Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum Volume 2012 Issue 1

Background & Objectives: Both exercise and hypoxia acutely elicit changes in systemic growth factors and cytokines that mediate increases in erythropoiesis, angiogenesis and, perhaps, arteriogenesis. To what extent the down-stream responses to these interventions are inter-related is, as yet, unclear. A role for circulating micro RNAs (cmiRNAs) in the regulation of these processes is a novel prospect. Thus the aims of this s Read More

Introduction: Both insulin deficiency and insulin resistance are reported in patients with β thalassemia major (BTM). The use of CGMS among the different methods for early detection of glycaemic abnormalities has not been studied thorough. The aims of this study are: 1. to detect glycemic abnormalities in young adults with BTM using fasting blood glucose (FBG), (OGTT), 72-h continuous glucose concentration by CGMS, and Read More

Background & objectives: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS), including obesity, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia and hypertension, associated with an increased predisposition to cardiovascular disease (CVD), is especially high in the Middle East, primarily amongst young Qataris. Both insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction have been proposed to contribute to the pathogenesis of CVD in obese patients. Rec Read More

Background: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is one of the most common complications of diabetes that affects nerve functions and may occur in 25% of patients with 10 or more years of diabetes and up to 50% with 20 years of diabetes. Patients with DPN experience a high incidence of injuries while walking and have a low level of perceived safety. In certain cases the impaired judgment - mainly due to impaired propri Read More

Inflammation, in general, has been found to be associated with many human health complications. Postprandial inflammation, provoked soon after ingesting a meal, is transient in duration, but with dreadful consequences on human health over a period of time depending on the compositions of the meal. However, many populations, particularly in the Western countries, are in a constant postprandial state, which is likely to initiat Read More

Background: Mast cell proteases represent major protein components of secretory granules. The proteases are classified into a chymases, tryptases and carboxypeptidase (hMC-CPA). Little is known about the function of human lung carboxypeptidase A (hMC-CP) except for its ability to cleave angiotensin I. This suggests that the human mast cell carboxypeptidase A may play a role in the hypertension disease. Objectives Read More

Background: Traumatic chest injury (TCI) constitutes quarter of trauma-related deaths worldwide. Objective: To identify the pattern and outcome of TCI in Qatar in relation to age. Methods: Data were collected from all patients who sustained TCI between January 2008 and December 2010 in Qatar. Patients were classified and analyzed in 3 age groups (group 1 <18, group 2 between 18 and 45 and group 3 above 45 years). Th Read More

Background: In the State of Qatar, the majority of workers are expatriates from different ethnicity and culture. Most of them are liable to pedestrian motor vehicle crashes (MVC). We sought to understand the anatomy, time and date of injuries amongst expat workers in relation to their country of origin, culture and traditions. Methods: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data obtained from trauma registry Read More

To study the effects of VitalStim therapy coupled with conventional swallowing training on recovery of neurogenic dysphagia, a total of 30 dysphagia patients were randomly selected among subacute post-traumatic brain injury and cerebrovascular accident cases. The cases were evenly divided into two groups: neuromuscular electric stimulation (NMSE) group, and NMSE plus conventional swallowing therapy group Read More