Research

​​​Star of Excellence
Novel Biomarker for Early Detection of Dementia
The ‘Novel Biomarker for Early Detection of Dementia’ project was carried out by researchers at the Memory and Geriatric Clinic in Rumailah Hospital, in collaboration with Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, and HMC-experts from Geriatrics, Psychogeriatric, Radiology, Ophthalmology, Occupational Therapy, Nursing, and Research Science.

A key finding from this study was that Corneal Confocal Microscopy (CCM) detected modest but significant nerve damage in patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment, which was more prominent in those with mixed dementia, as compared to Alzheimer’s disease. CCM yielded a sensitivity of 80.77% and a specificity of 80.95%. Furthermore, these findings show a strong association between corneal nerve damage and cognitive decline and physical disability.

​​​Rising Star
Vitamin D Effect on Asthma Exacerbation Attacks in Children
The research, ‘Vitamin D Effect on Asthma Exacerbation Attacks in Children’, is the largest randomized clinical trial in Pediatrics, showing for the first time, the positive effect of vitamin D correction in deficient patients, and asthma control where rapid versus slow correction was used.

The study was a collaborative effort between HMC, and the University of Washington, School of Medicine. All the researchers were Collaborative Institute Training Initiative certified.

​​​Awards of Merit
Improving the Incidence of Post-Operative Atrial Fibrillation
Post-Operative Atrial Fibrillation (POAF) is a major problem in cardiac surgery with many associated consequences, including hemodynamic instability, thromboembolic events, uncontrolled heart rate, and mortality.

The POAF has a reported incidence of 30% for coronary artery bypass surgery and 40% for valvular surgeries. Potential adverse consequences of POAF include stroke, higher risk of death due to systemic embolization, and increased in-hospital and long-term mortality. Risk-adjusted mortality, overall hospital costs, and readmission rates increase with newly developed POAF. The potential of protocols for reducing the incidence of POAF has positively impacted patient care, patient outcomes, and overall cost-effectiveness.

​​​Translation of α-Thalassemia  into Clinical Practice
This study was a result of a collaborative work between HMC, Primary Health Care Center (PHCC) and The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics (CING).

Prior to the introduction of molecular diagnosis at HMC, exploration of Alpha-thalassemia (α-thal) was not systematically carried out in Qatar.

In 2014, testing for the 3.7kb deletion of α-thal was introduced at the HMC Molecular Genetics Laboratory’s Diagnostic Genomic Division. To date, 430 cases have been received from across health services in Qatar with 40% testing positive for this deletion.