Laith Mohammad Al-Shdifat

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Research

Role of Honey as a Bifunctional Reducing and Capping/Stabilizing Agent: Application for Silver and Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles

Authors : Bahari, N.; Hashim, N.; Abdan, K.; Md Akim, A.; Maringgal, B.; Al-Shdifat, L

Abstract :The use of natural reducing and capping agents has gained importance as a way to synthesize nanoparticles (NPs) in an environmentally sustainable manner. Increasing numbers of studies have been published on the green synthesis of NPs using natural sources such as bacteria, fungi, and plants. In recent years, the use of honey in the synthesis of metal and metal oxide NPs has become a new and promising area of research. Honey acts as both a stabilizing and reducing agent in the NP synthesis process and serves as a precursor. This review focuses on the use of honey in the synthesis of silver NPs (Ag-NPs) and zinc oxide NPs (ZnO-NPs), emphasizing its role as a reducing and capping agent. Additionally, a comprehensive examination of the bio-based reducing and capping/stabilizing agents used in the honey-mediated biosynthesis mechanism is provided. Finally, the review looks forward to environmentally friendly methods for NP synthesis

Keywords :nanoparticles; honey; green synthesis; reducing agent

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Co-infection of COVID-19 patients with atypical bacteria: A study based in Jordan

Authors :Alsayed AR, Hasoun L, Khader HA, Abu-Samak MS, Al-Shdifat LMH, Al-shammari B, Al Maqbali M

Abstract :Objective: The aim of this work was to know the prevalence of Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in Jordan. Also, to assess a TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay in detecting these two bacteria. Methods: This is a retrospective study performed over the last five months of the 2021. All nasopharyngeal specimens from COVID-19 patients were tested for C. pneumonia, and M. pneumoniae. The C. pneumoniae Pst-1 gene and M. pneumoniae P1 cytadhesin protein gene were the targets. Results: In this study, 14 out of 175 individuals with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (8.0%) were co‐infected with C. pneumoniae or M. pneumoniae. Co‐infection with SARS‐CoV‐2 and C. pneumoniae was reported in 5 (2.9%) patients, while 9 (5.1%) patients had M. pneumoniae and SARS‐CoV‐2 co-infection. The mean (± std) of the correlation coefficient of the calibration curve for real-time PCR analysis was –0.993 (± 0.001) for C. pneumoniae and –0.994 (± 0.003) for M. pneumoniae. The mean amplification efficiencies of C. pneumoniae and M. Pneumoniae were 187.62% and 136.86%, respectively. Conclusion: In this first study based in Jordan, patients infected with COVID-19 have a low rate of atypical bacterial co-infection. However, clinicians should suspect co-infections with both common and uncommon bacteria in COVID-19 patients. Large prospective investigations are needed to give additional insight on the true prevalence of these co-infections and their impact on the clinical course of COVID-19 patients.

Keywords :Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Coronavirus, Jordan, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Polymerase chain reaction

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Molecular Accounting and Profiling of Human Respiratory Microbial Communities: Toward Precision Medicine by Targeting the Respiratory Microbiome for Disease Diagnosis and Treatment

Authors : Alsayed, A.R.; Abed, A.; Khader, H.A.; Al-Shdifat, L.M.H.; Hasoun, L.; Al-Rshaidat, M.M.D.; Alkhatib, M.; Zihlif, M.

Abstract :The wide diversity of microbiota at the genera and species levels across sites and individuals is related to various causes and the observed differences between individuals. Efforts are underway to further understand and characterize the human-associated microbiota and its microbiome. Using 16S rDNA as a genetic marker for bacterial identification improved the detection and profiling of qualitative and quantitative changes within a bacterial population. In this light, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the basic concepts and clinical applications of the respiratory microbiome, alongside an in-depth explanation of the molecular targets and the potential relationship between the respiratory microbiome and respiratory disease pathogenesis. The paucity of robust evidence supporting the correlation between the respiratory microbiome and disease pathogenesis is currently the main challenge for not considering the microbiome as a novel druggable target for therapeutic intervention. Therefore, further studies are needed, especially prospective studies, to identify other drivers of microbiome diversity and to better understand the changes in the lung microbiome along with the potential association with disease and medications. Thus, finding a therapeutic target and unfolding its clinical significance would be crucial

