We conducted a feasibility study of a mobile phone messaging service for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Two hundred children with type 1 diabetes took part in a six-month trial. The children were provided – through their parents – with daily information messages, with weekly interactive messages, and on request, with multimedia video messages about procedures related to diabetes care. During the study, approximately 30,000 information messages and 2800 interactive messages were sent. One month before the trial, the mean fasting blood glucose level of the children was 150 mg/dl. After the trial, the mean fasting blood glucose level was 133 mg/dl ( P < 0.001). There were also significant reductions in post prandial blood glucose level, HbA_1c, frequency of simple hypoglycaemic attacks and frequency of blood glucose monitoring. A before and after questionnaire showed that the parents' knowledge of diabetes had improved significantly during the trial. Mobile phone text messaging offers a useful means of contact between clinic visits. The results of the trial suggest that it increases adherence to diabetes therapy and improves clinical outcomes in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

Background: Mobile phone text messaging has rapidly become a socially popular form of communication. Several studies showed that mobile phone might offer a useful means of providing information between clinic visits and might increase adherence to diabetes therapy regimens. Objectives: We conducted a study to evaluate the effect of mobile phone short message service (SMS) on glycemic control in Saudi patients with type 2 diabetes. Patients and Methods: One hundred patients (mean age, 41 ± 9.5 years) were selected at the Security Forces Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and provided with daily educational, reminding SMS messages for four months. Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level, frequency of hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic attacks, and compliance with blood glucose monitoring were recorded before and after the trial. Results: In addition to significant improvement in patients’ knowledge, mean fasting blood glucose level improved from 8.60 ± 3.16 to 7.77 ± 3.11 mmol/L and mean HbA1c decreased from 9.9% ± 1.8% to 9.5% ± 1.7%. Conclusions: Mobile phone text messaging increased adherence to diabetes therapy and improved the clinical outcome in Saudi patients with type 2 diabetes. Keywords: Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Cellular Phone; Health; Glycemic; Text Messages

FGFR3 mutations cause wide spectrum of disorders ranging from skeletal dysplasias (hypochondroplasia, achondroplasia, and thanatophoric dysplasia), benign skin tumors (epidermal nevi, seborrhaeic keratosis, and acanthosis nigricans), and epithelial malignancies (multiple myeloma and prostate and bladder carcinoma). Hypochondroplasia is the most common type of short-limb dwarfism in children resulting from fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) mutation. Acanthosis nigricans might be seen in severe skeletal dysplasia, including thanatophoric dysplasia and SADDAN syndrome, without a biochemical evidence of hyperinsulinemia. Insulin insensitivity and acanthosis nigricans are uncommonly seen in hypochondroplasia patients with FGFR3 mutations which may represent a new association. We aim to describe the association of hypochondroplasia, acanthosis nigricans, and insulin resistance in a child harboring FGFR3 mutation. To our knowledge, this is the first case report associating the p.N540 with acanthosis nigricans and the second to describe hyperinsulinemia in hypochondroplasia. This finding demonstrates the possible coexistence of insulin insensitivity and acanthosis nigricans in hypochondroplasia patients.

Pycnodysostosis, a rare osteopetrosis subtype, is mainly caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous biallelic pathogenic mutation of the cathepsin K (CTSK) gene. The cohort included eight patients (four males and four females) with a mean current age of 13 years (SD ± 3.6) and a mean age at diagnosis of 5 years (SD ± 2). All patients had a positive family history of pycnodysostosis and were born to consanguineous parents. Genetic analysis revealed that all individuals carried the same mutation: NM_000396.3(CTSK):c.244-29A&gt;G. Clinically, they exhibited characteristic craniofacial features and skeletal deformities consistent with the diagnosis. Bone fractures were reported in 7 out of 8 patients, highlighting a significant clinical burden. All affected individuals received growth hormone therapy(GHT), though response to treatment varied among the group. These findings emphasize the importance of early genetic screening, particularly in families with a known history of pycnodysostosis, to enable timely diagnosis and intervention. Although pycnodysostosis is typically described as a nonprogressive skeletal dysplasia, the presence of complications such as osteomyelitis and recurrent fractures may contribute to a more complex and progressive clinical course in some patients.