...................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 MENA REGION PRE-ARAB ...

Since 2011, the Syrian Civil War has become an arena of international competition between regional and global powers. As a dominant actor, Turkey important interests in this conflict. However, although great importance is given to civil war factors power balances at field level, Turkey’s internal conditions play role as well these externalities. Therefore, analysis foreign policy towards Syria ...

1Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA 2Syrian Research Cancer Centre of the Syrian Society against Cancer, Aleppo, Syria 3McGill & Concordia Universities, Montreal, Canada 4Universite de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR 7213, Illkirch, France 5Kids Research Institute, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW 2145, Australia 6Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, The University of Sydney,...

Dust particles have dangerous impacts on human health, the environment, and the economy. Recently dust storms, originating from Arabian countries, have increased remarkably, affecting western and central parts of Iran.HYSPLIT model and the mean monthly maps of AAI (Absorbing Aerosol Index), surface skin temperature, and top soil layer moisture from OMI (Ozone Measurement Instrument) have been u...

BACKGROUND Investigating severe maternal morbidity (near-miss) is a newly recognised tool that identifies women at highest risk of maternal death and helps allocate resources especially in low income countries. This study aims to i. document the frequency and nature of maternal near-miss at hospital level in Damascus, Capital of Syria, ii. evaluate the level of care at maternal life-saving emer...

BACKGROUND Risks to the mental health of children and families exposed to conflict in Syria are of such magnitude that research identifying how best to deliver psychological first aid is urgently required. This study tested the feasibility of a novel approach to large-scale distribution of information and data collection. METHODS Routine humanitarian deliveries of bread by a bakery run by a n...

PURPOSE Syria is caught in the middle of a disruptive nutritional transition. Its healthcare system is distracted by challenges and successes in other areas while neglecting to address the onslaught of Syria's cardiovascular disease (CVD) epidemic. Despite the official viewpoint touting improvement in health indicators, current trends jeopardize population health, and several surveys in the Syr...

BACKGROUND The flight of Syrian and Palestinian families into Lebanon from Syria included a number of older refugees. This study sought to characterize the physical and emotional conditions, dietary habits, coping practices, and living conditions of this elderly population arriving in Lebanon between March 2011 and March 2013. METHODS A systematic selection of 210 older refugees from Syria wa...

OBJECTIVE To characterize hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemiology in countries of the Fertile Crescent region of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), namely Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria. METHODS We systematically reviewed and synthesized available records of HCV incidence and prevalence following PRISMA guidelines. Meta-analyses were implemented using a DerSimonian-Laird rando...

Background Ongoing conflict and systematic targeting of health facilities and personnel by the Syrian regime in opposition-controlled areas have contributed to health system and governance mechanisms collapse. Health directorates (HDs) were established in opposition-held areas in 2014 by the interim (opposition) Ministry of Health (MoH), to meet emerging needs. As the local health authori...