Regions Of Yemen Research Articles

Microgeographic Differentiation in Historical Yemen Inferred by Morphometric Distances

This study analyzed the variations in space of 8 body dimensions and 11 measures of the head of 1,244 adult Yemenite males, collected in 1933/34 by Coon in Yemen and in Hadhramawt. The aim was to evaluate the presence of geographic microdifferentiation of the populations settled in the different regions of Yemen at the time. Coon sub-divided the sample into six geographical areas according to birthplace and ethnicity of the individuals: Tihamah, the Western Mountains, the Central Plateau, the South Coast, the Eastern Mountains, and Hadhramawt. The results of ANCOVA (age as covariate) show that the observed differences of all variables among the six groups were highly statistically significant. Tukey’s post-hoc test reveals higher statistically significant differences among four main groups: (1) Tihamah; (2) the Western Mountains and Central Plateau; (3) the Eastern Mountains; and (4) the Southern Coast and Hadhramawt. Multiple discriminant analysis carried out using only the data of the 11 measures of the head, the more “genetically” determined variables, confirmed these differences. Indeed, the first canonical variate well separates the groups with the Tihamah, Southern Coast and Hadhramawt on the one side and the Eastern Mountains, Western Mountains and Central Plateau on the other. The second canonical variate separates the Tihamah, Western Mountains and Central Plateau from the Eastern Mountains, Southern Coast and Hadhramawt. In conclusion, the Yemenite population seems to be composed of three morphologically distinct groups and an Eastern Mountains group which is positioned between the group formed by the Southern Coast and Hadhramawt and the Western Mountains and Central Plateau group. The Tihamah is the most distant from all the other groups. These differences are probably due to the presence/absence of geographical and cultural barriers that have favored/blocked the gene flow over the years. Indeed, the entire coastal belt, through the centuries, has constituted one of the principal commercial routes between the East, Africa, and the eastern Mediterranean, while the high inland mountains have isolated the remaining communities. This data is also confirmed by genetic studies. Finally, the average height (162.6 cm) of the global Yemenite population, compared to data from the other six middle-eastern Arab countries and Egypt, was found to be 3–6 cm less. This characteristic will be further studied, analyzing variations in average height according to the different age classes in order to evaluate any possible secular changes.

Anti-Microbial, Anti-Oxidant and Anti-Ulcerogenic Effects of Shilajit on Gastric Ulcer in Rats

Problem statement: To evaluate the effects and mechanisms of action involved in anti-ulcer, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of different native shilajit samples. Approach: Shilajit samples were collected in the mountain region of Yemen (Al-Jouf and Rayma), Russia (Tien-Shan) and India (Kumoan). Stomach ulcers were induced in rats by oro-gastric ingestion of ethanol/HCl. Pre-treatment with ranitidine (100 mg kg-1, p.o.) and shilajit samples (600 mg kg-1, p.o.) occurred for 14 days before the ulcer induction. Plasma lipids, TBARs, SOD, GSH, catalase activity and gastric mucosal histological changes in rat stomach tissue were evaluated. Antimicrobial efficacy of shilajit (500, 300 and 100 μg disc-1) was also studied against fungi, gram positive and negative bacteria. Results: Data had shown the hypo-lipidemic and anti-oxidant effects of studied shilajit samples on ethanol/HCl-induced ulcer model via decreasing TGs, Tc, TBARs while increasing HDLc, SOD, catalase and GSH than saline or ranitidine pre-treated groups. Al-Jouf and Indian shilajit samples inhibit both ulcer score and lesion area by greater percentages than either ranitidine or other samples. Rayma and Russian samples showed a strongest antimicrobial effect than either Al-Jouf or Indian samples. Conclusion/Recommendations: Some of studied shilajit samples have anti-oxidant and anti-ulcer against induced gastric ulcer, while others showed anti-microbial activities against tested microbes; mightily due to combined mechanisms of shilajit’s constituents, including hypolipidemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-stress, anti-anxiety, regenerative, repairing and healing mechanisms.

Five new species of Triotemnus (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae) from Morocco and Yemen

Fivenew species of the genus Triotemnus from Morocco and Yemen are described. Triotemnus is a new genus of Scolytinae for the Yemen region. External morphology of the new species and all morphologically related species of the genus were studied. While the new species from Morocco are morphologically similar to the known species from the corresponding region, all three newly described species from Yemen, mainly two of them living in Socotra, are morphologically very different from all other known species of the genus. Geographical distribution and the probability of endemicity are discussed.

