The Psychological Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on the General Population of Oman: A National Community-based Study

@#Introduction: Despite evidence that that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in general poses unprecedented risks, it is unclear to what extent these consequences have affected the mental health of the general population. This study aims to evaluate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the general population in Oman and to associate the physical health status and psychological impact. Methods: A cross-sectional online anonymous survey in which 831 adults from Oman’s general population were randomly sampled as per the inclusion criteria. The medical research and ethics commission approved the project. Data were collected after obtaining informed consent from the study participants. The criteria of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders was used to measure the psychological impact. Results: Among 831 respondents in this study, only 4.2 % and 14.9 % of total participants reported depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively. There is a statistically significant difference in psychological scores between males and females at the p < .05 level: F (1, 829) = 16.03, p < .001. As a result of this discovery, it appears that women are mentally affected by the pandemic. Conclusion: The COVID-19 epidemic has had a severe impact on the general population’s psychological health in Oman. This survey found that the global health crisis has a psychological impact on most of the adult population, regardless of their age. As a result, early detection, urgent medical intervention, and counseling are required.

Writing a research proposal to the research council of Oman

Writing a research proposal can be a challenging task for young researchers. This article explains how to write a strong research proposal to apply for funding, specifically, a proposal for The Research Council [TRC] of Oman. Three different research proposal application forms are currently used in TRC, including Open Research Grant [ORG], Graduate Research Support Program [GRSP], and Faculty-mentored Undergraduate Research Award Program [FURAP]. The application forms are filled and submitted electronically on TRC website. Each of the proposals submitted to TRC is selected through a rigorous reviewing and screening process. Novelty and originality of the research idea is the most crucial element in writing a research proposal. Performing an in-depth review of the literature will assist you to compose a good researchable question and generate a strong hypothesis. The development of a good hypothesis will offer insight into the specific objectives of a study. Research objectives should be focused, measurable, and achievable by a specific time using the most appropriate methodology. Moreover, it is essential to select a proper study design in-line with the purpose of the study and the hypothesis. Furthermore, social/economic impact and reasonable budget of proposed research are important criteria in research proposal evaluation by TRC. Finally, ethical principles should be observed before writing a research proposal involving human or animal subjects

role of inflammatory mediators in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease [AD], a neurodegenerative disorder associated with advanced age, is the most common cause of dementia globally. AD is characterised by cognitive dysfunction, deposition of amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles and neuro-inflammation. Inflammation of the brain is a key pathological hallmark of AD. Thus, clinical and immunopathological evidence of AD could be potentially supported by inflammatory mediators, including cytokines, chemokines, the complement system, acute phase proteins and oxidative mediators. In particular, oxidative mediators may actively contribute to the progression of AD and on-going inflammation in the brain. This review provides an overview of the functions and activities of inflammatory mediators in AD. An improved understanding of in?ammatory processes and their role in AD is needed to improve therapeutic research aims in the field of AD and similar diseases

Pro-inflammatory cytokines in Omani type 2 diabetic patients presenting anxiety and depression

The relationship of inflammatory cytokines with anxiety and depression has been reported, but their role in diabetic patients has not been fully elucidated. We examined whether an association between prevalence of anxiety and depression in Omani type-2 diabetic patients [n=30] and the levels of inflammatory markers such as IL-1 beta, TNF- alpha, IFN- gamma and C-reactive protein [CRP] exists. Symptoms of anxiety and depression were screened using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS] through self-rated questionnaires. IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, CRP, anti TPO and anti-GAD65 antibodies were measured in patients' sera using commercially available ELISA assays. In Omani type 2 diabetic patients, high prevalence of anxiety and depression along with high levels of inflammatory markers were detected. However, no correlation was observed between inflammatory markers and anxiety or depression. These results indicate that Omani type 2 diabetic patients are at great risk for developing anxiety and depression. Therefore, these complications need more care and attention. There was no association between scores of anxiety and depression with levels of inflammatory cytokines. This may need to be elucidated in a larger cohort of patients

Effect of N-acetyl-L-cysteine on cytokine production by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells

This study investigates the in vitro effect of the antioxidant drug, N-acetyl-L-cysteine [NAC], on cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells [PBMC]. PBMC were isolated by Ficoll-Hypaque, and stimulated with anti-CD3 antibodies, phytohaemagglutinin [PHA], lipopolysaccharide [LPS] for 24 hours in the presence or absence of 5 mM NAC. The cytokines produced were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]. Treatment with NAC significantly up-regulates the secretion of IL-1beta, IL-5 [interleukin] and IFN-gamma [interferon] and down regulates IL-10 production, after anti-CD3 or PHA [p<0.05], but not after LPS stimulation. NAC also significantly increased total IL-12 secretion after anti-CD3 [but not PHA or LPS] stimulation and IL-12p40 after anti-CD3, PHA, and LPS stimulation [p<0.05]. These results indicate that NAC up-regulated the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and down regulated anti-inflammatory cytokine production by PBMC, in a process which may be associated with increased levels of glutathione [GSH]. Further work is required to determine whether this increase or decrease in cytokine production is due to direct effect of NAC