Analysis of high-resolution 4 km sea surface temperature, Chlorophyll a （Chl a）, and wind datasets provides a detailed description of the spatio-temporal seasonal succession of phytoplankton biomass in the Red Sea a...Analysis of high-resolution 4 km sea surface temperature, Chlorophyll a （Chl a）, and wind datasets provides a detailed description of the spatio-temporal seasonal succession of phytoplankton biomass in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on-board aqua platform （MO- DIS Aqua） data andsynoptic observations in the Red Sea, Chl a varies from north to south, with the northern part appearing to be oligotrophic. This is likely due to the absence of strong mixing and low nutrient intru- sion in comparison to the southern part during winter. In the Gulf of Aden, the emergence of upwelling cell is clearly evident along the coast of Yemen, and is only distinct from the summer-autumn seasons. Most notable is the pulsating nature of the upwelling, with warm and cold events clearly distinguished with phytoplankton response to this physical forcing also evident. The phytoplankton biomass distribution varies considerably between the two regions of study. In both study areas, water temperature and prevailing winds control nutrient concentrations.展开更多
Knowing Moho discontinuity undulation is fundamental to understanding mechanisms of lithosphereasthenosphere interaction, extensional tectonism and crustal deformation in volcanic passive margins such as the study are...Knowing Moho discontinuity undulation is fundamental to understanding mechanisms of lithosphereasthenosphere interaction, extensional tectonism and crustal deformation in volcanic passive margins such as the study area, which is located in the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula bounded by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In this work, a 3D Moho depth model of the study area is constructed for the first time by inverting gravity data from the Earth Gravitational Model(EGM2008) using the ParkerOldenburg algorithm. This model indicates the shallow zone is situated at depths of 20 km to 24 km beneath coastal plains, whereas the deep zone is located below the plateau at depths of 30 km to 35 km and its deepest part coincides mainly with the Dhamar-Rada ’a Quaternary volcanic field. The results also indicate two channels of hot magmatic materials joining both the Sana’a-Amran Quaternary volcanic field and the Late Miocene Jabal An Nar volcanic area with the Dhamar-Rada’a volcanic field. This conclusion is supported by the widespread geothermal activity(of mantle origin) distributed along these channels,isotopic data, and the upper mantle low velocity zones indicated by earlier studies.展开更多
It is widely known that cancer is a disease of “old-age”. However available data show that this is not the case for many types of cancers. Incidences of breast and ovarian cancers have varying rates of change with a...It is widely known that cancer is a disease of “old-age”. However available data show that this is not the case for many types of cancers. Incidences of breast and ovarian cancers have varying rates of change with age. Breast cancer data of Arabian-gulf women, show that the incidence rates increase with age and reach a maximum at 39 year. It then declines linearly with age to about 55 years. The rate of increase and its changes with age are similar to those of many other countries. In the premenopausal phase the relationship between incidence and age could be adequately modeled using a linear model for the logarithmic transformations of age and incidence. Similar observations are made for the ovarian cancer incidences. Results: It is shown that the rate of increase in breast and ovarian cancer incidence with respect to age is increasing in the premenopausal ages. Moreover, the burden of the disease with respect to mortality and “Disability Adjusted Life Years” or DALY, varied considerably among the six gulf countries. Conclusions: We conclude, based on the age incidence relationship that the number of cancer cases may double in the next period that follows our study period (1998-2009). Moreover, if the six countries have identical relationship between age and the two types of cancer, there should be an integrated and unified effort to have a common strategy for prevention and control.展开更多
AIM To assess the quality of and to critically synthesize the available data on hepatitis C infections in the Middle East and North Africa(MENA) region to map evidence gaps.METHODS We conducted an overview of systemat...AIM To assess the quality of and to critically synthesize the available data on hepatitis C infections in the Middle East and North Africa(MENA) region to map evidence gaps.METHODS We conducted an overview of systematic reviews(SRs) following an a priori developed protocol(CRD42017076736). Our overview followed the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and metaanalyses guidelines for reporting SRs and abstracts and did not receive any funding. Two independent reviewers systematically searched MEDLINE and conducted a multistage screening of the identified articles. Out of 5758 identified articles, 37 SRs of hepatitis C virus(HCV) infection in populations living in 20 countries in the MENA region published between 2008 and 2016 were included in our