Role of genetics in eleven of the most common autoimmune diseases in the post genome-wide association studies era.

Autoimmune diseases (ADs) are common conditions in which an individual's immune system reacts against its healthy cells. This condition is a common cause of morbidity and mortality, with an estimated prevalence ranging from 5 per 100,000 to more than 500 per 100,000. According to the National Stem Cell Foundation (NSCF), ADs are prevalent in about 4% of the world's population, which creates a burden on society due to the high treatment cost. ADs show a clear gender bias with a higher prevalence among women, occurring at a rate of 2:1 female-to-male ratio. The etiology of ADs includes genetic and environmental factors. ADs are more likely to develop in genetically susceptible individuals. The higher concordance ratio between monozygotic twins compared to dizygotic twins or other siblings validates the role of genetic factors in the pathogenesis of many ADs. ADs diagnosis includes conventional immunoassay such as indirect immunofluorescence, complement fixation, passive agglutination, autoantibodies detection, and most recent advances, including multiplex platforms such as microspots, line-blot, addressable microbeads and barcoded nanoparticles that allow multiplex parallel testing of autoantibodies. ADs treatment includes biological and synthetic drugs that block many pathways and components of the immune system, including Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, non-receptor tyrosine-protein kinase (TYK2), and other cytokines. Generally, recent immune-modulatory drugs used in ADs treatment are non-disease specific with broad action and are associated with many side effects like infection and malignant diseases. Furthermore, gene therapy seeks to control the levels of proinflammatory cytokine molecules and lymphocyte infiltration through the delivery and expression of therapeutic genes. Recent genomic-wide association studies (GWAS) have allowed the identification of various genetic loci associated with disease susceptibility and have revealed candidate genes that can be used in targeted therapeutics. This review summarizes recent literature on the genetic factors associated with susceptibility to the 11 most common ADs, namely: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), Multiple sclerosis (MS), Grave's disease, Sjögren's syndrome (SS), Celiac disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), Anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS), Autoimmune hemolytic anemia, Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and Scleroderma (systemic sclerosis).

Profiling the Oral Microbiome and Plasma Biochemistry of Obese Hyperglycemic Subjects in Qatar.

The present study is designed to compare demographic characteristics, plasma biochemistry, and the oral microbiome in obese (N = 37) and lean control (N = 36) subjects enrolled at Qatar Biobank, Qatar. Plasma hormones, enzymes, and lipid profiles were analyzed at Hamad Medical Cooperation Diagnostic Laboratory. Saliva microbiome characterization was carried out by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing using Illumina MiSeq platform. Obese subjects had higher testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) concentrations compared to the control group. A negative association between BMI and testosterone (P < 0.001, r = -0.64) and SHBG (P < 0.001, r = -0.34) was observed. Irrespective of the study groups, the oral microbiome was predominantly occupied by Streptococcus, Prevotella, and Veillonella species. A generalized linear model revealed that the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio (2.25 ± 1.83 vs. 1.76 ± 0.58; corrected P-value = 0.04) was higher, and phylum Fusobacteria concentration (4.5 ± 3.0 vs. 6.2 ± 4.3; corrected P-value = 0.05) was low in the obese group compared with the control group. However, no differences in microbiome diversity were observed between the two groups as evaluated by alpha (Kruskal-Wallis P ≥ 0.78) and beta (PERMANOVA P = 0.37) diversity indexes. Certain bacterial phyla (Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, Proteobacteria, Spirochaetes, and Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes) were positively associated (P = 0.05, r ≤ +0.5) with estradiol, fast food consumption, creatinine, breastfed during infancy, triglycerides, and thyroid-stimulating hormone concentrations. In conclusion, no differences in oral microbiome diversity were observed between the studied groups. However, the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, a recognized obesogenic microbiome trait, was higher in the obese subjects. Further studies are warranted to confirm these findings in a larger cohort.

The prevalence and characteristics of overweight and obesity among students in Qatar.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity using World Health Organisation (WHO) cut-offs for the body mass index (BMI) among students of the general population living in Qatar in the period 2015-2016. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: The study includes 164,963 students aged 5-19 years. The body weight and height were measured to calculate the BMI. The WHO standard cut-offs were used to categorise the BMI into severe thinness (BMI z-score <-3), thinness (BMI z-score ≥-3 to <-2), normal (BMI z-score ≥-2 to <1), overweight (BMI z-score ≥+1 to <+2) and obese (BMI z-score >+2). RESULTS: Overweight and obesity prevalence was 44.8% and 40.4% among males and females and 45.6% and 40.9% among Qatari and non-Qatari students, respectively. Odds of obesity and overweight status were significantly higher among 10-14 and 15-19 age groups than 5-9 years age group (P < 0.001). By sex, males had 1.48 times higher odds of having obesity than females (P < 0.001), and Qatari nationals had 1.4 times higher odds of obesity than non-Qataris (P < 0.001). Although non-Qatari males also had higher odds of being overweight than females (odds ratio [OR] = 1.05, P = 0.0006), the opposite was seen among Qatari students (OR = 0.95, P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: The result of this survey provides evidence of a high prevalence of overweight and obese students living in Qatar. Therefore, preventive strategies are essential in this population to lower the incidence of being overweight and obesity.

