Impact of the Novel CoronaviruS (COVID-19) on Frontline PharmacIsts Roles and ServicEs: INSPIRE Worldwide Survey.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacy has been recognized as a vital healthcare profession during the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary objective of the INSPIRE Worldwide survey was to determine the impact of COVID-19 on pharmacy practice and pharmacists\u27 roles around the world. METHODS: A cross-sectional online questionnaire with pharmacists who provided direct patient care during the pandemic. Participants were recruited through social media, with assistance from national and international pharmacy organizations between March 2021-May 2022. The questionnaire was divided into (1) demographics, (2) pharmacists\u27 roles, (3) communication strategies, and (4) practice challenges. The data were analyzed using SPSS 28, and descriptive statistics were used to report frequencies and percentages. RESULTS: A total of 505 pharmacists practicing in 25 countries participated. The most common role that pharmacists undertook was responding to drug information requests (90%), followed by allaying patients\u27 fears and anxieties about COVID-19 (82.6%), and addressing misinformation about COVID-19 treatments and vaccinations (80.4%). The most common challenges were increased stress levels (84.7%), followed by medication shortages (73.8%), general supply shortages (71.8%), and inadequate staffing (69.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacists within this study were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and took on new or adapted roles (e.g., providing COVID-specific information, managing patients\u27 emotions, and educating on public health measures) to meet the needs of their communities. Despite, the significant challenges (e.g., increased stress, supply chain challenges, addressing misinformation, and staffing shortages) faced by pharmacists, they continued to put their patients\u27 needs first and to provide pharmacy services

Impact of Mitochondrial Genetic Variants in ND1, ND2, ND5, and ND6 Genes on Sperm Motility and Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) Outcomes

Sperm mitochondrial dysfunction causes the generation of an insufficient amount of energy needed for sperm motility. This will affect sperm fertilization capacity, and thus, most asthenozoospermic men usually require assisted reproductive techniques. The etiology of asthenozoospermia remains largely unknown. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of mitochondrial genetic variants on sperm motility and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes. A total of 150 couples from the ICSI cycle were enrolled in this study. One hundred five of the male partners were asthenozoospermic patients, and they were subdivided into three groups according to their percentage of sperm motility, while forty-five of the male partners were normozoospermic. Genetic variants were screened using direct Sanger’s sequencing in four mitochondrial genes (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide hydrogen (NADH) dehydrogenase 1 (ND1), NADH dehydrogenase 2 (ND2), NADH dehydrogenase 5 (ND5), and NADH dehydrogenase 6 (ND6)). We identified three significant variants: 13708G>A (rs28359178) in ND5, 4216T>C (rs1599988) in ND1, and a novel 12506T>A in ND5 with P values 0.006, 0.036, and 0.013, respectively. The medians of sperm motility, fertilization rate, embryo cleavage score, and embryo quality score were significantly different between men showing 4216T>C, 12506T>A, 13708G>A and wild type, Mann-Whitney P values for the differences in the medians were A, 12506T>A, and 4216 T>C variants in sperm mitochondrial DNA negatively affect sperm motility and ICSI outcomes

Monkeypox virus: An emerging epidemic.

INTRODUCTION A monkeypox outbreak is spreading in territories where the virus is not generally prevalent. The rapid and sudden emergence of monkeypox in numerous nations at the same time means that unreported transmission may have persisted. The number of reported cases is on a constant increase worldwide. At least 20 non-African countries, like Canada, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom, have reported more than 57662 as of September 9th suspected or confirmed cases. This is the largest epidemic seen outside of Africa. Scientists are struggling to determine the responsible genes for the higher virulence and transmissibility of the virus. Because the viruses are related, several countries have begun acquiring smallpox vaccinations, which are believed to be very effective against monkeypox. METHODS Bibliographic databases and web-search engines were used to retrieve studies that assessed monkeypox basic biology, life cycle, and transmission. Data were evaluated and used to explain the therapeutics that are under use or have potential. Finally, here is a comparison between how vaccines are being made now and how they were made in the past to stop the spread of new viruses. CONCLUSIONS Available vaccines are believed to be effective if administered within four days of viral exposure, as the virus has a long incubation period. As the virus is zoonotic, there is still a great deal of concern about the viral genetic shift and the risk of spreading to humans. This review will discuss the virus's biology and how dangerous it is. It will also look at how it spreads, what vaccines and treatments are available, and what technologies could be used to make vaccines quickly using mRNA technologies

Social marketing, shock advertising and risky consumption behavior

Purpose The overall objective of this research is to “explore whether shock advertising has a long-lasting positive effect on the smoking cessation among smoking Jordanians in a country where smoking is a deep-rooted social norm.” Design/methodology/approach This research is an exploratory qualitative research. A purposeful sampling technique was used to select participants from a mall intercept and randomly divided into groups of seven. Each group was interviewed in two different focus group sessions (four weeks apart). All focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings A total of 41 participants took part in the focus group session. Most participants were smokers or second-hand smokers. “Three overarching themes were generated from the focus groups: previous anti-smoking campaign experience, shock advertising (SA) impact and drawbacks of SA. All participants reported that they have never been exposed to shocking adverts, and the shock appeal has never been applied in any of the anti-smoking or health awareness campaigns in Jordan. This research revealed that incorporating images of children with a mixture of emotional and fear appeals is effective in targeting Jordanian parents' negative consumptive behaviors, which may harm other individuals, especially children. Moreover, most participants commented that the effects of shock adverts would be very short term and would not likely change behaviors”. Originality/value This research contributes both “theoretically and practically to the value and effectiveness of shock advertising. This research area is overlooked in MENA countries, particularly Jordan”