EFEECT OF FINE AGGREGA TYPE ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF ADMEXTURED/NON-AMIXTURED CONCRETE

This paper reports the results of a study conducted to evaluate the effects of three types of fine aggregates on the compressive and tensile strength of concrete. The three fine aggregates used here are Saddah, Thelaa, and Mareb sands which were named after their sources and they represent the common types being used in broad regions in Yemen. A number of concrete mixes were prepared and tested at the curing ages of 1, 7, 14 and 28 days. Two types of superplasticizers were used with some mixes, named F and G. The results showed that concrete containing Saddah sand had the highest strength capacities in both compression and tension while concrete made with Mareb sand had the lowest strength. On the other hand, it was observed that concrete mixes made with superplasticizers showed higher strengths compared to those made without admixtures.

Cross-Sectional, Longitudinal and Prospective Epidemiological Studies of Rift Valley Fever in Al-Hasa Oasis, Saudi Arabia

Rift Valley Fever (RVF) is a disease affecting ruminants and humans in many countries of the African continent, and was reported for the first time in 2000 in the south-west region of Saudi Arabia, and north-west region of Yemen. In Saudi Arabia, RVF was not reported outside the south-west region. However, its situation outside the affected region is not properly and scientifically clarified. In this investigation cross-sectional and longitudinal serological studies were conducted on domestic ruminants in Al-Hasa Oasis east of Saudi Arabia, to clarify the freedom or presence, prevalence, and distribution of Rift Valley fever (RVF). A total of 598 serum samples were collected from sheep (225), goats (102), cattle (242), and camels (29) during the year 2007. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the presence of anti-RVF IgG and IgM antibodies in sheep, goats, and cattle sera. Camels sera were tested for the presence of anti-RVFV antibody by isotype-nonspecific inhibition ELISA (iELISA). Two out of 598 (0.3%) sera were IgG, but not IgM, seropositive, other samples were IgG and IgM seronegative. Both seropositives were ewes, more than three years old, and located about 45 kilometers apart. For the longitudinal study a single sentinel herd of 40 sheep were established in the Oasis. These animals were subjected to daily clinical observation and monthly blood sampling. This investigation lasted 35 month starting August 2005. Sera from the blood samples were tested for the presence of IgG using the ELISA technique. There were no clinical signs observed on the animals that may suggest RVF. Sera testing also failed to detect IgG against RVF virus.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis in North-Western Yemen: A clinicoepidemiologic study and Leishmania species identification by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is widespread in Yemen, but not fully documented. To study the clinicoepidemiologic profile of CL in the northwestern region of Yemen Republic and to identify the responsible Leishmania species by molecular methods. All 265 CL cases (176 males and 89 females) were subjected to detailed analysis. Diagnosis was based on clinical features, positive slit skin smear, and histopathologic findings in some cases. In 198 cases, positive smears were examined at the Leishmania Reference Centre of Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome (Italy), by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis for Leishmania typing. All patients were Yemeni nationals, originated from 10 governorates of northwestern Yemen. Most of the patients had a single noduloulcerative lesion on the face suggestive of "dry"-type CL. Slit skin smear was positive in 255 cases (96.23%). Leishmania sp PCR was positive in all 198 cases examined; the RFLP analysis was positive in 155 samples with the following identification results: L. tropica in 133 cases (85.80%), L. infantum in 17 (10.97%), and L. donovani in 5 (3.23%). This was a prospective study of CL cases at one center only; hence, the full extent of the disease in the entire region cannot be predicted. CL appears to be endemic in northwestern region of Yemen, clinically presenting as 'dry' type, caused mainly by L. tropica (85.8% of cases) and occasionally by L. infantum (10.97%) and L. donovani (3.23%). There is a need for a multicenter study to evaluate the extent of the disease and diffusion of each Leishmania responsible species.

