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The current study was designed to uncover the chemistry and bioactivity potentials of Bupleurum lancifolium growing wild in Jordan. In this context, the fresh aerial parts obtained from the plant material were subjected to hydrodistillation followed by GC/MS analysis. The main components of the HDEO were γ-patchoulene (23.79%), β-dihydro agarofuran (23.50%), α-guaiene (14.11%), and valencene (13.28%). Moreover, the crude thanolic extract was partitioned to afford two main major fractions, the aqueous methanol (BLM) and butanol (BLB). Phytochemical investigation of both fractions, using conventional chromatographic techniques followed by careful inspection of the spectral data for the isolated compounds (NMR, IR, and UV-Vis), resulted in the characterization of five known compounds, including α-spinasteryl (M1), ethyl arachidate (M2), ethyl myristate (M3), quercetin-3-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1-4”)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (B1), and isorhamnetin-3-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1-4”)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (B2). The TPC, TFC, and antioxidant activity testing of both fractions and HDEO revealed an interesting ABTS scavenging potential of the BLB fraction compared to the employed positive controls, which is in total agreement with its high TP and TF contents. Cytotoxic evaluation tests revealed that BLM had interesting cytotoxic effects on the normal breast cell line MDA-MB-231 (ATCC–HTB-26) and the normal dermal fibroblast (ATCC® PCS-201-012) and normal African green monkey kidney Vero (ATCC-CCL-81) cell lines. Despite both the BLB and BLM fractions showing interesting AChE inhibition activities (IC50 = 217.9 ± 5.3 µg/mL and 139.1 ± 5.6 µg/mL, respectively), the HDEO revealed an interestingly high AChE inhibition power (43.8 ± 2.7 µg/mL) that far exceeds the one observed for galanthamine (91.4 ± 5.2 µg/mL). The HDEO, BLM, and BLB exhbitied no interesting antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, or Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Background. The question of apostasy, or rather, the possibility of applying legal punishment for leaving Islam, is perhaps one of the most “inconvenient” for modern Muslim scholars, since it forces them to reproduce the concept developed in the early Middle Ages, but at this moment irrevocably outdated, implying the need to execute an apostate. Such blind adherence to the precedents of the past, only due to the fact that at the time this concept supported by most jurists, in the modern era undermines the very concept of free will and the absence of coercion in Islam. In this regard, it seems relevant to us to conduct a study on the issue of bringing an apostate to justice. The purpose of the research is to argue the judgment that, from the point of view of the basic principles of Islamic law, the use of coercion in matters of religious self-determination is unacceptable. Materials and methods. The implementation of research tasks was achieved on the basis of an analysis of the Quran and Sunnah provisions, as well as the works of prominent Islamic jurists and thinkers of the past and present. The methodological potential includes the philosophical, logical, hermeneutical method, as well as the methods of comparative legal and historical-legal analysis, which together made it possible to compare the idea of an act of apostasy formed in the classical period of Islamic jurisprudence with the changed living conditions of modern Muslims. Results. The judgment is argued that the provisions of the Muslim legal doctrine on the punishment of apostates were dictated by the geopolitical reality of that time, when this act had not so much an ideological as a political component and was almost always associated with high treason, espionage and other forms of hostility towards Muslims. Conclusions. An objective analysis of the classical sources of Islamic law gives reason to conclude that they do not contain logical and normative grounds for bringing a person to legal responsibility for the simple fact of changing beliefs that is not associated with other forms of harm to the interests of society, the state or specific Muslims.

The pivotal Cleome arabica L. species belongs to the Cleome genus with fascinating secondary metabolites consisting of main classes of phenols, flavonoids, and glucosinolate derivatives. The current study was carried out on three crude extracts of Cleome arabica L. plant of Jordanian origin. In terms of the valuable resources for natural new drug development. The phytochemical contents, antioxidants, and antibacterial activities, in addition to the oil composition of this species were identified. Forty-six compounds representing 96.98% of the total composition were detected from the essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation (0.06%). The oil composition was dominated by nitrogen-sulfur-containing compounds (35.66%), esters (19.64%), and oxygenated sesquiterpenes (11.92%). Butanol extract had significantly the best scavenging activities of DPPH (P