Effects of Laser Treatment on WC-12%Co Cermet Coating Deposited by Air Plasma Spraying Technique

Tungsten carbide powder with 12% Co was deposited on AISI 321 stainless steel substrate using Air Plasma Spraying (APS) technique. The coating was produced at 80 mm standoff distance. The coated samples were treated with CO2 Laser under the shroud of nitrogen gas. A series of experimentation was carried out in order to optimize the laser parameters. After laser melting, the modified surfaces were characterized and compared with as sprayed surfaces.It was observed that the laser melting process produced defect free surfaces compared to conventional coating

Quantification of aflatoxins and health risk assessment through intake of herbal medicine formulations

Aflatoxins (AFs) are frequent contaminants of herbs, which pose a health risk to regular consumers. This study quantified AFs (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2, and Total AFs) in 100 of frequently used herbal medicine formulations in Northern Jordan, and assessed the health risk associated with its intake. About half of the samples had levels lower than the detection limit, while the concentrations of AFB1 and Total AFs were higher than the European limits in 10% and 23% of the collected samples, respectively. The mean average daily dose (ADD) of AFB1 through the consumption of the formulations was 3.32 × 10−6 and ranged between 1.21 × 10−9 and 0.00045 ng/kg bwt/day, while the mean ADD of Total AFs was 6.80 × 10−5 and ranged between 3.21 × 10−9 and 0.0015 ng/kg bwt/day. The margin of exposure (MOE) for each medicine herein was far greater than 10,000 as recommended by European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for carcinogenic and genotoxic substances. Estimated cancer risk due to life time exposure to AFB1 in herbal medicines was 1.03 × 10−5 (ranged between 4.51 × 10−4 to 1.19 × 10−9 cancers/105 individuals/75 year). The frequent occurrence of AFs in the analyzed samples raised questions on their potential harmful consequences on heavy consumers, and suggested that further official measures could minimize contamination and improve management of the associated cancer risk

Perceptions, symptoms, and practices of electronic cigarette users: Descriptive analysis and validation of Arabic short form vaping consequences questionnaire.

BackgroundE-cigarette (EC) use is increasing worldwide. Understanding the practices and perceptions of e-cigarette users and profiling the symptoms they experience is essential for regulating the use of such products. This study aims to investigate the practices and perceptions of e-cigarette users in Jordan and examine the symptoms (e.g. respiratory) they associate with e-cigarette use.MethodsA cross-sectional online survey was conducted to assess EC use and tobacco smoking behaviors and the corresponding health symptoms among EC users in Jordan. EC use expectancies were also assessed using the Short Form Vaping Consequences Questionnaire, which was first translated into Arabic and tested for validity and reliability.ResultsOut of the 400 EC users surveyed, 95.5% were male, 76.2% used nicotine-containing juice, and 56.8% were concurrent tobacco smokers. Further, the participants had a mean age of 28.9 years (±10.2). Among dual EC/cigarette users, 88.6% reported that they tried to quit cigarette smoking, with e-cigarette use being the most commonly tried method of smoking cessation. The smoking-related symptoms reported by regular cigarette smokers mainly included sputum production (77.5%). The participants reported that using e-cigarettes instead of tobacco cigarettes had led to improvements in their sputum production (60.8%), breathing (59%), and general wellbeing (52%). Pleasant taste, enjoyable taste sensation, and flavor were significantly stronger (P-value ConclusionDual daily use of e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes is a common practice among EC users. We recommend that further research is conducted on dual EC/cigarette use and the potential health risks this may have (e.g. higher nicotine intake as compared to the single use of either products)

Photodegradation of methylene blue dye by the UV/H2O2 and UV/acetone oxidation processes

The photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye in aqueous solutions was investigated using a laboratory-scale UV lamp in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Different initial concentrations of dyes (10, 20, 30, 40 ppm) were investigated using different doses of H2O2. Substantial decolorization of the dye was reached using UV/H2O2, where neither UV nor H2O2 alone was appreciably able to decolorize any of the dyes. The optimum dose of H2O2 increased with the increase of the initial concentration of the dye. The experimental decoloration kinetics data followed the pseudo-first-order reaction model. The time of decoloration increased with an increase in the initial dye concentration. The effect of the presence of photosensitized material such as acetone on the decoloration rate of the MB dye was also examined. Increasing acetone concentration shortened the time needed to completely decolorize MB solutions. The oxidation role of hydroxyl-free radicals was evaluated using sodium carbonate