Keywords : diagnosis; lung; microbiome; molecular; personalized medicine; precision medicine; pulmonary medicine; respiratory diseases; therapeutic targets; treatment

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Discovery of 2′,6-Bis(4-hydroxybenzyl)-2-acetylcyclohexanone, a Novel FtsZ Inhibitor

Authors : Lin, Hsuan-Yu J., Rachana Rao Battaje, Jinlong Tan, Munikumar Doddareddy, Hemendra Pal Singh Dhaked, Shalini Srivastava, Bryson A. Hawkins, Laith Mohammad Hilal Al-Shdifat, David E. Hibbs, Dulal Panda, and Paul W. Groundwater

Abstract :Multi-drug resistance is increasing in the pathogenic bacterium S. pneumoniae, which is mainly responsible for meningitis and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), highlighting the need for new anti-pneumococcal agents. We have identified a potential anti-pneumococcal agent, enol 3, which acts by hindering the cell division process by perturbing Z-ring dynamics inside the cell. Enol 3 was also shown to inhibit FtsZ polymerization and induce its aggregation in vitro but does not affect the activity of tubulin and alkaline phosphatase. Docking studies show that 3 binds near the T7 loop, which is the catalytic site of FtsZ. Similar effects on Z-ring and FtsZ assembly were observed in B. subtilis, indicating that 3 could be a broad-spectrum anti-bacterial agent useful in targeting Gram-positive bacteria. In conclusion, compound 3 shows strong anti-pneumococcal activity, prompting further pre-clinical studies to explore its potential

Keywords : cell division; Z-ring; FtsZ inhibitor; chemical synthesis; molecular docking

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Research Title :Chapter 14 - Melatonin in cancer research and treatment: From bench to bedsid

Authors : Wamidh H. Talib, Safwan Abdel Rahim, Laith M.H. Al-Shdifat, Asma Ismail Mahmod

Abstract :Melatonin is naturally produced in all biological kingdoms and has diverse biological activities ranging from circadian rhythm regulation to activation of anticancer mechanisms. As an anticancer agent, this pleiotropic molecule is involved in most cancer hallmarks including angiogenesis, apoptosis, metastasis, genetic instability, altered metabolism, and immune system modulation. Sensitizing cancer cells to chemotherapy and radiation is also an interesting anticancer mechanism of melatonin. Several formulations of melatonin were produced to increase its bioavailability and maximized its effect. Expanding the knowledge about melatonin anticancer effects is essential to exploit its beneficial effects in cancer therapy. This chapter analyses in depth the use of melatonin in cancer research. The chapter covers different aspects of melatonin including its natural sources, biosynthesis, metabolism, drug formulation, anticancer mechanisms, and its use in clinical studies.

Keywords : Melatonin, Cancer, Biosynthesis

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Research Title :Green-synthesised silver and zinc oxide nanoparticles from stingless bee honey: Morphological characterisation, antimicrobial action, and cytotoxic assessment

Authors :Norfarina Bahari, Norhashila Hashim, Khalina Abdan, Abdah Mohd Akim, Bernard Maringgal, Laith Al-Shdifat

Abstract :This study investigated the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) using an aqueous extract of stingless bee honey (SBH) as a reducing and stabilising agent. The rich compositions of SBH containing flavonoids, phenolics, organic acids, sugars, and enzymes makes the SBH extract an ideal biocompatible precursor for the NPs synthesis. Physicochemical characterisation of the synthesised NPs was performed using UV–Vis spectroscopy, FESEM, TEM, XRD, and FTIR spectroscopy. The results revealed that the Ag-NPs and ZnO-NPs exhibited polydispersity, with size ranges between 25-50 nm and 15–30 nm, respectively. A majority of the NPs possessed a spherical morphology. Furthermore, the study evaluated the antimicrobial activity of the SBH-based NPs against gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, ATCC 43300) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli, ATCC 25922) bacteria. The findings demonstrated significantly higher antimicrobial efficacy of the Ag-NPs with a zone of inhibition (ZOI) of 16.91 mm against S. aureus, and 17.43 mm against E. coli compared to the ZnO-NPs which having a ZOI of 13.05 mm and 14.01 mm, respectively. Notably, cytotoxicity assays revealed no adverse effects of the synthesised NPs on normal mouse fibroblast (3T3) and human lung fibroblast (MRC5) cells up to 100 μg/ml of concentration. These findings suggest the potential of SBH-based Ag-NPs and ZnO-NPs as safe and effective antibacterial agents for various applications, including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, ointments, and lotions.