Different drying techniques may alter the chemical composition of plant extracts and consequently affect their bioactivity potential. The current study was designed to reveal the effect of four different drying methods on the phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity of hydrodistilled essential oil (HD-EO) and methanolic (APM) extract obtained from the aerial part of Anthemis palestina from Jordan. Aerial parts of A. palestina in their fresh (FR) form and after drying in shade (ShD), sun (SD), oven at 40 °C (O40D) and 60 °C (O60D), in addition to microwave (MWD), were used to extract their essential oils by hydrodistillation and to prepare the different methanolic extracts (APM). GC/MS analysis of the different HD-EOs revealed qualitative and quantitative differences among the different samples. While FR, O40D, O60D, and MWD EO samples contained mainly sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (35.43%, 29.04%, 53.69%, and 59.38%, respectively), ShD sample was rich in oxygenated monoterpenes (33.57%), and SD-EO contained mainly oxygenated sesquiterpenes (40.36%). Principal component analysis (PCA) and Cluster analysis (CA) grouped the different drying methods based on their impact on the concentration of chemical constituents. SD-EO demonstrated high DPPH and ABTS antioxidant activity (1.31 ± 0.03) × 10−2; (1.66 ± 0.06) × 10−2 μg/mL, respectively). Furthermore, A. paleistina methanolic extracts (APM) obtained after subjecting the plant to different drying methods showed interesting patterns in terms of their TPC, TFC, antioxidant activity, and phytochemical profiling. Of all extracts, SD-APM extract had the highest TPC (105.37 ± 0.19 mg GA/g DE), highest TFC (305.16 ± 3.93 mg Q/g DE) and demonstrated the highest DPPH and ABTS scavenging activities ((4.42 ± 0.02) × 10−2; (3.87 ± 0.02) × 10−2 mg/mL, respectively); all were supported by correlation studies. LC-MS/MS analysis of the different extracts revealed the richness of the SD-APM extract in phenolic acids and flavonoids.

Background and Objective: Cancer survival has improved significantly, which reflects the achievements in screening, diagnosis, and treatment. As a consequence, multiple primary malignancies are diagnosed more frequently, with an incidence ranging from 0.52–11.7%. The types of malignancy that coexist and survival patterns vary notably in different countries and geographical areas. Due to the limited literature in Saudi Arabia, a baseline of prevalent malignancy combinations and their survival patterns would support early detection and disease management. Method: This was a retrospective descriptive study conducted from 1993–2022 at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Department of Medical Oncology, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Patients with at least two biopsy-proven solid malignancies were included. Patients with hematological malignancies, missing data, or an uncertain or indecisive pathology report were excluded. Result: In total, 321 patients were analyzed. More than half (57.3%) of the patients were female. A third (33%) of the cases were synchronous, and 67% were metachronous. The most frequent site of the first primary malignancy was breast cancer, followed by colorectal, skin, and thyroid cancers. The most frequent site of the second primary malignancy was colorectal cancer, followed by thyroid, breast, and liver cancers. Only 4% of the cases had a third primary malignancy, with colorectal and appendiceal cancers being the most frequent. The most frequently observed histopathology in the synchronous and metachronous malignancies was adenocarcinoma. Breast–colorectal, breast–thyroid, and kidney–colorectal were the most frequently observed malignancy combinations. Conclusion: The current study offers a baseline of multiple primary malignancies in Saudi Arabia and provides supporting evidence that the pattern of multiple primary malignancies varies among different countries and ethnicities. The possibility of developing another primary malignancy should be considered when treating and monitoring cancer patients.

The current investigation aimed to shed light in the volatile and non-volatile secondary metabolites of Ajuga orientalis L. from Jordan. GC/MS and GC/FID analysis of the hydrodistilled essential oil obtained from aerial parts of the plant revealed tiglic acid (18.90 %) as main constituent. Each of the methanol and butanol fractions of A. orientalis were screened for their total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activity determined by DDPH and ABTS methods. The extracts were then analyzed by LC-ESI-MS/MS to unveil their chemical constituents, especially phenols and flavonoids. Results showed that the AO-B extract had the highest TPC (217.63 ± 2.65 mg gallic acid/g dry extract), TFC (944.41 ± 4.77 mg quercetin /g dry extract), highest DPPH and ABTS antioxidant activity ((4.00 ± 0.20) × 10-2; (3.00 ± 0.20) × 10-2 mg/mL, respectively) as compared to the AO-M extract. LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of both extracts revealed the presence of several phenolics, flavonoids and nonphenolic acids.

ObjectivesThe purposes of this study were to determine the prevalence and cost of absenteeism in nurses as well as the factors that affect absenteeism.MethodsThis is a cross sectional study where a self-administered questionnaire response were obtained from 442 nurses for the previous working in 4 hospitals and 3 primary health care centers in Saudi Arabia. Analyses compared those with zero absences with those with one or more absences per month. Attributable risk was calculated as the difference in the absence percentages among nurses with high-risk exposure and low risk exposure.ResultsThe average absence of nurses is 0.62 days per month. This results in an annual loss of around $4 million. The greatest absence frequency was significantly associated with work psychosocial factors. The modifiable factors included the clarity of work responsibilities, rating of managers, work facilities, work environment, transportation difficulties, and work satisfaction. Cost-effectiveness modules for absence intervention programs were built for these factors.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated that nurse absenteeism is a costly issue related to work and psychosocial factors. Preventive programs to improve the quality of work life are likely to be cost effective.

