scholarly journals Depressive disorders in the Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council countries: a literature review

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (10) ◽  
pp. 030006052096191
Author(s):  
Owiss Alzahrani

Objective To determine the contributions from the six Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to the national scientific literature on depressive disorders. Methods This literature review identified all of the published studies on all major depressive disorders as cited on the PubMed® and APA PsycInfo® databases from inception to 31 December 2016 from the six GGC countries. Data were extracted using a standardized form. The study compared the volume of research production between the countries by calculating an index that allowed for the country population size. Results A total of 28 studies met the inclusion criteria. Saudi Arabia headed the list of publications (10 articles) followed by the United Arab Emirates ( n = 6), Kuwait ( n = 5), Qatar ( n = 3); and Bahrain and Oman produced two articles each. Only six out of the 28 (21.4%) studies included a random sample or adopted good sampling strategies. The majority of studies (24 of 28; 85.7%) were cross-sectional in design. Only one study clearly stated the use of the DSM-4 criteria for diagnosis. Conclusion The scientific literature published by the GCC countries on depressive disorders is scant and lacking scientific depth. These findings should be considered as a wake-up call for public health researchers, mental health workers and policymakers.

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Amani Abu-Shaheen ◽  
Humariya Heena ◽  
Abdullah Nofal ◽  
Doaa A. Abdelmoety ◽  
Abdulrahman Almatary ◽  
...  

Background. Thalassemia has a burden on the healthcare systems of many countries. About 56000 conceptions result in thalassemia, globally. Objective. To assess the epidemiological profile of thalassemia in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Methods. A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine), CINAHL, and Embase. Relevant observational studies reporting the epidemiology of thalassemia among the GCC population were selected. Data on the prevalence, frequency, and complications of thalassemia were extracted. The quality of the retrieved studies was assessed according to the Newcastle–Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. Results. Eighteen studies (14 cross-sectional studies, two retrospective observational studies, and two retrospective analysis) with a total of 3343042 participants were included in this systematic review. Of the 18 studies, 11 studies were conducted in Saudi Arabia, two in the Kingdom of Bahrain, one in Kuwait, three in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and one in Qatar. The prevalence of thalassemia among children below five years of age ranged from 0.25% to 33%, while it was 0.9% in children above five years and from 0.035% to 43.3% among adult thalassemia patients. The most-reported risk factors were consanguineous marriage and high-risk marriage. There was a lack of data regarding mortality rates in thalassemia. Conclusions. Despite the premarital screening and genetic counseling (PMSGC) program for thalassemia, the incidence of high-risk couple marriages in GCC countries cannot be effectively diminished. This study suggested that the PMSGC program should adopt more attention for the high-risk areas, to enhance the level of consciousness about the hemoglobinopathy diseases and the consequences of consanguinity among the at-risk couple.


Author(s):  
Mehmet Akif Destek ◽  
Müge Manga ◽  
Neşe Algan

This study aims to investigate the validity of natural resource curse hypothesis in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries for the period from 1980 to 2014. In doing so, the relationship between real GDP, natural resource abundance, financial development and gross fixed capital is examined using with second generation panel data methodology which allows to cross-sectional dependence among countries. In case of mean group estimation, it is concluded that natural resource rents, financial development and capital positively affects the real GDP in GCC countries. However, in case of individual country estimations, we found that natural resource curse hypothesis is valid only in United Arab Emirates.


2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Ferreira da Silva Souza ◽  
Rosa Sá de Oliveira Neta ◽  
Juliana Maria Gazzola ◽  
Marcelo Cardoso de Souza

ABSTRACT To review scientific literature to assess nutritional status of elderly patients with osteoarthritis in the last 16 years. This is an integrative literature review that included articles published in national and international journals indexed in PubMed, SciELO and BIREME. We selected 14 articles, and English language was predominant. The year of publication of articles ranged from 2006 to 2016, and most of papers were cross-sectional studies. To gather papers and for posterior evaluate, we used a validated data collection instrument and the included studies were critical analyzed by reading, gathering and analysis of articles. Studies suggested that there is a positive correlation between obesity and knee osteoarthritis. Obesity is one of the most important modifiable factors in worsening of osteoarthritis symptoms.


