(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
DOHA:Students of College of Health Sciences (CHS) at Qatar University (QU) presented their graduation projects last week, focusing on a wide range of health topics including development of disease, genetic mutation and nutritional and public health practices.
The supervised research also shed light on the progression and understanding of chronic diseases of high prevalence in Qatar and their relation to nutritional and public health practices. Some of the research projects were also accepted for publication in prominent scientific journals such as the Journal of Metabolic Brain Disease.
Students of QU's Biomedical Science Department offered new insights and findings in the area of disease development and genetic mutation.
Among the findings was the reporting of a new strain of meningitis virus associated with non-polio paralysis for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa Region (MENA).
The study entitled ‘Epidemiological Surveillance and Molecular Epidemiology of Viral Meningitis in Qatar' was presented by Sara Jemmieh and Amira Kohil and showed that of the 2261 patients suspected to have meningitis during the period between September 2018 and September 2019, only 7.8 percent were diagnosed with viral meningitis with higher prevalence in males.
The research demonstrated that the most common viruses circulating in Qatar were Echovirus-3, Echovirus-11 and EV-C105. The project was supervised by Professor Asma Al Thani and Dr. Hadi Yassin.
In another study focusing on the effect of hyperglycemia on embryonic heart development, students Moneera Nasir and Hissa Al Thani, supervised by Dr. Marwan Abu Madi and Dr. Hussin Yalsin, found that hyperglycemia altered the gene expression of KLF2, grossly changed the heart structure and affected blood flow velocity and ejection throughout the developing heart.
Research in the field of molecular genetics focused on glucose-6-phosphate deficiency in Qatar as well as novel mutations that are believed to correlate with the pathogenicity of malignant hyperthermia in Qatar. The studies were done respectively by Shaza Malik and Roan Zaid; and the latter by Samia Ahmed and Mariam Radi. Both projects were supervised by Dr. Mashael Al Shafi and utilised data from Qatar Genome Projects.
Some of the research projects presented by students may serve as a platform for the potential development of therapeutic drugs, such as the projects supervised by Dr. Hatem Zaid. An example of this is a study on the molecular mechanism behind the association between Gaucher disease, a rare inherited metabolic disorder and Parkinson's disease, a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system, conducted by students Hend Eldous and Zainab Mahgoub.
The outcome of the research is to be published in the Journal for Metabolic Brain Disease. The researchers studied a collection of missense mutations in GBA gene that is known to predispose patients with Gaucher's disease to develop Parkinson's. Another research with implications for disease cure is the study of Niazullah and Sadia Tasneem, on the effectiveness of using computational tools in variants classification of patients with Pompe disease, an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder which damages muscle and nerve cells throughout the body.
Under the supervision of Dr. Tahra El-Obeid, Head of the Human Nutrition Department, students of the department presented 31 graduation projects that covered a wide range of topics in the different areas of nutrition and food safety. In the field of food science, Fatima Mohamed, Khloud Moustafa and Louijan Elouzi conducted a study on ‘Market Analysis and Health Implications of Heavy Metal Content in Rice Imported to Qatar'.
The research project supervised by Dr. Tahra demonstrated that the content of heavy metals, specifically arsenic, cadmium and lead was well within the World Health Organization (WHO) standards. The research outcome is a clear indication that the State of Qatar continues to import high quality food commodities despite the unlawful siege imposed on Qatar.
The ‘Association of Total Body Fat with Mineral Status Among Adults' was the subject of the research project presented by Alaa Shehada, Eman Abdelnasser and Reem Ali under the supervision of Dr. Abdelhamid Kerkadi.
The study showed that iron, calcium, sodium and magnesium levels decreased with an increase in BMI. Dr. Abdelhamid also supervised the study conducted by Lana Abu Salah, Christina Lotfy and Dana Suleman entitled ‘A Comparison Between BMI, Waist Circumference and Waist to Height Ratio for Identifying Cardio Metabolic Risk in Adults', indicating a positive correlation between waist circumference, waist to height ratio and cardiovascular disease biomarkers compared to other anthropometric indices.
MENAFN2001201900630000ID1097999476
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.