Essential oils of the leaves and flowers of Anthemis cotula L. (family Asteraceae) grown in Jordan were extracted by hydro-distillation and then analyzed by GC–MS. Sesquiterpenes hydrocarbons (SH) were the dominant components in the oils extracted from leaves and flowers of A. cotula. γ-Muurolene and aromadendrene, were the major compounds that were obtained from the flowers oil, while γ-muurolene and trans-cadinene ether were detected as major ingredients in the leaves extract. LC-MS analysis was carried out to identify the significant compounds from each extract. Additionally, butanol (B), aqueous methanol (M) and water (W) extracts prepared from the flowers and the leaves of A. cotula were analysed by LC-MS/MS. Apigenin and chlorogenic acid were the main constituents detected in the flowers’ alcoholic extracts and leaves’ aqueous extract. Moreover, the essential oils and all prepared extracts were assayed for their total antioxidant activity using the DPPH, ABTS, and ferrous ion chelating effect (FIC) assay methods. All investigated oils and extracts showed interesting activity as compared to the positive controls employed (α-tocopherol and ascorbic acid).

Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the physiological and biochemical changes among bakers, induced by heat exposure at the workplace. Material and Methods Information was collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire. Vital signs were measured and recorded by a trained nurse before and after each work shift. A venous blood sample was drawn at the end of each work shift. The mean wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index in the bakeries and offices was measured. Results This was a cross-sectional study involving 137 bakers working in 20 bakeries, and 107 control subjects comparable in terms of age, race, marital status, years of service, income, and cigarette smoking. There was a significant weight loss and increase in the respiratory rate, the heart rate, and oral body temperature among the bakers compared to the control group. Sodium levels were significantly lower, while blood urea nitrogen levels were significantly higher, among the bakers than in the control group. There were unfavorably hot working conditions in the bakeries: the WBGT index in the bakeries was 37.4°C while the average WBGT for the offices was 25.5°C. Conclusions The changes in the physiological and biochemical parameters among the bakers were found to be associated with exposure to high environmental heat in the bakeries, as judged by the WBGT index. Preventive measures should be aimed at reducing the adverse effects of heat exposure among bakers and should be directed towards the man-machine-environment triad. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2022;35(3):265–72

Abstract Background Our study sought to determine the frequency of Needlestick injuries (NSIs) among Healthcare Workers (HCWs) working at governmental hospital and to study the factors that associated with occurrence of NSIs, and to develop recommendations for a comprehensive program for prevention. Methods Retrospective study of all reported cases of NSIs in the period from April 2016 to May 2018 among healthcare workers at a governmental hospital. Results Incidence of NSIs over 26 months was 8.4% among all participants. Nurses were the most affected staff (52.5%) resulted commonly from disposing syringes (58.9%). In contrast, the incidence of NSIs among physicians was 24.9% where surgical devices were the primary source of NSIs among them (40%). Failure to complete all required hepatitis B vaccination was common among expatriates of the participants of this study. Conclusions NSIs was common among HCWs participated in this study. Preventive measures should be implemented including adequate hepatitis B immunization.

The genus Scrophularia is one of the largest genera belonging to the Scrophulariaceae family. Different members of the genus exhibit an interesting, wide spectrum of bioactivities. Accordingly, the current study aimed to investigate, for the first time, the chemical composition of the essential oil of Scrophularia peyronii Post. from Jordan. Additionally, extracts obtained from the aerial parts with solvents of different polarities were assayed for their phytochemical constituents and in vitro antioxidant activities. The major constituents detected in the essential oil, as revealed by GC/MS analysis, contained mainly Z,Z-farnesyl acetone (11.04%), β-elemene (6.36%), n-octanal (5.98%), and spathulenol (4.58%). Each of the aqueous methanol (Sp-M) and butanol (Sp-B) extracts contained flavonoids, saponins, anthraquinone, and glycosides. Both extracts were evaluated for their total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and their in vitro antioxidant activity, which were assayed using the DPPH radical scavenging activity and ABTS radical scavenging methods. Additionally, the two extracts were then subjected to LC-ESI-MS/MS for the qualitative determination of their secondary metabolite content, especially in flavonoids and phenolic compounds. The results showed that the Sp-B extract of S. peyronii had the highest contents of both phenolic compounds and flavonoids and showed high radical scavenging activity, as determined by the two assay methods, when compared with the Sp-M extract. The LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis resulted in the detection of 21 compounds, including 8 flavonoids, 6 phenolic acids, 6 iridoids, and 2 acids. Although the majority of compounds were detected in both extracts, it was noticed that scropolioside B, 6′-O-cinnamoylharpagide, isoferulic acid, and 6-O-methylcatapol were only detected in the Sp-M fraction.

