Catalase, an enzyme ubiquitous in living organisms, plays a pivotal role in mitigating oxidative stress by catalyzing the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) into water and oxygen. Mechanistically, this action prevents the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and consequent oxidative damage to cells and tissues. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying catalase activity, exploring its therapeutic applications across diverse disease contexts, addressing challenges in catalase-based therapies, and advancing novel strategies for enhanced efficacy are essential steps towards harnessing its full therapeutic potentials. In the medical realm, catalase shows promise for treating oxidative stress-related diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and inflammatory conditions. This article explores the therapeutic potentials of catalase, focusing on its mechanisms, applications, and future perspectives.

Objective: Hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and systemic resistance to insulin are typical manifestations of type 2 diabetes mellitus. One of the main pathophysiological alterations in insulin-sensitive organs is mitochondrial malfunction associated with oxidative stress and diminished fuel utilization. β-Caryophyllene (BCP) has qualities that are anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, antioxidant, hypolipidemic, and hypoglycemic. In this work, rats suffering from type 2 diabetes were given a diet high in fat and sugar with the aim of examining the ameliorative effects of BCP on oxidative stress-mediated hepatic mitochondrial dysfunction. Methods: The diabetic condition was experimentally induced by feeding rats a highcalorie diet. The rats were then administered the recommended doses of BCP and metformin (MET) once every day for 30 days at 200 mg and 50 mg concentrations per kg of body weight, respectively, to prove the hypothesis of the study that BCP ameliorates mitochondrial dysfunction induced by oxidative stress in diabetic rats. Mitochondrial dysfunction can be identified by indicators such as oxidative stress, cardiolipin dienes, membrane phospholipid concentration, and mitochondrial enzymes. Results: The mitochondria in the liver of rats with diabetes exhibit elevated redox imbalance-related parameters and malfunctioning mitochondria with peroxided cardiolipin, while their amounts of glutathione and phospholipids are lowered. Oxidative stress indices, ameliorated mitochondrial activities, and peroxided cardiolipin were drastically decreased in rats with diabetes treated with BCP or MET. Conclusions: The present research demonstrated that BCP improved the vital role of mitochondria by reducing free radical dominance in type 2 diabetic experimental rats fed high-fat and high-sugar diets.

Objective: The present study was designed to investigate the nephroprotective and immunoprotective effects of S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) in comparison to N-acetylcysteine (NAC) against ochratoxin A (OTA) – intoxication. Methods: Forty-eight adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were categorized into four groups: Control; OTA intoxication (5 mg OTA/kg diet); OTA + NAC, rats received 200 mg NAC/day before feeding balanced diet contaminated with OTA; and (OTA  SAMe). Rats received 200 mg SAMe/day dissolved in distilled water orally just before feeding a balanced diet contaminated with OTA. Results: OTA administration altered serum kidney function biomarkers. These effects were pronouncedly alleviated by treatment with NAC. Results revealed a correlation between OTA-induced immunotoxicity and the reduced white blood cell (WBC) count. Treatments with SAMe significantly improved the WBCs count and hemoglobin concentration. Conclusion: NAC and SAMe have a protective role against nephrotoxicity and immunotoxicity induced by continuous administration of OTA. NAC was more effective in reducing OTA nephrotoxicity, whereas SAMe was more potent than NAC in reducing OTA immunotoxicity.

Objectives: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are gaining increasing attention in biomedical applications due to their unique properties. Green synthesis methods are environmentally friendly and have demonstrated potential for AgNP production. This study explores the green synthesis of AgNPs using the methanolic extract of Euphorbia milii, a plant known for its medicinal properties. The primary objectives of this research were to synthesize AgNPs using E. milii extract, characterize the nanoparticles (NPs) using various techniques, and evaluate their antibacterial and enzyme inhibitory activities. Methods: E. milii plant extract was utilized for the green synthesis of AgNPs. The characterization of the NPs was performed through ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Antibacterial activity was assessed against Staphylococcus aureus, while enzyme inhibitory assays were conducted against urease, α-glucosidase, carbonic anhydrase II, and xanthine oxidase. Results: The synthesized AgNPs exhibited significant antibacterial effects, with a remarkable 20-mm zone of inhibition against S. aureus, surpassing the efficacy of the plant extract alone. Furthermore, the AgNPs demonstrated remarkable enzyme inhibition, achieving impressive percentages of 77.98% against α-glucosidase and 88.54% against carbonic anhydrase II. Half-maximal inhibitory concentration values for enzyme inhibition were highly promising, including 78.09 ± 1.98 μM for α-glucosidase, 0.22 ± 0.10 μM for carbonic anhydrase II, and 7.11 ± 0.55 μM for xanthine oxidase. Conclusion: In this study, AgNPs were successfully synthesized using E. milii extract and characterized using various techniques. The AgNPs exhibited significant antibacterial and enzyme-inhibitory activities, showcasing their potential for biomedical applications. 

