The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of strength and balance Exergames to reduce falls risk for people aged 55 years and older in UK assisted living facilities: A multi-centre, cluster randomised controlled trial

Background: Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal unintentional injuries in older people. The use of Exergames (active, gamified video-based exercises) is a possible innovative, community-based approach. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a tailored OTAGO/FaME based strength and balance Exergame programme for improving balance, maintaining function and reducing falls risk in older people. Methods: A two-arm cluster randomised controlled trial recruiting adults aged 55 years and older living in 18 assisted-living (sheltered housing) facilities (clusters) in the UK. Standard care (physiotherapy advice and leaflet) was compared to a tailored 12-week strength and balance Exergame programme, supported by physiotherapists or trained assistants. Complete-case analysis (intention to treat) was used to compare Berg Balance Scale (BBS) at baseline and at 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes included: fear of falling, mobility, falls risk, pain, mood, fatigue, cognition, healthcare utilisation and health-related quality of life; self-reported physical activity and falls. Results: Eighteen clusters were randomised (9 to each arm) with 56 participants allocated to the intervention and 50 to the control (78% female, mean age 78 years). Fourteen participants withdrew over the 12 weeks (both arms), mainly for ill health. There was an adjusted mean improvement in balance (BBS) of 6.2 (95% CI 2.4 to 10.0), reduced fear of falling (p=0.007) and pain (p=0.02) in Exergame group. Mean attendance at sessions was 69% (mean exercising time of 33 minutes/week). 24% of control group and 20% of Exergame group fell over trial period. The change in falls rates significantly favoured the intervention (incident rate ratio 0.31 (95% CI 0.16 to 0.62, p=0.001)). The point estimate of the incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) was £15,209.80 per QALY. Using 10,000 bootstrap replications, at the lower bound of the NICE threshold of £20,000 per QALY, there was a 61% probability of Exergames being cost-effective, rising to 73% at the upper bound of £30,000 per QALY. Conclusions: Exergames, as delivered in this trial, improve balance, pain and fear of falling and are a cost-effective fall prevention strategy in assisted living facilities for people aged 55 years or older

Differences in mortality in critically ill elderly patients during the second COVID-19 surge in Europe

Background!#!The primary aim of this study was to assess the outcome of elderly intensive care unit (ICU) patients treated during the spring and autumn COVID-19 surges in Europe.!##!Methods!#!This was a prospective European observational study (the COVIP study) in ICU patients aged 70 years and older admitted with COVID-19 disease from March to December 2020 to 159 ICUs in 14 European countries. An electronic database was used to register a number of parameters including: SOFA score, Clinical Frailty Scale, co-morbidities, usual ICU procedures and survival at 90 days. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04321265).!##!Results!#!In total, 2625 patients were included, 1327 from the first and 1298 from the second surge. Median age was 74 and 75 years in surge 1 and 2, respectively. SOFA score was higher in the first surge (median 6 versus 5, p < 0.0001). The PaO!##!Conclusion!#!An unexpected, but significant, decrease in 30-day and 90-day survival was observed during the second surge in our cohort of elderly ICU patients. The reason for this is unclear. Our main concern is whether the widespread changes in practice and treatment of COVID-19 between the two surges have contributed to this increased mortality in elderly patients. Further studies are urgently warranted to provide more evidence for current practice in elderly patients.!##!Trial registration number!#!NCT04321265 , registered March 19th, 2020

