RETRACTED: Alhakamy et al. Development and Optimization of Luliconazole Spanlastics to Augment the Antifungal Activity against Candida albicans. Pharmaceutics 2021, 13, 977.

The journal retracts the article, "Development and Optimization of Luliconazole Spanlastics to Augment the Antifungal Activity against Candida albicans" [...].

Exploring the Validity of Available Markers and Indices in the Diagnosis of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) in People with Type 2 Diabetes in Saudi Arabia.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is common among Saudi patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, recommended clinical procedures to detect it are unavailable in many locations. Therefore, better and more available diagnostic biomarkers for NAFLD are needed. Various serum parameters were suggested, and algorithms that employ routine measurements in clinical practice have been developed for the prediction of fat stores in the liver in different populations. However, no such studies have been conducted on Saudis. We aimed to compare selected biochemical markers and calculated indices in T2DM patients diagnosed with NAFLD and patients without NAFLD to find the best markers associated with NAFLD. A cross-sectional study was employed to recruit 67 people with T2DM from endocrine outpatient clinics at King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital. NAFLD was detected by ultrasonography in 28 patients. Demographic information, anthropometric, and blood pressure (BP) measurements were taken. Fasting blood samples were obtained to measure glucose, glycated haemoglobin, lipid profile, liver function tests, and highly sensitive C-reactive protein. Fatty liver index, hepatic steatosis index, NAFLD-liver fat score, and triglyceride and glucose index were calculated. Following stepwise forward likelihood ratio regression with independent variables included in one model using binary logistic regression with age and waist circumference (WC) entered as covariates, elevated diastolic BP and low high-density lipoprotein- cholesterol remained significantly associated with NAFLD (p = 0.002 and 0.03, respectively). However, none of the investigated indices could be used to diagnose the disease adequately due to low specificity, even after calculating new cut-off values. Investigating novel markers and adjusting existing equations used to calculate indices to improve sensitivity and specificity in our population is needed.

Development and Evaluation of Ginkgo biloba/Sodium Alginate Nanocomplex Gel as a Long-Acting Formulation for Wound Healing.

The aim of the study was to develop and evaluate the Ginkgo biloba nanocomplex gel (GKNG) as a long-acting formulation for the wound healing potential. Pharmaceutical analysis showed an average particle size of 450.14 ± 36.06 nm for GKNG, zeta potential +0.012 ± 0.003 mV, and encapsulation efficiency 91 ± 1.8%. The rheological analysis also showed the optimum diffusion rate and viscosity needed for topical drug delivery. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis further confirmed the success of GKNG. The in vivo study showed increments in the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and a lower level of lipid peroxidation (MDA) after GKNG treatment. The GKNG group showed upregulations in collagen type I, as alpha 1 collagen (COL1A1), and collagen type IV, as alpha 1 collagen (COL4A1). Furthermore, the in vivo study showed increments in hydroxyproline, epidermal growth factor (EGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-ß1) after the GKNG. Additionally, GKNG effectively increased the wound contraction compared to GK gel and sodium alginate (SA) gel. Based on the in vitro and in vivo evaluation, GKNG effectively accelerated wound healing by modulation of antioxidant enzymes, collagens, angiogenic factors, and TGF-ß1.

Gender Differences in The Factors associated with Hypertension in Non-Diabetic Saudi Adults-A Cross-Sectional Study.

The association between lifestyle practices, obesity and increased BP are under-investigated. We aimed to investigate this association to identify the factors associated with hypertension and prehypertension in Saudis. Non-diabetic adults were recruited from public healthcare centers using a cross-sectional design. Recruits were interviewed using a predesigned questionnaire. Weight, height, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), neck circumference (NC) and BP were measured. The variables were analyzed by comparing the prehypertensive and hypertensive groups with the normotensive group. A total of 1334 adults were included. The study found that 47.2% of men and 24.7% of women were prehypertensive, and 15.1% of men and 14.4% of women were hypertensive. High BMI, WC, NC, and WC: HC ratios were associated with an increased risk of prehypertension and hypertension in men and women. Low physical activity was associated with an increased risk of elevated BP in men, while sleep duration of ≤6 h and sitting for ≥4 h were associated with increased risk in women. Women from central Asia, southeast Asia, and those of mixed origin had a higher prevalence of hypertension compared to those from Arabian tribes. In conclusion, prehypertension and hypertension increase with age and obesity. Gender differences were apparent in the association between several lifestyle practices and prehypertension or hypertension among various ethnic/racial groups.

Development and Optimization of Luliconazole Spanlastics to Augment the Antifungal Activity against Candida albicans.

Luliconazole is a new topical imidazole antifungal drug for the treatment of skin infections. It has low solubility and poor skin penetration which limits its therapeutic applications. In order to improve its therapeutic efficacy, spanlastics nanoformulation was developed and optimized using a combined mixture-process variable design (CMPV). The optimized formulation was converted into a hydrogel formula to enhance skin penetration and increase the efficacy in experimental cutaneous Candida albicans infections in Swiss mice wounds. The optimized formulation was generated at percentages of Span and Tween of 48% and 52%, respectively, and a sonication time of 6.6 min. The software predicted that the proposed formulation would achieve a particle size of 50 nm with a desirability of 0.997. The entrapment of luliconazole within the spanlastics carrier showed significant (p < 0.0001) antifungal efficacy in the immunocompromised Candida-infected Swiss mice without causing any irritation, when compared to the luliconazole treated groups. The microscopic observation showed almost complete removal of the fungal colonies on the skin of the infected animals (0.2 ± 0.05 log CFU), whereas the control animals had 0.2 ± 0.05 log CFU. Therefore, luliconazole spanlastics could be an effective formulation with improved topical delivery for antifungal activity against C. albicans.

