Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum Volume 2013 Issue 1

Introduction: According to the World Health Organization one in five road traffic fatalities are related to impaired driving involving drunk-driving (DD), drugs, illicit substances as well as prescription medications. The proportion of DD-related road fatality (or DDRF %) is the recommended indicator in setting road safety goals for DD prevention. The literature however is relatively silent about the availability of DDRF % in high Read More

Background: Blood vessels are comprised of three distinct layers, the intima, media and outermost layer, the adventitia that, in medium to large vessels, is surrounded by a cushion of perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT). PVAT is comprised of discrete adipocytes containing a network of capillaries and nerve fibres as well as a variety of other cell types. A number of adipokines have been identified in the PVAT of human bl Read More

Background. Norepinephrine (NE) is a powerful regulator of various adipose metabolic and vascular functions, including vasoconstriction and tissue fibrosis. Recent data suggests that this may be through autocrine/paracrine effects on local resistance vessel function and morphology. Therefore, the aims of this study were to investigate in human sub-cutaneous and omental adipose tissue (SAT and OAT): 1) NE synthesis, 2) NE-me Read More

Calreticulin (CRT) is a ubiquitously expressed protein in mammalian cells, with both calcium binding and chaperone activity. As such CRT is involved in quality control process during the folding and maturation of proteins in endoplasmic reticulum. Recent research in our lab showed that overexpression of CRT under control of Tie-2 promoter resulted in the development of metastatic lung adenocarcinoma. In order to exa Read More

Background Osteoporosis is a common skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mass and microarchetectual deterioration of bone tissue with increased susceptibility to fractures. Osteoporosis is considered a multifactorial polygenic disease. The prevalence of postmenopausal osteoporosis in Palestine, based on of BMD at femoral neck, total hip and spine was 24%, 14% and 29.7% respectively. Previous studies on the effect Read More

Abstract Sedentary lifestyle and excessive energy intake are prominent contributors to obesity; a major risk factors for the development of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying these chronic conditions is of relevant importance as it might lead to the identification of novel anti-obesity targets. The purpose of the current study is to investigate Read More

Sports performance usually peaks in the late afternoon coinciding with the circadian peaks of body temperature. Moreover, increased nerve conduction velocity, joint suppleness, increased muscular blood flow, improvements of glycogenolysis and glycolysis, increased environmental temperature, and preferential meteorological conditions may all contribute to the circadian rhythm of physical performances. However, Read More

Background: Traumatic injury remains one of the major leading causes for mortality and morbidity in children worldwide. The aim of this study is to describe an epidemiologic profile of pediatric and adolescent traumatic injuries in Qatar. Methods: A retrospective analysis for all pediatric and adolescent patients admitted with severe traumatic injury to the Section of Trauma at Hamad General Hospital between January 2011 - Read More

Background: Psoriasis is a common and recurrent proliferative inflammatory skin disease that causes areas of thickened, inflamed, red skin, often with silvery scales. It poses a considerable worldwide health problem due to its high prevalence, associated morbidity and high health-care costs. It is a multifactorial "complex" disorder, with compelling evidence for a genetic predisposition. Many observations implicate LPIN2 in the g Read More

p90 Ribosomal S6 Kinase Contributes to Na+/H+ Exchanger Isoform1 (NHE1) Induced Cardiac Hypertrophy in H9c2 Cardiomyoblasts Maiy Jaballah, Bayan Almerayat, Fatima Al-Sulaiti, Fatima Mraiche College of Pharmacy, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar Background Pharmacological and genetical studies have shown that increasing the activity of Na+/H+ exchanger isoform1 (NHE1) plays a critical role in the development of cardiac Read More