Learning interventions in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region: supporting Member States to get prepared for better response to health emergencies in the region.

Background: The Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) faces numerous public health risks caused by biological, chemical, man-made, and natural hazards. This manuscript aimed to assess the multifaceted interventions and strategies used to strengthen the EMR's preparedness capacities to respond properly to current and upcoming health emergencies.

Objective: To address these challenges, it is crucial to implement comprehensive and robust strategic risk assessments and health emergency preparedness frameworks.

Naturally based pyrazoline derivatives as aminopeptidase N, VEGFR2 and MMP9 inhibitors: design, synthesis and molecular modeling.

Aminopeptidase N (APN) is regarded as an attractive target for cancer treatment due to its overexpression in various types of malignancies and its close association with cancer angiogenesis, metastasis and invasion. Herein the authors describe the design, synthesis and biological evaluation of some naturally based pyrazoline derivatives. Among these compounds, the diphenylpyrazole carbothioamide 8 showed significant activity and selectivity index (SI = 4.

Dental pulp stem cells ameliorate D-galactose-induced cardiac ageing in rats.

Background: Ageing is a key risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is linked to several alterations in cardiac structure and function, including left ventricular hypertrophy and increased cardiomyocyte volume, as well as a decline in the number of cardiomyocytes and ventricular dysfunction, emphasizing the pathological impacts of cardiomyocyte ageing. Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are promising as a cellular therapeutic source due to their minimally invasive surgical approach and remarkable proliferative ability.

Aim: This study is the first to investigate the outcomes of the systemic transplantation of DPSCs in a D-galactose (D-gal)-induced rat model of cardiac ageing.

Impact of NMDA receptors block versus GABA-A receptors modulation on synaptic plasticity and brain electrical activity in metabolic syndrome.

Purpose: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a common disorder associated with disturbed neurotransmitter homeostasis. Memantine, an N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, was first used in Alzheimer's disease. Allopregnanolone (Allo), a potent positive allosteric modulator of the Gamma-Amino-Butyric Acid (GABA)-A receptors, decreases in neurodegenerative diseases.

EGFR and PI3K/m-TOR inhibitors: design, microwave assisted synthesis and anticancer activity of thiazole-coumarin hybrids.

A series of thiazoline and thiazolidinone-based 4-hydroxycoumarin derivatives were synthesized using both conventional synthesis procedures and microwave-assisted techniques. The new compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic effect against three human cancer cell lines; MCF-7, HCT-116 and HepG2 and one normal human cell line (BJ-1). The promising anti-proliferative compounds 2a, 2b, 6a and 6b were assessed for inhibiting EGFR and PI3K/mTOR.

Hibiscus attenuates renovascular hypertension-induced aortic remodeling dose dependently: the oxidative stress role and Ang II/cyclophilin A/ERK1/2 signaling.

The high levels of angiotensin II (Ang II) can modify the vascular tone, enhance vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) proliferation and hypertrophy and increase the inflammatory cellular infiltration into the vessel wall. The old herbal nonpharmacological agent, Hibiscus (HS) sabdariffa L has multiple cardioprotective impacts; thus, we investigated the role of HS extract in amelioration of renovascular hypertension (RVH)-induced aortic remodeling. Thirty-five rats (7/group) were randomly allocated into 5 groups; group: I: Control-sham group, and RVH groups; II, III, IV, and V.

Hazard assessment study on organic compounds and heavy metals from using artificial turf.

Introduction: Artificial turf or synthetic grass releases hazardous substances such as heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Objective: The current study aimed to evaluate the concentration levels of hazardous substances that are emitted from artificial turf as a result of sunlight effect; and to assess the expected exposure risks to such emitted substances during various activities.The current study aimed to evaluate the concentration levels of hazardous substances that are emitted from artificial turf as a result of the effect of sunlight.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on service delivery for noncommunicable diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the delivery of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) services globally as health systems are overwhelmed by the response to the pandemic.

Aims: The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean conducted an assessment to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on NCD-related services, programmes, funding and consideration of NCDs in COVID-19 response.

Methods: Data were collected from countries of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) in mid-2020 through a web-based questionnaire on NCD services-related infrastructure, policies and plans, staffing, funding, NCD services disruptions and their causes, disruption mitigation strategies, data collection on comorbidity, surveillance, and suggestions for WHO technical guidance.

