METHODS: We identified all HCWs at Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar between December 20, 2020 and May 18, 2021 with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR infection >14 days after the second vaccine dose. For each case thus identified, we identified one control with a negative test after December 20, 2020, matched on age, sex, nationality, job family and date of SARS-CoV-2 testing. We excluded those with a prior positive test and temporary workers. We used Cox regression analysis to determine factors associated with breakthrough infection.

RESULTS: Among 22,247 fully vaccinated HCW, we identified 164 HCW who had breakthrough infection and matched them to 164 controls to determine the factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection. In the breakthrough infection group the nursing and midwifery job family constituted the largest group, spouse was identified as the most common positive contact followed by a patient. Exposure to a confirmed case, presence of symptoms and all other job families except Allied Health Professionals when compared with nursing and Midwifery staff independently predicted infection.

METHODS: Nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) for RT-PCR and serologic testing for SARS-CoV-2 were performed on mortuary and cemetery workers in Qatar. Data on specific job duties, living conditions, contact history, and clinical course were gathered. Environmental sampling was carried out to explore any association with infection. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with infection.

RESULTS: Forty-seven mortuary workers provided an NPS and seven (14.9%) were PCR positive; 32 provided a blood sample and eight (25%) were antibody positive, six (75%) who were seropositive were also PCR positive. Among the 81 cemetery workers, 76 provided an NPS and five (6.6%) were PCR positive; 64 provided a blood sample and 22 (34.4%) were antibody positive, three (13.6%) who were seropositive were also PCR positive. Three (22.2%) and 20 (83.3%) of the infected mortuary and cemetery workers were asymptomatic, respectively. Age <30 years (OR 4.9, 95% CI 1.7-14.6), community exposure with a known case (OR 4.7, 95% CI 1.7-13.3), and presence of symptoms in the preceding 2 weeks (OR 9.0, 95% CI 1.9-42.0) were independently associated with an increased risk of infection (PCR or antibody positive). Of the 46 environmental and surface samples, all were negative or had a Ct value of >35.

Methodology: We identified all cancer research papers from OIC countries in the Web of Science from 2008 to 2017 with a filter based on journal names and title words, with high precision and recall. We analysed the country outputs, the cancer sites investigated, the types of research, sources of funding and the citations to the papers.

Results: There were 49,712 cancer research papers over this period. The leading countries in terms of output were Turkey, Iran, Egypt and Malaysia, but the most cited papers were from Qatar, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. International collaboration was low, except in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The site-specific cancers accounting for most research were breast and blood, correlating with their disease burden in the OIC countries, but lung, cervical and oesophageal cancers were relatively under-researched. Most funding from within the OIC countries was from their own university sector.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of customized CMI (C-CMI) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in Qatar.

METHODS: This was a randomized controlled intervention study, in which the intervention group patients received C-CMI and the control group patients received usual care. HRQoL was measured using the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire and EQ visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) at three intervals [i.e. baseline, after 3 months and 6 months].

RESULTS: The EQ-5D-5L index value for the intervention group exhibited sustained improvement from baseline to the third visit. There was a statistically significant difference between groups in the HRQoL utility value (represented as EQ index) at 6 months (0.939 vs. 0.796; p = 0.019). Similarly, the intervention group compared with the control group had significantly greater EQ-VAS at 6 months (90% vs. 80%; p = 0.003).

METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was used to collect information from 502 Nepalese migrant workers in the arrival section of Tribhuvan International Airport from May to June 2019 using purposive sampling. Workers with a minimum work experience of 6 months and above were included in the study. A structured questionnaire with socio-demographic items was used along with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and WHO (five) wellbeing scale for measuring the subjective psychological wellbeing and screening for depression.

RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 32.97 years. Majority (41.8%) of the respondents had work experience in Qatar and 63.7% had work experience of 1-5 years. The results suggested that 14.4% had mild to severe depression while 4.4% had a moderate level of anxiety. The WHO5 wellbeing index score suggested that 14.1% of the respondents had a score below 13, which is suggestive of poor psychological wellbeing. Further, the country of work (p = 0.043), sleeping hours (p = 0.001), occupation (p = 0.044), working hours (p = 0.000), water intake (p = 0.010) and anxiety level (p = 0.000) were found to be significantly associated with depression score. Similarly, sleeping hours (p = 0.022), occupation (p = 0.016), working hours (p = 0.000), water intake (p = 0.010), and anxiety level (0.000) were significantly associated with the WHO5 wellbeing score.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of CMI on medication adherence and glycaemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes in Qatar.

METHODS: We developed and customised CMI for all the anti-diabetic medications used in Qatar. A randomised controlled trial in which the intervention group patients (n = 66) received the customised CMI with usual care, while the control group patients (n = 74) received usual care only, was conducted. Self-reported medication adherence and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c ) were the primary outcome measures. Glycaemic control and medication adherence parameters were measured at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months in both groups. Medication adherence was measured using the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8).

RESULTS: Although the addition of CMI resulted in better glycaemic control, this did not reach statistical significance, possibly because of the short-term follow-up. The median MMAS-8 score improved from baseline (6.6 [IQR = 1.5]) to 6-month follow-up (7.0 [IQR = 1.00]) in the intervention group. In addition, there was a statistically significant difference between the intervention and the control groups in terms of MMAS-8 score at the third visit (7.0 [IQR = 1.0]) vs 6.5 (IQR = 1.25; P-value = .010).