Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum Volume 2012 Issue 1

Background: Novel survey instrument development requires reliability testing, but limited information informs the preferred approach in Qatar. The testing of survey characteristics of the Multi-Cultural Assessment Inventory-Qatar (MAI-Q), a novel multicultural assessment tool in Arabic, English, Hindi and Urdu, provided the opportunity to investigate survey distribution procedures. Objective: To determine willingness to participate Read More

Background: In order to monitor the health of new borns , high performance sensors are placed on the body to record information from different organs: nervous system (EEG signals), heartbeat and fetal movement (accelerometer signals). As the received data are non-stationary signals, Quadratic Time-frequency distributions (QTFDs) are often used to represent the energy, temporal and spectral characteristics of these s Read More

Interprofessional Education (IPE) is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the process by which a group of practicing health-care professionals work together in order to provide promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and other health-related services. WHO strongly encourages efforts to develop and integrate IPE into educational health-care programs for patients' benefits. For this to occur, a set of s Read More

Background & Objectives Large-scale proteome analysis by mass spectrometry is commonly preceded by enzymatic digestion of proteins. The conventional protocol for in-solution digest of complex protein mixtures includes trypsin and is performed at room temperature for at least 12h. To improve this time-consuming method we assessed the efficiency of focused ultrasound-assisted enzymatic digest. It has previously been Read More

Introduction: Acute gastroenteritis is a widespread disease that is characterized by diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain. It has high morbidity and mortality rate globally. Bacteria, parasites and mostly viruses cause acute gastroenteritis. Most frequent viruses are norovirus, adenovirus, astrovirus and rotavirus. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of the four viruses in the stool samples of patients who were treated a Read More

This work presents the development of an algorithm for analyzing ECG waveforms. The identification of the various waveforms on an ECG is the first and most crucial step in any automated analysis. The algorithm developed is capable of detecting all important waveforms. These include the Q,R,S,R' and S' waves, J and ST points and onset and offset of P and T waves. The various techniques utilized in their detection include a Read More

Animal models are essential to understand the molecular and cellular basis of human pathologies. The zebrafish has gained significant attention as a novel model system and has several advantages over rodent models, including: (1) genetic and physiological similarity to humans, (2) a high fertility rate, (3) external fertilization, (4) ease of genetic manipulation, (5) enlarging library of heart-specific reporter genes, (6) ability to Read More

Progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) culminates in liver metastasis. To identify genes that are involved in the metastatic phenotype, cDNA microarrays were used to analyze mRNA expression profiles of CC531 rat colon adenocarcinoma cells for changes related to their homing into the liver. Briefly, CC531 cells were intraportally implanted into the liver of Wag-Rij rats and re-isolated after 3, 6, 9, 14 and 21 days. Altogeth Read More

Objectives: There is paucity of data relevant to anticoagulation rates and trends of treatment in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) in developing countries and whether there are ethnic differences in the utilization of warfarin as some reports have suggested. The aim of this study is to evaluate trends of utilization of warfarin in Arab and South Asian patients hospitalized with AF in a real-world population in a Middle East Read More

Background: There is continuing concern about the risk of long-term autograft dilatation and rupture following the Ross procedure. The aim of this study is to characterize the neo-aortic valve in terms of morphology and wall distensibility. Methods: Among 108 Ross patients undergoing yearly echocardiographic assessment in our unit, 17 (16%) had aortic root diameters of >45mm (DG) 14 ± 1 years after operation. In an atte Read More