Qatar has claimed the bronze medal in the fifth edition of the Korea International Youth Olympiad (KIYO) 2020, which was held remotely by the World Women Inventors and Entrepreneurs Association (WWIEA) to raise awareness about innovation.
The competition took place from September 20 to October 12 with the participation of around 60 countries from all over the world.
The Qatari medal was secured by student Abdul Hadi Jaber Jallab, from Jassim Bin Hamad Secondary School for Boys, for his research titled 'The Effect of Silver Nanoparticles Socks on the Treatment of Diabetic Foot', the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) said in a statement yesterday.
The research was mentored by Sherif Bahgat al-Sorory, superviser, and Thamer Bahgat al-Sorory, co-ordinator.
Student Harith Nashat from the same school also participated in the initiative, which was supported by the ministry in co-operation with the Qatar National Research Fund.
The research was based on the substantial increase in the number of diabetes patients from 108mn people in 1980 to more than 422mn people in 2017, according to statistics released by the World Health Organisation.
Poor blood circulation and peripheral neuropathy are common complications of diabetes. Moreover, diabetic foot ulcers and resulting infections can potentially lead to amputations and life-threatening complications.
Therefore, the research presented the idea of producing socks impregnated with silver nitrate nanoparticles from a vegetable source, the MoEHE statement noted. Different concentrations of silver nitrate were mixed with watercress extract to produce silver nanoparticles. The socks impregnated with different concentrations of nanoparticles were placed on a 2mm deep wound made on the foot of diabetic mice to check the time taken for healing.
The results of the experiment were promising; it demonstrated that silver nanoparticles are remarkably effective in healing the wounds of laboratory animals. The recovery rate has been proportional to the concentration of nanoparticles in use. Future work will be focused on testing the suitability of nano silver socks on the foot of actual diabetics patients.
Commenting on the win, Abdul Hadi expressed happiness at claiming the bronze medal and honouring Qatar in the international competition. He said, "In fact, there are not enough words to describe how great I feel. When I represent my homeland and win a medal in such a prestigious international event like this, that's indescribable. Thanks to God for everything."
Al-Sorory said he felt extremely proud when Qatar was announced as the winner of the third place and bronze medalist, thus surpassing countries that have a long-standing and major presence in this international competition.
The Korea International Youth Olympiad offers students of national and international schools and universities an opportunity to share their ideas inventions, innovations and intellectual property.
The objectives of the competition are to foster global leaders through creativity, moral courage and teamwork; foster talents that will lead the creative economy era by developing leadership based on personal strengths and talents; broaden the horizon as a global citizen through the exchange with students from all over the world; and seek out young talents who will lead the future intellectual property society.
Abdul Hadi Jaber Jallab
