Epidemiologic and Clinical Characteristics of COVID-19 Patients from a Quarantine Center in a Developing Community: A Retrospective Study.

PURPOSE: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) agent, and is generally known as novel coronavirus. The impact of the disease has had apparent effects on health, social, and economic levels. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiologic features, clinical presentations, laboratory examination, and outcomes of COVID-19 patients in Jordan. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included all COVID-19 patients admitted to the quarantine center at King Abdullah University Hospital in Jordan between March 16 and May 21, 2020. Patient information was abstracted from hospital electronic records and included patient demographics, symptoms, comorbidities, laboratory tests, infection period, and outcome. RESULTS: Approximately 42% of the quarantined individuals were asymptomatic. The majority of symptomatic patients had mild to moderate symptoms of the disease. Only ten patients (9.3%) had severe symptoms, with one of them progressed to a critical stage and died 15 days after admission. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and D-dimer levels were significantly elevated in many patients. More than two-thirds (69.8%) of the symptomatic patients were females. Elevated ESR and LDH levels, along with longer periods of infection, were significantly associated with symptomatic patients. CONCLUSION: A large proportion of Jordanian patients were asymptomatic carriers of the virus. This finding emphasizes the importance of a continuous surveillance process to discover these contagious carriers to control the disease spread. Additionally, we suggest that future analyses should investigate for sexual variation in the inflammatory response to this viral infection since most of our symptomatic patients were females. Finally, the role of ESR and LDH biomarkers should be investigated further for the possibility of earlier identification of patients with greater risk.

The metabolic sensor PASK is a histone 3 kinase that also regulates H3K4 methylation by associating with H3K4 MLL2 methyltransferase complex.

The metabolic sensor Per-Arnt-Sim (Pas) domain-containing serine/threonine kinase (PASK) is expressed predominantly in the cytoplasm of different cell types, although a small percentage is also expressed in the nucleus. Herein, we show that the nuclear PASK associates with the mammalian H3K4 MLL2 methyltransferase complex and enhances H3K4 di- and tri-methylation. We also show that PASK is a histone kinase that phosphorylates H3 at T3, T6, S10 and T11. Taken together, these results suggest that PASK regulates two different H3 tail modifications involving H3K4 methylation and H3 phosphorylation. Using muscle satellite cell differentiation and functional analysis after loss or gain of Pask expression using the CRISPR/Cas9 system, we provide evidence that some of the regulatory functions of PASK during development and differentiation may occur through the regulation of these histone modifications.

Anti-hyperlipidemic effect of methanol bark extract of Terminalia chebula in male albino Wistar rats.

CONTEXT: Hyperlipidemia is known to be a major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) which include atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, and stroke. Although there are a large number of anti-hyperlipidemic drugs available, unfortunately, they all have side effects. OBJECTIVE: Terminalia chebula Retz. (Combretaceae) is a plant used to treat cardiac disorders in the traditional Ayurveda medicine in India. The objective of this study was to assess the anti-hyperlipidemic properties of a methanol (MeOH) bark extract of T. chebula. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Acute toxicity studies were performed according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guideline no. 423 using various doses (5, 50, 300, and 2000 mg/kg) of T. chebula bark. Anti-hyperlipidemic effect of MeOH bark extract of T. chebula at doses of 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg and fasting glucose levels after treatment with MeOH bark extract of T. chebula at doses of 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg were analyzed using commercially available kits. RESULTS: Acute toxicity studies did not show any morbidity and mortality at various doses. The MeOH extract of T. chebula bark at doses of 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg significantly lowered serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Moreover, the extract of T. chebula and the positive control atorvastatin-treated groups of animals showed a significant increase in the serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels in diet-induced hypercholesterolemic animals. CONCLUSION: The overall results confirm that the bark extract of T. chebula possesses significant anti-hyperlipidemic activity.

The protective effects of Cyperus rotundus on behavior and cognitive function in a rat model of hypoxia injury.

CONTEXT: Hypoxia injury (HI) with its long-term neurological complications is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. Currently, the treatment regimens for hypoxia are aimed only at ameliorating the damage without complete cure. The need, therefore, for novel therapeutic drugs to treat HI continues. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the protective effects of the ethanol extract of Cyperus rotundus L. (Cyperaceae) (EECR), a medicinal plant used in Ayurvedic traditional medicine against sodium nitrite-induced hypoxia in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We have evaluated the protective effect of 200 and 400 mg/kg of EECR against sodium nitrite-induced hypoxia injury in rats by assessing the cognitive functions, motor, and behavioral effects of EECR treatment along with the histological changes in the brain. By comparing the protective effects of standard drugs galantamine, a reversible cholinesterase inhibitor and pyritinol, an antioxidant nootropic drug against sodium nitrite-induced hypoxia in rats, we have tested the protective ability of EECR. RESULTS: EECR at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg was able to protect against the cognitive impairments, and the locomotor activity and muscular coordination defects, which are affected by sodium nitrite-induced hypoxia injury in rats. CONCLUSION: Based on our results, we suggest that the medicinal herb C. rotundus possesses a protective effect against sodium nitrite-induced hypoxia in rats. Further studies on these protective effects of EECR may help in designing better therapeutic regimes for hypoxia injury.