Keywords :Antimicrobial, Silver nanoparticle, Stingless bee honey, Toxicity, Zinc oxide nanoparticle

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Research Title :DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A NOVEL STABILITY INDICATING RP-HPLC METHOD FOR THE SIMULTANEOUS QUANTITATION OF AMLODIPINE, GLIMEPIRIDE AND PERINDOPRIL ARGININE

Authors : Shady Awwad, Samar Thiab, Reem Issa, Hassan Abul-futouh, Laith MH ALshdifat, Ahmad Aljaberi, Asaad Shahin, Dima Albals, Beisan Mohammad, Mahmoud Abu-samak

Abstract :An accurate, precise, simple and stability-indicating RP-HPLC method was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantitation of perindopril arginine (PA), amlodipine (AML) and glimepiride (GLM) in solution in accordance with the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines. The HPLC analysis was performed using a Supelcosil LC-18 column (25 cm × 4 mm × 5 μm), at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, with wavelength of detection at 220.0 nm for PA, AML and GLM. The optimised mobile phase consisted of a mixture of acetonitrile, methanol and phosphate buffer in the ratio of (20:50:30) (v/v/v) which was adjusted to pH 3.5 ± 0.1 with o-phosphoric acid. The proposed method was validated for linearity, system suitability, accuracy, precision (intra- and inter-day) and robustness. The HPLC results displayed good separation and resolution in a total analysis time of 16 minutes where PA, AML and GLM were eluted at retention times of 4.408 min, 5.415 min and 12.189 min, respectively. The optimised method displayed good linearity over the concentration range of 0.25 - 2.00 mg/mL for PA and 0.10 - 0.75 μg/mL for AML and GLM. The recoveries ranged from 98.0 to 102.0% and the RSD% values were found to be less than 2.00 for all drugs. The combination of three drugs was exposed to several forced degradation studies such as acid, base, neutral, thermal, oxidative and photolytic conditions. The forced degradation studies indicated that the optimised method is valid for stability studies

Keywords : amlodipine, glimepiride, perindopril arginine, HPLC, validation, stability

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Research Title :Assessment of Bee Products Use among Jordanian Community: Folkloric Practice vs. Evidence-Based Literature

Authors :Ala' Abu-Odeh, Leedia Abuelshayeb, Laith Al-Shdifat, Manal Ayyash, Haneen Aldabet, Saifalislam Alamleh, Saifalislam Alamleh, Ghadeer Suaifan.

Abstract :Background: There is a limited number of investigations on consumer behaviors and applications of various bee products within the Jordanian population. The study aims to explore the use of different bee products among Jordanians and to assess the claimed usage against evidence-based pharmacological studies. Methods: This cross-sectional, web-based study was conducted using a structures questionnaire created on Google Forms. This study employed a cross-sectional, web-based design to evaluate the use of bee products utilizing the platform for data collection. The survey link was distributed via social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) and shared through the personal networks of the research team to collect data. Results: The study revealed that honey is primarily used as a prophylactic measure against upper respiratory tract disorders (48.3%) and for immune stimulation and allergy protection. The survey revealed that 52.9% of respondents used bee products in conjunction with their medications. Furthermore, 23.0% of the participants discontinued their medications and relied solely on bee products. Conclusions: The findings of this study indicated that Jordanian participants utilized different bee products primarily for preventive and therapeutic purposes, emphasizing the growing awareness and recognition of the medicinal properties of bee products within Jordanian society. The use of bee products is supported by numerous international studies. However, there is a lack of local research in this area. It is well known that Phyto-constituents can vary significantly from one geographical area to another, so local studies are warranted. Furthermore, consumers should be informed about the potentially harmful interactions between bee products and conventional medications.

Keywords :Bee Products, Honey, Propolis, royal jelly, Beeswax, pharmacological activity.

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Dr. Laith Al-Shdifat

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