overview. The nine primary outcomes of interest were HCV antibody(anti-) prevalences and incidences in different at-risk populations; the HCV viremic(RNA positive) rate in HCV-positive individuals; HCV viremic prevalence in the general population(GP); the prevalence of HCV co-infection with the hepatitis B virus, human immunodeficiency virus, or schistosomiasis; the HCV genotype/subtype distribution; and the risk factors for HCV transmission. The conflicts of interest declared by the authors of the SRs were also extracted. Good quality outcomes reported by the SRs were defined as having the population, outcome, study time and setting defined as recommended by the PICOTS framework and a sample size > 100.RESULTS We included SRs reporting HCV outcomes with different levels of quality and precision. A substantial proportion of them synthesized data from mixed populations at differing levels of risk for acquiring HCV or at different HCV infection stages(recent and prior HCV transmissions). They also synthesized the data over long periods of time(e.g., two decades). Anti-HCV prevalence in the GP varied widely in the MENA region from 0.1%(study dates not reported) in the United Arab Emirates to 2.1%-13.5%(2003-2006) in Pakistan and 14.7%(2008) in Egypt. Data were not identified for Bahrain, Jordan, or Palestine. Good quality estimates of anti-HCV prevalence in the GP were reported for Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Pakistan, Syria, Sudan, Tunisia, and Yemen. Anti-HCV incidence estimates in the GP were reported only for Egypt(0.8-6.8 per 1000 person-year, 1997-2003). In Egypt, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates, viremic rates in anti-HCV-positive individuals from the GP were approximately 70%. In the GP, the viremic prevalence varied from 0.7%(2011) in Saudi Arabia to 5.8%(2007-2008) in Pakistan and 10.0%(2008) in Egypt. Anti-HCV prevalence was lower in blood donors than in the GP, ranging from 0.2%(1992-1993) in Algeria to 1.7%(2005) in Yemen. The reporting quality of the outcomes in blood donors was good in the MENA countries, except in Qatar where no time framework was reported for the outcome. Some countries had anti-HCV prevalence estimates for children, transfused patients, contacts of HCV-infected patients, prisoners, sex workers, and men who have sex with men.CONCLUSION A substantial proportion of the reported outcomes may not help policymakers to develop micro-elimination strategies with precise HCV infection prevention and treatment programs in the region, as nowcasting HCV epidemiology using these data is potentially difficult. In addition to providing accurate information on HCV epidemiology, outcomes should also demonstrate practical and clinical significance and relevance. Based on the available data, most countries in the region have low to moderate anti-HCV prevalence. To achieve HCV elimination by 2030, up-to-date, good quality data on HCV epidemiology are required for the GP and key populations such as people who inject drugs and men who have sex with men.展开更多
文摘Analysis of high-resolution 4 km sea surface temperature, Chlorophyll a （Chl a）, and wind datasets provides a detailed description of the spatio-temporal seasonal succession of phytoplankton biomass in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on-board aqua platform （MO- DIS Aqua） data andsynoptic observations in the Red Sea, Chl a varies from north to south, with the northern part appearing to be oligotrophic. This is likely due to the absence of strong mixing and low nutrient intru- sion in comparison to the southern part during winter. In the Gulf of Aden, the emergence of upwelling cell is clearly evident along the coast of Yemen, and is only distinct from the summer-autumn seasons. Most notable is the pulsating nature of the upwelling, with warm and cold events clearly distinguished with phytoplankton response to this physical forcing also evident. The phytoplankton biomass distribution varies considerably between the two regions of study. In both study areas, water temperature and prevailing winds control nutrient concentrations.
文摘Knowing Moho discontinuity undulation is fundamental to understanding mechanisms of lithosphereasthenosphere interaction, extensional tectonism and crustal deformation in volcanic passive margins such as the study area, which is located in the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula bounded by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In this work, a 3D Moho depth model of the study area is constructed for the first time by inverting gravity data from the Earth Gravitational Model(EGM2008) using the ParkerOldenburg algorithm. This model indicates the shallow zone is situated at depths of 20 km to 24 km beneath coastal plains, whereas the deep zone is located below the plateau at depths of 30 km to 35 km and its deepest part coincides mainly with the Dhamar-Rada ’a Quaternary volcanic field. The results also indicate two channels of hot magmatic materials joining both the Sana’a-Amran Quaternary volcanic field and the Late Miocene Jabal An Nar volcanic area with the Dhamar-Rada’a volcanic field. This conclusion is supported by the widespread geothermal activity(of mantle origin) distributed along these channels,isotopic data, and the upper mantle low velocity zones indicated by earlier studies.
