Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum Volume 2012 Issue 1

In non-inferiority studies, a limit of indifference is used to express a tolerance in results such that the clinician would regard such results as being acceptable, or 'not worse'. We applied this concept to a measure of accuracy, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, for a sequence of tests. We expressed a limit of indifference for the range of acceptable sensitivity values and examined the associated cost of testing wit Read More

Background and Objectives: Oxidative stress plays a major role in the pathogenesis of various diseases including renal injury. Curcumin has been shown to exert antioxidant activity in various experimental models. Thus, the objectives of this study are to standardize and establish an in vitro model of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced renal cell injury using human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293), and to evaluate the cytoprot Read More

Background and Objectives: Perinatal mortality, a combination of stillbirths and early neonatal mortality (day 0-6 of life), is a very strong indicator to assess healthcare during the perinatal period. Our study aims to prospectively determine Qatar's perinatal mortality rate (PMR) during 2011, analyze trends from 1990 to 2011 and compare the findings with recent data from selected high income countries. Methods: A PEARL st Read More

Background and Objectives: The millennium development goals (MDG 5) mandate a three quarters reduction in maternal mortality ratio (MMR) by 2015. Hence, universal access to reproductive health and improvement in maternal survival remains the prime focus of all global health strategies and plans of action. Our study aims to analyze Qatar's performance in achieving MDG 5 by 2011. Methodology: A PEARL study (perinatal Read More

Background: The harmful effects of smoking during pregnancy on the health of the mother, fetus and newborn have been well documented in the literature. These include, low birth weight, prematurity and still birth. The negative effect of smoking on health is not restricted to active smokers as studies have shown that exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) during pregnancy also poses risks on the mother and the fetus. To our kn Read More

Background and Objectives: Both diabetes and cancer are prevalent diseases with increasing incidence worldwide and especially in countries that are undergoing rapid industrialization (i.e. Gulf countries). Epidemiological studies provide strong evidence that subjects with diabetes are at a significantly higher risk of developing many forms of cancer and in particular solid tumors including colorectal cancer. While diabetes an Read More

Background: People with diabetes-related peripheral neuropathy (DPN) frequently suffer from concomitant postural instability that can lead to falls, fractures, depression, anxiety, and decreased quality of life. Exercise has been demonstrated to be effective in improving balance. However, high demands of conventional balance programs might overtax DPN patients' ability to perform exercises correctly. This might in turn reduce Read More

Background and Objectives: The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing worldwide, and certain sub-populations appear especially vulnerable to developing the disease. In Qatar, the prevalence of T2DM in the adult population is approximately twice that in the USA. Qatar is ranked sixth in the world for diabetes prevalence. Risk of disease in the country is increasing with an apparent doubling of incid Read More

Consanguinity and endogamy is common in the Middle East resulting in higher frequency of autosomal recessive genetic disorders, in particular private or rare genetic conditions. Most of these diseases are due to homoallelic state of pathogenic variants, a direct consequence of founder effect and increased co-efficient of inbreeding. Advanced molecular genetic technologies such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) are Read More

Success in life can be directly related to the ability to communicate. Full interpersonal communication substantially enhances an individual's potential for education, employment, and independence. Therefore, it is imperative that the goal of augmentative and alternative communication (ACC) use be the most effective interactive communication possible. For more than three decades now, the field known as augmentativ Read More

Background and Objectives: The epidemiology of child injuries among infants and toddlers (IAT) in Qatar has not been fully described. This study will analyze the injury epidemiology of fatal and non-fatal injuries in IAT and provide recommendations for targeted injury prevention programs for IAT in Qatar. Method: Data from the Qatar statistics authority (QSA), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) Trauma Registry and the mortuary f Read More

Background and Objectives: Metabolic labeling with stable isotopes remains a prominent technique for comparative quantitative proteomics and stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) is the most prominent approach used. However, despite its power the approach traditionally is limited if applied to complex tissue culture regiments as those required for human embryonic stem cells (hESC). Classic h Read More

