The status quo and application of acupuncture therapy in Oman is introduced in this article. The gene -ral medical condition of Oman is comparatively backward. Function of local traditional medicine is limited. Indications of acupuncture in Oman are various pain syndromes and motor impairment after stroke. However, it is lack of systematic training and management of acupuncture practitioners. And the number of acupuncture clinic is comparatively inadequate. Therefore, qualified acupuncture training, publicity and cooperation with international organizations are highly recommended in the future.
Acupuncture Therapy ; trends ; Humans ; Oman

Cholera represents an ongoing threat to many low-income and middle-income countries, but some cases of cholera even occur in high-income countries. Therefore, to prevent or combat cholera outbreaks, it is necessary to maintain the capacity to rapidly detect cholera cases, implement infection control measures, and improve general hygiene in terms of the environment, water, and food. The 2 cases, 1 imported and 1 secondary, described herein are broadly indicative of areas that require improvement. These cases were missed at the primary health care stage, which should be the first detection point even for unusual diseases such as cholera, and the absence of strict infection control practices at the primary care level is believed to contribute to secondary cases of infection. This report also encourages countries to ensure that rapid diagnostic stool tests are available to enable quick detection, as well as to provide information to people travelling to areas where cholera is endemic.
Cholera ; Disease Outbreaks ; Epidemiology ; Hygiene ; Infection Control ; Oman ; Primary Health Care ; Water

Cholera represents an ongoing threat to many low-income and middle-income countries, but some cases of cholera even occur in high-income countries. Therefore, to prevent or combat cholera outbreaks, it is necessary to maintain the capacity to rapidly detect cholera cases, implement infection control measures, and improve general hygiene in terms of the environment, water, and food. The 2 cases, 1 imported and 1 secondary, described herein are broadly indicative of areas that require improvement. These cases were missed at the primary health care stage, which should be the first detection point even for unusual diseases such as cholera, and the absence of strict infection control practices at the primary care level is believed to contribute to secondary cases of infection. This report also encourages countries to ensure that rapid diagnostic stool tests are available to enable quick detection, as well as to provide information to people travelling to areas where cholera is endemic.
Cholera ; Disease Outbreaks ; Epidemiology ; Hygiene ; Infection Control ; Oman ; Primary Health Care ; Water

OBJECTIVETo isolate and analyze the chemical composition in different crude extracts of from the leaves of locally grown of Thymus vulgaris L (T. vulgaris) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

METHODSThe shade dried leaves powder was extracted with methanol by using Soxhlet extractor. Methanol crude extracts of T. vulgaris and the derived fractions of hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and butanol were obtained.

RESULTSQualitative analyses of various organic crude extracts of T. vulgaris by using GC-MS showed that there were different types of high and low molecular weight compounds. Most of the isolated and identified compounds by GC-MS in the crude extracts are basically biologically important. Further, the T. vulgaris leaf possessed certain characteristics that can be ascribed to cultivation on a domestic plantation. The crude extracts were prepared from the powder leaves of T. vulgaris for respective compounds can be chosen on the basis of above GC-MS analysis.

CONCLUSIONSAll the major compounds were identified and characterized by spectroscopic method in different organic crude extracts of T. vulgaris are biologically active molecules. Thus the identification of a good number of compounds in various crude extracts of T. vulgaris might have some ecological role.

Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Oman ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; Plant Leaves ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Thymus Plant ; chemistry

Several postharvest diseases of table grapes (Vitis vinifera) occur during storage, and gray mold rot is a particularly severe disease because the causal agent, Botrytis cinerea, grows at temperatures as low as 0degrees C. Other postharvest diseases, such as those caused by Penicillium spp. and Aspergillus spp., also often lead to deterioration in the quality of table grapes after harvest. The use of plant essential oils such as thymol and linalool, to reduce postharvest diseases in several kinds of fruits, including table grapes and oranges, has received much attention in European countries. However, to the best of our knowledge there has been no report of the use of thymol fumigation to control gray mold in table grapes in Korea. Thymol (30 microg/mL) and linalool (120 microg/mL) significantly inhibited mycelial growth and conidia germination of B. cinerea. The occurrence rate of gray mold rot of B. cinerea and other unknown fungi was significantly reduced by fumigation with 30 microg/mL thymol in several table grape cultivars, such as Campbell early, Muscat Bailey A, Sheridan, and Geobong. In this study, fumigation with 30 microg/mL thymol, had no influence on the sugar content and hardness of grapes, but reduced fungal infection significantly. This suggests that 30 microg/mL thymol could be utilized to reduce deterioration of grapes due to gray mold and other fungal infections during long-term storage.
Aspergillus ; Botrytis ; Citrus sinensis ; Fruit ; Fumigation* ; Fungi ; Germination ; Hardness ; Korea ; Oils, Volatile ; Oman ; Penicillium ; Plants ; Spores, Fungal ; Thymol* ; Vitis*

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is characterized by calcification of different entheseal sites including the anterior longitudinal ligament of the spine. There is no documented information about DISH in Oman. This study determined the prevalence of DISH and associated factors among elderly subjects in a national tertiary care referral hospital in Oman. This retrospective study reviewed chest X-rays of all patients aged more than 50 years, referred to the radiology department of Sultan Qaboos University Hospital in the year 2016, based on the Resnick's criteria. The prevalence was expressed as proportions across age groups and sex. Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis was done to determine the association of the age and sex with DISH. A total of 1305 chest X-rays of patients were reviewed. The overall prevalence of DISH was 10%, with male to female ratio of 1.56:1. The odds ratio for males and increasing age were 1.63 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12–2.3; P<0.05) and 1.34 (95% CI, 1.14–1.58; P<0.001) respectively. The prevalence increased with age to maximum of 13% in the age group of ≤80. The pre-stage DISH prevalence was 9.3% and more frequently observed among males. Prevalence of DISH in the national tertiary care referral center in Oman is lower than in Jewish population, almost similar to Japanese, but higher than in Koreans. DISH prevalence is positively associated with age and sex. It is necessary to take appropriate precautionary measures to target the ageing population in Oman, especially elderly males.
Aged* ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperostosis, Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal* ; Logistic Models ; Longitudinal Ligaments ; Male ; Odds Ratio ; Oman* ; Prevalence* ; Referral and Consultation ; Retrospective Studies ; Spine ; Tertiary Care Centers* ; Tertiary Healthcare ; Thorax