Socially-distant fasting: information practices of young Muslims during pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to reimagine how they engage in spiritual and religious activities. This paper presents an analysis of the information practices of young Muslims during Ramadan, with a focus on their social, spiritual and COVID-related needs and strategies. Our qualitative approach entailed semi-structured interviews with 22 self-identified Muslims from across the Muslim spectrum. They were asked about their experiences with completing Ramadan under pandemic, including the nature of information accessed and shared as part of the fasting rituals. Interviews were transcribed, and open coding was used to categorize the data into themes. The thematic analysis was conducted through an iterative process. Our findings pointed to the differing affective states of the young Muslims who observed the fast under COVID. Participants also hinted at the loss of communal practices and rituals and the emergence of new habits and coping strategies (many informational in nature). Social and emotional support were particularly critical to overcoming the challenges. This study contributes to a better understanding of the intersection between information activities and spiritual/religious practices. The findings also have theoretical and practical implications for the role of information and technology in times of crisis.Peer Reviewe

The study of the effect of Medicago sativa hydroalcoholic extract on nicotine-induced liver damage in male Wistar rats

Introduction: Nicotine, as the most important component of cigarette, can cause liver damage. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the hydroalcoholic extract of alfalfa on controlling nicotine-induced liver damage in male Wistar rats. Methods: In this experimental study, 24 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 equal groups: control group (without treatment), T1 (nicotine), T2 (nicotine + alfalfa extract of 250 mg / kg) and T3 (nicotine + alfalfa extract of 500 mg / kg). Hydroalcoholic extract of alfalfa oraly and nicotine were injected subcutaneously at a dose of 0.2 mg / kg for 25 days. At the end of the course, food intake, body weight and liver were measured. Blood samples from each rat were obtained for the evaluation of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Data were presented as mean and standard error of mean with SPSS 24 software and were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc test. The significant level was considered P <0.05.&nbsp; Results: The body weight of animals in the T1 group was significantly decreased in comparison to that of the control group (P=0.046). There was no significant difference in food intake between the groups (P=0.054). The liver weight in the T1 and T2 groups decreased significantly compared to the control group (P=0.044). Significant serum levels of ALT and AST enzymes increased in the T1 test group compared to the control group (P<0.05). In addition, in the treatment groups with alfalfa (T2 and T3) hydroalcoholic extract, serum concentrations of ALT and AST biomarkers were significantly decreased compared to the T1 group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, alfalfa hydroalcoholic extract with antioxidant effect can show the hepatoprotective effects against nicotine