Liquid vs dried blood matrices: Application to longitudinal monitoring of androstenedione, testosterone, and IGF-1 by LC-MS-based techniques.

Background: Dried blood spots have recently been approved by the World Anti-Doping Agency as an alternative biological matrix for testing of doping substances. However, their use is limited to the detection of non-threshold compounds without a Minimum Reporting Level due to the numerous issues related to quantitative analyses and the limitation on testing capabilities of a haemolysed matrix.

Aim: In this study androstenedione, testosterone and IGF-1 were longitudinally monitored in four different blood matrices to evaluate the potential of liquid capillary blood as an alternative matrix for quantitative determination in doping control analysis.

Role of Aromatherapy as a Natural Complementary and Alternative Therapy in Cardiovascular Disease: A Comprehensive Systematic Review.

Background: The purpose of this study was a comprehensive review of studies on the effect of aromatherapy with plant essential oils on the improvement of some conditions, for example, anxiety, stress, sleep quality, fatigue, and pain in people with cardiovascular disease.

Materials And Methods: We carried out this systematic review based on the instructions of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Ethical agreement was not necessary as main data have not been collected.

Quantitative ultrasound assessment of the effect of parity on bone mineral density in females.

Background: The effect of pregnancy and breastfeeding on a female's bone mineral density (BMD) is controversial. This prospective study aims to investigate the effect of parity on BMD among pre-menopausal multiparous females using quantitative ultrasound as a screening method and females with no pregnancies (nulliparous) as a control group.

Methods: A portable ultrasound-based bone densitometer (DMS PEGASUS SMART, Mauguio, France) was used to indirectly assess the BMD in 51 multiparous (29-45 years) and 51 nulliparous Arabic females (18-35 years) by quantifying the broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) from their right calcaneus bone.

ASSESSMENT OF THE OXIDATIVE AND NITROSATIVE STRESS IN THE SERUM OF SAUDI PATIENTS WITH CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS BEFORE AND AFTER TREATMENT.

Macrophages, within which Leishmania species replicate, generate large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) to kill these parasites. The present study assessed the oxidative and nitrosative stress, and specific immune enzymes in the serum of patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis (Cl) before and after treatment and in the control individuals. Serum activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), L-arginase, myeloperoxidase (MPO), and adenosine deaminase (ADA) and the levels of reduced glutathione, malondialdehyde (MDA), and nitric oxide (NO) were studied.

Exploring the relationship between students' learning satisfaction and self-efficacy during the emergency transition to remote learning amid the coronavirus pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

The overarching objective of this study was to assess learning satisfaction among students and to determine whether online-learning self-efficacy was associated with online learning satisfaction during the emergency transition to remote learning. This cross-sectional study involved a survey distributed to 22 Saudi Arabian universities. The survey used in this study consisted of an online learning self-efficacy (OLSE) questionnaire and an electronic learning (e-learning) satisfaction questionnaire.