Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum Volume 2013 Issue 1

Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder, characterized by dysfunctional cellular immunity including the presence of activated platelet specific autoreactive T cells that recognize and respond to autologous platelet antigens. Autoreactive T cells drive the generation of platelet reactive autoantibodies by B cells as well as T-cytotoxic cell-mediated lysis of platelets. Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a mediator of Read More

Fusarium culmorum is a major fungal pathogen of wheat, causing foot and root rot (FRR) and fusarium head blight (FHB). Yield losses are reported as the grain becomes contaminated by mycotoxins. Among the most bioactive compounds are trichothecenes, sesquiterpene epoxides which are able to inhibit eukaryotic protein synthesis and may cause toxicoses on humans or animals consuming contaminated food or feed. Trich Read More

Background: The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region harbors significant proportions of stunting and wasting coupled to surging rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Recent evidence identified nutrition during the first 1,000 days of life as a common denominator not only for optimal growth and development but also for curbing the risk of NCDs later in life. Collaboration between Qatar and Lebanon was initiat Read More

Development of a Web-based Hybrid Registry for Acute Stroke in Qatar Leopold J. Streletz1,2, Saadat I. Kamran1,2, Mohammad Shahzad1, Reggie Cruze1, Naveed Akhtar1,2, Ahmed Elsotouhy2, Ahmed Khattab3, Damian Jenkinson3, 1Weill Cornell Medical College-Qatar, 2Hamad General Hospital and Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar, 3Bournemouth University, Dorset, United Kingdom. Stroke is a worldwide medic Read More

Background: MPNs are clonal haemopoietic disorders that are characterized by excessive proliferation of one or more of blood lineages. MPNs include PV, ET and PMF which are associated by the presence of JAK2 V617F mutation in about 90% of PV and 50% of ET and PMF. The molecular workup of JAK2 & related gene mutations were included in WHO 2008 as one major criterion for the diagnosis of Ph- MPNs. Aim: To gene Read More

Bipolar Affective Disorders are disorders of mood regulation that affect 1-5% of the population worldwide. The severe mood swings that are the hallmark of this disorder can interfere with the patient's personal life and career and often result in marked distress for the patient and family. While the etiology of the disorder remains somewhat elusive, genetic factors are known to be major contributors. Research in patients o Read More

OBJECTIVE : Taenia solium neurocysticercosis (NCC) is the most common parasitic infection of the brain and is a leading cause of epilepsy in the developing world, especially Latin America,India,Africa,and China .It is increasingly being reported in patients suffering from epilepsy . However, its true prevalence and association with adult-onset seizures is largely unknown in the Middle East particularly in Qatar. Our study will demo Read More

Metastasis to the peritoneum and lymph node is associated with poor survival in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). To better understand EOC metastasis, we carried out exome sequencing, RNA sequencing and copy number variation (CNV) studies on ovary, peritoneum and lymph node tumors from three patients. To analyze single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from exome and RNA sequencing data, we use the Read More

Ashraf Al-Amoudi1,2 and Achilleas Frangakis3 1Center of Advanced European Studies and Research (caesar), Department of Molecular Sensory Systems, Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, 53175 Bonn, Germany, 2German Center of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, 53175 Bonn, Germany European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany 3Goethe Universität - Institut für Biop Read More

Objective: To determine the frequencies of abnormal pregnancy outcomes in a cohort of patients in Qatar and to identify clinical and laboratory factors predicting adverse fetal and maternal outcomes with systemic lupus erythematosus in multinational population in Qatar. Study design: Data of 69 pregnancies of 37 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients from January 2005 to July 2012 in hmc analyzed retrospectively. Lu Read More

AIMS Asymptomatic cardiac disease is present in a large proportion of individuals with generalised cardiovascular disease (CVD). Rural areas in Australia have a lack of health care services with the facilities to undertake a comprehensive community screening project. This study aimed to assess a nurse-led health screening initiative to determine the prevalence and incidence of asymptomatic heart disease using a custom Read More

Objectives: Underlying coronary artery disease (CAD) is an established risk factor for the development of Atrial Fibrillation (AF). How underlying CAD affects symptoms and outcome of patients presenting with AF remains unknown. The aim of the current study was to evaluate how patients with established CAD as evidenced by a history of old myocardial infarction (OMI) differ in symptoms and outcome when hospitalized with AF Read More