Background and Objectives: Foodborne illness is a major hindrance to health advancement around the world and has been identified as a high priority in the Qatar National Food Security Program (QNFSP) master plan. Increased risk of illnesses is worsened by the ease of travel around the world, by an increase in global food and animal commodities trade, and by continued movement of large populations across vast areas. Read More

Background: Management of physical activity in patients with diabetic foot disease is poorly understood. There is paucity of data, more specifically evidence from a randomized study investigating the levels and profiles of physical activity in this population. This study explores the quantification of physical activity as a function of offloading modality in patients with diabetic foot ulcers. Method: Thirty eligible subjects with non-infec Read More

Background: Hepatitis C has emerged in recent years as a common cause of liver disease. An estimated 200 million people are thought to be infected worldwide. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is characterized by viral persistence and chronic liver disease in approximately 80% of cases. Chronic HCV infection is curable by either a combination of interferon and ribavirin, or PEGylated interferon. Both drugs had been shown Read More

Objectives: To investigate the synthesis and in vitro characterization of a novel family of photo-cross-linked biodegradable poly(alkylene-co-tartrate) (PAT) for the purpose of their use in implantable drug delivery and tissue engineering applications. Methods: PAT prepolymers were first synthesized via polycondensation reaction of L-tartaric acid with alkylene diols of varying chain lengths (C6-C12) at 130°C for two hours under nitrog Read More

Background and Objectives: Antimicrobial stewardship is rapidly becoming very popular throughout the Middle East and abroad. Immunization programs, as a form of disease prevention, may reduce utilization of antimicrobials by decreasing incidence of disease requiring treatment. This may be especially important in children, as exposure to antimicrobials has been associated with chronic diseases such as asthma. The o Read More

Background and Objectives: The State of Qatar has achieved maternal, neonatal and perinatal survival rates which are comparable to many high income countries, both from the West and East. Our study aims to analyze obstetric determinants of Qatar's neonatal mortality rate (NMR) during 2011. Methodology: A PEARL study (Perinatal Neonatal Outcomes Research Study in the Arabian Gulf), a joint collaborative research proj Read More

Background: Large numbers of chemicals (natural and synthetic, including human dietary food components) are tested each year worldwide for potential genotoxic properties to protect humans and the environment against the consequences of exposure to such chemicals (cancer, infertility, accelerated ageing, and instability of ecosystems). For primary screening, fast in vitro and in vivo tests are used, but their predictive val Read More

Background: Egypt has the highest hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence in the world. Numerous HCV prevalence studies have published various estimates from different Egyptian communities, suggesting that Egypt, relative to the other nations of the world, might be experiencing an intense ongoing HCV transmission. Objective: To investigate the trend in HCV prevalence among the general population in Egypt with respect to Read More

Background and Objectives: Gene regulatory networks model the interactions among the genes and provide a decision rule describing activation and repression of each gene via various proteins. In order to be able to capture the complex gene interactions efficiently, it is imperative to develop algorithms that model the nonlinear interactions among the genes. This work considers the problem of inferring gene regulatory networ Read More

Background: Community-based interactive approach-diabetes mellitus (CBIA-DM) is an active self learning method. CBIA is a method used for public education which emphasizes the active role of participants in looking for information. The intention of CBIA is to empower participants to seek and critically assess information about their treatment. Objectives: This study is aimed at improving type 2 diabetic patients knowle Read More

Background: Prostate cancer (PC) remains the second leading cause of male death in Western countries and has been on the rise in Qatar during the last decade. Recent studies established that unlike differentiated PC cells, PC stem cells (PCSC) display high tumorigenic and metastatic potential and become resistant to current therapy. Therefore therapeutic success depends on the ability to effectively kill PCSC. The dise Read More

Background and Objectives: In cells exposed to environmental stress, inhibition of translation initiation conserves energy for the repair of cellular damage. Untranslated mRNAs that accumulate in these cells move to discrete cytoplasmic foci known as stress granules (SGs). The assembly of SGs helps cells to survive under adverse environmental conditions. SGs are formed as a consequence of eIF2α phosphorylation that inhi Read More