Fatty Acid Profile, α-Tocopherol Content and Total Antioxidant Activity of Oil Extracted from Nigella sativa Seeds

Nigella sativa (N. sativa) is popularly known as the black seed, a herb that has traditionally been used for centuries in many parts of the world. It has gained popularity due to its potential health benefits. However, more scientific data is needed to support the various health claims. This study was carried out to determine the fatty acid profile, α-tocopherol content and to evaluate the antioxidant activity of seed oil samples from three different regions in Yemen namely Marib, Sadah and Taiz. N. sativa seeds oil was extracted using three different solvents (n-hexane, petroleum ether and chloroform: methanol 2:1 v/v) and the fatty acids composition was analyzed using gas chromatography, while the α-tocopherol was determined using HPLC. Ferric thiocyanate (FTC) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) methods were used to evaluate the antioxidant activity of the seeds oil. Results indicated that N. sativa seeds contain high amount of oil (30-48%) and the major unsaturated fatty acids were linoleic acid (57.96, 58.04 and 57.04%) followed by oleic acid (21.49, 20.87 and 20.60%), while the main saturated fatty acids were palmitic (11.56, 11.23 and 11.22%), followed by stearic and myristic acids in Marib, Taiz and Sadah samples respectively. Oil extracts exhibited strong antioxidant properties when compared to α-tocopherol with 78-82% inhibition in the FTC method and 70-80% in the TBA assays. The oil extracts were found to be rich in α-tocopherol content 290±1.5, 170±0.40 and 120±0.15 mg/100 g, in Marib, Sadah and Taiz samples, respectively. Present results suggest that N. sativa seeds contain high amount of antioxidants that are essential for health and preventing numerous diseases.

Microelement Contents of Locally Produced and Imported Wheat Grains in Yemen

In the last few decades, wheat‐based products have received considerable attention in view of their potential role in transporting of microelements into the human diet. In Yemen, bread is the staple food, produced in different kinds from local and imported wheat. Most of it is not subjected to microelemental analysis. The objective of this study is to determine quantitatively the microelement such as Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Co, Cd and Pb in samples of wheat grains produced locally from different cultivated regions in Yemen as well as those imported from USA and Austria. Flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used for analysis. The results show that the contents of the microelements in the studied samples are generally within the permissible levels except cadmium. The samples collected from middle altitude and eastern plateau the cadmium is above the permissible level.

Spectrum of skin diseases in Yemen (Hajjah and adjacent region).

Epidemiological study of skin diseases from Yemen is not available, although some data has been published from nearby Arab countries. To determine the pattern of skin diseases in Yemen and particularly in Hajjah and nearby regions. This is a prospective study and analysis of the consecutive new patients attending the Dermatology Clinic of Saudi Hospital at Hajjah, Yemen, from January 1997 to December 1999. The majority of the patients were from Hajjah and nearby regions but a substantial number of patients came from different distant regions of Yemen. The diagnosis was mainly based on clinical features but supported by laboratory investigations, diagnostic procedures and histopathology when needed. The total number of new patients was 13,840 with 14,259 diseases, with a male to female ratio of 1:0.81. Ninety-nine percent of the patients were Yemeni nationals. The leading group of diseases was dermatitis and eczematous disorders, followed by infections and infestations (including cutaneous leishmaniasis and mycetoma), followed by acne and acneiform disorders. The spectrum of skin diseases in this analysis revealed that more than 50% of the diseases belonged to dermatitis and eczematous disorders and infectious diseases groups. Socioeconomic and environmental factors of the region are responsible for this. Implementation of public health programs, a proper health education, and inclusion of a suitable training program of dermatology in the undergraduate medical studies of this country may help to prevent and manage these problems rationally.

Indoor radon survey in dwellings of some regions in Yemen

Indoor radon survey in a total of 241 dwellings, distributed in some regions of Yemen was performed, using CR-39 based radon monitors. The objective of this radon survey is to get representative indoor radon data of three regions, namely Dhamar, Taiz and Hodeidah, situated at different altitudes above sea level. The radon concentrations varied from 3 to 270 Bq m −3 with an average of 42 Bq m −3 . It was found that the average radon concentration in the surveyed areas increases with altitudes. The highest average radon concentration of 59 Bq m −3 was found in Dhamar city while the lowest average concentration of 8 Bq m −3 was found in Hodeidah city.

Mycetoma in Yemen: clinicoepidemiologic and histopathologic study.

