Gulf | Saudi Arabia
Sudanese doctor identifies fatal congenital disease
A Sudanese neurologist working in Saudi Arabia has succeeded in giving the first clinical and pathological description of a novel form of congenital muscular dystrophy.
- By Mariam Al Hakeem, Correspondent
- Published: 00:00 April 26, 2007
- Professor Mustafa A. Saleh, consultant child neurologist at the College of Medicine and King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh.
- Image Credit:
Riyadh: A Sudanese neurologist working in Saudi Arabia has succeeded in giving the first clinical and pathological description of a novel form of congenital muscular dystrophy.
The 'Salih congenital muscular dystrophy' starts showing its symptoms in infancy with weakness and floppiness of the body muscles, extends to involve the heart muscles and leads to death from heart failure before the age of 20.
The disease is named after Professor Mustafa A. Saleh, consultant child neurologist at the College of Medicine and King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh.
Key protein
Professor Saleh was working in collaboration with scientists from Iowa University in the US.
Details of the research were published electronically on the April 19 issue of the Annals of Neurology, a journal with high impact factor in fields of medicine and science.
The gene causing the disease was unknown till a group of doctors and researches from the Institute of Myology (study of muscles) in Paris identified a French family, of Moroccan origin, with three children affected by the same disease.
Following extensive research, the causative gene 'Titin' was discovered.
'Titin' is the gene responsible for forming the largest protein in the body, also called Titin. The protein Titin is vital for the development and structure of muscles. It is also important for elasticity and communication between the muscle cells.
Dh183m project to fight malaria
The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has allocated $50 million (about Dh183 million) as a contribution to an emergency malaria roll back programme in malaria-infested IDB 11 member countries, the bank announced.
The countries include Indonesia, Burkina Faso, Chad, Gambia, Senegal, Sudan, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.
The new programme is designed to ensure greater production and better distribution of serums, vaccine and drugs used against malaria in the target countries.
The programme is also designed to help conduct surveys and research and to disseminate successful experiments in a bid to enable the countries concerned to make use of such efforts and to boost efforts to roll back malaria and subsequently other diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV/Aids.
The President of the Islamic Development Bank, Dr Ahmad Mohammad Ali, has indicated that the emergency programme is part of the Organisation of Islamic Countries' 10-Year Action Programme on how the Ummah can meet the challenges of the 21st century.
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