The finding that some mAbs are antifungal suggests that antibody immunity may play a key role in the defense of the host against mycotic infections. The discovery of antibodies that guard against fungi is a significant advancement because it gives rise to the possibility of developing vaccinations that trigger protective antibody immunity. These vaccines might work by inducing antibody opsonins that improve the function of non-specific (such as neutrophils, macrophages, and NK cells) and specific (such as lymphocyte) cell-mediated immunity and stop or aid in eradicating fungus infections. The ability of antibodies to defend against fungi has been demonstrated by using monoclonal antibody technology to reconsider the function of antibody immunity. The next step is to develop vaccines that induce protective antibody immunity and to comprehend the mechanisms through which antibodies mediate protective effects against fungus.

The chemical composition of essential oil extracted from the aerial parts of Ballota saxatilis Sieber ex C.Presl from Jordan has been elucidated by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Additionally, aqueous methanol (BsA), Butanol (BsB) and water (BsW) extracts were screened for their total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activities using the 2,2 Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-Azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) methods. The most potent extracts were screened for their phenolic acids and flavonoid content using liquid the chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technique. The results indicated that the essential oil predominantly contained cis-pinane (14.76%), β-caryophyllene (8.91%) and allo-aromadendrene epoxide (6.39%). Among the different extracts investigated, the BsB fraction had the most TPC and TFC (455.79 ± 1.03 µg gallic acid/g dry extract; 272.62 ± 8.28 µg quercetin/g dry extract, respectively) and had the best radical and radical cation scavenging activities, as determined using the DPPH and ABTS methods. Quantitative and qualitative LC-MS analyses of BsA and BsB using LC-MS revealed each of the kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside (30.29%), chrysoeriol-7-glucoside (7.93%) and luteolin 7-o-glucoside (7.76%) as the main constituents of the BsA fraction. The BsB fraction was rich in 7,4′-dimethoxy-3-hydroxyflavone (34.68%), kaempferol-3,7,4′-trimethyl ether (29.17%) and corymbosin (9.66%) and lower concentration levels of kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside (1.63%) and chrysoeriol-7-glucoside (0.51%).

Volatile oils from flowers and leaves of C. creticus L. and C. salviifolius L. were extracted by two extraction methods; namely, hydrodistillation and solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME). The chemical composition of essential oils was analyzed by GC and GC–MS. The volatile extracted from leaves and flowers of C. criticus using SPME was dominated by monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes hydrocarbon with α-pinene, camphene and α-cubebene as major components. In hydrodistillation, the oil extracted from leaves was dominated by oxygenated diterpenes and diterpenes hydrocarbon with manoyl oxide and sclarene as major components, whereas, the oil extracted from flowers was dominated by oxygenated diterpenes and diterpenes hydrocarbon with manoyl oxide and abietatriene as major components. The volatile from flowers and leaves of C. salviifolius obtained by SPME were dominated by monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes with δ-3-carene, α-pinene, β-pinene, and E-caryophyllene as major constituents. On the other hand, the oils from flowers and leaves of C. salviifolius obtained by hydrodistillation were dominated by oxygenated diterpenes, diterpenes hydrocarbon and esters with dehydro abietol, abietol, manoyl oxide and methyl octadecenoate as major components. In the leaves, the major components of the oil were manoyl oxide, E-ethyl cinnamate, and Z-ethyl cinnamate. These oils showed weak antioxidant activity when compared to the positive controls α-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, and EDTA, while the crude extracts aq. MeOH, butanol, and water showed good antioxidant activity. Discriminating between the studied plants based on the extraction method was also possible upon applying Principle component analysis (PCA) to the obtained GC–MS data.

The reaction of [Fe(η5-C5H4CH2OH)2] (1) with 2 equiv of ClC(O)R (2) (a, R = C6H5; b, R = 2-CH3-C6H4; c, R = 3-CH3-C6H4, d, R = 4-CH3-C6H4) produced the corresponding ferrocenyl carboxylates [Fe(η5-C5H4CH2OC(O)R)2] (3a–d). Treatment of [FcCH2OLi] (4-Li) (Fc = Fe(η5-C5H5)(η5-C5H4)) with (ClC(O))2C6H4 (5) (a, 1,2-((ClC(O))2-C6H4; b, 1,3-((ClC(O))2-C6H4; c, 1,4-((ClC(O))2-C6H4) in a 2:1 M ratio gave (FcCH2OC(O))2-C6H4 (6a–c), while with 1,3,5-(ClC(O))3-C6H3 (7) in a 3:1 M ratio produced 1,3,5-(FcCH2OC(O))3-C6H3 (8). All compounds were characterized by NMR (1H, 13C{1H}) and IR spectroscopy, ESI-TOF mass spectrometry and elemental analysis. The molecular structures of 3a–d and 6b in the solid state were determined by single crystal X-ray structure analysis, showing anti-periplanar orientations of the 1,1′-positioned substituents at ferrocene (3a–d). In the cyclic voltammograms of 3a–d, 6a–d and 8 reversible electrochemical redox processes (Fc/Fc+) were observed, ranging between 146 and 164 mV for 3a–d, ca. 100 mV for 6a–d and at 113 mV for 8 using [NnBu4][B(C6F5)4] as the supporting electrolyte. The molecular electronic structure of 3, 6 and 8 was calculated by DFT methods in order to obtain the HOMO and LUMO absolute and relative energies in addition to electron density and distribution within the molecular arrangements. It was found that different degrees of HOMO-LUMO energy gaps within the series, due to a lowering in the LUMO energy depending on the positions of the carboxylic ester substituents on the aryl rings, are in agreement with the electrochemical results obtained. Keywords: Ferrocenylmethyl, Mono-dicarboxy benzene, Trimesic acid, Solid state structure, Electrochemistry, DFT

The cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2 receptor) has attracted considerable interest, mainly due to its potential as a target for therapeutics for treating various diseases that have a neuroinflammatory or neurodegenerative component while avoiding the adverse psychotropic effects that accompany CB1 receptor-based therapies. With the appreciation that CB2-selective ligands show marked functional selectivity, there is a renewed opportunity to explore this promising area of research from both a mechanistic as well as a therapeutic perspective. In this research, we are interested in the discovery of new chemotypes as highly selective CB2 modulators, which may serve as good starting points for further optimization towards the development of CB2 therapeutics. In search of new chemotypes as CB2 selective agents, we screened a series of triazole derivatives with interesting bioactive scaffolds, which led to the discovery of two novel and highly selective ligands for CB2 receptors. Compounds 6 and 11 produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of specific [3H]-CP55,940 (CB2) binding with Ki ± SEM values of 105.3 ± 22.6 and 116.4 ± 19.5 nM, respectively, while no binding affinity towards CB1 receptors or opioid receptors was observed. The CB2 functional activity of 6 and 11, as measured by a GPCR Tango assay (G-protein independent β-arrestin translocation assay), revealed that these compounds act as CB2 agonists with EC50 values ± SEM of 1.83 ± 0.16 and 1.14 ± 0.52 µM, respectively. Molecular modeling results showed that both compounds fit well into the active site of the CB2 receptor and showed strong hydrophobic interactions with key residues. In conclusion, the new triazole derivatives (6 and 11) showed promising activity towards CB2 receptors and have great potential to be developed into therapeutically useful CB2 agonists through hit-to-lead optimization.

(1) Background: The monkeypox virus (MPV) is a double-stranded DNA virus belonging to the Poxviridae family, Chordopoxvirinae subfamily, and Orthopoxvirus genus. It was called monkeypox because it was first discovered in monkeys, in a Danish laboratory, in 1958. However, the actual reservoir for MPV is still unknown. (2) Methods and Results: We have reviewed the existing literature on the options for Monkeypox virus. There are three available vaccines for orthopoxviruses—ACAM2000, JYNNEOS, and LC16—with the first being a replicating vaccine and the latter being non- or minimally replicating. (3) Conclusions: Smallpox vaccinations previously provided coincidental immunity to MPV. ACAM2000 (a live-attenuated replicating vaccine) and JYNNEOS (a live-attenuated, nonreplicating vaccine) are two US FDA-approved vaccines that can prevent monkeypox. However, ACAM2000 may cause serious side effects, including cardiac problems, whereas JYNNEOS is associated with fewer complications. The recent outbreaks across the globe have once again highlighted the need for constant monitoring and the development of novel prophylactic and therapeutic modalities. Based on available data, there is still a need to develop an effective and safe new generation of vaccines specific for monkeypox that are killed or developed into a mRNA vaccine before monkeypox is declared a pandemic.

Endocarditis is an extremely rare complication of Salmonellosis with an incidence of 0.2–0.4%. It is a destructive and invasive infection that follows a highly complicated course and carries a high mortality rate that exceeds 45%. Multiple predisposing factors for Salmonella endocarditis have been described in the literature, including human immunodeficiency virus infection, congenital heart diseases, and the presence of a prosthetic valve. Herein, we report a case of Salmonella prosthetic valve endocarditis complicated by splenic infarction and aortic pseudoaneurysm presenting as a month-long history of fluctuating fever, chills, and rigors, accompanied by occasional cough and shortness of breath in a 55-year-old female with aortic and mitral valves replacement and multiple comorbidities. She was diagnosed by multiple radiographic studies and successfully treated with the Commando procedure and a long course of IV antibiotics.