Mycetoma is widespread in Yemen, but has not been fully documented. A prospective study of 70 patients (53 male, 17 female; from different regions of Yemen) was performed. The clinical profile of the cases was recorded in a special protocol. The diagnosis was based on clinical features, examination of grains, roentgenographic studies, and histopathology (44 cases). Fifty cases were diagnosed as eumycetoma and 20 as actinomycetoma. The identification of the causative species was performed in 44 cases by histopathologic studies. Among the cases of eumycetoma, Madurella mycetomatis was recognized in 27 patients, Leptosphaeria senegalensis in two, and pale-grain fungi in two. Among the cases of actinomycetoma, Streptomyces somaliensis was seen in eight patients, Streptomyces madurae in one, and Nocardia species in four. The treatment of eumycetoma patients with ketoconazole and excision in selected cases controlled the disease activity in the majority. Most of the cases of actinomycetoma were better controlled with drug therapy alone, with a combination of penicillin and cotrimoxazole, or cotrimoxazole alone. Mycetoma is widespread in Yemen, with a higher incidence of eumycetoma and a maximum number of cases from the Hudaida region. A multicenter study is needed to evaluate the exact extent of disease.

Cleome socotrana (Capparaceae) and allied species in the Horn of Africa region

Four species of Cleome with small flowers, 6 stamens, petals without appendages, spreading to erect capsules, and hairy seeds, are recognized in the Horn of Africa region: C. socotrana in the Socotra archipelago (Yemen), C. hadramautica, sp. nov., in southern Yemen, C. omanensis, comb, nov., in the Mahrah Region of Yemen and in Oman, and C. albescens in northern Somalia. C. socotrana is lectotypified and a key to the species treated is provided.

Tackling the issue of rural–urban water transfers in the Ta’iz region, Yemen

The Ta’iz region of Yemen is facing serious water problems. Total water use has become unsustainable. While agriculture places a heavy demand on the region’s water resources, supplies for the fast growing city and the industrial sector are severely rationed despite their much higher willingness‐to‐pay for water relative to the returns on most agricultural uses. The article considers several decentralized management options for enhancing sustainability and improving intersectoral water allocation. These include, taxing groundwater extractions, taxing inputs used in pumping groundwater, and implementing a tradable water rights regime. The first two options could lead to resource conservation but are politically difficult to implement and may not necessarily result in better intersectoral water allocation. The tradable water rights regime has potential for achieving the twin objectives of resource conservation and improved intersectoral resource allocation. If farmers’ de facto water rights were legitimized, this option would be more acceptable to them. However, the following additional conditions need to be met for making the option viable: (a) a set‐aside allocation is made for lifeline supplies for the poor; ( b) the water law provides for separation of water rights from land rights; and (c) community organizations are involved as co‐managers of the region’s water resources.

Hammat al-Qa and the roots of urbanism in southwest Arabia

Prehistoric (Bronze Age) settlement has been little explored in the Yemen. Here, we report on new research at the small, semi-urban site of Hammat al-Qa in the Dhamar region of Yemen.

The Architecture of Mud: Construction and Repair Technology in the Hadhramaut Region of Yemen

The Architecture of Mud: Construction and Repair Technology in the Hadhramaut Region of Yemen

Southwest Arabia During the Holocene: Recent Archaeological Developments

Recent fieldwork has considerably increased our knowledge of early Holocene settlement in Southwest Arabia. Neolithic settlement occurred within an environmental context of increased monsoonal moisture that continued during the mid-Holocene. A now well-attested Bronze Age exemplified by village- and town-scale settlements occupied by sedentary farmers developed toward the end of the mid-Holocene moist interval. The high plateau of Yemen was an early focus for the development of Bronze Age complex society, the economy of which relied upon terraced rain-fed and runoff agriculture. On the fringes of the Arabian desert, the precursors of the Sabaean literate civilization have been traced back to between 3600 and 2800 B.P., and even earlier, so that a virtually continuous archaeological record can now be described for parts of Yemen. In contrast to the highlands these societies relied upon food production from large-scale irrigation systems dependent upon capricious wadi floods. Bronze Age settlement, while showing some links with the southern Levant, now shows equal or stronger linkages with the Horn of Africa across the Red Sea. Although some regions of Yemen show breaks in occupation, others show continuity into the Sabaean period when a series of major towns grew up in response to the incense trade with the north. It is now clear that these civilizations grew up on the foundations of earlier Bronze Age complex societies.

