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Objectives: To investigate the presence of toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, and herpes (TORCH) infections in women attending at the antenatal care clinic in Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Methods: A total of 190 blood samples were collected from Abha maternity hospital in Aseer region, KSA, from February 2018 to May 2019 and screened with the TORCH panel (toxoplasmagondii [IgG/IgM], cytomegalovirus [CMV] [IgG/IgM], rubella [IgG/IgM], and herpes simplex type 1 and 2 [IgG/IgM])., Results: The mean age was 31.42±6.514 years and gestational age was 32.48±6.168 weeks. Serum IgG was positive for Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) (27.4%), herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) (94.7%), herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2) (0.5%), CMV (100%), and rubella (88.9%). Serum IgM was positive only for CMV (9.5%). Though, there was an association between abortions from previous pregnancies (26.5%), intrauterine death (5.8%), premature labor (3.2%), microcephaly (1.6%), other congenital diseases (1.6%) and low birth weight (0.5%) with current IgG positivity for TORCH infections, the results were not statistically significant., Conclusion: Seropositivity for IgG antibodies correlate with TORCH-associated pregnancy complications in Abha, KSA; however, IgM positive CMV pregnant cases warrant further systematic investigation to understand the implications of CMV on outcomes during pregnancy.

Objective: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, a minimal access surgery, is fast replacing open cholecystectomy and is being associated with less trauma. The objective of this study was to compare the proinflammatory cytokine levels in both laparoscopic cholecystectomy and open cholecystectomy., Methods: This study was carried out at Aseer Central Hospital, Aseer region, Abha Private Hospital and the College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, during the time period October 1998 through to November 2000. Sixty-one patients were included in the study, 27 of them had laparoscopic cholecystectomy and 34 had open cholecystectomy. Cytokines [Interleukin-6 Interleukin-1b, Tumor necrosis factor -a and Interleukin- 8] were measured in blood samples collected from the patients before, at and 24 hours post surgery, using commercially available kits., Results: Interleukin-6 levels were significantly increased at 24 hours post surgery in the open cholecystectomy group of patients compared to the laparoscopic cholecystectomy group (P<0.04). No differences were found in the other cytokines levels (Interleukin-1b, tumor necrosis factor -a and Interleukin-8) between the open cholecystectomy and laparoscopic cholecystectomy groups., Conclusion: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, a minimal access surgery, is associated with lower levels of the proinflammatory interleukin-6 cytokine compared to open cholecystectomy.