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Purpose: To compare the effects of laser and/or L-carnitine (LC) on amiodarone (AM)-induced lung toxicity in adult male rats. Methods: Lung toxicity was induced in 50 healthy male albino rats (150-180 g) by AM for 8 weeks. The rats were divided into 4 groups (7 per group): AM recovery, LC, laser, and laser + LC. After a 4-week exposure to laser and/or LC, key antioxidant enzymes, nitric oxide (NO), angiotensin II, cyclooxygenase-II (COX-II) and lipoxygenase (LOX) as well as oxidative stress and inflammation parameters were determined. Results: Administration of LC and/or laser exposure led to significant increases in reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and angiotensin II; and significant decreases in nitric oxide (NO) level and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity in the AM

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Aim We investigated whether metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with a decline in cognitive function in a cohort of middle-aged and elderly individuals without known cognitive dysfunction diseases in Qatar. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study on randomly selected participants aged 40–80 years from the Qatar Biobank, with data on cognitive tests and MetS components. Participants with a history of dementia, stroke, or mental disorders were excluded. MetS was diagnosed using the NCEP-ATP III criteria and cognitive performance was assessed using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Two cognitive function domains were assessed. These are speed of reaction, measured using the Reaction Time (RT), and short-term visual memory, measured using the Paired Associate Learning (PAL) test. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine associations between MetS and poor speed of reaction and poor memory performance. Results The mean age of the participants included was 49.8 years (SD 6.7). Of these, 51.9% were females and 88.0% were of Qatari nationality. Most of the 1000 participants had MetS (n=302) or 1–2 MetS components (n=523), whereas only 170 had no MetS components. There was a strong association between MetS and poor memory performance (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.04–2.96, P=0.034), but a weaker association with poor speed of reaction (OR 1.5, 95% CI 0.89–2.50, P=0.125). Conclusion In middle-aged and elderly individuals, MetS was strongly associated with diminished short-term visual memory, psychomotor coordination and motor speed.