Factors associated with the unwillingness of Jordanians, Palestinians and Syrians to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to continue to inflect immense burdens of morbidity and mortality, not to mention the sever disruption of societies and economies worldwide. One of the major challenges to managing COVID-19 pandemic is the negative attitudes towards vaccines and the uncertainty or unwillingness to receive vaccinations. We evaluated the predictors and factors behind the negative attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines in 3 countries in the Middle East. METHODS: A cross-sectional, self-administered survey was conducted between the 1st and the 25th of December, 2020. Representative sample of 8619 adults residing in Jordan, West Bank, and Syria, completed the survey via the Web or via telephone interview. The survey intended to assess intent to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and to identify predictors of and reasons among participants unwilling/hesitant to get vaccinated. RESULTS: The total of the 8619 participants included in this study were the ones who answered the question on the intent to be vaccinated. Overall, 32.2% of participants (n = 2772) intended to be vaccinated, 41.6% (n = 3589) didn't intend to get vaccinated, and 26.2% (n = 2258) were not sure. The main factors associated with the willingness to take the vaccine (yes responses) included females, 18-35 years old, Syrians and Jordanians, a large family size, and having received a flu vaccine last year. Reasons for vaccine hesitancy included the lack of rigorous evaluation of the vaccine by the FDA and the possible long-term health risks associated with the vaccines (the wait-and-see approach). CONCLUSION: This survey, conducted in December when the number of cases and deaths per day due to COVID-19 were at or near peak levels of the initial surge in the three regions under investigation. The survey revealed that most of survey's participants (67.8%) were unwilling/hesitant to get vaccinated against COVID-19 with the lack of trust in the approval process of the vaccine being the main concern; the two main characteristics of those participants were more than 35 years old and participants holding a Bachelor's degree or higher. Targeted and multi-pronged efforts will be needed to increase acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine in Jordan, West Bank and Syria.

Evaluation of the Genetic Association and Expressions of Notch-2 /Jagged-1 in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the world's most common cause of chronic kidney diseases (CKD), with approximately 1 in 4 adults with DM having CKD and 1 out of 10 to 20% of DM patients die from CKD. OBJECTIVE: The current study aims to investigate the correlation between Notch-2 and Jag-1expressions and specific inflammation biomarkers IL-1ß and IL-6 with different stages of diabetic nephropathy. METHODS: From August 2018 to January 2019, three hundred subjects were recruited for this study. One hundred and fifty subjects were healthy and age-matched to the diabetic group and selected as a control group. Another 150 patients with an established diagnosis of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) according to the criteria of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) were also recruited. Blood specimens were eventually used to identify the expressions Notch-2 and Jagged-1 and the levels of inflammatory biomarkers IL-1ß and IL-6. RESULT: The current study shows a significant increase in gene expression and inflammatory biomarkers in patients with moderate and severe diabetic nephropathy compared to the control group. However, there was no significant difference between healthy control and mild diabetic nephropathy patients. This study shows a close association between the increase in the levels of inflammatory biomarkers IL-1ß and IL-6 as well as the gene expressions levels of both Notch-2 and Jag-1 with human diabetic nephropathy. CONCLUSION: According to our findings, we emphasize the use of Notch-2 and Jag-1 expressions and IL-1ß and IL-6 levels as potential biomarkers for different stages of diabetic nephropathy.

Influence of geographic conditions on body length of male newborns in Kyrgyzstan.

Newborn length has been reported by many researchers to be reduced at high altitudes. However, many of these studies lacked adequate control of the ethnic group which may be confounding the altitude differences. In addition, few studies have examined the sources of variation in birth weight at high altitudes that may be related to ethnic group adaptation to the stresses of this hypoxic environment. In our study, we tested the hypotheses that the effect of altitude differences in newborn length depends on ethnic variation. Samples of 3359 healthy male newborns from different areas in Kyrgyzstan between the years 2003 and 2011 were analyzed for altitude and ethnic variation on male newborn length. Our results indicate significant decrease in male newborn length as a latitude increase. It is concluded that ethnic group difference in pregnancy outcome reflects a better state of adaptation to high altitude in this healthy indigenous population and that long-term genetic selection may be the most plausible explanation for these ethnic differences.