Noninvasive ventilation in COVID-19 patients aged ≥ 70 years : a prospective multicentre cohort study

Background: Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is a promising alternative to invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) with a particular importance amidst the shortage of intensive care unit (ICU) beds during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to evaluate the use of NIV in Europe and factors associated with outcomes of patients treated with NIV. Methods: This is a substudy of COVIP study-an international prospective observational study enrolling patients aged >= 70 years with confirmed COVID-19 treated in ICU. We enrolled patients in 156 ICUs across 15 European countries between March 2020 and April 2021.The primary endpoint was 30-day mortality. Results: Cohort included 3074 patients, most of whom were male (2197/3074, 71.4%) at the mean age of 75.7 years (SD 4.6). NIV frequency was 25.7% and varied from 1.1 to 62.0% between participating countries. Primary NIV failure, defined as need for endotracheal intubation or death within 30 days since ICU admission, occurred in 470/629 (74.7%) of patients. Factors associated with increased NIV failure risk were higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score (OR 3.73, 95% CI 2.36-5.90) and Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) on admission (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.06-2.00). Patients initially treated with NIV (n = 630) lived for 1.36 fewer days (95% CI - 2.27 to - 0.46 days) compared to primary IMV group (n = 1876). Conclusions: Frequency of NIV use varies across European countries. Higher severity of illness and more severe frailty were associated with a risk of NIV failure among critically ill older adults with COVID-19. Primary IMV was associated with better outcomes than primary NIV

Health-related quality of life in older patients surviving ICU treatment for COVID-19: results from an international observational study of patients older than 70 years

International audienceBackground health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important patient-centred outcome in patients surviving ICU admission for COVID-19. It is currently not clear which domains of the HRQoL are most affected. Objective to quantify HRQoL in order to identify areas of interventions. Design prospective observation study. Setting admissions to European ICUs between March 2020 and February 2021. Subjects patients aged 70 years or older admitted with COVID-19 disease. Methods collected determinants include SOFA-score, Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), number and timing of ICU procedures and limitation of care, Katz Activities of Daily Living (ADL) dependence score. HRQoL was assessed at 3 months after ICU admission with the Euro-QoL-5D-5L questionnaire. An outcome of ≥4 on any of Euro-QoL-5D-5L domains was considered unfavourable. Results in total 3,140 patients from 14 European countries were included in this study. Three months after inclusion, 1,224 patients (39.0%) were alive and the EQ-5D-5L from was obtained. The CFS was associated with an increased odds ratio for an unfavourable HRQoL outcome after 3 months; OR 1.15 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.71–1.87) for CFS 2 to OR 4.33 (95% CI: 1.57–11.9) for CFS ≧ 7. The Katz ADL was not statistically significantly associated with HRQoL after 3 months. Conclusions in critically ill old intensive care patients suffering from COVID-19, the CFS is associated with the subjectively perceived quality of life. The CFS on admission can be used to inform patients and relatives on the risk of an unfavourable qualitative outcome if such patients survive

