Acylated Flavone O-Glucuronides from the Aerial Parts of Nepeta curviflora

Nepeta curviflora Boiss. (Syrian catnip) is native to the Middle East. This medicinal plant is commonly used against nervous disorders, rheumatic pains, and high blood pressure. Herbal infusions prepared from various Nepeta spp. are extensively consumed as functional food. However, limited information has been known about the phenolic constituents of Syrian catnip. In this study, two acylated flavone 7-O-glucuronides, apigenin 7-O-(2″-O-(2‴-(E-caffeoyl)-β-glucuronopyranosyl)-β-glucuronopyranoside) (1) and luteolin 7-O-(2″-O-(2‴-(E-caffeoyl)-β-glucuronopyranosyl)-β-glucuronopyranoside) (2), along with the known phenolic compounds rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid, apigenin, and apigenin 7-O-β-glucopyranoside were isolated from the aerial parts of N. curviflora. The characterizations of these compounds were based on high-resolution mass spectrometry, UV, and extensive use of multidimensional NMR spectroscopy. The new compounds (1 and 2) were identified in the unmodified state and as dimethylesters.publishedVersio

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on obesity among adults in Jordan

COVID-19 is a severe acute respiratory syndrome that mainly affects the human respiratory system. Unhealthy nutritional habits and obesity are expected as consequences of protective measures including quarantine. Obesity, in its growing prevalence, is a worldwide health issue associated with worsening health conditions. This is a cross-sectional study to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on obesity among Jordanian adults and across epidemiological statuses. Participants were randomly selected, and the survey was distributed on social media networking sites. A total of 672 subjects were surveyed and participated in the study between March and June 2021 via Google Form questionnaire. The results indicated that 74.4% of participants reported that they did not do any physical activity, and 43.5% changed their lifestyle and eating habits for the worse. During the COVID-19 pandemic, almost half of the participants reported an increase in hunger, consuming 3–4 meals/day, and consuming < 1 liter of water/day. Additionally, more than half of the participants reported no change in fat, cereals, and protein consumption, 46.4 % had no change in fruit and vegetable consumption, and 50.6% increased their consumption of sweets. Our results showed a significant increase in the self-reported BMI categories during the COVID-19 pandemic for all ages (p < 0.001). Change in weight and BMI was significantly associated with marital status, education level, living place, family size, family working members, and working status. Participants across all epidemiological statuses displayed a statistically significant increase in BMI. This study was conducted to observe the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on health behaviors and obesity among Jordanian adults and across epidemiological statuses. We found that there were significant negative changes in the lifestyle (physical activity) and eating behaviors of Jordanians during the COVID-19 quarantine which in turn increased their body weight and changed the obesity rate

Antibacterial synergy of Tritirachium oryzae-produced silver nanoparticles with different antibiotics and essential oils derived from Cupressus sempervirens and Asteriscus graveolens (Forssk)

Purpose: To carry out eco-friendly biosynthesis of fungi-derived silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and investigate their antibacterial synergies with essential oils (EOs) of Asteriscus graveolens (Forssk.) Less. and Cupressus sempervirens. Methods: Biosynthesis of AgNPs was carried out using a cell-free filtrate of Tritirachium oryzae. The biosynthesized AgNPs characteristics were assessed using different methods, including ultravioletvisible spectrophotometry (UV), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results: Obvious synergistic effects were observed between AgNPs and chloramphenicol, vancomycin, nitrofurantoin or tetracycline with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, through increases in fold area of inhibition (IFAs) within the range of 2.4 to 9.0. Synergistic interactions were also seen between AgNPs and the antibiotics used, depending on the strain. Increase in IFA ranged from 1- to 3-fold for S. aureus, E. coli and P. aeruginosa. Similarly, combinations of AgNPs, EO of A. graveolens and cefotaxime, nitrofurantoin or amoxicillin against P. aeruginosa led to 10-, 3- and 10-fold synergy, respectively. In contrast, the use of AgNPs and trimethoprim, tetracycline or amoxicillin against E. coli led to 1 to 6-fold synergy. The best synergistic capacity resulted from AgNPs and the EO of C. sempervirens and trimethoprim against S. epidermidis, which yielded 29-fold increase in IFA. The use of combination of AgNPs and vancomycin against P. aeruginosa led to 16.4-fold enhancement of IFA. Conclusion: The findings can potentially lead to the development of a new perception of antibacterial agents (innovative medications) involving the incorporation of nanoparticles (NPs) or new materials that potentially synergize with antibiotics, NPs and the EOs of different plants

Prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in ulcerative colitis patients in Jordan and its relationship to patient-reported disease activity

Inflammatory bowel disease is associated with higher rates of anxiety and depression compared to the general population. We aimed to determine the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms among patients with ulcerative colitis and correlation to disease activity. In this cross-sectional study, we collected data from 70 consecutive ulcerative colitis patients over one year at our inflammatory bowel disease outpatient clinic through an interview and a questionnaire containing patient demographics and disease characteristics. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were characterized using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire and Patient Health Questionnaire-9, respectively, with ulcerative colitis disease severity assessed by the Partial Mayo scoring system. The majority of our patients were females (68.6%) and the mean age was 39.3 years. Rates of anxiety and depressive symptoms among ulcerative colitis patients were 65.7% and 58.6%, respectively. Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with patient-reported disease activity (r = 0.361; p = 0.010). Significant percentages of ulcerative colitis patients were appreciated to have anxiety and depressive symptoms, and there was a correlation between patient-reported disease activity and depressive symptoms. At this high rate of prevalence, it is justified to screen patients for the presence of psychiatric comorbidities

UK Medical Cannabis Registry palliative care patients cohort: initial experience and outcomes

Introduction: Palliative care aims to improve quality of life through optimal symptom control and pain management. Cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) have a proven role in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. However, there is a paucity of high-quality evidence with regards to the optimal therapeutic regimen, safety, and effectiveness of CBMPs in palliative care, as existing clinical trials are limited by methodological heterogeneity. The aim of this study is to summarise the outcomes of the initial subgroup of patients from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry who were prescribed CBMPs for a primary indication of palliative care, cancer pain and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, including effects on health-related quality of life and clinical safety. Methods: A case series from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry of patients, who were receiving CBMPs for the indication of palliative care was undertaken. The primary outcome consisted of changes in patient-reported outcome measures including EQ-5D-5L, General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Single-Item Sleep Quality Scale (SQS), Pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Australia-Modified Karnofsky Performance Scale at 1 and 3 months compared to baseline. Secondary outcomes included the incidence and characteristics of adverse events. Statistical significance was defined by p-value< 0.050. Results: Sixteen patients were included in the analysis, with a mean age of 63.25 years. Patients were predominantly prescribed CBMPs for cancer-related palliative care (n = 15, 94%). The median initial CBD and THC daily doses were 32.0 mg (Range: 20.0–384.0 mg) and 1.3 mg (Range: 1.0–16.0 mg) respectively. Improvements in patient reported health outcomes were observed according to SQS, EQ-5D-5L mobility, pain and discomfort, and anxiety and depression subdomains, EQ-5D-5L index, EQ-VAS and Pain VAS validated scales at both 1-month and 3-months, however, the changes were not statistically significant. Three adverse events (18.75%) were reported, all of which were either mild or moderate in severity. Conclusion: This small study provides an exploratory analysis of the role of CBMPs in palliative care in the first cohort of patients since CBMPs legalisation in the UK. CBMPs were tolerated with few adverse events, all of which were mild or moderate and resolved spontaneously. Further long-term safety and efficacy studies involving larger cohorts are needed to establish CBMPs role in palliative care, including comparisons with standard treatments

Role of Nemolizumab and Omalizumab in management of atopic dermatitis: A review

BackgroundNemolizumab (CIM331) is a monoclonal antibody that binds the IL-31 receptor α component. This inhibits IL-31 from acting on neurons that constrains the initialization of the sense of pruritus in cases of atopic dermatitis.AimsTo summarize the results of reported studies evaluating the role of nemolizumab and omalizumab in management of atopic dermatitis.Methods This is a systematic review was carried out, including PubMed, Google Scholar, and EBSCO that examining randomized controlled trials, observational, and experimental studies which study role of nemolizumab in management of atopic dermatitis.Results The review included 8 randomized studies reported efficacy of both nemolizumab and omalizumab for management of atopic dermatitis.ConclusionOther studies with large numbers of patients with AD are necessary to define the adverse effects of both drugs in the treatment of AD