This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity and total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of crude extracts obtained from three Asclepiadaceae species, namely, Calotropis procera L., Peruglaria tomentosa L., and Pentatropis spiralis (Forsk.) Decne. Both butanol and aq. methanol extracts of the three species showed the highest amount of phenol and flavonoid contents, which exhibited the greatest antioxidant activity in the scavenging of 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt radical cation (ABTS), ferrous chelating effect (FIC), and hydroxyl radical (HDR) assays. Phytochemical screening of the extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, sponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, and glycosides. LC-MS analysis was carried out to identify the major compounds from each crude extract. A total of 12 phenolic compounds in the extracts of the 3 species were identified and quantified, including 9 flavonoids, 2 hydroxybenzoic acids, and 3 hydroxycinnamic acids. The current study also revealed a good correlation between total phenolic contents and the observed antioxidant activity of the crude extracts.

Three methods are used to investigate the behaviour of cantilevered and linearly tapered thin-walled high masts under different kinds of dynamic loadings. First, the mast is represented as a single degree of freedom system with a prescribed shape function defining the mast deformation. Second, the finite element approach utilizing beam elements is used. Third, the governing partial differential equation of motion is solved using the finite difference approach. The effect of mesh density, load pattern, tapering ratio and height of masts on the behaviour of these masts is investigated. Results indicate that the finite difference method provides a better solution than the single degree of freedom and finite element methods. An increase in the taper ratio results in a decrease in the lateral displacements for both the concentrated and the distributed dynamic loadings. However, the increase in the taper ratio results in an increase in the lateral displacements during base motion. Masts with a high taper ratio experience lower natural frequencies than masts with a low taper ratio for the same material properties and height.

الملخص: أهداف البحث: تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى معرفة معدل انتشار العقم لدى الذكور بين الخبازين المعرضين لدرجات حرارة بيئية عالية. طرق البحث: أجريت دراسة مقطعية عرضية لجمع المعلومات باستخدام استبانة موثقة تدار من خلال مقابلة شخصية. حيث تم قياس مؤشر متوسط درجة حرارة الترمومتر المبلل في المخابز. واستخدمت صيغة إحصائية جديدة لتقدير انتشار العقم بين الخبازين. النتائج: تطوع في هذه الدراسة عدد ١٣٧ خبازا يعملون في ٢٠ مخبزا و١٠٧ مجموعة ضابطة مماثلة من حيث العمر، والعِرق، والحالة الاجتماعية، والدخل، وتدخين السجائر. كان معدل انتشار العقم باستخدام الصيغة المحدثة بين المجموعة المعرضة ٢٢.٧٪، مقارنة مع ٣.٠٪ في المجموعة الضابطة. تم استبعاد جميع العوامل الخارجية المحتملة للعقم بين الخبازين مثل تدخين السجائر، والعمر والعِرق. وجد أن هناك ظروف عمل بحرارة عالية غير ملائمة في المخابز حيث بلغ مؤشر متوسط درجة حرارة الترمومتر المبلل في المخابز ٣٧.٤ درجة مئوية، في حين بلغ متوسط درجة حرارة الترمومتر المبلل للمكاتب ٢٥.٥ درجة مئوية. الاستنتاجات: أظهرت هذه الدراسة معدلات مرتفعة للعقم بين الخبازين نتجت من التعرض لدرجات حرارة بيئية عالية في مكان العمل كما أظهر متوسط درجة حرارة الترمومتر المبلل. هذه النتائج ينبغي أن تنبه سلطات العمل الصحي لاتخاذ التدابير اللازمة بموجب قانون العمل للحد من العقم بين الخبازين. Abstract: Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of male infertility among bakers exposed to high environmental temperature. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted to obtain information using a validated questionnaire administered through an interview. The mean wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index in the bakeries was measured. A new statistical formula was used to estimate the prevalence of infertility among bakers. Results: A total of 137 bakers working in 20 bakeries and 107 individuals included in the comparable control group with variations in age, race, marital status, and income and with history of cigarette smoking were recruited. Using a newly devised formula, the prevalence of infertility among the exposed group was 22.7%, compared with 3.0% in the control group (p = 0.013). All possible confounding factors associated with infertility among bakers were excluded such as cigarette smoking, age, and race. There were unfavorable hot working conditions in bakeries, with a WBGT index of 37.4 °C, while the average WBGT for offices was 25.5 °C (p

