Qatar's genetic counseling landscape: Current insights and future prospects.

Genetic counseling is a dynamic and rapidly growing field. In Qatar, the significance of genetic counseling is underscored by the distinctive demographic characteristics of the population, including elevated rates of consanguinity and larger family sizes, contributing to the increased incidence of many genetic conditions. This emphasizes the crucial role of genetic counseling in addressing the specific needs of the community.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of genotype-guided optimization of major depression treatment in Qatar.

Background: Pharmacogenetic testing improves the efficacy and safety of antidepressant pharmacotherapy for moderate-severe major depressive disorder by identifying genetic variations that influence medication metabolism, and adjusting treatment regimens accordingly. This study aims to assess the cost-effectiveness of implementing a pharmacogenetic testing approach to guide the prescription of antidepressants.

Methods: From the public hospital perspective, we developed a two-stage decision tree diagram of a short-term 6-week follow up, and a lifetime Markov model with 3-month cycles.

QPGx-CARES: Qatar pharmacogenetics clinical applications and research enhancement strategies.

Pharmacogenetic (PGx)-informed medication prescription is a cutting-edge genomic application in contemporary medicine, offering the potential to overcome the conventional "trial-and-error" approach in drug prescription. The ability to use an individual's genetic profile to predict drug responses allows for personalized drug and dosage selection, thereby enhancing the safety and efficacy of treatments. However, despite significant scientific and clinical advancements in PGx, its integration into routine healthcare practices remains limited.

Statistical methods and resources for biomarker discovery using metabolomics.

Metabolomics is a dynamic tool for elucidating biochemical changes in human health and disease. Metabolic profiles provide a close insight into physiological states and are highly volatile to genetic and environmental perturbations. Variation in metabolic profiles can inform mechanisms of pathology, providing potential biomarkers for diagnosis and assessment of the risk of contracting a disease.

Qatar genome: Insights on genomics from the Middle East.

Despite recent biomedical breakthroughs and large genomic studies growing momentum, the Middle Eastern population, home to over 400 million people, is underrepresented in the human genome variation databases. Here we describe insights from Phase 1 of the Qatar Genome Program with whole genome sequenced 6047 individuals from Qatar. We identified more than 88 million variants of which 24 million are novel and 23 million are singletons.

Whole genome sequencing of marine organisms by Oxford Nanopore Technologies: Assessment and optimization of HMW-DNA extraction protocols.

Marine habitats are Earth's largest aquatic ecosystems, yet little is known about marine organism's genomes. Molecular studies can unravel their genetics print, thus shedding light on specie's adaptation and speciation with precise authentication. However, extracting high molecular weight DNA from marine organisms and subsequent DNA library preparation for whole genome sequencing is challenging.

Poking COVID-19: Insights on Genomic Constraints among Immune-Related Genes between Qatari and Italian Populations.

Host genomic information, specifically genomic variations, may characterize susceptibility to disease and identify people with a higher risk of harm, leading to better targeting of care and vaccination. Italy was the epicentre for the spread of COVID-19 in Europe, the first country to go into a national lockdown and has one of the highest COVID-19 associated mortality rates. Qatar, on the other hand has a very low mortality rate.

Recent perspective on CAR and Fcγ-CR T cell immunotherapy for cancers: Preclinical evidence versus clinical outcomes.

The chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T cell) immunotherapy currently represents a hot research trend and it is expected to revolutionize the field of cancer therapy. Promising outcomes have been achieved using CAR-T cell therapy for haematological malignancies. Despite encouraging results, several challenges still pose eminent hurdles before being fully recognized.

Antibacterial Properties of Polysulfone Membranes Blended with Arabic Gum.

Polysulfone (PS) membranes blended with different loadings of arabic gum (AG) were synthesized using phase inversion method and the antibacterial properties of the synthesized membranes were tested using a number Gram-negative (, and ) and Gram-positive ( ) bacterial species. It was shown that AG addition to the dope polymer solutions essentially changed porous structure, hydrophilicity and zeta potential of the cast PS/AG membranes. These changes were due to the amphiphilic properties of AG macromolecules that contained negatively charged hydrophilic residues.

Aspirin inhibits cancer stem cells properties and growth of glioblastoma multiforme through Rb1 pathway modulation.

Several clinical studies indicated that the daily use of aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid reduces the cancer risk via cyclooxygenases (Cox-1 and Cox-2) inhibition. In addition, aspirin-induced Cox-dependent and -independent antitumor effects have also been described. Here we report, for the first time, that aspirin treatment of human glioblastoma cancer (GBM) stem cells, a small population responsible for tumor progression and recurrence, is associated with reduced cell proliferation and motility.

Molecular Analysis of the Enteric Protozoa Associated with Acute Diarrhea in Hospitalized Children.

Pediatric diarrhea is a common cause of death among children under 5 years of age. In the current study, we investigated the frequency of intestinal parasites among 580 pediatric patients with chronic diarrhea. Parasitic protozoa (all species combined) were detected by molecular tools in 22.

A single tube system for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA using gold nanoparticles based FRET assay.

The global combat against MTB is limited by challenges in accurate affordable detection. In this study, a rapid, affordable, single tube system for detection of unamplified MTB16s rDNA was developed. Utilizing a AuNP based FRET system, this assay achieved a sensitivity and specificity of 98.