Increased 30-day mortality in very old ICU patients with COVID-19 compared to patients with respiratory failure without COVID-19

Purpose The number of patients >= 80 years admitted into critical care is increasing. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) added another challenge for clinical decisions for both admission and limitation of life-sustaining treatments (LLST). We aimed to compare the characteristics and mortality of very old critically ill patients with or without COVID-19 with a focus on LLST. Methods Patients 80 years or older with acute respiratory failure were recruited from the VIP2 and COVIP studies. Baseline patient characteristics, interventions in intensive care unit (ICU) and outcomes (30-day survival) were recorded. COVID patients were matched to non-COVID patients based on the following factors: age (+/- 2 years), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score (+/- 2 points), clinical frailty scale (+/- 1 point), gender and region on a 1:2 ratio. Specific ICU procedures and LLST were compared between the cohorts by means of cumulative incidence curves taking into account the competing risk of discharge and death. Results 693 COVID patients were compared to 1393 non-COVID patients. COVID patients were younger, less frail, less severely ill with lower SOFA score, but were treated more often with invasive mechanical ventilation (MV) and had a lower 30-day survival. 404 COVID patients could be matched to 666 non-COVID patients. For COVID patients, withholding and withdrawing of LST were more frequent than for non-COVID and the 30-day survival was almost half compared to non-COVID patients. Conclusion Very old COVID patients have a different trajectory than non-COVID patients. Whether this finding is due to a decision policy with more active treatment limitation or to an inherent higher risk of death due to COVID-19 is unclear

The impact of frailty on survival in elderly intensive care patients with COVID-19: the COVIP study

Auteurs : COVIP study groupInternational audienceBackground The COVID-19 pandemic has led highly developed healthcare systems to the brink of collapse due to the large numbers of patients being admitted into hospitals. One of the potential prognostic indicators in patients with COVID-19 is frailty. The degree of frailty could be used to assist both the triage into intensive care, and decisions regarding treatment limitations. Our study sought to determine the interaction of frailty and age in elderly COVID-19 ICU patients. Methods A prospective multicentre study of COVID-19 patients ≥ 70 years admitted to intensive care in 138 ICUs from 28 countries was conducted. The primary endpoint was 30-day mortality. Frailty was assessed using the clinical frailty scale. Additionally, comorbidities, management strategies and treatment limitations were recorded. Results The study included 1346 patients (28% female) with a median age of 75 years (IQR 72–78, range 70–96), 16.3% were older than 80 years, and 21% of the patients were frail. The overall survival at 30 days was 59% (95% CI 56–62), with 66% (63–69) in fit, 53% (47–61) in vulnerable and 41% (35–47) in frail patients ( p < 0.001). In frail patients, there was no difference in 30-day survival between different age categories. Frailty was linked to an increased use of treatment limitations and less use of mechanical ventilation. In a model controlling for age, disease severity, sex, treatment limitations and comorbidities, frailty was independently associated with lower survival. Conclusion Frailty provides relevant prognostic information in elderly COVID-19 patients in addition to age and comorbidities. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04321265 , registered 19 March 2020

Abstracts from the 3rd International Genomic Medicine Conference (3rd IGMC 2015)