The adoption of health information systems provides many potential healthcare benefits. The government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has subsidized this field. However, like those of other less developed countries, organizations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia struggle to secure their health information systems. This issue may stem from a lack of awareness regarding information security. To date, most related studies have not considered all of the factors affecting information security compliance behavior (ISCB), which include psychological traits, cultural and religious beliefs, and legal concerns. This paper aims to investigate the usefulness of a theory-based model and determine the predictors of ISCB among healthcare workers at government hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study investigated 433 health workers in Arar, the capital of the Northern Borders Province in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Two phases involved in this study were the hypothetical model formulation and identification of ISCB predictors. The results suggest that moderating and non-common factors (e.g., religion and morality) impact ISCB, while demographic characteristics (e.g., age, marital status, and work experience) do not. All published instruments and theories were embedded to determine the most acceptable theories for Saudi culture. The theory-based model of ISCB establishes the main domains of theory for this study, which were religion/morality, self-efficacy, legal/punishment, personality traits, cost of compliance/noncompliance, subjective norms, information security policy, general information security, and technology awareness. Predictors of ISCB indicate that general information security, followed by self-efficacy and religion/morality, is the most influential factor on ISCB among healthcare workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This study is considered as the first to present the symmetry between theory and actual descriptive results, which were not investigated before.

The reaction between organic azides and alkyne derivatives via the Cu(I)-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) is an efficient strategy to combine phthalocyanines and analogues with different materials. As examples of such materials, it can be considered the following ones: graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes, silica nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles, and quantum dots. This approach is also being relevant to conjugate phthalocyanines with carbohydrates and to obtain new sophisticated molecules; in such way, new systems with significant potential applications become available. This review highlights recent developments on the synthesis of phthalocyanine, subphthalocyanine, and porphyrazine derivatives where CuAAC reactions are the key synthetic step.

Azides and porphyrinoids (such as porphyrin and corrole macrocycles) can give rise to new derivatives with significant biological properties and as new materials’ components. Significant synthetic approaches have been studied. A wide range of products (e.g., microporous organic networks, rotaxane and dendritic motifs, dendrimers as liquid crystals, as blood substitutes for transfusions and many others) can now be available and used for several medicinal and industrial purposes.

Skin disorders compromise more than 35% of all occupationally related disorders. Most of these are contact dermatitis as a result from contact with a chemical substance. Contact dermatitis can be either irritant or allergic type. Each type has a different mechanism while the clinical presentation is the same. Management of contact dermatitis must include both medical treatment and workplace modifications as appropriate to reduce exposure to the causative agents. Physicians should be aware of this preventable medical condition.

Objectives: This study aimed to collect information on the personal health status of health sciences students in Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University. It also aimed to investigate the relationships between levels of physical activity and other behaviours as well as specific health indicators in students attending college. Methods: A convenience sample of 147 college students, ages 18 to 24 years, participated in this research study at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University. The data were obtained through interview questionnaire and trained investigators collected weight, height, blood pressure and blood sugar measurements. Results: Forty-five percent of the students were either overweight or obese (21.8% and 23.1%) while 17.0% of the students were current smokers and 7.5% of them were ex-smokers. The majority of the students (91.8%) had fast food (hamburger, French fries, and soft drink) and out of these 62.9% had it three times or more weekly. Furthermore, 35% or more of the students did not have breakfast or drink milk or have vegetables on a daily basis. Also, 22.4% of the students were inactive. Ten percent of the participants were hypertensive while 1.4% had impaired random blood sugar with increased risk for diabetes mellitus. All of these students were unaware that they had hypertension or high random blood sugar. There was a significant statistical relationship between living in-campus at university and frequency of consumption of fast food (p = 0.003). Conclusion: This study shows that there were high rates of risky lifestyles, namely, obesity, smoking, unhealthy diet, and inactivity among health sciences students, while some have health issues such as hypertension and high risk of diabetes.

We review in this article some of our work which has been published over the last fifteen years in the area of 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of substituted benzyl azides with acetylenic compounds to form the corresponding 1,2-3-triazoles. Several triazole derivatives were transformed into triazolopyridazine and triazolo-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives upon their reactions with hydrazine.

