Array of Graphene Variable Capacitors on 100 mm Silicon Wafers for Vibration-Based Applications.

Highly flexible, electrically conductive freestanding graphene membranes hold great promise for vibration-based applications. This study focuses on their integration into mainstream semiconductor manufacturing methods. We designed a two-mask lithography process that creates an array of freestanding graphene-based variable capacitors on 100 mm silicon wafers. The first mask forms long trenches terminated by square wells featuring cone-shaped tips at their centers. The second mask fabricates metal traces from each tip to its contact pad along the trench and a second contact pad opposite the square well. A graphene membrane is then suspended over the square well to form a variable capacitor. The same capacitor structures were also built on 5 mm by 5 mm bare dies containing an integrated circuit underneath. We used atomic force microscopy, optical microscopy, and capacitance measurements in time to characterize the samples.

Breast cancer in the GCC countries: A focus on BRCA1/2 and non-BRCA1/2 genes.

The GCC is an economic alliance of six Arab countries, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates (UAE). The rate of endogamous marriage among the GCC countries is approaching 100%, with very high consanguineous marriage rates. Although breast cancer is on the rise in the GCC countries, there are dearth of studies reporting on the genetic epidemiology of breast cancer. In this study, we investigated the frequency of BRCA1/2 and non-BRCA1/2 mutations in breast cancer patients in the GCC countries. BRCA1/2 mutations seem not to be significantly involved in hereditary breast cancer in the GCC countries, which is the most reported form of cancer in Oman, however no available data about the BRCA1/2 mutations role in breast cancer in the UAE. Mutations in more than 30 non-BRCA1/2 genes were reported to be associated with breast cancer patients in the GCC countries, some with comparable frequencies to the BRCA1/2 genes. Arab patients with breast cancer showed advanced stages of cancer and younger ages of onset compared to other Western countries. The Arab genome project pioneered by Saudi Arabia, followed by Qatar, Kuwait, and UAE, will help in the identification of new biomarkers for breast cancer that will be a target for new therapeutics and is expected to improve the prognosis of the disease. However, there is an urgent need for extensive well-controlled genetic epidemiological studies to provide accurate estimates of the frequency of genetic variants in both BRCA1/2 and non-BRCA1/2 among patients with breast cancer in the Gulf States, to provide better care and genetic counseling for Arab patients with predisposing genetic mutations to breast cancer.

The frequency of polycystic ovary syndrome in young reproductive females in Qatar.

This was a prospective cross-sectional study in which 126 female students between the ages of 18 and 30 years were evaluated for the frequency of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) through clinical interview, questionnaire, and anthropometric measurements. The diagnostic criteria of the US National Institutes of Health criteria were used. Menstrual irregularities (MI) were identified, and clinical hyperandrogenism was evaluated by self-assessment of hirsutism using modified Ferriman-Gallwey score. Blood analysis was done for measurement of prolactin, thyroid-stimulating hormone, and the androgen hormones. Of all the students, 37 (30.8%) had MI, 38 (31.7%) had clinical hirsutism, 37 (30.8%) had acne, and 76 (63.3%) had a family history of type 2 diabetes. The estimated frequency of PCOS was 18.33% according to the US National Institutes of Health definition. Hormonal analysis demonstrated a significant increase in androgens (total testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and free testosterone), and a significant decrease in sex hormone-binding globulin in our PCOS group, with a P-value <0.05. This study revealed a higher level of the androgen hormones among PCOS subjects with a frequency of PCOS (18.33%) similar to the global estimates of 10%-20%.