Table of contents O1 Regulation of genes by telomere length over long distances Jerry W. Shay O2 The microtubule destabilizer KIF2A regulates the postnatal establishment of neuronal circuits in addition to prenatal cell survival, cell migration, and axon elongation, and its loss leading to malformation of cortical development and severe epilepsy Noriko Homma, Ruyun Zhou, Muhammad Imran Naseer, Adeel G. Chaudhary, Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Nobutaka Hirokawa O3 Integration of metagenomics and metabolomics in gut microbiome research Maryam Goudarzi, Albert J. Fornace Jr. O4 A unique integrated system to discern pathogenesis of central nervous system tumors Saleh Baeesa, Deema Hussain, Mohammed Bangash, Fahad Alghamdi, Hans-Juergen Schulten, Angel Carracedo, Ishaq Khan, Hanadi Qashqari, Nawal Madkhali, Mohamad Saka, Kulvinder S. Saini, Awatif Jamal, Jaudah Al-Maghrabi, Adel Abuzenadah, Adeel Chaudhary, Mohammed Al Qahtani, Ghazi Damanhouri O5 RPL27A is a target of miR-595 and deficiency contributes to ribosomal dysgenesis Heba Alkhatabi O6 Next generation DNA sequencing panels for haemostatic and platelet disorders and for Fanconi anaemia in routine diagnostic service Anne Goodeve, Laura Crookes, Nikolas Niksic, Nicholas Beauchamp O7 Targeted sequencing panels and their utilization in personalized medicine Adel M. Abuzenadah O8 International biobanking in the era of precision medicine Jim Vaught O9 Biobank and biodata for clinical and forensic applications Bruce Budowle, Mourad Assidi, Abdelbaset Buhmeida O10 Tissue microarray technique: a powerful adjunct tool for molecular profiling of solid tumors Jaudah Al-Maghrabi O11 The CEGMR biobanking unit: achievements, challenges and future plans Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Mourad Assidi, Leena Merdad O12 Phylomedicine of tumors Sudhir Kumar, Sayaka Miura, Karen Gomez O13 Clinical implementation of pharmacogenomics for colorectal cancer treatment Angel Carracedo, Mahmood Rasool O14 From association to causality: translation of GWAS findings for genomic medicine Ahmed Rebai O15 E-GRASP: an interactive database and web application for efficient analysis of disease-associated genetic information Sajjad Karim, Hend F Nour Eldin, Heba Abusamra, Elham M Alhathli, Nada Salem, Mohammed H Al-Qahtani, Sudhir Kumar O16 The supercomputer facility “AZIZ” at KAU: utility and future prospects Hossam Faheem O17 New research into the causes of male infertility Ashok Agarwa O18 The Klinefelter syndrome: recent progress in pathophysiology and management Eberhard Nieschlag, Joachim Wistuba, Oliver S. Damm, Mohd A. Beg, Taha A. Abdel-Meguid, Hisham A. Mosli, Osama S. Bajouh, Adel M. Abuzenadah, Mohammed H. Al-Qahtani O19 A new look to reproductive medicine in the era of genomics Serdar Coskun P1 Wnt signalling receptors expression in Saudi breast cancer patients Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Ashraf Dallol, Jaudah Al-Maghrabi, Sahar Hakamy, Wejdan Al-Qahtani, Asia Al-Harbi, Shireen Hussain, Mourad Assidi, Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Adel Abuzenadah P2 Analysis of oxidative stress interactome during spermatogenesis: a systems biology approach to reproduction Burak Ozkosem, Rick DuBois P3 Interleukin-18 gene variants are strongly associated with idiopathic recurrent pregnancy loss. Safia S Messaoudi, Maryam T Dandana, Touhami Mahjoub, Wassim Y Almawi P4 Effect of environmental factors on gene-gene and gene-environment reactions: model and theoretical study applied to environmental interventions using genotype S. Abdalla, M. Nabil Al-Aama P5 Genomics and transcriptomic analysis of imatinib resistance in gastrointestinal stromal tumor Asmaa Elzawahry, Tsuyoshi Takahashi, Sachiyo Mimaki, Eisaku Furukawa, Rie Nakatsuka, Isao Kurosaka, Takahiko Nishigaki, Hiromi Nakamura, Satoshi Serada, Tetsuji Naka, Seiichi Hirota, Tatsuhiro Shibata, Katsuya Tsuchihara, Toshirou Nishida, Mamoru Kato P6 In-Silico analysis of putative HCV epitopes against Pakistani human leukocyte antigen background: an approach towards development