Pharmaceutical Sciences العلوم الصيدلانية
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- ItemIdentification of Potential Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers for Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) Using Artificial Intelligence (AI)(Al-Quds University, 2024-11-16) Shahd Mustafa Yehya Alqawasmi; شهد مصطفى يحيى القواسمةAbstract Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer, linked to the highest mortality rates. TNBC is characterized by the absence of estrogen, progesterone, and human epidermal growth factor receptors. An encouraging strategy involves assessing biomarkers to identify tumors and their specific features, facilitating more personalized treatment options. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a key role in gene expression by interacting with messenger RNAs. Some miRNAs may act as biomarkers for diagnosing and predicting the prognosis of TNBC. The main aim of the study is to analyze the miRNA expression levels and clinical data of TNBC patients obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) to detect biomarkers for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) using machine learning (ML). The study objectives are addressing the use of AI and ML to identify potential diagnostic and prognostic Biomarkers for TNBC. In addition, the process of constructing a model begins with conducting a meta-analysis, followed by differential expression analysis (DEA), which uncovers statistically significant correlations among multi-gene signatures. This study also includes comparing the miRNA expression profiles between TNBC and normal tissues, also between TNBC and non-TNBC tissues. Ultimately, build a machine learning (ML) model using a hybrid feature selection method for the biomarker selection. The study involved two datasets that were merged, resulting in a combined dataset of 4577 miRNAs. The miRNAs were filtered using statistical tests. In the ML model-building stage, a combination of feature selection methods is employed to identify biomarker profiles that distinguish TNBC from normal tissue. This includes a wrapper method using recursive feature elimination (RFE), along with embedded methods using random forest (RF) and support vector machine (SVM). Our study revealed significant variations in miRNA expression between TNBC and normal tissues. In contrast, the expression of miRNAs did not differ significantly between TNBC and non-TNBC tissues. In addition, the study shows that employing Recursive Feature Elimination, SVM, and Random Forest as a hybrid feature selection algorithm for miRNA expression profiles or similar datasets with large number of features in comparing to the number of samples can effectively eliminate redundant features, identify biomarkers with diagnostic relevance, and maintain high classification accuracy. Finally, the study identified that miR-32-5p can be used as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of TNBC, high expression of miR-32-5p is substantially related with increasing overall survival in TNBC patients.
- ItemAnticancer, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Enzymes Inhibitory Effects of Terfezia Arenaria from Palestine(Al-Quds University, 2023-04-29) Ahmed Mutasem Tawfiq Alkhader; أحمد معتصم توفيق الخضرTerfezia arenaria belongs to the Terfeziaceae truffle family and is one of the most important desert truffles in Palestine. It is an edible truffle with many medicinal folks uses in the past and present, so the study was designed to consolidate knowledge about this truffle and to validate the medicinal uses of the natural products. In the beginning, we used a variety of extraction methods including Soxhlet extraction, sonication extraction, and exhaustive extraction, as well as various solvents with varying polarity properties including methanol, ethanol, water, acetone, hexane, dichloromethane and ethyl acetate. We relied on sonication extraction with methanol as a solvent because it yielded the highest extract, whereas other solvents yielded negligible amounts of extract. Qualitative tests were performed to investigate the ingredients of the methanolic extract, which revealed the presence of flavonoids, phenols, glycosides, carbohydrates, and steroids. The flavonoids and phenolic compounds were then determined quantitatively, using Folin-Ciocalteu’s method for phenolic contents and aluminum chloride method for flavonoids. This work also investigated the expected effect of these compounds in addition to the discovery of new effects of the T. arenaria. We tested the enzyme inhibition effect on amylase enzyme, which is naturally present in the human intestine and plays an important role in carbohydrates digestion; inhibiting the enzyme may be useful to reduce the absorbed amount of glucose and thus improve the treatment of diabetic patients, so we measure the absorbance using UV spectrophotometer and higher absorbance means higher inhibition, and we use acarbose which is an antidiabetic drug as a positive control. The other enzyme we tested for inhibition effect is lipase enzyme, which is found normally in humans and other mammals and digests lipids, so inhibiting it may also aid in the treatment of obesity, orlistat used as a reference in this test and using UV spectrophotometer same as amylase inhibition. Another important test we carried was the extraction of antioxidant because oxidative stress is a factor in the progression of many diseases, and a positive antioxidation effect may be beneficial in reducing Alzheimer, dementia, cancer, and many other diseases. In our study we used reducing power assay method to determine the antioxidant activity. The antibacterial activity was tested on different bacterial species, gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, to validate one of the most well-known uses. Cytotoxicity activity was also investigated in order to test the ability to treat cancer cells in vitro, and two different cell lines used, which could be the first step in the discovery of a new lead compound for cancer therapy. In our results we found our desert truffle to have various biochemical compound and good phenolic and flavonoids contents, so this will have positive impact on our results. And also, the results of enzymes inhibition activity were good enough to build on, as it showed good inhibition comparatively with the positive controls. For the anticancer activity there was obvious cell growth inhibition on two different cell lines used, while there was no antibacterial activity.
