Kuwait University

Seasonal lags and legacy effects on vegetation cover and carbon uptake in Kuwait from 2014 to 2024: A MODIS GPP–ET–NDVI analysis

Abstract Remote sensing provides a consistent framework for quantifying vegetation dynamics in hyper-arid environments where field observations are sparse. This study integrated MODIS-derived gross primary productivity (GPP), evapotranspiration (ET), and normalized difference veg...

Support Needs of Mothers of Children with Down Syndrome in Kuwait

Background objective: This study explored the level of support needs of mothers of children with Down syndrome (DS) in Kuwait following postnatal diagnosis, across four domains: educational needs, professional needs, social needs, and primary caregiver support needs. Methods: A c...

Rheological and Tribological Properties of Tara Gum‐Thickened Lentil Soups at Selected IDDSI Levels for Dysphagia Management

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the application of a tara gum‐based commercial thickener to formulate texture‐modified lentil soups across International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI) Levels 1–4 for dysphagia management, characterizing their rheological and tribo...

Dynamic 99mTc-MIBI uptake and washout as functional biomarkers of glycyrrhizic acid-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and P-glycoprotein activity in HepG2 cells

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of glycyrrhizic acid on HepG2 cell viability and the cellular uptake, retention, and washout kinetics of technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile (99mTc-MIBI), with particular emphasis on the potential involvement of mitochondrial function an...

Disclosing the undisclosed: Social media endorsements in an unregulated context

This study examined how influencer endorsement disclosure affects conceptual and attitudinal persuasion knowledge, and, in turn, influencer credibility, purchase intention, and sharing intention, in Kuwait, an unregulated social media market. In a between-subjects experiment, 968...

Melatonin Supplementation in the Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

ABSTRACT Background Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder of gut–brain interaction characterized by recurrent abdominal pain and altered bowel habits, with substantial effects on quality of life and healthcare utilization. Melatonin has been proposed as a potential...

Direct selective Laser trabeculoplasty in the management of glaucoma: The first systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Glaucoma management heavily relies on controlling intraocular pressure (IOP). While selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) is a standard first-line therapy, its contact-based approach requires gonioscopy, which demands specialized skills and introduces minor corneal ris...

Ultrasound-Activated Microbubbles for Precision Chemo-Radioenhancement in Prostate Cancer: Sonoporation, Therapeutic Synergy, and Translational Pathways

Background/Objectives: Radiotherapy and docetaxel are mainstays of prostate cancer management, yet both are constrained-radiotherapy by normal-tissue tolerance and docetaxel by systemic toxicity and acquired resistance. Ultrasound-activated microbubbles (USMB) convert acoustic en...

Genomic landscape of papillary thyroid carcinoma in Kuwait reveals novel candidate somatic variants

Abstract Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common thyroid malignancy and is increasingly diagnosed in the Middle East, including Kuwait. To characterize its genomic landscape, targeted next-generation sequencing was performed on 72 histologically confirmed PTC tumors...

Prevalence of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Among Pregnant Women in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Background & Objective: Pregnancy is a vulnerable period for psychological distress, yet Riyadh-specific data describing stress, anxiety, and depression simultaneously and their correlates remain limited. This study was conducted with aim to estimate the prevalence of antenatal s...

Convolution of $\chi$-orbital measures on complex Grassmannians

Let {\scriptsize $SU(p+q)/S(U(p)\times U(q))$} be the Grassmannian of complex $p$-dimensional subspaces of $\mathbb{C}^{p+q}$, where $p$ and $q$ are integers such that $p\geq q \geq 2$. The aim of this paper is to extend the main result in~\cite{anchouche2},~\cite{Alhashami} to t...

Exposure to tobacco smoke, concurrent short-term symptoms of respiratory, allergic, cardiovascular morbidities and health-services use among young adults in Kuwait

Exposure to tobacco smoke remain major public health concerns due to its’ association with multiple morbidities and increased health-services use. This cross-sectional study aimed to, (i) assess the prevalence of exposure to tobacco smoke (first-hand and second-hand) among studen...

Genomic and Phenotypic Characterization of Sandstorm-Derived Airborne Bacillus Strains Reveals Diverse Biosynthetic Potential

Background/Objectives: Bacillus spp. are often isolated from airborne microbiota. Five Bacillus strains (AD12–16) isolated from dust during a sandstorm in Kuwait were characterized for their potential to produce antimicrobial compounds, biosurfactants and siderophores by genotypi...

Temporal, Spatial, and Environmental Variation in Virus-like Particle Abundance in the Northwestern Arabian Gulf

Marine viruses are important components of microbial communities and influence their structure and dynamics, yet their variability remains poorly documented in the northwestern Arabian Gulf. Virus-like particle (VLP) abundance was monitored over four years at three coastal sites...

Diagnostic and Molecular Yield of a Multidisciplinary Team-Guided Combined Endobronchial and Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Sampling Strategy for Mediastinal and Hilar Lymphadenopathy

BACKGROUND: Real-world data examining structured modality selection for mediastinal/hilar adenopathy in mixed malignant and benign cohorts is limited. We evaluated the performance of a multidisciplinary team (MDT)-guided strategy incorporating EBUS/EUS-B and EUS for both benign a...

Metabolic Signatures Associated with COVID-19 Vaccination in Serum from Healthy Individuals

Background: COVID-19 vaccines have proven effective in reducing severe disease and mortality from SARS CoV-2 infection. The underlying molecular mechanisms and alterations in the human serum metabolome influencing the effectiveness and development of immunity remain unclear. Meth...

Effectiveness of plasma atherogenic index as a predictor of cardiovascular risk in patients with metabolic syndrome and related cardiometabolic conditions: a systematic review.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome represent escalating global health challenges characterized by complex lipid derangements. While traditional lipid panels are standard, the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) has emerged as a potentially superi...

Millimeter-wave directed energy-mediated neural cell injury: insights into protein degradation and cell injury mechanisms

Background: Millimeter-wave directed energy (mmWave DE) is increasingly used in telecommunications and military applications, yet its biological effects on neuronal systems remain unclear. To characterize the spatially dependent cellular and molecular impacts of 34.14 GHz mmWave...

Cultural Fit, Privacy Concerns, and GCC Women’s Openness to AI-Enabled Menstrual Tracking: A Cross-Sectional Study

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded in menstrual and reproductive health applications, yet little is known about how women in conservative, rapidly digitizing regions evaluate AI-enabled menstrual tracking tools. This study investigates how perceived cultural fi...

Why the Jannābid Qarāmiṭa of Baḥrayn Occupied Mecca and Plundered the Black Stone in 317/930

This study re-examines the Jannābid (Qarmaṭī) sack of Mecca and seizure of the Black Stone in 317/930. Moving beyond sectarian explanations, it argues the attack was the calculated apex of a coercive strategy, provoked by ʿAbbāsid economic blockade, political exclusion and refusa...