Vaccination protects people from serious illness and associated complications. Conspiracy theories and misinformation on vaccines have been rampant during the COVID-19 pandemic and are considered significant drivers of vaccine hesitancy. Since vaccine hesitancy can undermine efforts to immunize the population against COVID-19 and interferes with the vaccination rate, this study aimed to ascertain the COVID-19-vaccine-related conspiracy beliefs, vaccine hesitancy, views regarding vaccine mandates, and willingness to pay for vaccines among the general population. A web-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted (April–August 2021) among the adult population in six countries (Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, India, Malaysia, Sudan, and Egypt). Participants were recruited using an exponential, non-discriminate snowball sampling method. A validated self-completed electronic questionnaire was used for the data collection. All the participants responded to questions on various domains of the study instrument, including conspiracy beliefs, vaccine hesitancy, and willingness to pay. The responses were scored according to predefined criteria and stratified into various groups. All data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 22. A total of 2481 responses were included in the study (Pakistan 24.1%, Saudi Arabia 19.5%, India 11.6%, Malaysia 8.1%, Sudan 19.3%, and Egypt 17.3%). There was a preponderance of participants ≤40 years old (18–25 years: 55.8%, 26–40 years: 28.5%) and females (57.1%). The average score of the COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy belief scale (C19V-CBS) was 2.30 ± 2.12 (median 2; range 0–7). Our analysis showed that 30% of the respondents were found to achieve the ideal score of zero, indicating no conspiracy belief. The mean score of the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy scale (C19V-HS) was 25.93 ± 8.11 (range: 10–50). The majority (45.7%) had C19V-HA scores of 21–30 and nearly 28% achieved a score greater than 30, indicating a higher degree of hesitancy. There was a significant positive correlation between conspiracy beliefs and vaccine hesitancy (Spearman’s rho = 0.547, p < 0.001). Half of the study population were against the vaccine mandate. Respondents in favor of governmental enforcement of COVID-19 vaccines had significantly (p < 0.001) lower scores on the C19V-CBS and C19V-HS scale. Nearly 52% reported that they would only take vaccine if it were free, and only 24% were willing to pay for COVID-19 vaccines. A high prevalence of conspiracy beliefs and vaccine hesitancy was observed in the targeted countries. Our findings highlight the dire need for aggressive measures to counter the conspiracy beliefs and factors underlying this vaccine hesitancy.

Parkinson's disease (PD) stands as the sec most prevalent incapacitating neurodegenerative disorder characterized by deterioration of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has garnered attention as a potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory agent and enhancer of mitochondrial complex-I activity. This study aimed to examine and compare the effectiveness of liposomal and non-encapsulated CoQ10 in rotenone induced-PD mouse model over a 21-day treatment duration. 30 mice were divided into 5 equal groups: Group I (mice receiving normal saline), Group II (rotenone was administered to mice), Group III (standard CoQ10 was given to mice), Group IV (mice were treated with non-encapsulated CoQ10) and Group V (mice were treated with CoQ10 Liposomes). Motor performance, the preservation of dopaminergic neurons, levels of neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, neurotransmitter levels, RT-qPCR analysis of PD-linked genes and histopathology were evaluated. The Liposomal CoQ10 group exhibited superior outcomes in behavioral tests such as reduced anxiety in the open field test, enhanced balance and coordination in beam balance test and improved cognitive performance in Y-maze test. Liposomal Coenzyme Q10 displayed pronounced antioxidative effects, evidenced by a significant (p < 0.001) increase in superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH) activities. In contrast, the non-encapsulated CoQ10 group showed a delayed response in mitigating the inflammation and oxidative stress. CoQ10 Liposomes demonstrated superior efficacy (p < 0.0001) in restoring dopamine and noradrenaline levels, reducing acetylcholinesterase activity, and downregulating Synuclein Alpha (SNCA) gene expression (0.722-fold change) compared to oral CoQ10, highlighting its potential in suppressing PD symptoms. The results of this study indicated that the liposomal CoQ10 effectively averted motor impairments, memory lapses, oxidative stress, as well as neuroinflammation triggered by rotenone.

Beans and lentils are good sources of overall phenolic content and have high levels of free radical scavenging capacity. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the phenolic and antioxidant content of both dried and germinated beans and lentils. In order to do this, total phenolic content,...