Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum Volume 2012 Issue 1

Background: Unwanted hair is one of the most common medical problems affecting women of reproductive age inducing a lot of psychological stress and threatening their femininity and self-esteem. Old methods of removing unwanted hair include shaving, waxing, chemical epilation, and electrolysis, all of which have temporary results. However laser-assisted hair removal is the most efficient method of long-term hair rem Read More

In this study, the high sensitive ICP-MS was employed to detect the contents of titanium and copper in liver, lung, spleen, kidney, heart, testis, brain and blood after administering an acute dose of different nano particle sizes of titanium and copper to rats by a syringe via gastrointestinal tract. In coupling with pathological examinations, the target organs of nano- and micro-copper were successfully determined. Biodistribution exp Read More

Background and Objectives: Obesity is associated with a state of chronic inflammation and increased cardiometabolic disease risk. The present study examined the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and cardiometabolic and inflammatory biomarkers among normal weight, overweight, and obese subjects. Methods: Subjects (n = 1,805, aged 18 to 79 years) from Canada were examined for associations betw Read More

Store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) is a ubiquitous Ca2+ influx pathway leading to a sustained, low amplitude Ca2+ signal that activates multiple physiological process including gene transcription and secretion, and contributes to store refilling. We here describe a novel mechanism, that we call "Ca2+ funneling", which allows efficient activation by SOCE of Calcium-activated chloride channels (CaCl2) in the xenopus oocyte to Read More

Background and Objective: Vascular aging is associated with changes in the structure and function of the vascular system and such changes contribute to the risk for the development of diabetes and associated cardiovascular diseases. Vascular senescence reflects the limited ability of vascular cells to divide and proliferate and is accompanied by specific phenotypic changes in morphology, gene expression and function Read More

Biobank Qatar aims to establish a large national bioresource that will support the development of cutting edge medical research during the next decades. While the design of Biobank Qatar has similarities with other large-scale population-based prospective cohort studies established in other parts of the world, it is unique in the region and excels for its highly innovative scientific and technological features. Biobank Qatar will in Read More

The olfactory receptors (ORs), which are G-protein coupled receptors, number more than 1,000 and comprise the largest gene family in the mammalian genome. ORs are expressed both monogenically and monoallelically in olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) and the mechanism that controls their regulation is largely unknown. ORs reside in constitutive heterochromatin and selection of one OR and from one allele occ Read More

Background: For the past two decades, cationic lipids have remained one of the most widely used non-viral gene delivery vectors due in large to their safety and ease of use despite having low efficiency. We and others believe that the key to improving the effectiveness of non-viral agents is unlocking the still unsolved mechanism behind lipid gene delivery. Our objective is the rational design, synthesis and evaluation of the D Read More

Recently, the role of tumor microenvironment (niche) in regulating cancer progression has been indicated. Tumor microenvironments consists of tumor vasculature, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, immune cells and the components of the extracellular matrix. It is believed that the phenotypic advantages acquired by tumor cells are partly the outcome of their interaction with their niche. Endothelial cells are the buil Read More