Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum Volume 2011 Issue 1

Abstract Background: The reasons behind the differences in the levels of discordancy (that is one partner testing HIV positive while the other testing HIV negative) among spousal and cohabiting partnerships affected by HIV across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remain inadequately understood. Recently, many randomized clinical trials have shown substantial efficacies for several prevention interventions among these partnershi Read More

Abstract Background: Empirical evidence suggests that HIV incidence rate within stable discordant sexual partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) varies between 1.2 and 19.0 per 100 person-years. Estimating HIV incidence rate within stable discordant partnerships is critical for determining the contribution of HIV sero-conversions among these partnerships to total HIV incidence. Objective: To estimate HIV incidence rate with Read More

Abstract Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) currently infects around 2% of the world's population. Among all nations, HCV prevalence ranges from 0.01% in Scandinavia to 3% in North Africa, with one exception: Egypt. Egypt has the highest prevalence of HCV in the world, estimated nationally at 14.7%. Numerous HCV prevalence studies have published various estimates from different Egyptian communities, suggesting that Eg Read More

Abstract Urinary bladder cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and has a high recurrence rate. It has the highest lifetime cost of care per patient due to long follow-up cystoscopic surveillance after surgery to detect the high risk of recurrence. This research develops a portable custom cystoscopic procedure to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the bladder cancer surveillance. The system uses a se Read More

Abstract Background: Chronic hypertension is a deadly disease that affects nearly 30–36% of the adult population in Qatar and the regional. Inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptors (IP3R) are intracellular calcium (Ca2+) channels that mediate the release of Ca2+ from sarcoplasmic reticulum in response to IP3 binding. A rise in cytoplasmic Ca2+ mediated by voltage-dependent L-type Ca2+ (CaL) channels and IP3-dependent Ca2 Read More

Abstract Each olfactory sensory neuron in the mammalian nose selects just a single member of the large odorant receptor (OR) gene family. The core processes regulating OR selection may involve mechanisms that limit initial OR transcription and once a single OR is chosen, repress subsequent activations. We have used a genetic strategy to monitor the transcriptional permissiveness of the OR gene P2 by inserting a Read More

Abstract Background: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may be causally related to breast cancer risk or be indirectly associated with breast cancer risk through linkage disequilibrium with a causal sequence variant. Risk-associated SNPs will have different frequencies among women with or without breast cancer and can be detected using genetic association studies. Recently, several genome-wide association studies (GW Read More

Abstract Background: Prevalence of metabolic syndrome is directly correlated with increasing occurrence of obesity characterized by accumulation of fat in visceral, lower body, and upper body subcutaneous depots. In a number of species, brown adipose tissue (BAT) converts triglycerides into heat by non-shivering thermogenesis, thus controlling the amount of white adipose tissue. Until recently, BAT was thought to be mostly Read More

Abstract The prevalence of insulin resistance and diabetes has shown a dramatic worldwide increase. In Qatar, the prevalence of diabetes is twice that of the United States today, possibly due to lifestyle and dietary changes. Diabetes has an enormously adverse impact on the afflicted population leading to patient mortality, morbidity and staggering health care costs to the nation. Untreated or inadequately treated diab Read More

Abstract Background: The functional relevance of strength and power measures as an index of functional performance (i.e., sprinting speed) in soccer remains unclear. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships among mechanical variables related to strength and power tests and their influences on sprinting speed in professional soccer players across their life-span. Methods: Isokinetic measures (q Read More