PURPOSE There is wide variation in the reported recurrence rate after a first unprovoked seizure in children. We investigated the risk of recurrence after a first unprovoked seizure in Jordanian children and the risk factors associated with increased recurrence rate. METHODS All consecutive patients aged 3 months-14 years who presented with their first unprovoked seizures between January 1997...

BACKGROUND Parental consanguinity is a risk factor for congenital heart disease (CHD) worldwide, suggesting that a recessive inheritance model may contribute substantially to CHD. In Bangalore, India, uncle-niece and first cousin marriages are common, presenting the opportunity for an international study involving consanguinity mapping of structural CHD. We sought to explore the recessive model...

Objective. The objective of the study was to examine the pattern of low birth weight LBW, maternal complications, and its related factors among Arab women in Qatar. Design. This is a prospective hospital-based study. Setting. The study was carried out in Women's Hospital, Doha. Subjects and Methods. Pregnant women in their third trimester were identified in the log book of Women's Hospital and ...

Qatar is a sovereign state located on the Eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Persian Gulf. Its native population consists of 3 major subgroups: people of Arabian origin or Bedouins, those from an Eastern or Persian ancestry and individuals with African admixture. Historically, all types of consanguineous marriages have been and still are common in the Qatari population, particularly ...

High-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mapping arrays have identified chromosomal features whose importance to cancer predisposition and progression is not yet clearly defined. Of interest is that the genomes of normal somatic cells (reflecting the combined parental germ-line contributions) often contain long homozygous stretches. These chromosomal segments may be explained by the co...

Inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) are a heterogeneous group of genetic disorders present in all ethnic groups. We investigated the frequency of consanguinity among parents of newborns with IEM diagnosed by neonatal screening. Data were obtained from 15 years of expanded newborn screening for selected IEM with autosomal recessive mode of inheritance, a national screening program of newborns cove...