Design, synthesis, and molecular modeling of coumarin derivatives as MDM2 inhibitors targeting breast cancer.

The coumarin ring was used as a central scaffold that was substituted with a variety of bioactive functional groups, for designing and synthesizing novel MDM2 inhibitors targeting breast cancer. The synthesized derivatives, 3c, 3d, 3g, 7b, 7c and 8 with IC ranging from 9.4 to 9.

Pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine-based dual EGFR T790M/HER2 inhibitors: Design, synthesis, structure-activity relationship and biological activity as potential antitumor and anticonvulsant agents.

A new series of pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine/triazine hybrids 6a-r was designed as antitumor and anticonvulsant agents. All the prepared compounds were evaluated against colon (HCT-116), breast (MCF-7) and normal human fibroblast (WI38) cell lines. The most potent derivatives against HCT-116 and MCF-7 cells were 6o and 6q, with IC = 4.

VEGFR-2 inhibiting effect and molecular modeling of newly synthesized coumarin derivatives as anti-breast cancer agents.

Twenty five newly synthesized coumarin scaffold based derivatives were assayed for their in vitro anticancer activity against MCF-7 breast and PC-3 prostate cancer cell lines and were further assessed for their in vitro VEGFR-2 kinase inhibitory activity. The in vitro cytotoxic studies revealed that most of the synthesized compounds possessed very promising cytotoxicity against MCF-7, particularly; compounds 4a (IC = 1.24 µM) and 3d (IC = 1.

Vitamin E protects against monosodium glutamate-induced acute liver injury and hepatocyte ultrastructural alterations in rats.

Food additives such as nitrates and nitrites, and monosodium glutamate (MSG) used in the food industry increase the risk of certain cancers and inflict damage to vital organs. We sought to determine whether the antioxidant vitamin E can protect against liver injuries induced by a toxic dose of MSG in a rat model of MSG-induced acute liver injury. The model group of rats received a daily dose of MSG (4 gm/kg) for 7 days, whereas the protective groups were either received a 100 mg/kg vitamin E plus MSG or 300 mg/kg vitamin E plus MSG for 7 days.

Metformin suppresses aortic ultrastrucural damage and hypertension induced by diabetes: a potential role of advanced glycation end products.

Cardiovascular disease secondary to diabetes represents a significant challenge to the health community. The advanced glycation end products (AGEs) play an important role in diabetes-mediated vascular injury. We tested whether metformin can suppress aortic AGEs production and protect against aortic injuries (aortopathy) and hypertension in streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) animal model.

Captopril suppresses hepatic mammalian target of rapamycin cell signaling and biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in thioacetamide-induced hepatotoxicity in rats.

Background: The potential inhibitory effects of captopril, the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, on thioacetamide (TAA)-induced hepatic mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), liver injury enzymes, blood pressure, and biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress have not been investigated before.

Materials And Methods: Rats were either injected with TAA (200 mg/kg; twice a week for 8 weeks) before being sacrificed after 10 weeks (model group) or were pretreated with captopril (150 mg/kg) daily for two weeks prior to TAA injections and continued receiving both agents until the end of the experiment (protective group).

Results: Captopril significantly ( < .

Design and molecular modeling of novel P38α MAPK inhibitors targeting breast cancer, synthesized from oxygen heterocyclic natural compounds.

Two new series of furochromone and benzofuran derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activity against MCF-7 and MDA231 breast cancer cell lines. Compounds 5, 6, 7, 9, 15a, 16, 17a and 18 exhibited the best antiproliferative activities with IC values ranging from 1.19 to 2.

3-Substituted-4-hydroxycoumarin as a new scaffold with potent CDK inhibition and promising anticancer effect: Synthesis, molecular modeling and QSAR studies.

A new series of 3-substituted-4-hydroxycoumarin derivatives was designed, synthesized, and evaluated for CDK inhibiting and anticancer activities. All the synthesized target compounds showed remarkably high affinity and selectivity towards CDK1B, compared to flavopiridol, with Ki values in the low nanomolar range (Ki=0.35-0.