Investigation of ACE rs4646994, MTHFR rs1801133 and VDR rs2228570 Genotypes in Jordanian Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic disease characterized by widespread body pain, weakness in certain parts of the body (critical points), low pain tolerance, sleep disturbances, and fatigue. This syndrome is considered rare in Jordan. OBJECTIVES: The research aimed to find out the association of the angiotensin converting enzyme, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, and vitamin D receptor (ACE, MHFTR, and VDR, respectively) genotypes with FMS among Jordanian patients. METHODS: This work included 22 FM patients and 22 healthy individuals of Jordanian Arabic origin. The ACE rs4646994, MTHFR rs1801133, and VDR rs2228570 genotypes were determined using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism. RESULTS: No associations between ACE rs4646994, MTHFR rs1801133, and VDR rs2228570 with the vulnerability of a person for the development of FMS were found. However, we found an association between the ACE rs4646994 genotype and restless leg among FM patients. CONCLUSION: Based on the result from this study, it appears that the ACE rs4646994 genotype is associated with restless leg among FMS patients of Jordanian origin. Further clinical investigations with larger sample sizes are required to confirm these findings and understand the molecular mechanism of ACE rs4646994 genetic variant in the restless leg syndrome among FM patients.

Effect of simulated microgravity on the antidiabetic properties of wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Microgravity affects plant growth and content. A three-dimensional clinostat was used at 4 rotations/min to rotate the seeds of Triticum aestivum cultivar (Ammon) in three dimensions for 7 days, following which the antioxidant activities of ethanolic extracts were evaluated using both nitric oxide- and hydrogen peroxide-scavenging activities. The antidiabetic activities of ethanolic extracts were evaluated by measuring the concentration of plasma glucose, insulin, C peptide, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c); determining the number of ß cells in the pancreatic islets; and performing the glucose tolerance test. Furthermore, the effects of the ethanolic extracts on the lipid profile and liver function were estimated. After rats were sacrificed, their pancreases were isolated and used for histopathological processing. The results indicated that the antioxidant potential and antioxidant metabolite content were significantly increased under microgravity conditions in comparison to those under normal gravity conditions. Rats treated with an extract of wheatgrass (T. aestivum) germinated over a period of 6-10 days under microgravity (WGM) showed a significant reduction in the levels of serum glucose, HbA1C, urea, creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase, and insulin resistance compared to rats treated with an extract of wheatgrass germinated under gravity. Additionally, the total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were significantly decreased. In contrast, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, C-peptide, and insulin levels rose significantly after treatment with T. aestivum germinated under microgravity. WGM is a promising potential diabetic treatment without side effects with a low manufacturing cost.

The effect of green tea consumption on the expression of antioxidant- and inflammation-related genes induced by nicotine.

The aim of this study is to investigate the protective effect of green tea (GT) against the toxicity of nicotine. BALB/c mice were divided into four groups. Group I received food and water intake ad libidium, Group II received GT solution at a dose of 1 ml/kg body weight orally twice a day via gastric gavage, Group III was injected intraperitoneally with nicotine (2.5 mg/kg) once per day for 4 weeks, and Group IV received both nicotine and GT; GT was introduced using gastric gavage 1 hr before and 1 hr after the nicotine injection. The administration of nicotine altered the cellular antioxidant defense system by inducing inflammation and damage in the tissues of liver, lungs, and kidneys. In addition, nicotine treatment significantly enhanced the expression antioxidant- and inflammation-related genes. There were significant improvements when the nicotine-exposed mice treated with GT. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: In this study, it is revealed that the administration of nicotine altered the cellular antioxidant defense system by inducing inflammation manifested by the infiltration of inflammatory cells and damage seen in liver, lungs, and kidneys. GT contributed to the reduction of toxicity of nicotine, probably mediated by free radicals, through downregulation of nicotine-induced upregulated antioxidant- and inflammation-related genes. Never the less, further in depth investigation on characterization of the active constituents of GT responsible for their effect seen here and the mechanism that contributes to the effects seen in this reports is highly demanded. Furthermore, GT extract could be considered as a dietary supplement for the reduction of nicotine toxicity among cigarette smoker.