2014 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 3085-3090 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hosam M. Zowawi ◽  
Anna L. Sartor ◽  
Hanan H. Balkhy ◽  
Timothy R. Walsh ◽  
Sameera M. Al Johani ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe molecular epidemiology and mechanisms of resistance of carbapenem-resistantEnterobacteriaceae(CRE) were determined in hospitals in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), namely, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Isolates were subjected to PCR-based detection of antibiotic-resistant genes and repetitive sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR) assessments of clonality. Sixty-two isolates which screened positive for potential carbapenemase production were assessed, and 45 were found to produce carbapenemase. The most common carbapenemases were of the OXA-48 (35 isolates) and NDM (16 isolates) types; 6 isolates were found to coproduce the OXA-48 and NDM types. No KPC-type, VIM-type, or IMP-type producers were detected. Multiple clones were detected with seven clusters of clonally relatedKlebsiella pneumoniae. Awareness of CRE in GCC countries has important implications for controlling the spread of CRE in the Middle East and in hospitals accommodating patients transferred from the region.


2021 ◽  
pp. 107-129
Author(s):  
A. Alzayed ◽  

Requirements engineering (RE), the process of defining the requirements of a system, is critical to the successful implementation of software projects. Although many studies have been globally conducted on the different facets of RE in software engineering, studies explicitly focusing on the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have been scarce. GCC-specific RE research studies are needed because of the unique cultural characteristics and common work ethics in GCC countries. Besides, the investigation of the state of RE practices in the countries of the GCC is crucial as the globalization of software development becomes imminent. This study compares the state of RE practices within the six countries of the GCC, namely, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman, using six RE factors. To understand commonalities and differences in the RE practices and methods, 163 software practitioners in GCC countries are surveyed in this study. The results show that the RE practices are relatively similar among the six countries, with subtle differences. Initiating software-related projects with unclear requirements and undefined project scopes are the two major limitations of the RE practices among the survey participants. The results of this study contribute to providing project managers and system analysts, who are working globally and within the GCC countries, with valuable decision-making tools to help them consider the identified RE techniques, methods, and challenges and their related risks early in their software development projects


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-54
Author(s):  
Ahmed M. Abdulla ◽  
Mark A. Runco ◽  
Hanadi N. Alsuwaidi ◽  
Huda S. Alhindal

AbstractPersonal obstacles to creativity were investigated by sampling 297 Arab women from four Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Obstacles to Personal Creativity Inventory, as self-report, was used. It assesses four types of obstacles (a) inhibition/shyness, (b) lack of time/opportunity, (c) social repression, and (d) lack of motivation. The results showed that the highest mean was reported for the lack of time/opportunities factor, followed in order by the three other factors: lack of motivation, inhibition/shyness, and social repression. (A high mean is indicative of more obstacles.) A multivariate analysis of variance indicated that reported obstacles to creativity significantly differed by field of study. Women in the arts reported experiencing fewer obstacles related to social repression in comparison with women in engineering, who showed the highest mean. No significant effects were observed for level of education, country and income in the GCC countries. The MANOVA also showed significant interactions between (a) education and sector (i.e., government vs private), (b) country and sector, (c) income and field of study, and finally (d) between field of study and sector. Results from this study were compared to two other studies, in Brazil and Mexico, that used the Obstacles to Personal Creativity Inventory. The high mean found for the lack of motivation in GCC countries deserves further investigation, given that motivation is so important for creativity and often is something that can be encouraged.


