This study describes the state of the Internet in Arab countries. It reports certain Internet characteristics and e-commerce issues in the region and brings some of the critical challenges facing the diffusion of the Internet and its applications in Arab countries to the attention of policy makers in these nations. Overall, the review reveals that most Arab countries still have a long way to co...

Through history, Arabs and Muslims have made valuable contribution to medicine and science. The main objective of this study was to assess the contribution of Arab researchers to ophthalmology using bibliometric indicators. Published articles in "Ophthalmology" authored by Arab researchers were screened and analyzed using ISI Web of Science database. Worldwide research productivity in ophthalmo...

BACKGROUND To meet the future challenges of infectious diseases and limit the spread of multidrug resistant microorganisms, a better understanding of published studies in the field of infectious diseases is needed. The objective of this study was to analyze the quantity and quality of research activity in the field of infectious diseases in Arab countries and compare it with that in non-Arab co...

Energy consumption has been essential to societies; because societies depend on the rising provisions of energy to meet their requirements for goods and services and endorse sustainable development. The major source of energy nowadays is oil; oil consumption is dependent on oil availability, production and price. Several Arab countries are considered as major suppliers of oil in the world; cons...

BACKGROUND Analysis of biomedical research and publications in a country or group of countries is used to monitor research progress and trends. This study aims to assess the performance of biomedical research in the Arab world during 2001-2005 and to compare it with other Middle Eastern non-Arab countries. METHODS PubMed and Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-expanded) were searched systema...

BACKGROUND Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancers affecting women worldwide. The main objective of this study was to assess and compare research activity in breast cancer in Arab countries with non-Arab Middle Eastern countries. METHODS Publications about "breast cancer" as a research topic were retrieved using the ISI Web of Science database. Analysis was confined to origin...

BACKGROUND Obesity is a serious worldwide medical condition, considered by some researchers as one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century. The main objective of this study was to assess the quantity and quality of obesity-related research from Arab countries and compare it with that from non-Arab Middle Eastern countries. METHODS Original scientific articles or reviews...

OBJECTIVE To review the contemporary knowledge of local investigations in the Arab countries that were conducted to identify the magnitude of erectile dysfunction (ED) and its correlates among men in this region. METHODS MEDLINE was reviewed for English-language reports from 2000 to 2011 for Arab countries, using the terms 'erectile dysfunction' and 'prevalence'. RESULTS In all, 102 article...

The Arab countries encompass a wide region stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Atlantic Ocean. The Arab population is quite heterogeneous and has experienced various invasions and migrations throughout history. beta-thalassemia is endemic in all countries of the Arab world. Our review of the molecular basis of beta-thalassemia in various Arab countries reveals the presence of 52 mutations, ...

BACKGROUND Despite the high burden of cardiovascular diseases in Arab countries, little is known about cardiac rehabilitation (CR) delivery. This study assessed availability, and CR program characteristics in the Arab World, compared to Canada. METHODS A questionnaire incorporating items from 4 national / regional published CR program surveys was created for this cross-sectional study. The su...