MBRU Knowledge Repository
Knowledge Repository at Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences
Welcome to digital archive and research repository of Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU). MBRU Knowledge Repository is a digital service that collects, preserves, and distributes digital material. MBRU's scholarly communications including theses, faculty publications, student projects, and departmental records and publications are the key digital records available in this repository. Repositories are important tools for preserving an organization's legacy; they facilitate digital preservation and scholarly communication.
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- Library Digital Archives
- Research and Scholarly work of College of Medicine
- Research and Scholarly work of College of Nursing and Midwifery
- Dubai Health Researchers Profiles
- Research and Scholarly work of Graduate Medical Education
- Research and Scholarly work of Hamdan Bin Mohammed College of Dental Medicine
- Research and Scholarly work of IoL
- Research publications of other departments
- Theses and dissertations submitted by MBRU graduate and post-graduate students.
Recent Submissions
Does fasting increase rates of trauma in Ramadan? A systematic review
(2024-09-15) Kellett, Catherine
Background:
As part of their religious obligation, Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn until dusk for a 30-day period during Ramadan. Fasting may affect daily functioning, such as increased risk of collision for drivers. A study of the impact of fasting during Ramadan on trauma incidence may allow for the creation of public health campaigns targeting this potential phenomenon. We aimed to determine whether trauma incidence increases during Ramadan, and to characterise the trauma occurring during Ramadan.
Methods:
Both published and unpublished literature, along with conference proceedings and reference lists from the selected studies, were searched up until the 1st of July 2023. A narrative synthesis was conducted, and the included studies were evaluated using appropriate tools based on their study design.
Results: Seventeen studies (964,631 subjects) were included. There were methodological concerns pertaining to their low level of evidence and risk of bias. Of nine studies reporting on road traffic accidents (RTAs), six found a higher incidence during Ramadan. Road traffic accidents and occupational injuries (OIs) were more likely to occur near or at sunset (marking the end of the fast). Two studies presented conflicting evidence regarding the effect of fasting in Ramadan on sports-associated injuries. Current evidence suggests that falls and violence-related trauma do not occur more frequently during Ramadan, with insufficient evidence to determine the occurrence of other injury mechanisms.
Conclusion:
Individuals who fast may be at a higher risk of RTAs and OIs during Ramadan than outside this month. Due to the lack of studies performed in the Americas and Europe, it is unclear whether the findings are applicable to these regions. Current evidence is limited by lack of stratification according to time of trauma occurrence, and high risk of bias.
SpacerPlacer: ancestral reconstruction of CRISPR arrays reveals the evolutionary dynamics of spacer deletions
(2024-10-14) Alkhnbashi, Omer S
Bacteria employ CRISPR-Cas systems for defense by integrating invader-derived sequences, termed spacers, into the CRISPR array, which constitutes an immunity memory. While spacer deletions occur randomly across the array, newly acquired spacers are predominantly integrated at the leader end. Consequently, spacer arrays can be used to derive the chronology of spacer insertions. Reconstruction of ancestral spacer acquisitions and deletions could help unravel the coevolution of phages and bacteria, the evolutionary dynamics in microbiomes, or track pathogens. However, standard reconstruction methods produce misleading results by overlooking insertion order and joint deletions of spacers. Here, we present SpacerPlacer, a maximum likelihood-based ancestral reconstruction approach for CRISPR array evolution. We used SpacerPlacer to reconstruct and investigate ancestral deletion events of 4565 CRISPR arrays, revealing that spacer deletions occur 374 times more frequently than mutations and are regularly deleted jointly, with an average of 2.7 spacers. Surprisingly, we observed a decrease in the spacer deletion frequency towards both ends of the reconstructed arrays. While the resulting trailer-end conservation is commonly observed, a reduced deletion frequency is now also detectable towards the variable leader end. Finally, our results point to the hypothesis that frequent loss of recently acquired spacers may provide a selective advantage.
Drugs in focus: Botulinum toxin in the therapy of gastrointestinal disorders in children
(2024-12) Tzivinikos, Christos
What is Known:
Botulinum toxin (BoNT) causes muscle relaxation by inhibiting acetylcholine release from presynaptic motor neurons at the neuromuscular junction.
What is New:
In children with achalasia, BoNT can be considered only in patients in whom rapid weight gain is important to improve surgical outcomes.
BoNT has been suggested for treating cricopharyngeal achalasia and delayed gastric emptying.
Anal achalasia and constipation after Hirschsprung disease corrective surgery are very promising indications for BoNT use.
In selected children with resistant type of functional constipation and chronic anal fissure, BoNT is a viable option for treating.
Glomus tumor: A rare differential diagnosis for subungual lesions
(2024-09) Alnajjar, Anas
Glomus tumors are rare, benign vascular hamartomas of the glomus apparatus with unknown etiology. They can arise from anywhere in the body. However, up to 90% of them are located in the subungual region of the fingers, as in the case of our patient. These tumors typically present with the classic triad of pain, cold sensitivity, and point tenderness. Characteristic US and MRI findings aid the clinical diagnosis; nevertheless, a histopathologic examination is confirmatory. There is a well-documented mean delay in diagnosis of around 7 years, due to the rarity, benignity, small size, and lack of proper knowledge about the condition. However, we reported a case with a delay in diagnosis that reached 40 years, which is much longer than what is documented in the literature. A high index of suspicion is required for early diagnosis and management of glomus tumors to relieve the patient's long-term suffering and prevent possible secondary nail deformities. The curative treatment of glomus tumor is complete surgical excision, which is crucial to prevent recurrence and relieve the patient's symptoms.
The need for implementing a standardized, evidence-based emergency department discharge plan for optimizing adult asthma patient outcomes in the UAE, expert meeting report.
(2024-11-06) Buhumaid, Rasha; Mahboub, Bassam; Iqbal, Mohammed Nizam
Background:
Asthma is a common chronic respiratory inflammatory disease that adversely affects patients' quality of life (QoL) and overall well-being. When asthma is not adequately controlled, there is a higher risk of exacerbations and hospitalizations, thereby increasing the direct and indirect costs associated with the treatment and productivity loss. Overreliance on SABA and underutilization of ICS in the management of asthma can result in suboptimal treatment and poor asthma control. Patients who visit the emergency department are more likely to have poorly controlled asthma. Ensuring that these patients are provided with an evidence-based treatment plan during discharge can help reduce the risk of future exacerbations and consequently reduce the burden on the UAE healthcare system.