In-Silico Study of Immune System Associated Genes in Case of Type-2 Diabetes With Insulin Action and Resistance, and/or Obesity.

Type-2 diabetes and obesity are among the leading human diseases and highly complex in terms of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches and are among the most frequent and highly complex and heterogeneous in nature. Based on epidemiological evidence, it is known that the patients suffering from obesity are considered to be at a significantly higher risk of type-2 diabetes. There are several pieces of evidence that support the hypothesis that these diseases interlinked and obesity may aggravate the risk(s) of type-2 diabetes. Multi-level unwanted alterations such as (epi-) genetic alterations, changes at the transcriptional level, and altered signaling pathways (receptor, cytoplasmic, and nuclear level) are the major sources that promote several complex diseases, and such a heterogeneous level of complexity is considered as a major barrier in the development of therapeutics. With so many known challenges, it is critical to understand the relationships and the shared causes between type-2 diabetes and obesity, and these are difficult to unravel and understand. For this purpose, we have selected publicly available datasets of gene expression for obesity and type-2 diabetes, have unraveled the genes and the pathways associated with the immune system, and have also focused on the T-cell signaling pathway and its components. We have applied a simplified computational approach to understanding differential gene expression and patterns and the enriched pathways for obesity and type-2 diabetes. Furthermore, we have also analyzed genes by using network-level understanding. In the analysis, we observe that there are fewer genes that are commonly differentially expressed while a comparatively higher number of pathways are shared between them. There are only 4 pathways that are associated with the immune system in case of obesity and 10 immune-associated pathways in case of type-2 diabetes, and, among them, only 2 pathways are commonly altered. Furthermore, we have presented SPNS1, PTPN6, CD247, FOS, and PIK3R5 as the overexpressed genes, which are the direct components of TCR signaling.

Relationship between admission criteria and academic performance in basic science courses in health science colleges in KAU.

BACKGROUND: At King Abdulaziz University, medical and health science schools depend on admission exams (aptitude and achievement) and preparatory year scores in their students' selection. However, with the growing number of applicants and the drastic changes in teaching and assessment in these colleges, continuous assessment and development of admission criteria are needed. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the correlation of admission exam scores, in addition to the preparatory year Grade Point Average (GPA), with academic performance in the basic science subjects such as Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Pharmacology in health science colleges. METHODS: The study was conducted on four cohort studies, two faculty of nursing cohorts; nursing students (2017-2018, n=146) nursing students (2018-2019, n=81), and two faculty of applied medical sciences cohorts, clinical nutrition students (2017-2018, n=33), and clinical nutrition students (2018-2019, n=28). The students' scores of General Aptitude Test (GAT), Scholastic Achievement Admission Test (SAAT), and preparatory year GPA were all recorded at the beginning of each semester before the beginning of courses. Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Pharmacology exam results were recorded at the end of the semester. Correlation was done for each cohort and all cohorts pooled. RESULTS: Results showed only a weak correlation detected between SAAT and the overall achievement in Clinical Biochemistry (r= 0.192, P= 0.042) in nursing students (2017-2018), but no correlation was seen with SAAT or preparatory year scores. There was also no significant correlation between admission exams scores and the students' academic achievement in Clinical Biochemistry or Clinical Pharmacology. On the other hand Clinical Pharmacology exam results showed a significant positive correlation with Clinical Biochemistry results (r=0.688, P=0.000). CONCLUSION: Our results could indicate the need to revisit the admission criteria for these colleges. Furthermore, specific preparatory year tracks for health science colleges can ensure that students improve the specific skills and knowledge required for their future college years3.

Diet influences levels of plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and its soluble receptor (sCD14) in Saudis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the association between serum levels of LPS, sCD14 and hs-CRP, and markers of obesity, and dietary composition of healthy adults residing in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: Apparently healthy adults, aged 18-55 years, were recruited from Jeddah population in a cross-sectional design. Anthropometric measurements, and vital signs were taken using standardized techniques. Serum glucose, cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein- cholesterol (HDL-C), hs-CPR, LPS and sCD14 were assayed, and LDL- cholesterol (LDL-C), and atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) were calculated. Means of estimated variables were compared using t-test or Mann-Whitney U-test for two groups and ANOVA for multiple groups. Chi-square, and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to identify association and correlations between studied variables. RESULTS: Means of TG, LDL-C, and hs-CRP increased significantly in both genders with increasing BMI (p= 0.019, and 0.040 for TG, 0.049, and 0.002 for LDL-C in males and females respectively, and <0.001 for hs-CRP for both). Mean hs-CRP was significantly higher in subjects with abdominal obesity (p=0.025 for men, and 0.001 for women), identified to have metabolic syndrome (p<0.001). Mean sCD14 was significantly elevated in females consuming high quantity of bread (p= 0.033) or drinking tea (p = 0.018). LPS correlated positively with sCD14 in men (p=0.049). CONCLUSIONS: An association between dietary composition and development of bacterial endotoxaemia was found. However, no association between measures of endotoxaemia and increased adiposity and inflammation was found.