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BackgroundStatins have several effects beyond their well-known antihyperlipidemic activity, which include immunomodulatory, antioxidative and anticoagulant effects. In this study, we have tested the possible antimicrobial activity of statins against a range of standard bacterial strains and bacterial clinical isolates.MethodsMinimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) values were evaluated and compared among three members of the statins drug (atorvastatin, simvastatin, and rosuvastatin).ResultsIt was revealed that statins are able to induce variable degrees of antibacterial activity with atorvastatin, and simvastatin being the more potent than rosuvastatin. Methicillin-sensitive staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-susceptible enterococci (VSE), vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE), acinetobacter baumannii, staphylococcus epidermidis, and enterobacter aerogenes, were more sensitive to both atorvastatin, and simvastatin compared to rosuvastatin. On the other hand, escherichia coli, proteus mirabilis, and enterobacter cloacae were more sensitive to atorvastatin compared to both simvastatin and rosuvastatin. Furthermore, most clinical isolates were less sensitive to statins compared to their corresponding standard strains.ConclusionOur findings might raise the possibility of a potentially important antibacterial class effect for statins especially, atorvastatin and simvastatin.

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Background The contact-tracing COVID-19 technology allows for tracing people that come in contact to individuals with COVID-19 wherever they are located. The number of tracing COVID-19 infection technology and devices is rapidly increasing. This has prompted many researchers to study the acceptability and ethical issues related to the implementation of such technology. Aim The purpose of this study was to determine the acceptability of COVID-19 contact-tracing technology and ethical issues of use. Methods A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was used. The target population was Jordanian adults (>18 years). The survey was distributed to a convenience sample of 2000 general public in Jordan. Results The results found that the number of people who accept to use COVID-19 contact-tracing technology was 71.6%. However, the percentage of people who were using this technology was 37.8. The main ethical concerns for many of participants were privacy, voluntariness, and beneficence of the data. Only income and living area were predictors for acceptability and use of tracing technology (p≤ 0.01). Conclusion The majority of Jordanians accept the implementation of contact-tracing technology for COVID-19 infection. Among ethical concerns of the implementation of such technology were privacy, beneficence and voluntariness. Implications The results of this study would help in improving the state of science regarding acceptability to use contact-tracing technology for health purposes. Moreover, the present findings provide evidence of predictors of acceptance and ethical concerns among Jordanian population about COVID-19 contact-tracing technology.

Background: Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has compelled implementing confinement measure across the globe. These measures can potentially lead to many changes in lifestyle. However, no studies examined the effect of COVID-19-induced confinement on physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB). Methods: During April and May of 2020, the current study surveyed changes in PA and SB induced by COVID-19 confinement. Results: The participants of the study were 1844. Among the participants who were regularly involved in PA, the majority (41.8-42.2%) of the participants reported a "decrease" (p<0.05) in walking, jogging, and sports while the majority (46.3-53.1%) reported a "no change" (p<0.05) in swimming, cycling, and weight lifting. With regard to the SB, most of the participants reported an "increase" in watching TV (72.3%), using electronics (82.7%), and logging to social media (81.9%). Additionally, gender, job type, obesity, and being worried to contract the disease were associated (p<0.05) with changes in PA. On the other hand, age, gender, obesity, job type and income were related (p<0.05) to changes in SB. Conclusion: Results of the current study might enhance knowledge about the impact of COVID-19 on lifestyle, particularly PA and SB. Subsequently, it can also be used to establish strategies to enhance engagement in activities during the current and future pandemics.

Hypothyroidism induces cognitive impairment in experimental animals and patients. Clinical reports are conflicting about the ability of thyroid hormone replacement therapy to fully restore the hypothyroidism-induced learning and memory impairment. In this study, we investigated the effects of L-thyroxin (thyroxin) treatment on hippocampus-dependent learning and memory in thyroidectomized adult rats. In the radial arm water maze (RAWM) task, thyroxin treated thyroidectomized animals made significantly fewer errors than the untreated hypothyroid animals in Trial 3 of the acquisition phase, short-term memory and long-term memory tests. In addition, the number of errors made by the thyroxin treated thyroidectomized animals was not different from that of the control group. Furthermore, the days-to-criterion (DTC) values for thyroxin treated thyroidectomized animals were not different from those of the control group but significantly lower than those of the untreated hypothyroid animals. In anesthetized rats, extracellular recording from hippocampal area CA1 of hypothyroid rats shows that thyroxin treatment restores impaired Late-phase long-term potentiation (L-LTP). Immunoblot analysis of signaling molecules, including cyclic-AMP response element binding protein (CREB), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKp44/42; ERK1/2), in area CA1 revealed that thyroxin treatment reversed hypothyroidism-induced reduction of signaling molecules essential for learning and memory, and L-LTP. This study shows that thyroxin treatment reverses hypothyroidism-induced impairment of hippocampus-dependent cognition, and L-LTP, probably by restoring the levels of signaling molecule important for these processes.

Context-Tobacco smoking represents a global public health threat, claiming approximately 5 million lives a year. Waterpipe tobacco use has become popular particularly among youth in the past decade, buttressed by the perception that the waterpipe "filters" the smoke, rendering it less harmful than cigarette smoke.Objective-In this study, we examined the acute exposure of waterpipe smoking on lung inflammation and oxidative stress in mice, and compared that to cigarette smoking.Materials and methods-Mice were divided into three groups; fresh air control, cigarette and waterpipe. Animals were exposed to fresh air, cigarette, or waterpipe smoke using whole body exposure system one hour daily for 7 days.Results-Both cigarette and waterpipe smoke exposure resulted in elevation of total white blood cell count, as well as absolute count of neutrophils, macrophages, and lymphocytes (P < 0.01). Both exposures also elevated proinflammatory markers such as TNF-α and IL-6 in BALF (P < 0.05), and oxidative stress markers including GPx activity in lungs (P < 0.05). Moreover, waterpipe smoke increased catalase activity in the lung (P < 0.05). However, none of the treatments altered IL-10 levels. Discussion and conclusion-Results of cigarette smoking confirmed previous finding. Waterpipe results indicate that, similar to cigarettes, exposure to waterpipe tobacco smoke is harmful to the lungs.

Water pipe tobacco smoking is highly prevalent in Jordan. Although use is associated with male gender and upper middle income levels, use is widespread across other sociodemographic variables. Continued surveillance and educational interventions emphasizing the harm and addictiveness of water pipe tobacco smoking may be valuable in Jordan.