Pharmaceutical Sciences العلوم الصيدلانية
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- ItemFormulation and Assessment of Tooth Spray(Al-Quds University, 2025-04-26) Bashaer Zaher Mustafa Abd Nabi; بشائر زاهر مصطفى عبد النبيNowadays, essential oils are commonly utilized to treat and prevent a number of conditions linked to dental illness, such as tooth decay, gingivitis, and halitosis. The purpose of this study was to develop and assess a tooth spray in a novel formulation and dosage form, as well as to examine the antibacterial qualities of essential oils and herbal tooth sprays against microorganisms that cause dental disease. Three essential oils clove, peppermint, and sage were used as active components in equal amounts to create a dental spray formulation for this investigation. In order to guarantee stability and usefulness, the formulation also contained the proper excipients. To determine the product's quality and efficacy, a number of tests were carried out, including stability, chemical, physical, and antibacterial ones. The outcomes confirmed the dental spray's acceptability as a natural oral care product by showing that it is stable, homogenous, effective, and safe to use at room temperature. Because of its stability, ease of use, and ability to transport active chemicals straight to the mouth cavity, a dental spray was selected as the dosage form. Compared to alternative dose forms like rinses or gels, sprays offer a quicker start of action, consistent dispersion throughout the targeted region, and better patient compliance. Additionally, this approach minimizes systemic exposure and any adverse effects by enabling targeted therapy. Tooth spray was formulated as a new dosage form not available in the market. The studies suggested acceptability criteria, which include being consistent, flexible, non-sticky, and devoid of odors and stains, can be met by tooth sprays. The sprayed component exhibits antibacterial and antifungal properties, according to incubation-based microbiological investigations. When the pH of the mouth starts to fall below 5.5, tooth decay may result. In tooth spray, bases are used to counteract oral acid. The tooth spray was therefore created with a pH of 8.5. The stability study results confirmed the spray's effectiveness based on the comparison between zero-time data and the results obtained after two months.
- ItemA Retrospective analysis for Breast Cancer receptors’ prevalence, and HER2 positive Breast Cancer treatment regimens at Palestinian MOH hospitals and Effect of cancer symptoms and treatment on breast cancer patients’ daily life activities(Al-Quds University, 2025-04-26) Aseel Hisham Salah Erekat; أسيل هشام صلاح عريقاتBackground: Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women worldwide, including in Palestine, where it constitutes a significant public health challenge. Identifying hormone receptors, such as ER, PR, and HER2, is critical for customizing therapy approaches and improving patient outcomes. This study aimed to analyze the prevalence of breast cancer receptor subtypes, evaluate treatment regimens for HER2-positive breast cancer patients in Palestinian Ministry of Health (MOH) hospitals, and assess the impact of cancer symptoms and treatments on patients' daily activities using the Arabic version of the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI-A). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using medical records of breast cancer patients treated in MOH hospitals between 2019 and 2021. The study included demographic data, receptor status (ER, PR, HER2), treatment regimens, and survival outcomes. Additionally, the MDASI-A was administered to assess the severity and interference of cancer-related symptoms in daily life. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22, employing descriptive statistics and inferential tests to examine associations between variables. Results: A total of 1,234 breast cancer cases were analyzed, with an average age at diagnosis of 52.76 years. The majority (69%) were ER-positive, 58% were PR-positive, and 21% were HER2-positive. Triple-negative and triple-positive cases accounted for 10% each. Of the 265 patients with HER2-positive breast cancer registered in the Palestinian Cancer Registry, 220 (83%) were recorded as receiving a first-line treatment protocol. Of those 220 patients, 72 (32.7%) were recorded as receiving a second-line protocol, and 8 (3.6%) received a third-line protocol. Overall, 157 of the 220 patients (71%) were treated in accordance with NCCN guidelines, across all treatment lines. Results from MDASI indicate that the symptom (Loss of appetite) has the highest reported symptom 86%, followed by Nausea with an average of 78.5% and the symptom (Lack of remembering) at the lowest 16.5%, followed by the symptom Shortness of breath with an average of 36.2%. Most of the patients 52.4% reported the symptoms are moderate. When evaluating symptom interference with life for cancer patients the (Activity) had the highest interference 65.2, followed by (Mood) with an average of 62.1%. and then (Relationship with others) at lowest value of 28.9%, followed by the (Walking) with an average of 30.1%. Conclusion: The findings emphasize the need for continued improvements in breast cancer management in Palestine, particularly in adherence to international treatment guidelines and symptom management. The study also highlights the utility of MDASI-A in identifying symptom burden and guiding supportive care strategies. Future research should focus on prospective studies to assess treatment outcomes over time and explore interventions for optimizing the quality of life of breast cancer patients.
- ItemAssessment of Patients’ Adherence to Anti-Epileptic Drugs:A Cross-Sectional Study in Hebron, West Bank, Palestine(Al-Quds University, 2024-11-16) Sabreen Fahmi Ezzat Abu Sneineh; صابرين فهمي عزات أبوسنينيةBackground: Medication adherence is a critical factor in managing epilepsy patients, directly impacting seizure control and quality of life. Limited research exists on adherence to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) among (0- 40) ages in Hebron, other West Bank cities, and Jerusalem. This study aims to assess adherence rates and explore factors influencing adherence. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design was employed, using the validated Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8). The MMAS-8, along with additional questions with a reliability score of 0.842 (Cronbach’s alpha), was used to assess medication adherence and treatment patterns. The questionnaire contained 30 items, divided into sections: Sociodemographic (6 questions), History of Epilepsy (4 questions), Perception toward Epilepsy (4 questions), Adherence and Dosing (6 questions), and Adherence and Side Effects Factors (2 questions), in addition MMAS (8 questions). The questionnaire was distributed electronically via Google Forms to 100 epilepsy patients. Patients were contacted by phone, and assurances of anonymity ensured full participation. Data were analyzed using SPSS, version 10, employing descriptive statistics, t-tests, and ANOVA. Results: Adherence levels among the participants were generally moderate to low, with 41% showing low adherence, 58% demonstrating medium adherence, and only 1% exhibiting high adherence. The average Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) score was 5.38. Barriers to adherence were notably high, with 83% of participants citing medication costs, 67% reporting stigma, and 55% expressing concerns about public embarrassment. Despite these challenges, 97% of respondents recognized the critical role of medication adherence in preventing seizures. When examining adherence by specific antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), Depalept/Depalept Chrono® had the highest MMAS-8 score of 5.6, followed closely by Carbamazepine (Tegretol®) with a score of 5.5. Other commonly used AEDs, such as Diazepam (Assival®) and Levetiracetam (Keppra®), had adherence scores of 5.3 and 5.2, respectively. while Lamotrigine (Lamictal/Lamodex®) and Phenytoin (Epanutin®) had the lowest adherence scores, both averaging around 4.0. Notably, Depalept/Depalept Chrono® and Tegretol® not only demonstrated the highest adherence but were also the most frequently prescribed drugs, likely reflecting patients' or caregivers' preferences, ease of administration, and perceived effectiveness. Significant factors affecting adherence included age, educational level, age at seizure onset, and medication frequency (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study underscores the impact of socioeconomic and psychological barriers on adherence to AEDs. Targeted interventions addressing financial burdens, stigma, and patient education are essential for improving adherence rates and treatment outcomes. These findings offer critical insights for healthcare providers and policymakers to enhance the quality of life for epilepsy patients in the region. Keywords: Epilepsy, Nonadherence, AEDs, West Bank, Palestine
- 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.