بعد ان قمنا بتفسير جديد لطيف التوحد وعمل طريقة جديدة لعلاج طيف التوحد الغير جيني وهي العلاج عن طريق برمجة العقل والمشروحة في البحث الأول وهي باختصار وهي فرضية أن عقل الطفل عندما يولد يكون عقله محمل ببرنامج مكتسب من الجينات وضعه الخالق سبحانه وتعالى نصه انتبه الى ما هو مكرر انتبه الى المثيرات البصرية والسمعية ولكي يعمل هذا البرنامج يجب التفاعل مع الطفل لتحفيز عقل الطفل وخلاياه العصبية في حالة أن الطفل تم إهماله في الشهور الأولى أو أن الدماغ لم يحفز فيصبح اقل نشاطا في ال Read More

Grape leaves are widely consumed in Palestine, and many Mediterranean countries. This food item is considered as a delicacy in many cultures, and most consumers consider it as also a healthy food. Accordingly, we started two years ago a study to assess the nutritional quality of leaves collected from two grape varieties, namely Shami and Baituni, which were collected from two regions, namely Dahria (considered as an Read More

Developmental disabilities (DDs) are a diverse group of physical and mental impairments. Subjects with DDs almost suffer long lasting deficiencies in normal developmental milestones. Etiologies of DDs might look different in communities with high rate of consanguineous marriages, which increase the likelihood of hereditary monogenetic disorders, particularly the autosomal recessive (AR) ones. This study focuses on rare h Read More

Three patients from two related and consanguineous sibships of Pakistani ethnic origin are affected by a recognizable pattern of multiple congenital anomalies. The clinical picture includes increased inner canthal distance, hypoplastic upper lid with ptosis, blepharophemosis, maxillary hypoplasia, facial asymmetry, cleft lip/palate, high arched palate, irregular dentition, low set ears and low posterior hairline, mild scoliosis and decre Read More

Background: Features of diabetic retinopathy (DR) include leukocyte adhesion, hyperpermeability and retinal neovascularization (RNV). Our previous studies demonstrated that reactive oxygen species (ROS) derived from the NADPH oxidase activity play crucial role in the pathogenesis of retinal vascular injury during DR. Recently we also demonstrated that upregulation of 12/15 lipoxygenase (12/15-LOX) and its lipid metab Read More

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Knee surgeries for total knee replacement or Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) repair involve the use of intraoperative computer-assisted navigation techniques for guiding surgical tools during the procedure. In clinical practice, a digital map of the knee is created for navigation from images acquired preoperatively. High hard-tissue contrast makes CT the preferred imaging modality. Read More

The application of DNA-based methods for inferring ethnicity to investigate criminal cases has been well documented in recent literature. Based on self claimed ethnicity, numerous human diseases and the efficacy of therapeutic drugs have been linked to ethnic backgrounds. These racially-related diseases and drug responders included, but not limited to, cardiovascular disorders, sickle cell anemia, breast cancer, prostate c Read More

Background and objective The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is home to the world's largest producer of opioids, as well as to major drug trade routes. Over 80% of the global supply of heroin is produced in Afghanistan, and over 75% of this is trafficked through Iran and Pakistan. The increased availability and purity of inexpensive heroin in MENA appears to have led to a subsequent rise in injecting drug use. The object Read More

Background and Introduction—Foodborne illness has been identified as one of the major hindrances to the advancement of health around the world and bacterial pathogens play a major role in this impediment. Although most of the infections are self-limited, different estimates of the cost of illnesses around the world indicate costly episodes with the numbers ranging from $1,600 to $3,000. The global risk of the foodborne Read More

Background: A Canadian study recommends General Practitioners (GP) to use evidence based Clinical Guidelines (CG) when dealing with co-morbid cardiovascular diseases, in particular for the diagnosis and preliminary management of co-morbid Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) and Atrial Fibrillation (AF). Although paper-based Canadian CG exist for the management of CHF and AF, the challenge for physicians is to simultaneously appl Read More

hospital infection due surface contamination becomes very important field of study in recent years. Such contamination can provide a good environment for different microorganisms (i.e. bacteria, viruses, and fungi) to grow and transmit infectious diseases when they come into contact with human body . Recent studies show that surface contamination is accounted for 100,000 deaths in United States alone. Antibacterial Read More

Adoptive cell transfer therapy (ACT) holds a highly promising treatment for metastatic melanoma patients. ACT involves the ex vivo expansion of autologous antitumor reactive tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and their reinfusion into lymphodepleted patients, accompanied by IL-2 administration. ACT demonstrates objective clinical responsiveness in 40-50% patients, including 10-21% complete responses. However, Read More

