Escalating obesity rates have become a significant public health problem in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and have been associated with shifts towards a westernized diet. This integrative review aimed to examine the current dietary trends and transitions and their association with obesity in Arabic-speaking countries of the MENA region. Relevant databases were searched for stud...

Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) populations are of different ethnic origins. Consanguineous marriages are common practice with an overall incidence ranging between 20 and 50%. Primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) are a group of heterogeneous genetic disorders caused by defects in the immune system that predisposes patients to recurrent infections, autoimmune diseases, and maligna...

[1] We present energetic neutral atom (ENA) fluxes measured by the medium energy neutral atom (MENA) imager onboard the IMAGE satellite for the geomagnetic storm of 21 October 2001 at energies of 6 and 12 keV. The fluxes indicate strong low altitude emissions close to the Earth and a nightside peak close to local midnight. The fluxes are compared with theoretical ENA fluxes calculated using the...

In this paper we explore the patterns of interactions between military expenditure shares in the MENA region over the period 1979-2007. We explore if there are latent common factors that impact on the military expenditures of 15 countries in the MENA region and whether these factors can be interpreted. Unobserved common factors induce cross-sectional dependence and may lead traditional panel-ti...

Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s current challenges for political and economic transformation. This MENA Trends Report focuses on the following issues: youth unemployment, gender, education, economy, the financial system, and the rule of law. It examines ten Arab countries: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, West Bank and Gaza, Syria, and Yemen. When comparisons ...

Human fertility has declined in all of the Middle East and North African (MENA) countries in the recent years, Iran had the largest decline, however. What factors have affected the fertility decline in Iran, and as compared with other MENA countries, is the question of this paper. Fertility, higher education, and other measures were used for comparison. Regression analysis was also carried out ...