of future vaccines for Pakistani population Sajid Mehmood, Naeem Mahmood Ashraf, Awais Asif, Muhammad Bilal, Malik Siddique Mehmood, Aadil Hussain P7 Inhibition of AChE and BuChE with the natural compounds of Bacopa monerri for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease: a bioinformatics approach Qazi Mohammad Sajid Jamal, Mughees Uddin Siddiqui, Mohammad A. Alzohairy, Mohammad A. Al Karaawi P8 Her2 expression in urothelial cell carcinoma of the bladder in Saudi Arabia Taoufik Nedjadi, Jaudah Al-Maghrabi, Mourad Assidi, Heba Al-Khattabi, Adel Al-Ammari, Ahmed Al-Sayyad, Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Mohammed Al-Qahtani P9 Association of angiotensinogen single nucleotide polymorphisms with Preeclampsia in patients from North Africa Hédia Zitouni, Nozha Raguema, Marwa Ben Ali, Wided Malah, Raja Lfalah, Wassim Almawi, Touhami Mahjoub P10 Systems biology analysis reveals relations between normal skin, benign nevi and malignant melanoma Mohammed Elanbari, Andrey Ptitsyn P11 The apoptotic effect of thymoquinone in Jurkat cells Sana Mahjoub, Rabeb El Ghali, Bechir Achour, Nidhal Ben Amor, Mourad Assidi, Brahim N'siri, Hamid Morjani P12 Sonic hedgehog contributes in bladder cancer invasion in Saudi Arabia Taoufik Nedjadi, Adel Al-Ammari, Ahmed Al-Sayyad, Nada Salem, Esam Azhar, Jaudah Al-Maghrabi P13 Association of Interleukin 18 gene promoter polymorphisms - 607A/C and -137 G/C with colorectal cancer onset in a sample of Tunisian population Vera Chayeb, Maryam Dendena, Hedia Zitouni, Khedija Zouari-Limayem, Touhami Mahjoub P14 Pathological expression of interleukin-6, -11, leukemia inhibitory factor and their receptors in tubal gestation with and without tubal cytomegalovirus infection Bassem Refaat, Ahmed M Ashshi, Sarah A Batwa P15 Phenotypic and genetic profiling of avian pathogenic and human diarrhegenic Escherichia coli in Egypt Hazem Ramadan, Amal Awad, Ahmed Ateya P16 Cancer-targeting dual gene virotherapy as a promising therapeutic strategy for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma Adel Galal Ahmed El-Shemi, Ahmad Ashshi, Mohammed Basalamah, Youjin Na, Chae-Ok YUN P17 Cancer dual gene therapy with oncolytic adenoviruses expressing TRAIL and IL-12 transgenes markedly eradicated human hepatocellular carcinoma both in vitro and in vivo Adel Galal Ahmed El-Shemi, Ahmad Ashshi, Mohammed Basalamah, Youjin Na, Chae-Ok Yun P18 Therapy with paricalcitol attenuates tumor growth and augments tumoricidal and anti-oncogenic effects of 5-fluorouracil on animal model of colon cancer Adel Galal El-Shemi, Bassem Refaat, Osama Kensara, Amr Abdelfattah P19 The effects of Rubus idaeus extract on normal human lymphocytes and cancer cell line Batol Imran Dheeb, Mohammed M. F. Al-Halbosiy, Rghad Kadhim Al lihabi, Basim Mohammed Khashman P20 Etanercept, a TNF-alpha inhibitor, alleviates mechanical hypersensitivity and spontaneous pain in a rat model of chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain Djouhri, Laiche, Chaudhary Adeel, Nedjadi, Taoufik P21 Sleeping beauty mutagenesis system identified genes and neuronal transcription factor network involved in pediatric solid tumour (medulloblastoma) Hani Al-Afghani, Maria Łastowska, Haya H Al-Balool, Harsh Sheth, Emma Mercer, Jonathan M Coxhead, Chris PF Redfern, Heiko Peters, Alastair D Burt, Mauro Santibanez-Koref, Chris M Bacon, Louis Chesler, Alistair G Rust, David J Adams, Daniel Williamson, Steven C Clifford, Michael S Jackson P22 Involvement of interleukin-1 in vitiligo pathogenesis Mala Singh, Mohmmad Shoab Mansuri, Shahnawaz D. Jadeja, Hima Patel, Yogesh S. Marfatia, Rasheedunnisa Begum P23 Cytogenetics abnormalities in 12,884 referred population for chromosomal analysis and the role of FISH in refining the diagnosis (cytogenetic experience 2004-2013) Amal M Mohamed, Alaa K Kamel, Nivin A Helmy, Sayda A Hammad, Hesham F Kayed, Marwa I Shehab, Assad El Gerzawy, Maha M. Ead, Ola M Ead, Mona