevalence, location, and dimensions of the lateral antral intraosseous canal (LAIC) in the maxillary antrum were evaluated by 2 examiners using standardised methods. A third examiner was consulted in cases of disagreement. Results: The prevalence of LAIC was 62.3% (249 maxillary antra) among the study population. The mean distance between the most inferior point of the alveolar bone and the inferior border of the LAIC in the posterior maxillary region was 19.83±3.12 mm. There was a significant difference (P=0.05) between the maxillary molar and premolar regions in mean distance from the most inferior point of the alveolar bone and the inferior border of the LAIC. There was no statistically significant difference in mean distance between the most inferior point of the alveolar bone and the inferior border of the LAIC between dentulous and edentulous areas (P=0.1). The G3-intrasinusal type canal less than 1mm in diameter was the most common type of LAIC. Conclusion: This study established the approximate location of the LAIC in a United Arab Emirates cohort, which will assist the oral surgeon in selecting the appropriate site for sinus lift procedures with reduced risk of surgical hemorrhage.