RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Being on the verge of a revolutionary approach to gathering information, ChatGPT (an artificial intelligence (AI)-based language model developed by OpenAI, and capable of producing human-like text) could be the prime motive of a paradigm shift on how humans will acquire information. Despite the concerns related to the use of such a promising tool in relation to the future of the quality of education, this technology will soon be incorporated into web search engines mandating the need to evaluate the output of such a tool. Previous studies showed that dependence on some sources of online information (e.g., social media platforms) was associated with higher rates of vaccination hesitancy. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to describe the output of ChatGPT regarding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine conspiracy beliefs. and compulsory vaccination. METHODS: The current descriptive study was conducted on January 14, 2023 using the ChatGPT from OpenAI (OpenAI, L.L.C., San Francisco, CA, USA). The output was evaluated by two authors and the degree of agreement regarding the correctness, clarity, conciseness, and bias was evaluated using Cohen's kappa. RESULTS: The ChatGPT responses were dismissive of conspiratorial ideas about severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) origins labeling it as non-credible and lacking scientific evidence. Additionally, ChatGPT responses were totally against COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy statements. Regarding compulsory vaccination, ChatGPT responses were neutral citing the following as advantages of this strategy: protecting public health, maintaining herd immunity, reducing the spread of disease, cost-effectiveness, and legal obligation, and on the other hand, it cited the following as disadvantages of compulsory vaccination: ethical and legal concerns, mistrust and resistance, logistical challenges, and limited resources and knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: The current study showed that ChatGPT could be a source of information to challenge COVID-19 vaccine conspiracies. For compulsory vaccination, ChatGPT resonated with the divided opinion in the scientific community toward such a strategy; nevertheless, it detailed the pros and cons of this approach. As it currently stands, the judicious use of ChatGPT could be utilized as a user-friendly source of COVID-19 vaccine information that could challenge conspiracy ideas with clear, concise, and non-biased content. However, ChatGPT content cannot be used as an alternative to the original reliable sources of vaccine information (e.g., the World Health Organization [WHO] and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]).
RESUMEN
Several studies have reported the anti-diabetic effect of biologically synthesized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). This study was designed to investigate the in vivo anti-diabetic activity of AuNPs synthesized using the leaf extract of Dittrichia viscosa in a high-fat diet (HFD)/streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes in rats. AuNPs were synthesized using the leaf extract of D. viscosa, and the synthesized AuNPs were characterized by UV-visible spectrophotometer, dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). To study the anti-hyperglycemic effect of the AuNPs formed using D. viscosa extract, adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups (6-8 rats/group) as follows: control group, a diabetic group without treatment, and a diabetic group treated intraperitoneally with a daily injection of AuNPs at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg for 21 days. Diabetes was induced by maintaining the rats on HFD for 2 weeks, followed by a single intraperitoneal injection of 45 mg/kg of STZ. Serum and liver samples were collected at the end of the treatment period and used to measure glucose levels and hepatic gene expression and activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), the rate-limiting enzyme in the liver gluconeogenic pathway. The AuNPs formed using D. viscosa extract were mainly spherical with a size range between 20 and 50 nm with good stability and dispersity, as indicated by the zeta potential and DLS measurements. Treatment with AuNP significantly lowered the blood glucose level, the gene expression, and the activity of hepatic PEPCK in comparison to the diabetic untreated group (P < 0.05). This study suggests that AuNPs synthesized using D. viscosa leaf extract can alleviate hyperglycemia in HFD/STZ-induced diabetes in rats, which could be through the reduction of hepatic gluconeogenesis by inhibiting the expression and activity of the hepatic PEPCK gene. Schematic illustration of the biosynthesis of AuNPs showing their distinctive morphology under the EM. The generated particles were injected into animals and serum glucose levels were reported in addition to the PEPCK expression and activity.