Production of sugarcane bagasse-based activated carbon for formaldehyde gas removal from potted plants exposure chamber.

Unlabelled: Agricultural wastes such as rice straw, sugar beet, and sugarcane bagasse have become a critical environmental issue due to growing agriculture demand. This study aimed to investigate the valorization possibility of sugarcane bagasse waste for activated carbon preparation. It also aimed to fully characterize the prepared activated carbon (BET surface area) via scanning electron microscope (SEM) and in terms of surface functional groups to give a basic understanding of its structure and to study the adsorption capacity of the sugarcane bagasse-based activated carbon using aqueous methylene blue (MB).

Synthesis of new benzofuran-1,3-thiazolidin-4-one derivatives from natural sources and study of their antioxidant activity.

Synthesis of benzofuran-1,3-thiazolidinone derivatives is described herein. These compounds were prepared via a concise and short route by condensation reaction of khellinone with aromatic/aliphatic amines followed by cyclization using thioglycolic acid. The newly synthesized compounds were characterized using the well known spectroscopic tools (IR, 1H NMR, and mass spectroscopy), as well as microanalysis.

Spectrofluorimetric determination of some water-soluble vitamins.

Two simple and sensitive spectrofluorimetric methods were developed for determination of three water-soluble vitamins (B1, B2, and B6) in mixtures in the presence of cyanocobalamin. The first one was for thiamine determination, which depends on the oxidation of thiamine HCl to thiochrome by iodine in an alkaline medium. The method was applied accurately to determine thiamine in binary, ternary, and quaternary mixtures with pyridoxine HCl, riboflavin, and cyanocobalamin without interference.

Synthesis and antitumor activity of some new xanthotoxin derivatives.

The condensation of 4-amino-9-methoxy psoralene (4-aminoxanthotoxin) with some aromatic aldehydes led to the formation of 4-arylimine xanthotoxin derivatives 2a-h, which were cyclized with mercaptoacetic acid to afford the thiazolidinone derivatives 3a-h. On the other hand, the reaction of aminoxanthotoxin 1 with some anhydrides afforded 4-imidione derivatives 3a-d. When 1 reacted with some isothiocyanates, the thiourea derivatives 5a-c were obtained but the thiourea derivative 6 was obtained when 1 reacted with ammonium thiocyanate.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in road dust over Greater Cairo, Egypt.

Road dust samples were collected during 2005 and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined. Sites under investigation were selected to represent the different parts of Greater Cairo, Egypt. Estimation and spatial distribution pattern of PAHs in road dust were the main objectives of this study.

Does the plasma level of vitamins A and E affect acne condition?

Background: Vitamin A and E are lipid soluble antioxidants that are necessary for our health. Deficiency in these vitamins can cause serious diseases. Administration of vitamin A and E to patients with acne was shown to improve their acne condition.

Synthesis of some new testosterone derivatives fused with substituted pyrazoline ring as promising 5alpha-reductase inhibitors.

Condensation of 3beta-hydroxy-16-[(4-chlorophenyl)methylene]androst-5-en-17-one (1) with hydrazine hydrate in acetic acid afforded N-acetyl pyrazoline derivative 2, while condensation of 1 with semicarbazide afforded compound 3. Also, compound 1 was treated with hydrazine hydrate in absolute methanol or ethanol to afford the corresponding alpha-methoxy (4) and alpha-ethoxy (5) derivatives, which were cyclized with etherated boron trifluoride to the pyrazoline derivative 6. The latter could be prepared directly by refluxing 1 with hydrazine hydrate in dioxane.

Validated spectrophotometric and fluorimetric methods for analysis of clozapine in tablets and urine.

Five spectrophotometric methods and one fluorimetric method have been developed and validated for the analysis of clozapine. The spectrophotometric methods were based on the charge-transfer complexation reaction between clozapine as electron donor and each of iodine as sigma-acceptor or 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinondimethane (TCNQ), 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzo-quinone (DDQ), tetracyanoethane (TCNE), and p-chloranilic acid (pCA) as pi-acceptors. The obtained complexes were measured spectrophotometrically at 365, 843, 460, 414, and 520 nm for iodine, TCNQ, DDQ, TCNE, and pCA, respectively.