Mekkawy, Innas Mazen, Mona El-Ruby P24 Analysis of binding properties of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 through in silico method S. M. A. Shahid, Qazi Mohammad Sajid Jamal, J. M. Arif, Mohtashim Lohani P25 Relationship of genetics markers cis and trans to the β-S globin gene with fetal hemoglobin expression in Tunisian sickle cell patients Moumni Imen, Chaouch Leila, Ouragini Houyem, Douzi Kais, Chaouachi Dorra Mellouli Fethi, Bejaoui Mohamed, Abbes Salem P26 Analysis of estrogen receptor alpha gene polymorphisms in breast cancer: link to genetic predisposition in Sudanese women Areeg Faggad, Amanuel T Gebreslasie, Hani Y Zaki, Badreldin E Abdalla P27 KCNQI gene polymorphism and its association with CVD and T2DM in the Saudi population Maha S AlShammari, Rhaya Al-Ali, Nader Al-Balawi , Mansour Al-Enazi, Ali Al-Muraikhi, Fadi Busaleh, Ali Al-Sahwan, Francis Borgio, Abdulazeez Sayyed, Amein Al-Ali, Sadananda Acharya P28 Clinical, neuroimaging and cytogenetic study of a patient with microcephaly capillary malformation syndrome Maha S. Zaki, Hala T. El-Bassyouni, Marwa I. Shehab P29 Altered expression of CD200R1 on dendritic cells of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases: in silico investigations and clinical evaluations Mohammed F. Elshal, Kaleemuddin M., Alia M. Aldahlawi, Omar Saadah, J. Philip McCoy P30 Development of real time PCR diagnostic protocol specific for the Saudi Arabian H1N1 viral strains Adel E El-Tarras, Nabil S Awad, Abdulla A Alharthi, Mohamed M M Ibrahim P31 Identification of novel genetic variations affecting Osteoarthritis patients Haneen S Alsehli, Ashraf Dallol, Abdullah M Gari, Mohammed M Abbas, Roaa A Kadam, Mazen M. Gari, Mohmmed H Alkaff, Adel M Abuzenadah, Mamdooh A Gari P32 An integrated database of GWAS SNVs and their evolutionary properties Heba Abusamra, Sajjad Karim, Hend F Nour eldin, Elham M Alhathli, Nada Salem, Sudhir Kumar, Mohammed H Al-Qahtani P33 Familial hypercholesterolemia in Saudi Arabia: prime time for a national registry and genetic analysis Fatima A. Moradi, Omran M. Rashidi, Zuhier A. Awan P34 Comparative genomics and network-based analyses of early hepatocellular carcinoma Ibrahim Hamza Kaya, Olfat Al-Harazi, Dilek Colak P35 A TALEN-based oncolytic viral vector approach to knock out ABCB1 gene mediated chemoresistance in cancer stem cells Nabila A Alkousi, Takis Athanasopoulos P36 Cartilage differentiation and gene expression of synovial fluid mesenchymal stem cells derived from osteoarthritis patients Afnan O Bahmaid, Etimad A Alhwait, Mamdooh A Gari, Haneen S Alsehli, Mohammed M Abbas, Mohammed H Alkaf, Roaa Kadam, Ashraf Dallol, Gauthaman Kalamegam P37 E-GRASP: Adding an evolutionary component to the genome-wide repository of associations (GRASP) resource Hend F Nour Eldin, Sajjad Karim, Heba Abusamra, Elham Alhathli, Nada Salem, Mohammed H Al-Qahtani, Sudhir Kumar P38 Screening of AGL gene mutation in Saudi family with glycogen storage disease Type III Salma N Alsayed, Fawziah H Aljohani, Samaher M Habeeb, Rawan A Almashali, Sulman Basit, Samia M Ahmed P39 High throughput proteomic data suggest modulation of cAMP dependent protein kinase A and mitochondrial function in infertile patients with varicocele Rakesh Sharma, Ashok Agarwal, Damayanthi Durairajanayagam, Luna Samanta, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Adel M. Abuzenadah, Edmund S. Sabanegh, Mourad Assidi, Mohammed Al-Qahtani P40 Significant protein profile alterations in men with primary and secondary infertility Ashok Agarwal, Rakesh Sharma, Luna Samanta, Damayanthi Durairajanayagam, Mourad Assidi, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Adel M. Abuzenadah, Edmund S. Sabanegh P41 Spermatozoa maturation in infertile patients involves compromised expression of heat shock proteins Luna Samanta, Ashok Agarwal, Rakesh Sharma, Zhihong Cui, Mourad Assidi, Adel M. Abuzenadah, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Mohammed