The AGE-RAGE axis in an Arab population: The United Arab Emirates Healthy Futures (UAEHFS) pilot study

© 2017 The Authors Aims The transformation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from a semi-nomadic to a high income society has been accompanied by increasing rates of obesity and Type 2 diabetes mellitus. We examined if the AGE-RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation endproducts) axis is associated with obesity and diabetes mellitus in the pilot phase of the UAE Healthy Futures Study (UAEHFS). Methods 517 Emirati subjects were enrolled and plasma/serum levels of AGE, carboxy methyl lysine (CML)-AGE, soluble (s)RAGE and endogenous secretory (es)RAGE were measured along with weight, height, waist and hip circumference (WC/HC), blood pressure, HbA1c, Vitamin D levels and routine chemistries. The relationship between the AGE-RAGE axis and obesity and diabetes mellitus was tested using proportional odds models and linear regression. Results After covariate adjustment, AGE levels were significantly associated with diabetes status. Levels of sRAGE and esRAGE were associated with BMI and levels of sRAGE were associated with WC/HC. Conclusions The AGE-RAGE axis is associated with diabetes status and obesity in this Arab population. Prospective serial analysis of this axis may identify predictive biomarkers of obesity and cardiometabolic dysfunction in the UAEHFS

Tobacco Smoking Using Midwakh Is an Emerging Health Problem – Evidence from a Large Cross-Sectional Survey in the United Arab Emirates

INTRODUCTION: Accurate information about the prevalence and types of tobacco use is essential to deliver effective public health policy. We aimed to study the prevalence and modes of tobacco consumption in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), particularly focusing on the use of Midwakh (Arabic traditional pipe). METHODS: We studied 170,430 UAE nationals aged ≥ 18 years (44% males and 56% females) in the Weqaya population-based screening program in Abu Dhabi residents during the period April 2008-June 2010. Self-reported smoking status, type, quantity and duration of tobacco smoked were recorded. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the study findings; prevalence rates used the screened sample as the denominator. RESULT: The prevalence of smoking overall was 24.3% in males and 0.8% in females and highest in males aged 20-39. Mean age (SD) of smokers was 32.8 (11.1) years, 32.7 (11.1) in males and 35.7 (12.1) in females. Cigarette smoking was the commonest form of tobacco use (77.4% of smokers), followed by Midwakh (15.0%), shisha (waterpipe) (6.8%), and cigar (0.66%). The mean durations of smoking for cigarettes, Midwakh, shisha and cigars were 11.4, 9.3, 7.6 and 11.0 years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking is most common among younger UAE national men. The use of Midwakh and the relatively young age of onset of Midwakh smokers is of particular concern as is the possibility of the habit spreading to other countries. Comprehensive tobacco control laws targeting the young and the use of Midwakh are needed

Exploring the quality of life of cosmetic users: A cross-sectional analysis from eight Arab countries in the Middle East

Background The use of cosmetic products is growing in dominance in the Arab population, making it essential to measure its effects on users. The production of cosmetics has been largely driven by consumerism and a bid to keep abreast with the latest trends in the beauty industry with less attention on how the users' quality of life (QoL) is affected. Aims This study aims to investigate the effect of cosmetic products on users' quality of life in eight Arab countries. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out using an online data collection approach. A validated and specialist instrument tool called BeautyQoL, which consists of five domains and a total of 52 questions, was distributed to a sample of 2219 cosmetic users. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was done using SPSS® version 26.0. Results The mean age of participants was 34 ± 11.25 years, and more women were represented in the sample (71%) than men. The majority of respondents had oily skin type (39.6%) and tan skin tone (30.4%). QoL through cosmetic use is computed with a mean score of 51 out of 100. The users' mean score satisfaction from cosmetic use is centred on attractiveness (56.1), followed by self-confidence (51.8). Cosmetics have a statistically significant effect on participants who are young adults, women, single, and employed with high income. As the respondents' skin tone deepens from very fair to dark, the mean score for each domain significantly increases, whereas when skin type changes from very oily to dry, the mean score for each domain decreases. Conclusion The effect of cosmetics on the users' QoL is limited, contrary to the narrative commonly portrayed in cosmetics' advertisements. Therefore, the use of cosmetics among the Arab population should be from an informed perspective of their specific needs instead of conforming to the viral trends pedaled by influencers and bloggers on social media, which might be irrelevant for them.Open access publishing facilitated by Monash University, as part of the Wiley - Monash University agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians. [Correction added on 5 July 2022, after first online publication: CAUL funding statement has been added.]Scopu

