Objectives: To study any possible correlation between blood lead levels and some oxidative stress parameters of selected groups of lead-exposed automobile occupational Jordanian workers. Material and Methods: Blood lead levels were determined for a total of 90 male automobile workers aged...

The preparation of human sperm in an andrology laboratory subjects it to oxidative stress. Reactive oxygen species are produced by mitochondria, making it susceptible to oxidative damage; hence, mitochondria-targeted antioxidants like Mitoquinone (MitoQ) might have therapeutic potential for oxidative-damage-associated disorders. The current research aims to establish whether MitoQ has any positive effects during in vitro preparation of fresh human sperm. Viability and motility are evaluated to determine the effective MitoQ concentration and to assess whether MitoQ supplementation is affected by sperm concentration by incubating normospermia semen samples at 37 °C for 2 h and 4 h, respectively. The effect of semen centrifugation following supplementation of 20 × 10⁶ sperm/mL with 200 nM MitoQ is also assessed by measuring viability, motility and sperm DNA fragmentation. The best sperm motility is achieved after 2 h of incubation with 200 nM MitoQ at 37 °C. Sperm concentration of 20 × 10⁶ sperm/mL is the best concentration where 200 nM MitoQ works efficiently. For semen centrifugation at 300× g for 20 min, supplementation with 200 nM MitoQ shows higher sperm motility. The current results demonstrate that MitoQ supplementation during in vitro human semen preparation procedures positively affects fresh sperm motility without affecting viability or increasing DNA fragmentation.

Background. The utility of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score in predicting mortality in the intensive care unit (ICU) has been demonstrated before, but serial testing in various settings is required to validate and improve the score. This study examined the utility of the SOFA score in predicting mortality in Jordanian ICU patients and aimed to find a modified score that required fewer laboratory tests. Methods. A prospective observational study was conducted at Jordan University Hospital (JUH). All adult patients admitted to JUH ICUs between June and December 2020 were included in the study. SOFA scores were measured daily during the whole ICU stay. A modified SOFA score (mSOFA) was constructed from the available laboratory, clinical, and demographic data. The performance of the SOFA, mSOFA, qSOFA, and SIRS in predicting ICU mortality was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Results. 194 patients were followed up. SOFA score (mean ± SD) at admission was significantly higher in non‐survivors (7.5 ± 3.9) compared to survivors (2.4 ± 2.2) and performed the best in predicting ICU mortality (AUROC = 0.8756, 95% CI: 0.8117–0.9395) compared to qSOFA (AUROC = 0.746, 95% CI: 0.655–0.836) and SIRS (AUROC = 0.533, 95% CI: 0.425–0.641). The constructed mSOFA included points for the hepatic and CNS SOFA scores, in addition to one point each for the presence of chronic kidney disease or the use of breathing support; it performed as well as the SOFA score in this cohort or better than the SOFA score in a subgroup of patients with heart disease. Conclusion. SOFA score was a good predictor of mortality in a Jordanian ICU population and better than qSOFA, while SIRS could not predict mortality. Furthermore, the proposed mSOFA score which employed fewer laboratory tests could be used after validation from larger studies.

Background: Dexamethasone is used to treat cancer, relieve chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, enhance cancer patients’ appetites, and treat COVID-19 patients. There is little evidence of the impact of a dexamethasone treatment plan on the severity of COVID-19 infections in cancer patients. This study explores whether dexamethasone treatment plan influences the severity of COVID-19 in dexamethasone-treated cancer patients. Methods: The medical records of 108 cancer patients receiving dexamethasone at King Hussein Cancer Center with a COVID-19 infection and 343 without corticosteroid treatment were reviewed. Patients on dexamethasone within seven days before infection, after infection, or both were included. Ventilation support, hospitalization, and mortality within 28 days of a COVID-19 diagnosis were key severity factors. Results: We found that dexamethasone before a COVID-19 infection increased the risk of requiring ventilation assistance and mortality within 28 days by a factor of 5.8 (2.8–12.0) relative to control (p < 0.005). Continuing dexamethasone treatment after a COVID-19 infection, or starting it after infection, had a risk factor equivalent to control. Conclusion: Our data showed that dexamethasone therapy protocol affected COVID-19 prognoses in cancer patients, and it is preferable to not discontinue therapy after infection. A rigorous prospective comparison between early and late dexamethasone dosing is needed to determine the best protocol for treatment.

Therapy-induced senescence (TIS) is a component of breast cancer (BC) treatment. Tetraspanins have emerging roles in cancer biology. Tetraspanin 4 (TSPAN4 [ NAG2 ]) has been implicated in tumor progression, however, its association with TIS remains unexplored. We investigated TSPAN4 expression in BC samples from patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and its association with TIS markers. Thirty-eight paired pre- and post-NAC BC samples were analyzed using immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining for TSPAN4 and TIS-associated biomarkers (Lamin B1 and Ki67). Pairwise analysis of senescence-related gene expression ( LMNB1, MKI67, CDKN1A, ATM, IGFBP7, MMP2, CXCL14 , and CCL5) was performed in an independent geneset of 68 paired pre- and post-NAC BC patient samples. NAC reduced the expression of senescence-associated proliferation markers Ki67 and Lamin B1 in BC samples, with 84% and 76% of patients showing decreased expression, respectively ( p <0.001). Senescence-associated gene expression analysis revealed consistent upregulation of CDKN1A, ATM, IGFBP7, MMP2, CXCL14 , and CCL5 post-NAC ( p <0.001), while LMNB1 and MKI67 were significantly downregulated ( p<0.0001 and p =0.007, respectively). A subset (15/38; 39%) of samples demonstrated upregulation of the TSPAN4 expression post-NAC ( p <0.01). NAG2 was upregulated in 54/68 patients post-NAC ( p <0.00001) and its expression correlated positively with senescence-associated genes. An association between TSPAN4 and TIS post-NAC was identified.