Objectives: The objectives of the study are to investigate the synergistic effect of oxaliplatin (oxa) and punicalagin (pun) on the death of colon cancer cells (Caco-2) by apoptosis and autophagy. Methods: The effects of the combined treatments (5 μM oxa + 50 μM pun, 5 μM oxa + 75 μM pun, 20 μM oxa + 50 μM pun, and 5 μM oxa + 75 μM pun) were compared with untreated Caco2 cells (control) or cells treated with oxa alone. Apoptosis was detected using an Annex in V FITC flow cytometry assay and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage by western blotting. Light chain 3 was detected by western blotting as an autophagy marker. Results: The combined treatments significantly increased the number of apoptotic cells in comparison to untreated cells or cells treated with oxa alone. By contrast, the combined treatments had no significant effect on autophagy. Conclusion: The combined treatment significantly promoted cell death through apoptosis while maintaining a basal level of autophagy.

Objectives: Negative attitudes toward polio vaccination in Pakistan are threatening the global polio eradication efforts by encouraging vaccine refusals and attacks on polio workers. The present research explored the underlying dimensions of these attitudes and their correlates: Uncertainty and belief in conspiracy theories. Methods: This research began with the development of an item pool generated with the help of an open-ended survey of university students (n = 44). Face and content validity assessment by subject experts (n = 9) led to an initial version of the attitude toward polio vaccination scale (ATPVS). This scale was administered to a sample of Pakistani adults (n = 620) through two means: Paper-and-pencil survey and an online survey. Results: Exploratory factor analysis on one-half of the sample (n = 310) suggested a factor structure consisting of two internally consistent factors: Scepticism and Advocacy. On second half of the sample (n = 310), confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the two-factor structure of this scale. Hypothesis testing for convergent validity on the total sample (n = 620) revealed that self-uncertainty was positively related to scepticism and negatively related to advocacy. Whereas conspiracy mentality was positively associated with both of these components which indicates an understudied aspect of this construct related to concern for social welfare. Conclusion: Scepticism and advocacy of the polio vaccination campaign represent attitudes toward polio vaccination in Pakistan with self-uncertainty and conspiracy mentality being their significant correlates. Capitalizing on these variables in designing a vaccination promotion campaign may yield benefits.

Objective: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death globally. Metabolic syndrome (MtS) is a risk factor that increases the likelihood of CVD. The atherogenic index (AIP), calculated as the logarithm of the ratio of triglycerides (TG) to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) cholesterol in plasma, is a valuable marker for highly atherogenic small dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol particles. This study aimed to explore MtS prevalence and investigate the potential of using the AIP as a predictor for CVD risk factors in adults from the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. Methods: The cross-sectional study enrolled 589 participants from public hospitals in nine major cities who completed a detailed questionnaire on health, diet, and lifestyle. Anthropometric measurements and some clinical parameters were measured. Results: The findings indicated a significant prevalence of MtS (37.5%) among participants from the Qassim Area, which was higher in males (39.9%) than females (34.9%). Nevertheless, a significant prevalence was shown for CVD risk factors among participants, with hyperglycemia (78.1%), hypertriglyceridemia (39.0%), hypo-HDL-cholesterolemia (38.9%), and hypertension (21.6%) being common. The AIP’s performance in identifying CVD risk factors showed a receiver operating characteristic value of 0.909 (P < 0.001). The optimal cutoff value for the AIP was determined to be 0.468, demonstrating high sensitivity (84.8%) and specificity (78.6%). Conclusion: Incorporating AIP into clinical practice could enhance CVD risk prediction compared to using lipid profiles alone. These findings suggest that there is a high prevalence of MtS among adults in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. Further longitudinal studies are needed to recommend AIP as a robust tool for predicting CVD in clinical settings.

Objective: The objective of the study was to find pooled prevalence and risk factors of co-infection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in diagnosed tuberculosis (TB) cases. Methods: Search engines including PubMed and Google Scholar were used to find literature using search terms such as “co-infection,” “HIV,” “Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome,” TB and “Prevalence” among others. All original studies conducted on the prevalence of HIV co-infection among diagnosed TB patients that were freely available in full length had a clear methodology and relevant results were included in the study. Results: From 1021 initial studies, a total of 18 studies were selected for analysis. A total of 18 studies were included with a total sample size of 44943. The minimum prevalence of HIV-TB was reported in a study from Pakistan as 0.29% and the maximum prevalence of HIV-TB was found in Nigeria, that is, 44.20%. The pooled prevalence of HIV/TB co-infection was 16.291% (95%; 9.57–24.38) using the random effect method. As per Begg’s test, there was no publication bias. As I2 is 99.74% so, there is high heterogeneity among studies; hence, random effect model is preferred. Conclusion: The study concludes that the pooled prevalence of HIV/TB co-infection was found to be 16.291% (95%; 9.57–24.38). The risk of mortality will be substantially raised by the co-existence of HIV-TB co-infection, so early screening and emphasizing the urgent need for integrated health-care interventions can cope with the situation.