Background: Early and rapid onset of obesity in the Qatari population, consequent to expansion primarily of abdominal adipose tissue, is closely associated with inflammation and insulin resistance. Recent interest has focused on microRNA (miRNA), both as biomarkers and mediators, of disease and therefore potentially therapeutic targets. MiRNAs are stable, non-coding species involved in the post-transcriptional regulati Read More

Obesity has increased at an alarming rate over the past three decades. It is likely caused by increased caloric intake combined with genetic predisposing factors and is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes (T2D). Obesity is linked to chronic inflammation, which was proposed as a cause for insulin resistance and T2D. The obese state creates a microenvironment within the adipose tissue that is susceptible to accumulation Read More

Obesity is an established risk factor for hypertension. About 1 billion adults are overweight globally and numbers appear to be increasing. Stimulating endogenous activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) mass that has unprecedented metabolic capacity can combat obesity, reverse insulin resistance and reduce comorbidities. Renalase is a recently discovered flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent oxidase, pre Read More

Calcium is a ubiquitous signaling molecule involved in various cellular processes, including fertilization, muscle contraction or synaptic transmission. There are two major sources for Ca2+: the extracellular media and intracellular Ca2+ stores, particularly the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). When intracellular stores are depleted, a signal is transmitted from a Ca2+ sensor protein that localizes to the ER membrane (STIM) to the pla Read More

Title: Preliminary Results and Clinical Relevance of Next Generation Sequencing in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Patients in Qatar. Kholoud Al-Shafai 1, Despina Sanoudou 1,2, Paul Barton 3 , Lama Shuayb 1 , Emmeleia Nana 2 , Pothitos Pitychoutis 2 , Rachel Buchan 3 , Roddy Walsh 3 , Stuart Cook 3, Magdi Yacoub 1,3, Mohammed Alhashemi 4 1 Qatar Cardiovascular Research Center (QCRC), Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qa Read More

The interest in smart body‐centric wireless networks (BCWNs) for healthcare applications is increasing as clinical acceptance of wireless technology is growing; they potentially combine ease of use with greater independence to the patient. BCWNs are emerging for in‐patient and out‐patient monitoring of ECGs, pulse oximeter, blood pressure, insulin pumps and blood glucose. Coupled with the use of location†Read More

Background: Developing effective public health policies and strategies for interventions necessitate an assessment of the structure, dynamics, disease rates and causes of death in a population. Lately, Qatar has undertaken development resurgence in health and economy that resulted in improving the standard of health services leading to enhanced life expectancy as was evident in the entire Qatari population (i.e., Qatari Read More

Background: The incidence of Colorectal Cancer (CRC) peaks in the sixth and seventh decade of life and its precursor lesions a decade earlier in average risk population. American College of physicians (ACP) recent guidelines suggests CRC screening at 50 years of age and older in average risk persons to detect and treat colorectal cancer precursor lesions and early cancers. Objective: To delineate the incidence of Colorecta Read More

In recent years a specialist interest has developed worldwide in Advanced Wound Management for difficult to heal chronic wounds. This is timely given the increasing number of elderly in the population and the growing burden of diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease that all contribute to an increase in hard to heal wounds. Further progress in Advanced Wound Management will require an improvement in personalised Read More

Background and Objectives-Salmonella enterica is one of the most commonly reported causes of bacterial foodborne illness around the world. Many factors, including food of animal sources, play a role in the predominance of certain serovars. The occurrence of S. enterica serovars varies between different geographical regions and data on their occurrence in Qatar is lacking. Knowledge on the occurrence of zoonotic sero Read More

Background and objectives-Foodborne illness has been determined to be one of the major limitations to the advancement of world health and with the ease of travel around the world and the increase in trade of food and animal products, the risk has been exacerbated in recent years. It has been proclaimed as one of the high priority issues in the Qatar National Food Security Master Plan. Different estimates of burden of dise Read More

There are obvious and well known links between air quality and acute respiratory illnesses that are common in Qatar and other Middle Eastern countries. For example, recent studies have documented a number of respiratory problems associated with inhalation of dust during dry, windy periods. In Qatar, exposure to dust and sand are anecdotally associated with a variety of respiratory issues including asthma and chroni Read More

Abstract (342 words) Background: The scale and nature of hepatitis C virus (HCV) disease burden in Qatar is poorly known. In addition to establishing the level of infection among the Qatari population, characterizing HCV disease burden is of particular relevance as Qatar has a large expatriate population some of whom are from countries with substantial HCV prevalence. Objective: To investigate the epidemiology of Read More

Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a leading cause for heart failure characterized by an enlarged ventricular cavity causing systolic dysfunction. Although a multifactorial disease, DCM has been attributed to gene mutations in approximately 30-50% of cases. However, the full spectrum of the genetic basis of DCM remains elusive. QCRC-IGC is a Doha-centered intercontinental consortium comprising teams from Egypt, Greece, Read More

Abstract- Developing visual prosthesis in human cortex or on retina has gained some importance over years. However, visual prosthesis in thalamic region targeting lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) has few advantages though. This paper proposes a simulation model for deep brain visual prosthesis that will harness the capacity of the residual central visual neurons. This prosthesis creates percepts, substituting an engineer Read More

Design of a new Wavelet-based preprocessing stage for improved time-frequency detection of fetal movements Dr. Taoufik Ben Jabeur and Pr. Boualem Boashash Department of Electrical Engineering, Qatar University Background: Improving Newborn Health Outcomes can be achieved by monitoring Fetal Movement (FetMov) activity which relates directly to the fetus well-being. Several methods exist to record these Fetal m Read More

ABSTRACT Background and Objective HIV and herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2) are sexually transmitted infections, with HSV-2 being nearly 10 times as infectious as HIV. HSV-2 prevalence has been established as an objective biomarker and a proxy measure of sexual risk behavior. HIV epidemics appear to be emerging in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, but the time course and future size of these epide Read More

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures are important indicators of perceived physical and mental health and are affected by changes in health status, demographic characteristics, culture, and ethnicity. Although recent studies have reported on HRQoL in midlife women in the US, most notably the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN), there has been little research conducted on quality of life issues e Read More

All muscles involve the interaction between two sets of filamentous proteins, actin and myosin, that leads to muscle contraction and force production mediated by the hydrolysis of ATP (Adenosine triphosphate). Actin filament structure is understood to high resolution, but myosin filament structure is much less well defined. The myosin filaments are formed from complicated arrangements of myosin molecules an Read More

Background: EEG signal are widely used for detecting abnormalities such as seizures in newborn babies. EEG signals have non-stationary characteristic, therefore time frequency distributions (TFDs) are a preferred tool for their analysis. The classification performance of most time-frequency (t-f) methods is restricted by the resolution limitation of TFDs. Objective: The main objective of this research is to propose a n Read More

Background. Ovarian cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women worldwide. Despite optimal cytoreduction and adequate adjuvant therapy, initial tumor response is often followed by relapse. Targeted therapies have been evaluated in ovarian cancer to overcome resistant disease. Among them anti-angiogenic therapies inhibit new blood vessel growth, induce endothelial cell apoptosis, and block th Read More

Both diabetes and cancer are prevalent diseases whose incidence is increasing worldwide and especially in countries that are undergoing rapid industrialization (i.e. Golf Countries). Lifestyle risk factors including diet, physical activity and obesity play a pivotal role in the etiology of both diseases. Epidemiological studies provide strong evidence that subjects with diabetes are at significantly higher risk of developing many Read More

Prostate cancer (PC) is the second leading cause of cancer related death in men in several countries and is the most common cancer in men in Qatar according to recent statistics of the years 2010 and 2011. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of PC progression is critical for developing novel therapies. Neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation of PC cells is an oncogenic process that has be Read More

Background: Egypt has by far the highest national-level hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence in the world, with more than 14% of the general population infected with the virus. The drivers of such epidemic are still not completely identified, with previous parenteral antischistosomal therapy (PAT) campaigns conducted throughout Egypt proposed as the major contributor of the high HCV prevalence. In an effort to clarify speci Read More

Abstract Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of 5%, 3%, and 0.9% saline solution for treating acute bronchiolitis in the prehospital setting. Study design: This was a double-blind trial including consecutive infants aged <18 months treated in an urban urgent care setting. A total of 165 patients were randomized to receive nebulized 5%, 3%, or 0.9% (normal) saline with epinephrine every 4 hours. The primary efficacy ou Read More

Introduction Colorectal cancer (CRC) is increasing in incidence in several Asian countries but screening programs are lacking. In Qatar, ,we embarked on a pilot study for Colo-Rectal Cancer (CRC) screening based at 3 primary health centers among subjects with average risk for colorectal cancer. Aim To devise a national screening program for the early detection of colonic cancer among persons at average risk f Read More