Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum Volume 2011 Issue 1

Abstract T-cells genetically modified to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) against a tumor associated antigen are attractive anti-cancer therapeutic agents. The 5T4 cell surface oncofoetal antigen is an attractive target antigen for cancer immunotherapy as it is expressed by a wide spectrum of cancers including gastric, ovarian and colorectal while showing limited expression in normal adult tissues. Previously it was Read More

Abstract Background: Caring for an autistic child places significant stress on the lives of family members. To date, no study has evaluated how looking after a child with autism affects quality of life (QoL) of caregivers in Qatar or the Gulf country region. Our study is aimed at quantifying the health-related QoL of caregivers of children with autism in Qatar. Methods: We recruited two groups of caregivers of children between 3 Read More

Abstract Background: Cigarette smoking is one of the preventable causes of ill health in Qatar. Qatar community pharmacists are in an ideal position to play an important role in smoking cessation. This role necessitates adequate smoking cessation knowledge and education. The study objectives were to assess Qatar community pharmacists' smoking cessation knowledge and to gauge their perceptions of which aspects Read More

Abstract Introduction: Controlled drug release from implantable silicone elastomers was reported to occur mainly via the osmotic rupture release mechanism. In this work, we are attempting to determine the effects of drug volumetric loading, particle size, device shape, and dissolution media on the release rate of the water-soluble osmotically active drug, Papaverine Hydrochloride (PH) from silicon elastomers. Materials and M Read More

Abstract Background: Fetal movements are clinically correlated to fetal wellbeing. Ultrasounds are the most accurate measurements of the fetal movement but expensive and intrusive. To avoid these constraints, Fetal activity is captured through data acquired using low cost and nonintrusive accelerometer . Time-frequency distributions (TFDs) are often used to represent the energy, temporal and spectral characteristics of no Read More

Abstract Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects children at around the age of 3 years old and last throughout the person's lifetime. ASD imposes great burden on the family, and forces family members to considerably modify their daily lives to suit their reality with autistic child(ren). To our knowledge, no previous research assessed the burden of ASD on the lives of parents/caregivers of autistic children in Read More

Abstract Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are common injuries occurring upwards of 250,000 times annually only in the U.S. These injuries create an annual billion dollar expense. It is important to understand these injury mechanisms as these injuries continue to be one of the largest problems in orthopedic sports medicine. Improved understanding of the injury mechanisms may improve prevention, rehabili Read More

Abstract Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) ion channels are formed by either homomeric or heteromeric assembly of four TRP subunits that have six transmembrane domains (TM) and a P-loop located between TM5 and TM6 defining the channel pore. So far 30 different subunits classified in 6 families sharing as low as 20% homology, have been identified in mammals and about 20 in Xenopus. Although heterotetramers can be Read More

Abstract The oscillation of cytoplasmic calcium concentration exists in a large number of non-excitable cells such as astrocytes in the brain, intestinal cells and oocytes (Fig.1). This rhythmic activity carries information into the cell, regulating various processes such as gene expression or transmitter release. In some cells, such as Xenopus oocytes, the oscillations can rely only on calcium being released in the cytoplasm fro Read More

Abstract Recently, a speculative model is proposed that tumor tissue is continuously regenerated by a small population of self-renewing cancer stem cells responsible for initiation, growth and propagation of tumor. Tumor cells reside in a “niche” and have constant interaction with the niche components including tumor vasculature, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) and the components of the extracellular m Read More