Subject Prospects for the Gulf states to end-2017. Significance Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries agree on the need to check Iran’s regional aspirations, but differ radically on how to achieve this goal -- pushing Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to open confrontation with Qatar and leaving Kuwait and Oman caught uncomfortably in the middle. At the same time, they face the major challenge of adjusting their economies to long-term expectations of lower oil revenue.


2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 452-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan S Weber ◽  
Rebal Turjoman ◽  
Yanal Shaheen ◽  
Farah Al Sayyed ◽  
Mu Ji Hwang ◽  
...  

Introduction The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC or ‘Arabian Gulf’), comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, is a political organization sharing a common history and culture. All GCC nations have made substantial investments in telecommunications and electronic health infrastructure since 2000. Methods We conducted a literature search in English and Arabic on peer-reviewed e-health research up to December 2014 originating in the GCC. The objective was to retrieve all research on e-health in the GCC and to categorize and analyse it qualitatively to reveal the current state of e-health research and development in the region. Inclusion criteria included peer-reviewed articles, books, book chapters, conference papers and graduate theses written on e-health in the GCC. Blogs, health websites and non-peer-reviewed literature were excluded. Results Three hundred and six articles were retrieved, categorized and analysed qualitatively to reveal the state of e-health research in the GCC. Both country-specific and GCC-wide major themes were identified using NVivo 10.0 qualitative software and summarized. The most common type of study was an overview (35.0%), with common study designs of case studies (26.8%) and descriptive articles (46.4%). Significant themes were: prospective national benefits from e-health, implementation and satisfaction with electronic health records, online technologies in medical education, innovative systems (case studies), and information security and personal health information. Discussion This is the first comprehensive analytical literature review of e-health in the GCC. Important research gaps were identified: few cost-benefit analyses, controlled interventional studies, or research targeting gender and religious issues were retrieved.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (06) ◽  
pp. 2030004
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Durugbo ◽  
Odeh R. Al-Jayyousi ◽  
Soud M. Almahamid

Innovation management (IM) for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region poses unique socio-economic challenges due to the multi-faceted nature of Arab and Islamic countries. Additionally, proposals for indigenous initiatives, sustainability transitions and outward-oriented strategies in economic reform plans of the GCC add further complexity to IM scholarship and practice with imperatives to harness the potentials of these strategic visions. Yet, there is an absence of a systematic review to scrutinize IM literature on the GCC region. This paper systematically reviews the IM literature whose subject involve the GCC countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The review scrutinizes theories, trends and targets in this literature, covers the period from 1980 to 2019, and involves 110 journal papers from high quality IM-related publication outlets. Using insights from the review, the paper develops theoretical foundations for creative complementarities, institutional-pumps and a ripple model of regional innovation. The review also details some methodological, theoretical, conceptual and topical directions for future regional IM research studies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 221049172110395
Author(s):  
Wesam Saleh A Al Attar ◽  
Mohamed A Husain ◽  
Ramy Komir ◽  
Khulud Alanazi ◽  
Hussain Ghulam

Background/purpose Cyclists are expected to present with sport-related injuries. The Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center provided exercises for preventing the most common injuries in cycling. We aimed to survey the compliance with Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center exercises among cyclists in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. It is expected that most cyclists in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries are implementing these exercises as part of their warm-up sessions. Methods This cross-sectional online survey collected the participants’ demographic characteristics (country, age, and sex) and assessed their compliance with the programme. Results Four-hundred and twenty-three cyclists responded, of which 52% were aged 20–29 years. The pelvic control exercise was the most implemented (56%), followed by the elephant and isolated pelvic rotation exercises (54%); the single-leg pelvic rotation exercise was the least implemented (46%). The implementation rate did not differ significantly according to age or country. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait reported the highest mean implementation scores, while the United Arab Emirates reported the lowest Conclusions The implementation rate of Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center exercises was low among cyclists in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. There is a need to increase awareness between players, programme deliverers, and policymakers and educate them about the importance of implementing such programmes in injury reduction.


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