Estuarine Deposits of the Upper Qishn Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Masila Region, Yemen

In the Masila region of Yemen, several hundred million barrels of recoverable oil occur within three Lower Cretaceous siliciclastic lithostratigraphic units of the upper Qishn Formation. The basal unit, S3, locally exceeds over 40 m in thickness. This unit overlies an erosive surface and is formed of blanket deposits of cross-bedded, fining-upward, pebbly sandstones with siliceous and dolomitic paleosols. The S3 unit reflects deposition from coarse-grained fluvial channels and related environments. The middle unit, S2, is composed of complexly interbedded sandstones and mudstones up to over 25 m thick. These deposits grade upward from S3 sediments and display cross-bedded pebbly sandstones, cross-bedded sandstones with mud drapes, and inclined heterolithic units formed of interbedded sandstones and mudstones. The S2 unit is capped by widespread churned and rooted mudstones 3-5 m thick. S2 deposition resulted from the rapid infilling of an estuary, or estuaries, created by the transgression of the fluvial systems responsible for S3 sedimentation. The uppermost unit, S1, at its base is formed of an eastern shelfal package with Helminthopsis- and Chondrites-bearing mudrocks, and western beds formed of sediments generally similar in appearance to the middle S2 unit. Above the lowest S1 deposits are marine muddy coquinas that blanket the study area. In the west, these sediments are abruptly to gradationally overlain by Ophiomorpha-bearing, fine-grained, cross-bedded shelly sandstones up to about 10 m thick. These sandstones form a north-south linear trend and are interpreted to represent a progradational pulse of subtidal shoal sediments that interrupted the general deepening trend exhibited by the upper Qishn interval. Final upper Qishn deposition was younger shelfal muddy coquinas that overlie the shoal deposits. These and younger carbonate sediments act as the uppermost seal to reservoirs in the Masila region. The upper Qishn sediments are compared to modern and Pleistocene estuarine deposits. We propose stratigraphic, depositional, and paleogeographic models for this formation and, from this analysis, we derive several implications for future petroleum operations in the region.

Additions to the scorpion fauna of Yemen

Abstract Three scorpion species of the family Buthidae are recorded for the first time: Androctonus crassicauda and Buthotus jayakari from the north region of Yemen, and Apistobuthus pterygocercus from Yemen as a whole, The presence of A. crassicauda in the northern region of Yemen closes a gap in our knowledge of its distribution. The other two species are endemisms of the Arabian peninsula: A. pterygocercus is apparently confined to the Arabian peninsula; B. jayakari is probably restricted to the southern part of the Arabian peninsula.

Feeding practices and growth in Yemeni children.

A nutritional survey in the Tihama region of Yemen allowed an analysis of the relationship between infant feeding practices and the growth of children 3-23 months of age. The survey was conducted in 1979 on a representative sample of 364 preschool children 3-23 months of age. After adjustment for demographic and socioeconomic factors, breast feeding was found to be associated with higher weight-for-length and weight-for-age. The strongest beneficial effect of breast feeding on weight-for-length was seen at 3-6 months, a weaker effect at 7-12 months, and essentially no effect over 12 months of age. A higher weight-for-age was seen in breast-fed infants 3-6 months of age only. Introducing other foods was associated with higher weight-for-length only in children 13-23 months of age. Neither breast feeding nor introducing other foods was associated with length-for-age. Infant feeding practices appear to be associated with weight gain, but not linear growth in Yemeni infants.

Cultural change, growth and feeding of children in an isolated rural region of Yemen

This paper reports a study on the growth and feeding patterns of children from an isolated region of North Yemen. Marasmus was extremely common and was associated with poor infant feeding practices—particularly the widespread use of bottled milk—and frequent infections. Despite the appearance of a homogeneous traditional society, there were significant differences in the growth of children from adjacent areas. Children from a small township serving as the administrative centre of the region grew more poorly and had a higher mortality than those from the immediate rural hinterland. While poorer living conditions and more frequent infections may explain much of the worse growth and higher mortality of the township children, it is likely less adequate patterns of feeding, particularly greater use of artificial milk, also contribute significantly to the observed difference in growth. Despite the remote rural setting of the study, feeding patterns and growth may be influenced by a number of social factors associated with ‘urbanisation’.