- ItemLiving with Medicines and its Impact on Quality of Life in Dialysis Patients in West Bank, Palestine.(Al-Quds University, 2023-08-19) Reem Hasan Abdel Majeed Natsheh; ريم حسن عبد المجيد نتشهBackground: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is the final stage of chronic kidney disease (CKD), characterized by an irreversible loss of kidney function. Globally, the prevalence of ESRD is increasing, resulting in a significant economic and health burden for patients and the health system. This study aims to investigate the impact of medication burden and adherence on health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) for patients who received hemodialysis in the West Bank, Palestine. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess HR-QOL through the KDQOL-36TM questionnaire, medication-related burden through the LMQ-3 scale, and medication adherence using the ARMS questionnaire in 120 hemodialysis (HD) patients. The sample was recruited from two dialysis units at the Ministry of Health Hospital (the Palestinian Medical Complex (PMC) in Ramallah and the Hebron Governmental Hospital in Hebron). Results: The majority of HD patients were between 50 and 69 years old (30.8%), resided in villages (62.5%), were married (83.3%), and had a relatively even distribution between males (47.5%) and females (52.5%). The overall HR-QOL global score was 1958.5 (IQR= 2007.50) out of a possible 3600, indicating a moderate level of quality of life. Among the HR-QOL dimensions, symptoms and problems of kidney disease had the highest mean score, while burdens of kidney disease had the lowest. The majority of HD patients (45.8%) experienced a moderate burden. Patient-doctor relationships, effectiveness, and cost-related burden have been shown to be the most significantly influencing factors in medication burden. According to the ARMS scale, the majority of participants (73.3%) had low adherence to their medicine. Correlation tests revealed significant negative relationships between medication-related burden and HR-QOL (R= -0.431, p-value < 0.05), indicating higher medication-related burden is associated with poorer quality of life. Additionally, a positive relationship between medication-related burden and non-adherence (R= 0.61, p-value < 0.05) indicates that higher medication-related burden is associated with higher non-adherence. Conclusion: This study reveals significant insights about the HR-QOL, medication burden, and adherence of HD patients in the West Bank. The study shows that among HD patients, medication burden significantly lowers HR-QOL and increases medication non-adherence. The findings highlight the importance of addressing medication burden as a component of comprehensive treatment to improve patients' quality of life and enhance medication adherence among HD patients.
- ItemSalicylhydroxamic acid based azo dyes, synthesis, characterization, and properties(Al-Quds University, 2023-06-13) Hala Ramzi Mohammad Alsheibat; هالة رمزي محمد الشعيباتThe synthesis and characterization of a novel azo dye derived from naphthionic acid and salicylhydroxamic acid are presented in this research. The synthesis process involves the diazo coupling reaction between naphthionic acid and salicylhydroxamic acid, forming the azo dye. The chemical structure and purity of the synthesized dye are confirmed using various characterization techniques, including ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), infrared spectroscopy (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The properties of the newly synthesized azo dye, such as color, solubility, reactivity, and antimicrobial activity are thoroughly investigated. The dye exhibits a unique color profile and solubility in polar solvents. The reactivity of the dye allows for potential modifications and derivatizations to enhance its versatility. This research provides valuable insights into the synthesis, characterization, and properties of the novel azo dye, offering prospects for its utilization in various applications. The main result showed that the azo dye had an antifungal activity but three types of bacteria, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were resistant to the dye. Also, from the calculations, the pka was 3.9and the dye could be used as a chemical indicator.In addition, the prepared dye was investigated as an acid-base indicator for its effect in titrimetric analysis using acid-base titration techniques. In basic media, the color changed from pink to orange. The dye acted as an active acid-base indicator, and the color change occurred in the pH range (5-8).
- ItemAssessment of Patient’s Satisfaction with Pharmaceutical Care Services in Community Pharmacies in west bank: A cross sectional study(Al-Quds University, 2023-05-20) Sujood Theab Nemer Mashaala; سجود ذياب نمر مشاعلةThe provision of pharmaceutical services to the community and the care of patients are significant responsibilities of pharmacists. It is unclear if the general public completely understands the important role that pharmacists play in the healthcare system. This study aim was to examine general public perception about community pharmacy services, and how satisfied they are with pharmaceutical care services utilizing the health beliefs model (HBM).Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out on a randomly chosen sample population (n = 400) in West Bank from January through June 2022 for a period of six months. A standardized, self-administered questionnaire with 35 items was used to gather information on the respondents' demographics and satisfaction with pharmacy services utilizing (HBM). Results:The response rate of the survey was 87%. The majority of the respondents perceived benefit of utilizing pharmaceutical care services with mean score (24.5 ± 4.6). There was a significant differences between mean perceived benefit and perceived barriers (24.5 vs. 17.5, p <0.05). Participants generally did not express a high level of agreement on the four susceptibility-assessing items (mean = 11.55 ± 2.44, range 4-20). However, the four questions measuring perceived severity had better agreement (mean = 13.3 ± 3.0, range 4-20). The participants express modest satisfaction with pharmaceutical services and managing therapy, the mean (± SD) score on the satisfaction scale was (24.1±7.1, range 10 - 50). The items regarding lack of privacy and explain side effects of drugs had the highest dissatisfaction percentages (91% and 55%, respectively). Multiple linear regression demonstrated four variables to be significantly correlated with satisfaction with pharmaceutical care services included perceived susceptibility (β = .157, p = .002), residency (β = -.203, p = 0.001), number of medications (β = -.237, p = .001), and perceived barriers (β = -.132, p = .012). Indicating, that participants with higher number of medication and those perceived susceptibility were more satisfied and those perceived barriers were less satisfied with pharmaceutical care provided by community pharmacies. Conclusion: The majority of the participants express modest satisfaction with pharmaceutical care services. The community pharmacists in ideal position to and have the ability to improve the benefit patients perceive by providing comprehensive pharmaceutical care services and managing medication therapy.