Biological activities evaluation of enantiopure isoxazolidine derivatives: in vitro, in vivo and in silico studies

A series of enantiopure isoxazolidines (3a–c) were synthesized by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between a (−)-menthone-derived nitrone and various terminal alkenes. The screened compounds were evaluated for their antioxidant activity by two in vitro antioxidant assays, including β-carotene/linoleic acid bleaching, and inhibition of lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive species, TBARS). The results revealed that compound 3b (EC50 = 0.55 ± 0.09 mM) was the most potent antioxidant as compared to the standard drug (EC50 = 2.73 ± 0.07 mM) using the TBARS assay. Furthermore, the antimicrobial activity was assessed using disc diffusion and microdilution methods. Among the synthesized compounds, 3c was found to be the most potent antimicrobial agent as compared to the standard drug. Subsequently, the acute toxicity study has also been carried out for the newly synthesized compounds and the experimental studies revealed that all compounds were safe up to 500 mg/kg and no death of animals were recorded. The cytotoxicity of these compounds was assessed by the MTT cell proliferation assay against the continuous human cell lines HeLa and compound 3c (GI50 = 46.2 ± 1.2 μM) appeared to be more active than compound 3a (GI50 = 200 ± 2.8 μM) and 3b (GI50 = 1400 ± 7.8 μM). Interestingly, all tested compounds displayed a good α-amylase inhibitory activity in competitive manner with IC50 values ranging between 23.7 and 64.35 μM when compared to the standard drug acarbose (IC50 = 282.12 μM). In addition, molecular docking studies were performed to understand the possible binding and the interaction of the most active compounds to the α-amylase pocket.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sleeping duration, napping and snoring in association with diabetes control among patients with diabetes in Qatar

Background: Poor glycemic control is associated with chronic life-threatening compli-cations. Several studies have revealed that sleep status is associated with glycemic control. Aim: to examine the association between sleep duration, quality and glycemic control among adults with diabetes. Methods: Data on 2500 participants aged 18-60 years were collected from the Qatar Biobank (QBB). Sleep duration and quality were assessed by a self-completed health and lifestyle questionnaire, and glycemic control was assessed using HbA1c. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between sleep duration, napping, snoring and poor glycemic control. Results: After adjusting for age and gender, sleep duration was not associated with poor glycemic control. Lack of association persisted after controlling for smoking, physical activity, education, BMI, fruit and vegetable intake, insulin and medication use. However, sleeping for long hours at night (?8 h) had a trend in increasing the risk of poor glycemic control (OR = 1.28; 95% CI: 0.94-1.74). Napping was positively associated with poor glycemic control. After adjusting for age and gender, patients who reported "sometimes, frequently, or always" napping had more than 30% increased risk of poor control as compared to patients who reported "never/rarely" napping. Snoring was not associated with poor glycemic control among the study sample when adjusted for age and gender (p = 0.61). Other factors were found to be associated with a better glycemic control such as female, high educational and high physical activity level. Conclusions: our results suggest that napping may be an independent risk factor for a poor glycemic control in diabetes; further investigations are required. 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Funding: This research was funded by Qatar University, grant number QUST-1-CHS-2021-6.Scopu

Transition Pathway Toward Agroecology in Agroforestry Systems: Case of Kesra

The mountain of Kesra is located at an altitude of 1245 m with a very uneven relief. It belongs to the upper semi-arid bioclimatic stage. The range of soils is very diverse due to the extreme variability of substrates, climates, and plant species. Despite the richness of natural resources and heritage, and the ancestral know-how of local populations, the region of Kesra, continues to suffer from economic and social underdevelopment. Standard applications, which do not take into account the specificities of each area, often do not achieve the objectives of ecodevelopment and sustainability. The application of a holistic agroecological transition approach in this rural mountain area requires an inclusive co-design which takes into consideration the socio-ecological context (Natural resources use, agricultural practices, agroforestry, etc.). So, the main objective was to define and build context-specific agroecological transition pathways throw a solid methodology which combines literature review, consultation, and focus group discussions. The visioning approach was conducted with 12 farmers from the community to reflect on the state of agriculture in Kesra and to identify a desirable future of agriculture in 10 years (2022-2032) from their own perspective. This vision was discussed and debated referred to the 13 principals of agroecology. The AE transition pathway identified in Kesra suggests an emphasis on the diversification of local and natural based products to insure synergies between system components as a basis of a swift transition. The resulting impact pathway promotes increasing resilience to market and climate change, economic autonomy, diversifying market, and promotion of local products. Based on this approach and other research activities a set of actions will be executed during 2023 and 2024 to monitor the co-designed transition pathways and to scaling-up the agroecological transition in the mountainous areas like Kesra

Sleeping Duration, Napping and Snoring in Association with Diabetes Control among Patients with Diabetes in Qatar

Background: Poor glycemic control is associated with chronic life-threatening complications. Several studies have revealed that sleep status is associated with glycemic control. Aim: to examine the association between sleep duration, quality and glycemic control among adults with diabetes. Methods: Data on 2500 participants aged 18-60 years were collected from the Qatar Biobank (QBB). Sleep duration and quality were assessed by a self-completed health and lifestyle questionnaire, and glycemic control was assessed using HbA1c. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between sleep duration, napping, snoring and poor glycemic control. Results: After adjusting for age and gender, sleep duration was not associated with poor glycemic control. Lack of association persisted after controlling for smoking, physical activity, education, BMI, fruit and vegetable intake, insulin and medication use. However, sleeping for long hours at night (8 h) had a trend in increasing the risk of poor glycemic control (OR = 1.28; 95% CI: 0.94-1.74). Napping was positively associated with poor glycemic control. After adjusting for age and gender, patients who reported "sometimes, frequently, or always" napping had more than 30% increased risk of poor control as compared to patients who reported "never/rarely" napping. Snoring was not associated with poor glycemic control among the study sample when adjusted for age and gender (p = 0.61). Other factors were found to be associated with a better glycemic control such as female, high educational and high physical activity level. Conclusions: our results suggest that napping may be an independent risk factor for a poor glycemic control in diabetes. Further research is needed to establish the causal link between sleep and impaired glucose metabolism. These findings may open up new strategies for targeted intervention to improve the duration and quality of sleep