Ameliorative Effect of Thymoquinone-Loaded PLGA Nanoparticles on Chronic Lung Injury Induced by Repetitive Intratracheal Instillation of Lipopolysaccharide in Rats.

Thymoquinone (TQ), the active constituent of Nigella sativa, possesses several benefits in traditional and modern medicines. This study examined the effect of a single dose of Nano-TQ on chronic lung injury induced by repetitive intratracheal installation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Rats received LPS twice weekly for 8 weeks via intratracheal installation and a single dose of TQ-PLGA NPs on the day after the last dose of LPS. Six rats from each group were sacrificed after 8 and 10 weeks, and samples were collected for analysis. Repetitive intratracheal installation of LPS caused histopathological alterations, including partial or complete obstruction of the alveoli, interstitial edema, mild fibroblastic proliferation, fibrous strands besides lymphocytes and plasma infiltrations, suffered fetalization, bronchiectasis, hypertrophied arterioles, and others. Investigation of the ultrastructure revealed prominent necrotic pneumocytes with destructed chromatin and remnant of necrotic debris in the narrowing alveolar lumen in LPS-induced rats. TQ-PLGA NPs effectively ameliorated LPS-induced histopathological and ultrastructural alterations in the lung of rats. In addition, TQ-PLGA NPs significantly alleviated serum levels of IL-10 and TGF-ß1 in LPS-induced rats. In conclusion, TQ-PLGA NPs prevented inflammation and tissue injury in the lungs of rats challenged with repetitive intratracheal installation of LPS. Therefore, TQ-PLGA NPs represent a promising candidate for the prevention of lung injury induced by LPS, pending further studies to determine its safety and exact protective mechanism.

Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine for the Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19: A Fiction, Hope or Hype? An Updated Review.

In December 2019, the novel coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19) that began in China had infected so far more than 109,217,366 million individuals worldwide and accounted for more than 2,413,912 fatalities. With the dawn of this novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), there was a requirement to select potential therapies that might effectively kill the virus, accelerate the recovery, or decrease the case fatality rate. Besides the currently available antiviral medications for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), the chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine (CQ/HCQ) regimen with or without azithromycin has been repurposed in China and was recommended by the National Health Commission, China in mid-February 2020. By this time, the selection of this regimen was based on its efficacy against the previous SARS-CoV-1 virus and its potential to inhibit viral replication of the SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. There was a shortage of robust clinical proof about the effectiveness of this regimen against the novel SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, extensive research effort has been made by several researchers worldwide to investigate whether this regimen is safe and effective for the management of COVID-19. In this review, we provided a comprehensive overview of the CQ/HCQ regimen, summarizing data from in vitro studies and clinical trials for the protection against or the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Despite the initial promising results from the in vitro studies and the widespread use of CQ/HCQ in clinical settings during the 1st wave of COVID-19, current data from well-designed randomized controlled trials showed no evidence of benefit from CQ/HCQ supplementation for the treatment or prophylaxis against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Particularly, the two largest randomized controlled trials to date (RECOVERY and WHO SOLIDARITY trials), both confirmed that CQ/HCQ regimen does not provide any clinical benefit for COVID-19 patients. Therefore, we do not recommend the use of this regimen in COVID-19 patients outside the context of clinical trials.

Prevalence and Association of Transfusion Transmitted Infections with ABO and Rh Blood Groups among Blood Donors at the National Blood Bank, Amman, Jordan.

Blood screening is considered a compulsory procedure in health care services to reduce the occurrence of transfusion transmitted infections (TTIs). This study estimated the distribution rates of ABO and Rh blood group systems, prevalence rates of TTIs among blood donors and their association with the ABO blood group and Rh system. A retrospective study was conducted at the national blood bank, Amman, Jordan for a period of 6 years (from January 2013 to December 2018). For TTIs analysis, about 5 mL blood sample was collected from each volunteer. A total of 365,029 persons (346,048 (94.8%) males and 18,981 (5.2%) females) donated their blood at the national blood bank, Amman, Jordan from January 2013 to December 2018. The results revealed that O and A were the most prevalent blood groups (37.44% and 36.82%, respectively), followed by B (18.62%) and AB (7.12%). The distribution of Rh + ve and Rh - ve among blood donors showed that Rh + ve donors were more prevalent (88.73%) compared with Rh - ve (11.27%). HBsAg was the most prevalent viral infection (0.38%) followed by HCV (0.13%), syphilis (0.02%), HIV (0.006%) and the male donors were highly infected when compared with female donors. The association between ABO/Rh blood groups and TTIs infections was nonsignificant. In conclusion, low frequency rates of TTIs among blood donors were detected in the current study, but improvements are still continuously required. Low percentages of female donors need to be managed via conducting health cultural education programs.