Avicenna - Volume 2013, Issue 1

Healthcare policies in Qatar place a high value on the concept of patient and family-centered care (PFCC) in primary care. The Institute of Medicine raised the concern of patient care in 2001 and Davis et al. advocates of PFCC, promoted the concept. The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in Qatar provide all the government health services of the country at this time. They have sought to integr Read More

Background The philosophy and practice of pharmaceutical care (PC) has challenged Middle Eastern pharmacists to embrace a new paradigm that focuses on outcomes of care rather than products or tasks. Although the application of PC was found to be associated with a reduction in adverse drug reactions, length of hospital stay and cost of care in the developed world, the status and application of the practice remains less clear in the Read More

Background: The ethnic profile of Qatar is a combination of its indigenous peoples (Qataris) and non-resident foreigners (non-Qataris). Its population has increased dramatically during the last 30 years to around 1.9 m (although only 15% are Qataris) leading to an increase in the number of local births. A recent unexpected surge in births has lead to a need to re-evaluate the trends in birth numbers and develop more reliable predictions for bot Read More

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy specific condition characterized by hypertension and proteinuria. It complicates about 10% of all pregnancies. It is a major cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Interestingly, preeclampsia may have an impact on the health of the mother or infant, beyond the pregnancy. It is believed that several ligands and receptors of different families of growth factors have been involved in the development of p Read More

Background: Prostaglandins, in particular prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), are elevated in adenomas and colorectal cancers (CRC). Experimental and epidemiological studies have demonstrated reduced incidence of adenomas and CRC by inhibitors of prostanoid synthesis (NSAIDs). This study aimed to characterize the expression and localization of key enzymes/receptors for PGE2 synthesis in adenomas and CRC in comparison to normal col Read More

Background: Teenage pregnancy comprises 24.2 percent of the total pregnancies of Bangladesh, which is a great threat to the overall health of the country. In Bangladesh, a large number of young women migrate to urban areas for work and most of them live in slum areas. This study aims at shedding light on the factors that contribute to the incidence of pregnancy among the women before reaching the age 18 in slum areas. Met Read More

Physical inactivity is a global health concern. Evidence suggests low levels of physical activity among Arabic adults living in Middle Eastern countries. To help ensure the success of strategies to promote physical activity, a better understanding of the barriers and facilitators to physical activity is needed. The objective of this article is to present a review of the literature that focuses on the barriers and facilitators to physical activity among Arab Read More

Little information exists concerning (i) source contributions to airborne particulate pollution in Qatar, (ii) the potential impact that deteriorating air quality may have on the respiratory health of residents, and (iii) how climate change may affect respiratory health through its impact on air quality. Air quality in Qatar may be negatively affected by naturally occurring contributions including dust/sand originating from adjacent desert regions, microbial Read More