Differentiation of human olfactory bulb-derived neural stem cells toward oligodendrocyte.

In the central nervous system (CNS), oligodendrocytes are the glial element in charge of myelin formation. Obtaining an overall presence of oligodendrocyte precursor cells/oligodendrocytes (OPCs/OLs) in culture from different sources of NSCs is an important research area, because OPCs/OLs may provide a promising therapeutic strategy for diseases affecting myelination of axons. The present study was designed to differentiate human olfactory bulb NSCs (OBNSCs) into OPCs/OLs and using expression profiling (RT-qPCR) gene, immunocytochemistry, and specific protein expression to highlight molecular mechanism(s) underlying differentiation of human OBNSCs into OPCs/OLs.

Cholinergic and dopaminergic neuronal differentiation of human adipose tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells that can differentiate into various cell types such as cartilage, bone, and fat cells. Recent studies have shown that induction of MSCs in vitro by growth factors including epidermal growth factor (EGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) causes them to differentiate into neural like cells. These cultures also express ChAT, a cholinergic marker; and TH, a dopaminergic marker for neural cells.

Chitosan gold nanoparticles for detection of amplified nucleic acids isolated from sputum.

A platform for nucleic acid detection employing chitosan and chitosan coated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was developed. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) was used as a model target. MTB DNA was extracted from sputum using simple total nucleic acid extraction.

Nanodiagnostics for tuberculosis detection.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading killer worldwide. End TB strategy aims at ending the TB epidemic by 2030. Early, accurate, and affordable diagnosis represents a cornerstone to achieve this goal.

Heart function and hemodynamic analysis for zebrafish embryos.

The Zebrafish has emerged to become a powerful vertebrate animal model for cardiovascular research in recent years. Its advantages include easy genetic manipulation, transparency, small size, low cost, and the ability to survive without active circulation at early stages of development. Sequencing the whole genome and identifying ortholog genes with human genome made it possible to induce clinically relevant cardiovascular defects via genetic approaches.

The interference of Notch1 target Hes1 affects cell growth, differentiation and invasiveness of glioblastoma stem cells through modulation of multiple oncogenic targets.

The invasive and lethal nature of Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) necessitates the continuous identification of molecular targets and search of efficacious therapies to inhibit GBM growth. The GBM resistance to chemotherapy and radiation it is attributed to the existence of a rare fraction of cancer stem cells (CSC) that we have identified within the tumor core and in peritumor tissue of GBM. Since Notch1 pathway is a potential therapeutic target in brain cancer, earlier we highlighted that pharmacological inhibition of Notch1 signalling by γ-secretase inhibitor-X (GSI-X), reduced cell growth of some c-CSC than to their respective p-CSC, but produced negligible effects on cell cycle distribution, apoptosis and cell invasion.

Nanotubes impregnated human olfactory bulb neural stem cells promote neuronal differentiation in Trimethyltin-induced neurodegeneration rat model.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) are multipotent self-renewing cells that could be used in cellular-based therapy for a wide variety of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's diseases (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and multiple sclerosis (MS). Being multipotent in nature, they are practically capable of giving rise to major cell types of the nervous tissue including neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. This is in marked contrast to neural progenitor cells which are committed to a specific lineage fate.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection: Molecular Epidemiology, Genotyping, Seroprevalence and Associated Risk Factors among Arab Women in Qatar.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infections are known to cause cervical cancer worldwide, however, limited information is currently available on prevalence, types distribution and risk factors for HPV infection in the Arab countries. We conducted a cross-sectional observational study exclusively of women of Arabic origin residing in Qatar (n = 406) who were selected from the Women's Hospital at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Health Centers of the Primary Health Care Corporation in Doha, Qatar over the period March 2013 to August 2014. Socio-demographic, behavioral and clinical data were collected.

A decade of intestinal protozoan epidemiology among settled immigrants in Qatar.

Background: The World Health Organization estimates that about 3.5 billion people worldwide are affected by intestinal parasitic infections. Reports have already emphasized the role of immigrants in outbreaks of parasitic diseases in industrialized countries.

Antimicrobials: a global alliance for optimizing their rational use in intra-abdominal infections (AGORA).

Intra-abdominal infections (IAI) are an important cause of morbidity and are frequently associated with poor prognosis, particularly in high-risk patients. The cornerstones in the management of complicated IAIs are timely effective source control with appropriate antimicrobial therapy. Empiric antimicrobial therapy is important in the management of intra-abdominal infections and must be broad enough to cover all likely organisms because inappropriate initial antimicrobial therapy is associated with poor patient outcomes and the development of bacterial resistance.

Helminth infections among long-term-residents and settled immigrants in Qatar in the decade from 2005 to 2014: temporal trends and varying prevalence among subjects from different regional origins.

Background: Travel and migration from developing regions, where tropical diseases are common, to more developed industrialised nations can contribute to the introduction and subsequent spread of infections. With its rapidly expanding economy, Qatar has attracted vast numbers of immigrant workers in the last two decades, often from countries with poor socio-economic levels. Many used to arrive with patent intestinal parasitic infections.