Al-Qahtani P42 Array comparative genomic hybridization approach to search genomic answers for spontaneous recurrent abortion in Saudi Arabia Alaa A Alboogmi, Nuha A Alansari, Maha M Al-Quaiti, Fai T Ashgan, Afnan Bandah, Hasan S Jamal, Abdullraheem Rozi, Zeenat Mirza, Adel M Abuzenadah, Sajjad Karim, Mohammed H Al-Qahtani P43 Global gene expression profiling of Saudi kidney cancer patients Sajjad Karim, Hans-Juergen Schulten, Ahmad J Al Sayyad, Hasan MA Farsi, Jaudah A Al-Maghrabi, Zeenat Mirza, Reem Alotibi, Alaa Al-Ahmadi, Nuha A Alansari, Alaa A Albogmi, Maha M Al-Quaiti, Fai T Ashgan, Afnan Bandah, Mohammed H Al-Qahtani P44 Downregulated StAR gene and male reproductive dysfunction caused by nifedipine and ethosuximide Rasha A Ebiya, Samia M Darwish, Metwally M. Montaser P45 Clustering based gene expression feature selection method: A computational approach to enrich the classifier efficiency of differentially expressed genes Heba Abusamra, Vladimir B. Bajic P46 Prognostic significance of Osteopontin expression profile in colorectal carcinoma Jaudah Al-Maghrabi, Wafaey Gomaa, Mehenaz Hanbazazh, Mahmoud Al-Ahwal, Asia Al-Harbi, Wejdan Al-Qahtani, Saher Hakamy, Ghali Baba, Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Mohammed Al-Qahtani P47 High Glypican-3 expression pattern predicts longer disease-specific survival in colorectal carcinoma Jaudah Al-Maghrabi, Abdullah Al-Harbi, Mahmoud Al-Ahwal, Asia Al-Harbi, Wejdan Al-Qahtani, Sahar Hakamy, Ghalia Baba, Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Mohammed Al-Qahtani P48 An evolutionary re-assessment of GWAS single nucleotide variants implicated in the Cholesterol traits Elham M Alhathli, Sajjad Karim, Nada Salem, Hend Nour Eldin, Heba Abusamra, Sudhir Kumar, Mohammed H Al-Qahtani P49 Derivation and characterization of human Wharton’s jelly stem cells (hWJSCs) in vitro for future therapeutic applications Aisha A Alyamani, Gauthaman Kalamegam, Etimad A Alhwait, Mamdooh A Gari, Mohammed M Abbas, Mohammed H Alkaf, Haneen S Alsehli, Roaa A Kadam, Mohammed Al-Qahtani P50 Attitudes of healthcare students toward biomedical research in the post-genomic era Rawan Gadi, Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Mourad Assidi , Adeel Chaudhary, Leena Merdad P51 Evaluation of the immunomodulatory effects of thymoquinone on human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) from osteoarthritic patients Saadiah M Alfakeeh, Etimad A Alhwait, Mamdooh A Gari, Mohammed M Abbas, Mohammed H Alkaf, Haneen S Alsehli, Roaa Kadam, Gauthaman Kalamegam P52 Implication of IL-10 and IL-28 polymorphism with successful anti-HCV therapy and viral clearance Rubi Ghazala, Shilu Mathew, M.Haroon Hamed, Mourad Assidi, Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Ishtiaq Qadri P53 Selection of flavonoids against obesity protein (FTO) using in silico and in vitro approaches Shilu Mathew, Lobna Mira, Manal Shaabad, Shireen Hussain, Mourad Assidi, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Mohammed Al-Qahtani P54 Computational selection and in vitro validation of flavonoids as new antidepressant agents Shilu Mathew, Manal Shaabad, Lobna Mira, Shireen Hussain, Mourad Assidi, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Mohammed Al-Qahtani P55 In Silico prediction and prioritization of aging candidate genes associated with progressive telomere shortening Ahmed Rebai, Mourad Assidi, Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Ashraf Dallol, Jerry W Shay P56 Identification of new cancer testis antigen genes in diverse types of malignant human tumour cells Mikhlid H Almutairi P57 More comprehensive forensic genetic marker analyses for accurate human remains identification using massively parallel sequencing (MPS) Angie Ambers, Jennifer Churchill, Jonathan King, Monika Stoljarova, Harrell Gill-King, Mourad Assidi, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Muhammad