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Kawasaki disease (KD) is most common among East Asian children. There is a lack of data from Middle Eastern countries. We conducted a retrospective study of 27 paediatric patients with KD in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 2012–2020. The majority of the patients were male, Asian, aged 1–5 years and presented with typical (complete) KD. Timely high-dose intravenous immunoglobulins were administered to 18 patients. Twelve patients did not develop any cardiac complications, 12 had a coronary artery aneurysm and 2 patients developed serious cardiac complications . No patient experienced non-cardiac complications or died. Paediatric patients with KD in Dubai were similar to those from other countries.

ObjectiveEstimate the incidence and outcomes of in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) in a tertiary-care hospital in Abu Dhabi emirate, United Arab Emirates (UAE).MethodsRetrospective data from 685 inpatients who experienced an IHCA at a hospital in Abu Dhabi (UAE) between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2015 were analysed. Sociodemographic variables were age and gender, and IHCA event variables were shift, day, event location, initial cardiac rhythm and the total number of IHCA events. Outcome variables were the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and survival to discharge (StD).ResultsThe incidence of IHCA was 11.7 (95% CI 10.8 to 12.6) per 1000 hospital admissions. Non-shockable rhythms were 91.1% of the cardiac rhythms at presentation. The majority of IHCA cases occurred in the intensive care unit (46.1%) and on weekdays (74.6%). More than a third (38.3%) of patients who experienced an IHCA achieved ROSC and 7.7% StD. Both ROSC and StD were significantly higher in patients who were younger and presenting with a shockable rhythm (all p’s≤0.05). Survival outcomes were not significantly different between dayshifts and nightshifts or weekdays and weekends.ConclusionsThe incidence of IHCA was higher and its outcomes were lower compared with other high-income/developed countries. Survival outcomes were better for patients who were younger and had a shockable rhythm, and similar between time of day and days of the week. These findings may help to inform health managers about the magnitude and quality of IHCA care in the UAE.

Background The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the leading agricultural producers in the Middle East, particularly for date fruit cultivation. Federal and local agencies are responsible for governing occupational health and safety regulations across the seven emirates. A gap analysis was performed on specific UAE legislation related to the safe use of pesticides compared to a compliance checklist developed from international best practice. Interviews with municipalities, authorities, and industry representatives were used to collect the data required in the checklist. Description of the problem The UAE Ministry of Environment and Water reported that the average amount of pesticides used in the UAE in 2013 was five to ten times higher than in India, Europe, and the United States. Sixty-percent of UAE expatriate workers (~5.5 million) are unskilled migrants from less-developed countries with low education and literacy rates (39% educated only to primary level or less). Agricultural workers lack any job-specific training and may not understand instructions on handling chemicals or pesticides safely which places them at a high risk of occupational exposure. Results The UAE Ministry of Labour only stipulates broad federal occupational health regulations for worker protection and residency visa screening obligations for employers. There are no specific articles related to the control of hazardous chemicals such as pesticides. At the local level, only Abu Dhabi and Dubai emirates provide guidelines related to occupational specific chemical exposures; however, there is currently limited evidence of application and enforcement. Conclusions Currently, there is inter-emirate fragmentation in the scope and enforcement of regulations related to the use and control of chemicals such as pesticides. Future legislation should include job-specific training, implementation of effective chemical hazard control methods, and health surveillance of workers exposed to pesticides.

Two recent articles have demonstrated a strong positive correlation between population-level consumption of either chocolate1 or milk2 and the incidence rate of Nobel prizes. Messerli1 proposed the positive effect of chocolate flavonoids on cognitive functioning3 as the underlying biological mechanism. Extending Messerli's1 work, Laithwaite and Fuller2 reported a significant correlation between per …