Prevalence of physical activity and sedentary-related behaviors among adolescents: data from the Qatar National School Survey.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors among adolescents in Qatar by selected demographic characteristics. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: A total of 5862 students (2938 boys and 2924 girls) in the age group 12-17 years were included in the analyses. PA and sedentary-related measures were obtained from the self-reported survey questions. RESULTS: Only 35.4% of students were performing 60 min of PA ≥3 days/week. The proportion of students with >2 hr screentime ranged from 43% to 57% (weekdays) and 50% to 62.5% (weekends). Girls had less odds of being physically active than the boys (odds ratio [OR] = 0.61, P < 0.001). Qatari students were less likely to be physically active than non-Qataris (OR = 0.79, P < 0.001). Age was inversely correlated with PA ([r = -0.113, P < 0.001 for participation with sports team] and [r = -0.139, P < 0.001 for school physical education classes]). Participation in sports teams positively correlated with 60 min of PA number of days in a week (r = 0.317, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The study describes insufficient PA among youth as a public health issue of concern in the State of Qatar that requires multipronged health promotion initiatives.

Oral health status of six-year-old children in Qatar: findings from the national oral health survey.

INTRODUCTION: Oral health has a significant impact on physical, social and mental well-being of an individual. Qatar, like the rest of the world, is experiencing higher prevalence of oral health-related problems. OBJECTIVES: To examine the oral health status and extent of preventive and curative needs among six-year-old school children in Qatar by key demographic indicators. METHODS: Secondary data analysis of 1124 six-year-old private and government primary school children from the 2011 Qatar National Oral Health Survey was performed. Dental caries lesions status of primary dentition was assessed according to the WHO criteria. Descriptive statistics were carried out, and comparison among groups was executed by running t statistics. Logistic regression was performed to interpret the impact of various predictors. RESULTS: Overall, 71.4% children presented with dental caries lesions with a higher prevalence among girls versus boys (73.8% versus 68.9%). The mean overall dmft was recorded as 4.2 with ±4.2 SD. Qatari children had 3.8 time odds of having dental caries lesions compared with non-Qatari children (P < 0.001). Overall, 18.9% of children showed signs of poor periodontal health. Odds of having more periodontal disease were significant in Qatari boys (OR = 3.1 CI = 2.0, 4.7, P < 0.001) compared to non-Qatari boys. On average, 3.6 teeth per student were in need of any treatment. CONCLUSION: This study indicated that only 28.6% of children aged six were free from caries lesions. The results urge to further strengthen the strategies and to improve oral hygiene by various evidence-based interventions.

Descriptive epidemiology of intestinal helminth parasites from stray cat populations in Qatar.

A total of 488 stray cats, 212 adult and 29 juvenile females plus 235 adult and 12 juvenile males, were examined post-mortem during the winter and summer months of 2006 from five sites in the vicinity of Doha and its outskirts. Five helminths, comprising three nematode and two cestode species were identified and the majority of cats harboured two of these species. The most prevalent was the cestode Taenia taeniaeformis (75.8%), followed by the cestode Diplopylidium sp. (42.8%), and the nematodes Ancylostoma tubaeforme (17.0%), Physaloptera sp. (6.6%) and Toxocara cati (0.8%). All five species were found to be typically overdispersed in their distribution. Using univariate and multivariate analyses, the prevalence and abundance of infections were primarily influenced by host gender and season, with females tending to harbour higher levels of infection during the summer. No significant differences were found relative to site except in the case of Physaloptera sp. Using bivariate Pearson product moment correlations, significant positive co-occurrences were identified between Diplopylidium sp. and T. taeniaeformis and also between A. tubaeforme and T. taeniaeformis. The results are discussed in relation to the effect of environmental conditions on the intestinal helminth infracommunities and their possible interactions in stray cat populations from such a harsh and arid region as Qatar.

Modelling flow to leachate wells in landfills.

Vertical wells are frequently used as a means of controlling leachate levels in landfills. They are often the only available dewatering option for both old landfills without any basal leachate collection layer and for newer sites where the installed drainage infrastructure has failed. When the well is pumped, a seepage face develops at the entry into the well so that the drawdown in the surrounding waste will not be as great as might be expected. The numerical groundwater flow model MODFLOW-SURFACT, which contains the functionality to model seepage surfaces, has been used to investigate the transient dewatering of a landfill. The study concludes that the position of the seepage face and information about the characteristics of the induced seepage flow field are important and should not be neglected when designing wells in landfills.

Rapid diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by multiplex polymerase chain reaction from clinical specimens.

An essential element in the control of tuberculosis is the rapid, sensitive and specific identification of the causative agent. Until now, screening and diagnosis are largely based on clinical signs, radiological examination, tuberculin tests, sputum examination under the microscope, or culture for mycobacteria. Tuberculin tests lack specificity and only give an indication of previous exposure to mycobacteria. Direct microscopic examination of sputum is neither specific nor sensitive enough, and mycobacterial isolation is time-consuming. As an alternative to these classical methods, new nucleic acid-based technologies show promise as a more rapid, sensitive, and specific means of identification of mycobacteria. Two commercial standardized nucleic acid-based amplification techniques have been reported to yield reliable results within 5 to 7 hrs. Roche Amplicor MTB (Roche Diagnostic System, Somerville, N.J.) and Gen-Probe AMTB (Gen-Probe Inc., San Diego, Calif.). The amplified target is part of the 16S rRNA gene which is common to all the mycobacteria. An attempt has been made to describe the use of the target DNA, SenX3-RegX3, in a multiplex PCR to detect and differentiate M. tuberculosis from other mycobacteria directly from clinical specimens.

Bacteremia and septicemia in Qatar.

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