Al-Qatani, Bruce Budowle P58 Flow cytometry approach towards treatment men infertility in Saudi Arabia Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Farid Ahmed, Ashraf Dallol, Mourad Assidi, Taha Abo Almagd, Sahar Hakamy, Ashok Agarwal, Muhammad Al-Qahtani, Adel Abuzenadah P59 Tissue microarray based validation of CyclinD1 expression in renal cell carcinoma of Saudi kidney patients Sajjad Karim, Hans-Juergen Schulten, Ahmad J Al Sayyad, Hasan MA Farsi, Jaudah A Al-Maghrabi, Abdelbaset Buhmaida, Zeenat Mirza, Reem Alotibi, Alaa Al-Ahmadi, Nuha A Alansari, Alaa A Albogmi, Maha M Al-Quaiti, Fai T Ashgan, Afnan Bandah, Mohammed H Al-Qahtani P60 Assessment of gold nanoparticles in molecular diagnostics and DNA damage studies Rukhsana Satar, Mahmood Rasool, Waseem Ahmad, Nazia Nazam, Mohamad I Lone, Muhammad I Naseer, Mohammad S Jamal, Syed K Zaidi, Peter N Pushparaj, Mohammad A Jafri, Shakeel A Ansari, Mohammed H Alqahtani P61 Surfing the biospecimen management and processing workflow at CEGMR Biobank Hanan Bashier, Abrar Al Qahtani, Shilu Mathew, Amal M. Nour, Heba Alkhatabi, Adel M. Abu Zenadah, Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Mourad Assidi, Muhammed Al Qahtani P62 Autism Spectrum Disorder: knowledge, attitude and awareness in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Muhammad Faheem, Shilu Mathew, Shiny Mathew, Peter Natesan Pushparaj, Mohammad H. Al-Qahtani P63 Simultaneous genetic screening of the coagulation pathway genes using the Thromboscan targeted sequencing panel Hani A. Alhadrami, Ashraf Dallol, Adel Abuzenadah P64 Genome wide array comparative genomic hybridization analysis in patients with syndromic congenital heart defects Ibtessam R. Hussein, Adeel G. Chaudhary, Rima S Bader, Randa Bassiouni, Maha Alquaiti, Fai Ashgan, Hans Schulten, Mohamed Nabil Alama, Mohammad H. Al Qahtani P65 Toxocogenetic evaluation of 1, 2-Dichloroethane in bone marrow, blood and cells of immune system using conventional, molecular and flowcytometric approaches Mohammad I Lone, Nazia Nizam, Waseem Ahmad, Mohammad A Jafri, Mahmood Rasool, Shakeel A Ansari, Muhammed H Al-Qahtani P66 Molecular cytogenetic diagnosis of sexual development disorders in newborn: A case of ambiguous genitalia Eradah Alshihri, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Lina Alharbi, Mourad Assidi, Mohammed Al-Qahtani P67 Identification of disease specific gene expression clusters and pathways in hepatocellular carcinoma using In Silico methodologies Shilu Mathew, Peter Pushparaj Natesan, Muhammed Al Qahtani P68 Human Wharton’s Jelly stem cell conditioned medium inhibits primary ovarian cancer cells in vitro: Identification of probable targets and mechanisms using systems biology Gauthaman Kalamegam, Peter Natesan Pushparaj, Fazal Khan, Roaa Kadam, Farid Ahmed, Mourad Assidi, Khalid Hussain Wali Sait, Nisreen Anfinan, Mohammed Al Qahtani P69 Mutation spectrum of ASPM (Abnormal Spindle-like, Microcephaly-associated) gene in Saudi Arabian population Muhammad I Naseer, Adeel G Chaudhary, Mohammad S Jamal, Shilu Mathew, Lobna S Mira, Peter N Pushparaj, Shakeel A Ansari, Mahmood Rasool, Mohammed H AlQahtani P70 Identification and characterization of novel genes and mutations of primary microcephaly in Saudi Arabian population Muhammad I Naseer, Adeel G Chaudhary, Shilu Mathew, Lobna S Mira, Mohammad S Jamal, Sameera Sogaty, Randa I Bassiouni, Mahmood Rasool, Mohammed H AlQahtani P71 Molecular genetic analysis of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch Syndrome) in Saudi Arabian population Mahmood Rasool, Shakeel A Ansari, Mohammad S Jamal, Peter N Pushparaj, Abdulrahman MS Sibiani, Waseem Ahmad, Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Mohammad A Jafri, Mohiuddin K Warsi, Muhammad I Naseer, Mohammed H Al-Qahtani P72 Function predication of hypothetical proteins from genome database of chlamydia trachomatis Rubi, Kundan Kumar, Ahmad AT Naqvi, Faizan Ahmad, Md