Adoption and use of e-government services in the Abu Dhabi police force : a qualitative study

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are becoming increasingly prevalent in peoples’ daily lives due to the presence of e-government. This research-in-progress paper aims to identify and understand factors affecting the diffusion, adoption and use of e-services in a public sector organisation, in this case, Abu Dhabi Police Force (ADPF) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A qualitative approach involving 39 participants’ interviews was used in this study. The questions used in the interviews were based on a conceptual framework that applied certain constructs taken from Diffusion of Innovations Theory (DOI), Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and e-Commerce’s Trustworthiness models. The research study results show that age, education, position within an organisation and the job that an individual is involved with inhibit or encourage the use and adoption of e-services. The contributions from this research are anticipated to be a better understanding of the diffusion, adoption and use of e-services in the UAE region. For industry the findings offer a diverse perspective as they provide some information on the impacts of e-services in public sector organisations of Abu Dhabi. Policymakers, particularly in the UAE and developing countries can learn of the impacts of e-government efforts in the public sector of Abu Dhabi.Final Published versio

Islamic parents' attitudes and beliefs towards school-based sexual and reproductive health education programmes in Oman

School-based comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) programmes play an important role in reducing young people's sexual risk behaviour and promoting health and well-being. There is limited evidence regarding the attitudes and beliefs of parents towards the implementation of school-based CSE programmes in Islamic cultural settings, including Oman, which this mixed-method study set out to explore. A convenience sample of 250 parents, with equal numbers of mothers and fathers of children aged 12 to 14 years (grades 7 to 9) at two urban public pre-secondary schools in Saham, completed a paper-based self-administered questionnaire in Arabic. We found most parents (72.8%) supported school-based CSE programmes that conformed to Islamic requirements of pre-marital sexual abstinence, but there was some opposition. Almost all parents supported comprehensive age-appropriate CSE being taught to students aged 10 to 15 years, including topics perceived as controversial in Omani culture, except for birth control and safer sex. Most parents considered themselves, school teachers and school nurses to be important sources of CSE. The study findings which suggest strong parental support for CSE programmes can facilitate education policy, CSE curriculum decision-makers and school healthcare-providers in Oman, other Middle Eastern countries, and countries with Muslim immigrant populations

Maximizing Value of a Giant Offshore Asset through Proper Production Planning, Optimization and Capacity Management

The fundamental objective of operators of oil and gas fields is to maximize hydrocarbon production from their assets safely, economically and without jeopardizing the ultimate recovery from the producing reservoir. It is a challenge to achieve this objective for a large, complex and dynamic system like the subject offshore field. The production planning process is a key task within reservoir and production management to maximize production. Recognizing the importance of proper production planning and optimization, a dedicated team was formed in ZADCO in 2008 to enhance the work flow/process for production planning. In this paper, we present how the team modified the existing work flows/processes using a new string-by-string planning, optimization and monitoring tool to transform the existing reactive production planning procedures to a proactive and dynamic production planning process. The focus has been on integration of different components of the production optimization process and enhancing communication among all stakeholders. The new system allows for continuous monitoring of the planned vs. actual and facilitates quick adjustment of the forward plan to achieve the planned targets. The paper outlines how the integration of work processes between various disciplines is achieved so that decisions could be made with common view of the status and challenges ahead. New software tools, developed in house in ZADCO, help achieve this work flow in an efficient manner. The new production planning system has been implemented in ZADCO since March, 2009. The results show better compliance with reservoir/shareholders guidelines, reduced response time, improved what-if abilities and faster decision-making to deal with complex situations. Although the system is in initial stages of implementation, it has already resulted in an improvement in the operational efficiency of ~3%, which translates into thousands of STBD per day of additional production availability for the field. Copyright 2010, Society of Petroleum Engineers