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BackgroundTesting by pharmacogenomics (PGx) aims to reduce the side-effects of medicines and to optimize therapy.AimTo ascertain the knowledge and attitudes towards PGx among pharmacy students in Jordan and West Bank of Palestine (WBP).MethodsThis cross-sectional study focused on pharmacy students from five universities in Jordan and WBP. Students were asked to answer an online survey comprising 30-closed ended questions measuring the knowledge and attitudes towards PGx.ResultsThe total number of respondents to the questionnaire was 466. Most (96.1%) respondents knew that genetic variations can affect the drug response. Most students stated that the total number of lectures mentioning PGx was fewer than three. Most (>80%) respondents answered that they knew that human genetics can affect the response, inter-individual variation, and ethnic variations in the drug response. However, their knowledge about US Food and Drug Administration recommendations regarding PGx testing of commonly used drugs was weak. Also, 60.3% of respondents stated that the information they received about PGx was insufficient. Most (>92.7%) students wished to know more about PGx and believed that PGx is helpful in choosing the appropriate drug.ConclusionPharmacy students had fair knowledge and good attitudes towards PGx. These factors could aid application of PGx in clinical practice in Jordan and WBP.

Enzymes in the cytochrome P450 4 (CYP4) family are involved in the metabolism of fatty acids, xenobiotics, therapeutic drugs, and signaling molecules, including eicosanoids, leukotrienes, and prostanoids. As CYP4 enzymes play a role in the maintenance of fatty acids and fatty-acid-derived bioactive molecules within a normal range, they have been implicated in various biological functions, including inflammation, skin barrier, eye function, cardiovascular health, and cancer. Numerous studies have indicated that genetic variants of CYP4 genes cause inter-individual variations in metabolism and disease susceptibility. Genetic variants of CYP4A11, 4F2 genes are associated with cardiovascular diseases. Mutations of CYP4B1, CYP4Z1, and other CYP4 genes that generate 20-HETE are a potential risk for cancer. CYP4V2 gene variants are associated with ocular disease, while those of CYP4F22 are linked to skin disease and CYP4F3B is associated with the inflammatory response. The present study comprehensively collected research to provide an updated view of the molecular functionality of CYP4 genes and their associations with human diseases. Functional analysis of CYP4 genes with clinical implications is necessary to understand inter-individual variations in disease susceptibility and for the development of alternative treatment strategies.

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Background: The number of people aged 60 or older is estimated to be 5.6% among Jordanian population, those elderly people need special medical care; since they have a greater prevalence of chronic diseases and therefore subjected to higher prevalence of polypharmacy and potential drug-drug interaction (pDDI). There is no data about polypharmacy and pDDI in elderly patients among the Jordanian population. Methods: Prescriptions for patients aged 60 or older were examined and those patients were interviewed in several community pharmacies and hospitals' outpatient pharmacies. The interviews covered factors that may affect the possibility of pDDI and polypharmacy including patient's education level, number of doctors the patient see, number of drugs the patient take, does the patient live alone and does the patient take the medication by himself. Results: 367 (51.5% male and 48.5% female) patients were interviewed and their prescriptions examined. The data showed that 334 (91%) had at least one pDDI of those 67 (18.3%) had a major pDDI and 281 (76.6%) had at least one moderate pDDI. Polypharmacy was found in 275 (74.9%) of the participants. Factors that were associated with incidence of major pDDI included polypharmacy, taking Alimentary tract and metabolism drugs or drugs acting on blood and blood forming organ, and patient taking medication by him/herself. Several factors were associated with moderate pDDI including seeing a general practitioner, while polypharmacy was associated with education level and number of diseases. Conclusion: High incidence of major and moderate pDDI and polypharmacy was found. This study emphasizes the need for a better control over elderly prescription in Jordan

Background: Hypoxic condition induces molecular alterations which affect the survival rate and chemo-resistant phenotype of cancer cells. Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of intermittent hypoxic conditions on the expression of glucose metabolism genes in breast cancer MCF7 cell line. Methods: The gene expression was analyzed using a polymerase chain reaction-array method. In addition, the cell resistance, survival and migration rates were examined to assure the hypoxic influence on the cells. Results: 30 hypoxic episodes induced the Warburg effect through significant (p-value < 0.05) upregulation of the expression of PCK2, PHKG1, ALDOC, G6PC, GYS2, ALDOB, HK3, PKLR, PGK2, PDK2, ACO1 and H6PD genes that are involved in glycolysis, were obtained. Furthermore, the expression of the major gluconeogenesis enzyme genes was significantly (ANOVA, p-value < 0.05) downregulated. These molecular alterations were associated with increased MCF7 cell division and migration rate. However, molecular and phenotypic changes induced after 30 episodes were normalized in MCF7 cells exposed to 60 hypoxic episodes. Conclusion: It is concluded, from this study, that 30 intermitted hypoxic episodes increased the survival rate of MCF7 breast cancer cells and induced the Warburg effect through upregulation of the expression of genes involved in the glycolysis pathway. These results may increase our understanding of the molecular alterations of breast cancer cells under hypoxic conditions.