The current study was designed to uncover the chemistry and bioactivity potentials of Bupleurum lancifolium growing wild in Jordan. In this context, the fresh aerial parts obtained from the plant material were subjected to hydrodistillation followed by GC/MS analysis. The main components of the HDEO were γ-patchoulene (23.79%), β-dihydro agarofuran (23.50%), α-guaiene (14.11%), and valencene (13.28%). Moreover, the crude thanolic extract was partitioned to afford two main major fractions, the aqueous methanol (BLM) and butanol (BLB). Phytochemical investigation of both fractions, using conventional chromatographic techniques followed by careful inspection of the spectral data for the isolated compounds (NMR, IR, and UV-Vis), resulted in the characterization of five known compounds, including α-spinasteryl (M1), ethyl arachidate (M2), ethyl myristate (M3), quercetin-3-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1-4")-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (B1), and isorhamnetin-3-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1-4")-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (B2). The TPC, TFC, and antioxidant activity testing of both fractions and HDEO revealed an interesting ABTS scavenging potential of the BLB fraction compared to the employed positive controls, which is in total agreement with its high TP and TF contents. Cytotoxic evaluation tests revealed that BLM had interesting cytotoxic effects on the normal breast cell line MDA-MB-231 (ATCC–HTB-26) and the normal dermal fibroblast (ATCC® PCS-201-012) and normal African green monkey kidney Vero (ATCC-CCL-81) cell lines. Despite both the BLB and BLM fractions showing interesting AChE inhibition activities (IC50 = 217.9 ± 5.3 µg/mL and 139.1 ± 5.6 µg/mL, respectively), the HDEO revealed an interestingly high AChE inhibition power (43.8 ± 2.7 µg/mL) that far exceeds the one observed for galanthamine (91.4 ± 5.2 µg/mL). The HDEO, BLM, and BLB exhbitied no interesting antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Making use of a differential operator, which is defined here by means of the Hadamard product, we introduce classes of p -valent functions and investigate various important inclusion properties and characteristics for these classes. Also, a property preserving integrals is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study was designed to reveal the main groups of secondary metabolites in the methanol (M) and acetone (A) extracts from four Euphorbia species from Jordan. The extracts of these species were also tested for their total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant activity, and cytotoxic effects against human MDA-MB-231 cancer cells. Different groups of secondary metabolites were found in the M and A extracts of E. hierosolymitana, E. aleppica, E. petiolata, and E. prostrata. All extracts had moderately high TPC and TFC. Of all species, both extracts of E. aleppica had an exceptionally high TFC that far exceeded its content in all other extracts (1462.67 ± 0.04; 1600.44 ± 0.03 mg quercetin equivalents/g of extract, respectively). E. prostrata extracts had high amounts of TPC (182.61 ± 0.12; 187.35 ± 0.07 mg gallic acid equivalents/g extract) and TFC (629.78 ± 0.00; 774.22 ± 0.01 mg quercetin/g extract). Extracts obtained from the tested Euphorbia species had moderate high antioxidant activity, but the DPPH and ABTS-scavenging activity of the E. prostrata extracts was the highest, but were lower than those observed for the the positive controls (range 0.004-0.009 mg/mL). The methanol extract of E. hierosolymitana also showed strong DPPH scavenging activity (0.007 ± 0.002 mg/mL). The acetone extract of E. prostrata showed much stronger anticancer activity than the positive control drug, doxorubicin (62.5±3.71 mg/mL), against the human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 (HTB-26TM) cell line (IC50 value: 58 ± 3.71 µg/mL). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different drying techniques may alter the chemical composition of plant extracts and consequently affect their bioactivity potential. The current study was designed to reveal the effect of four different drying methods on the phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity of hydrodistilled essential oil (HD-EO) and methanolic (APM) extract obtained from the aerial part of Anthemis palestina from Jordan. Aerial parts of A. palestina in their fresh (FR) form and after drying in shade (ShD), sun (SD), oven at 40 °C (O40D) and 60 °C (O60D), in addition to microwave (MWD), were used to extract their essential oils by hydrodistillation and to prepare the different methanolic extracts (APM). GC/MS analysis of the different HD-EOs revealed qualitative and quantitative differences among the different samples. While FR, O40D, O60D, and MWD EO samples contained mainly sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (35.43%, 29.04%, 53.69%, and 59.38%, respectively), ShD sample was rich in oxygenated monoterpenes (33.57%), and SD-EO contained mainly oxygenated sesquiterpenes (40.36%). Principal component analysis (PCA) and Cluster analysis (CA) grouped the different drying methods based on their impact on the concentration of chemical constituents. SD-EO demonstrated high DPPH and ABTS antioxidant activity (1.31 ± 0.03) × 10−2; (1.66 ± 0.06) × 10−2 μg/mL, respectively). Furthermore, A. paleistina methanolic extracts (APM) obtained after subjecting the plant to different drying methods showed interesting patterns in terms of their TPC, TFC, antioxidant activity, and phytochemical profiling. Of all extracts, SD-APM extract had the highest TPC (105.37 ± 0.19 mg GA/g DE), highest TFC (305.16 ± 3.93 mg Q/g DE) and demonstrated the highest DPPH and ABTS scavenging activities ((4.42 ± 0.02) × 10−2; (3.87 ± 0.02) × 10−2 mg/mL, respectively); all were supported by correlation studies. LC-MS/MS analysis of the different extracts revealed the richness of the SD-APM extract in phenolic acids and flavonoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article, published in the journal Neuropediatrics, explores the clinical and genetic spectrum of RAB3GAP1-related disorders, which are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and other physical abnormalities. The study presents detailed information on 23 patients with biallelic RAB3GAP1 variants from multiple research sites worldwide. The findings reveal a wide range of phenotypic features, including neurological symptoms, imaging abnormalities, and multi-systemic phenotypes. The research provides valuable insights into the genotype-phenotype spectrum of these disorders and may assist in genetic counseling for affected individuals and their families. [Extracted from the article]