文摘It is widely known that cancer is a disease of “old-age”. However available data show that this is not the case for many types of cancers. Incidences of breast and ovarian cancers have varying rates of change with age. Breast cancer data of Arabian-gulf women, show that the incidence rates increase with age and reach a maximum at 39 year. It then declines linearly with age to about 55 years. The rate of increase and its changes with age are similar to those of many other countries. In the premenopausal phase the relationship between incidence and age could be adequately modeled using a linear model for the logarithmic transformations of age and incidence. Similar observations are made for the ovarian cancer incidences. Results: It is shown that the rate of increase in breast and ovarian cancer incidence with respect to age is increasing in the premenopausal ages. Moreover, the burden of the disease with respect to mortality and “Disability Adjusted Life Years” or DALY, varied considerably among the six gulf countries. Conclusions: We conclude, based on the age incidence relationship that the number of cancer cases may double in the next period that follows our study period (1998-2009). Moreover, if the six countries have identical relationship between age and the two types of cancer, there should be an integrated and unified effort to have a common strategy for prevention and control.
文摘AIM To assess the quality of and to critically synthesize the available data on hepatitis C infections in the Middle East and North Africa(MENA) region to map evidence gaps.METHODS We conducted an overview of systematic reviews(SRs) following an a priori developed protocol(CRD42017076736). Our overview followed the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and metaanalyses guidelines for reporting SRs and abstracts and did not receive any funding. Two independent reviewers systematically searched MEDLINE and conducted a multistage screening of the identified articles. Out of 5758 identified articles, 37 SRs of hepatitis C virus(HCV) infection in populations living in 20 countries in the MENA region published between 2008 and 2016 were included in our overview. The nine primary outcomes of interest were HCV antibody(anti-) prevalences and incidences in different at-risk populations; the HCV viremic(RNA positive) rate in HCV-positive individuals; HCV viremic prevalence in the general population(GP); the prevalence of HCV co-infection with the hepatitis B virus, human immunodeficiency virus, or schistosomiasis; the HCV genotype/subtype distribution; and the risk factors for HCV transmission. The conflicts of interest declared by the authors of the SRs were also extracted. Good quality outcomes reported by the SRs were defined as having the population, outcome, study time and setting defined as recommended by the PICOTS framework and a sample size > 100.RESULTS We included SRs reporting HCV outcomes with different levels of quality and precision. A substantial proportion of them synthesized data from mixed populations at differing levels of risk for acquiring HCV or at different HCV infection stages(recent and prior HCV transmissions). They also synthesized the data over long periods of time(e.g., two decades). Anti-HCV prevalence in the GP varied widely in the MENA region from 0.1%(study dates not reported) in the United Arab Emirates to 2.1%-13.5%(2003-2006) in Pakistan and 14.7%(2008) in Egypt. Data were not identified for Bahrain, Jordan, or Palestine. Good quality estimates of anti-HCV prevalence in the GP were reported for Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Pakistan, Syria, Sudan, Tunisia, and Yemen. Anti-HCV incidence estimates in the GP were reported only for Egypt(0.8-6.8 per 1000 person-year, 1997-2003). In Egypt, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates, viremic rates in anti-HCV-positive individuals from the GP were approximately 70%. In the GP, the viremic prevalence varied from 0.7%(2011) in Saudi Arabia to 5.8%(2007-2008) in Pakistan and 10.0%(2008) in Egypt. Anti-HCV prevalence was lower in blood donors than in the GP, ranging from 0.2%(1992-1993) in Algeria to 1.7%(2005) in Yemen. The reporting quality of the outcomes in blood donors was good in the MENA countries, except in Qatar where no time framework was reported for the outcome. Some countries had anti-HCV prevalence estimates for children, transfused patients, contacts of HCV-infected patients, prisoners, sex workers, and men who have sex with men.CONCLUSION A substantial proportion of the reported outcomes may not help policymakers to develop micro-elimination strategies with precise HCV infection prevention and treatment programs in the region, as nowcasting HCV epidemiology using these data is potentially difficult. In addition to providing accurate information on HCV epidemiology, outcomes should also demonstrate practical and clinical significance and relevance. Based on the available data, most countries in the region have low to moderate anti-HCV prevalence. To achieve HCV elimination by 2030, up-to-date, good quality data on HCV epidemiology are required for the GP and key populations such as people who inject drugs and men who have sex with men.
