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Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence and the factors associated with recurrence of myasthenia gravis following thymectomy. Methods: Six electronic databases which reported on recurrence of myasthenia gravis following thymectomy and/or its risk factors from 1985 to 2018 were searched. Summary prevalence and risk values obtained based on the random effect models were reported. Results: Seventy (70) papers containing 7,287 individuals with myasthenia gravis who received thymectomy as part of their management were retrieved. The patients had a mean follow-up of 4.65 years post-thymectomy. The prevalence of myasthenia gravis recurrence post-thymectomy was 18.0% (95% CI 14.7–22.0%; 1865/7287). Evident heterogeneity was observed (I2=93.6%; p

Cigarette smoking continues to be a major health hazard, and it contributes significantly to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Cigarette smoking impacts all phases of atherosclerosis from endothelial dysfunction to acute clinical events, the latter being largely thrombotic. Both active and pa It has been well established that cigarette smoking is a powerful risk factor for coronary artery disease. A number of epidemiological studies have shown a strong association between cigarette smoking and atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction and death from coronary artery disease. In addition to active smoking, passive smoking can also carry a risk of coronary artery disease. Although the detailed mechanism through which cigarette smoking is associated with cardiovascular disease has not yet been clarified. We sought to investigate whether plasma fibrin clot structure/function differ between healthy smokers and never-smokers. Cigarette smoking in healthy individuals results in significant and considerable effects on platelet morphological indices. The mean platelet count is significantly increased, and platelet values are reduced, compared with non-smoking status. Key Words: Platelets - plasma clot - Cigarette smoking (CS) - Atherosclerosis – predisposing factors.

Chalazion is one of the most common eyelid masses seen by ophthalmologists in outpatient clinics. It presents with slowly growing painless cystic lesion affecting eyelids. Chalazion arises due to obstruction of the meibomian gland ducts leading to retained secretion. The exact incidence of chalazion is variable among the studies and it differs depending on certain predisposing factors. Many factors ae known to predispose to chalazion formation including hormonal changes during puberty and pregnancy, viral and bacterial infection, rosacea, exposure to air pollutants, poor eyelid hygiene, chronic blepharitis, seborrheic dermatitis, eyelid trauma, immune deficiency states, eyelid trauma, hyperlipidemia, tuberculosis, and leishmaniasis. This article will review these factors as well as the incidence of chalazion.

Otitis media is a major cause of health care visits across the world, and its complications are significant causes of preventable hearing loss, predominantly in the developing world. They are a group of inflammatory and complex infective conditions that affect the middle ear. They have several different subtypes, and affects primarily children from 3 to 7 years of age. When not treated properly, they can lead to many complications including permanent hearing loss. In this article we will discuss updates on recent scientific developments in the field of otitis media clinical management and research. We conducted this review using a comprehensive search of MEDLINE, PubMed and EMBASE from January 1979 to March 2017. The following search terms were used: otitis media, middle ear infections, pediatric infections, causes of otitis media, treatment otitis media, and prevention of otitis media. Otitis media is one of the most common pathologies in the pediatric age group making it one the most common reasons of doctor visits. Fortunately, the management is simple and promising, but if neglected, can lead to several complications including permanent hearing loss. Newer studies are focusing on preventive measures such as pneumococcal vaccine, and in avoiding creation of resistant species of the common bacteria that cause the pathology.