The Oman Medical Specialty Board (OMSB) was established by the Royal Decree No. 31/2006, issued on 03 Rabai-I, 1427 H, corresponding to April 2, 2006. It is an independent body located in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. It is a Sponsoring Institution accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education - International, that oversees the Graduate Medical Education in Oman. OMSB formulates standards and criteria for practicing health care professions.
Breaking bad news (BBN) is an essential but challenging physician competency. Inadequate preparation for this task is linked to increased stress for both patients and clinicians, as well as poor patient outcomes. This study aimed to assess Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) medical students’ self-perceived knowledge, confidence, attitudes, and educational preferences toward BBN to identify specific curriculum gaps and inform future training requirements. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted using a semi-structured online questionnaire distributed to medical students from governmental and private medical schools across six GCC countries. The survey collected data on demographics, BBN knowledge, BBN experiences, self-rated confidence, attitudes, and preferred learning modalities. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27. Chi-square tests were used to assess associations between categorical variables, and independent sample t-tests were used to compare knowledge levels with mean attitude scores. A total of 365 students participated. While 62.2
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) presents significant challenges in all age groups, affecting various aspects of daily functioning and quality of life. Objective: This study aims to explore the rate and associated factors of unemployment among ADHD in adults. A retrospective cohort study was conducted, including 179 adults diagnosed with ADHD seeking consultation at a comprehensive ADHD clinic at a tertiary hospital in urban Oman. Sociodemographic characteristics, clinical presentations, and factors associated with employment status were collected. 41% of the participants were actively seeking employment. Among the correlates of unemployment is obesity (OR 5.64, p = 0.011, 95% CI 1.49-21.43). Other variables, including education level and marital status, also influenced employment rates, with bachelor's degree holders showing higher chances of unemployment (OR 5.35, p = 0.009, 95% CI 1.52-18.88). Marital status was closely associated with unemployment, with 39.5% of married individuals unemployed (p = 0.022). Furthermore, anxiety disorders were closely associated with unemployment (p = 0.026). Nearly one-third of the cohort had a comorbid substance use disorder (30%), and 6% reported suicidal attempts. This study highlights the significantly high prevalence of job seeking among adults with ADHD. Obesity, education level, marital status, and anxiety disorders were strongly associated with job search.
The superior mesenteric artery (SMA) is the second unpaired ventral branch of the abdominal aorta. The SMA supplies the abdominal organs that develop from the midgut. This study investigated the morphological characteristics of the SMA by (i) measuring its diameter in different sexes; (ii) assessing the vertical distance between the SMA and inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) origins in males and females, and (iii) observing if the hepatic artery arose from the SMA instead of the celiac trunk. This retrospective cross-sectional study included the contrast-enhanced CT angiograms of 260 patients (n = 205 males and 55 females) who attended the Radiology department at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2023. All included patients were aged 19–50 years and had no history of vascular pathology that altered the vascular dimensions, nor had any history of major abdominal trauma or abdominal surgeries. The mean diameter of the SMA in the study population was 7.51 ± 1.11 mm. The mean diameter of the SMA was found to be wider in males (7.73 ± 1.05 mm) compared to females (6.71 ± 0.96 mm, p < 0.001). The mean distance between the SMA and IMA was 62.67 ± 10.91 mm. The average distance between SMA and IMA in males and females was found to be 63.36 ± 10.67 mm and 60.09 ± 11.48 mm (p = 0.048), respectively. Incidence of the right hepatic artery originating from SMA, accessory right hepatic artery, and common hepatic artery originating from SMA was 7.7%, 0.38%, and 2.3%, respectively. Prior anatomical knowledge of arteries is important for occlusion, bypass grafting, and endovascular surgeries involving SMA.
Epithelioid haemangioendothelioma (EHE) is a rare vascular sarcoma of intermediate malignancy. In 2023, a 31-year-old female presented to a tertiary care hospital in Muscat, Oman, with symptoms later diagnosed as primary vaginal EHE. The patient had primary, locally invasive vaginal EHE that subsequently metastasised to the lungs. The patient experienced progression of systemic disease despite chemotherapy and was therefore transitioned to palliative chemotherapy. The clinical, radiological and histopathological findings as well as the diagnostic features that distinguish EHE from its aggressive mimic, epithelioid angiosarcoma, are described in this report. This case highlights the diagnostic challenges, the importance of molecular confirmation and the unpredictable clinical course of this ultra-rare malignancy. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of primary vaginal EHE.
OBJECTIVES:The prognostic value of the leuko-glycemic index (LGI) as a marker of postoperative outcomes in pediatric cardiac patients is not known. This study aimed to determine the predictive value of LGI in predicting composite outcomes, including prolonged mechanical ventilation, after the repair of a complete atrioventricular septal defect in infants with Down syndrome. DESIGN:An ambidirectional cohort study. SETTING:A single tertiary cardiac care center. PARTICIPANTS:Patients with Down syndrome and a complete atrioventricular septal defect. INTERVENTIONS:All patients underwent primary intracardiac repair of a complete atrioventricular septal defect and received standard perioperative anesthesia and hemodynamic management. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:A total of 110 patients were enrolled, of whom 104 completed the study and were included in the final analysis. Prolonged mechanical ventilation was defined as a duration ≥24 hours. We found a statistically significant correlation between postoperative LGI and prolonged mechanical ventilation (p = 0.042). A postoperative LGI cutoff value >1,640.16 was associated with the need for prolonged mechanical ventilation. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.659 (95% CI, 0.548-0.771) with a sensitivity of 47.50% and a specificity of 81.25% (p = 0.005). A cutoff LGI value >2,657.88 was found to differentiate between patients who developed renal failure and those who did not, with an AUC of 0.723 (p = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS:The LGI, a cost-effective and easily measured index, could be a valuable prognostic tool to stratify children with Down syndrome in the immediate postoperative period after complete atrioventricular septal defect correction. High LGI values may identify patients who could benefit from greater monitoring and early therapeutic strategies to reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation and the incidence of acute kidney injury.
