Objective The study aimed to document the quality of work life (QWL) among healthcare staff of intensive care unit (ICU) and emergency unit during COVID-19 outbreak using WHOQoL-BREF. Methods A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted for two months (May – June 2020) among healthcare staff working in intensive care units (ICUs) and emergency units of the hospitals under National Guard Health Authority (NGHA) across five cities of Saudi Arabia. The study used the WHOQoL-BREF instrument to document the QWL through an electronic institutional survey. The data was analyzed through IBM SPSS version 23. The study was approved by an ethics committee. Results A total of 290 healthcare professionals responded to the survey. The mean overall quality of life score was 3.37 ± 0.97, general health = 3.66 ± 0.88, domains, i.e., physical = 11.67 ± 2.16, psychological = 13.08 ± 2.14, social = 13.22 ± 3.31 and environment = 12.38 ± 2.59. Respondents aged > 40 years, male gender, married status, being a physician and, having a work experience > 15 years and no extra working hours, had higher mean scores for several domains of Quality of life (QoL), overall QoL and general health (p < 0.05). Conclusion The QWL among healthcare staff during COVID-19 pandemic was low. Demographic factors were mainly the determinants for a higher QWL while extra working hours was determinant of lower QWL. Despite the pandemic, no COVID-19 related variable affected the work life of healthcare staff.

Summary Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) are an essential practice to prevent increasing resistance against antibiotics. A successful ASP monitors not only prescribing patterns and practices but also contributes in minimizing the toxic effects of antibiotics. Moreover, ASP also facilitates the selection of disease specific antibiotics and enforces rules and regulations to rationalize the use of antibiotics. The aim of the study is to highlight the core elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs in Karachi. The key elements proposed by center of disease control (CDC) such as; leadership, accountability, drug expertise, actions to support optimal antibiotic use, tracking (monitoring antibiotic prescribing, use and resistance), reporting information to staff on improving antibiotic use and resistance and education were evaluated on Yes/No scale. The data was collected from 44 hospitals of different categories in Karachi and all the major elements were studied. It was observed that all the hospitals in one setting failed to comply with all the guidelines. It has been concluded that efforts should be made to design ASP at each hospital and implemented through suitable policies and procedures.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible preventive role of sorafenib in preventing obesity, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes by exploring its preventive effects. As there is a rapid increase in the number of people being affected by these diseases, there is a need to find new methods to manage them. Sorafenib has been demonstrated to be a potent inhibitor of ABCC10 transmembrane protein in several studies. A recent study has shown that ABCC10 contributes to the pathogenesis of both hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. Additionally, many patients who have cancer also are affected by the metabolic syndrome. Thus, cancer patients must take medicines to control high cholesterol and glucose levels, thus increasing the burden of medicines on cancer patients. As sorafenib is an anti-cancer drug and a potent inhibitor of ABCC10, it may prevent metabolic syndrome in cancer patients, thus reducing the burden of additional medications and their adverse effects. This study’s objective was to determine whether sorafenib can lower high lipid and high glucose levels in rats given a high-fat high-sugar diet. There were four groups of the rats: Group I: control (Standard Diet); Group II: diabetic (type-2) rats were given high-fat diet feed and sucrose through drinking water (25% sucrose) for 60 days (HFSD); Group III: diabetic (type-2) rats were given sorafenib 10 mg/kg/d (orally) for 60 days (HFS-S); Group IV: diabetic (type-2) rats were given metformin (50 mg/kg/d). Blood glucose, insulin, triglyceride, cholesterol, and liver enzyme levels were measured. Histopathological analysis of the liver was also conducted using an optical microscope. There was a significant weight reduction when sorafenib was administered to rats. The treatment produces a significant improvement in triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) (P < 0.05). Furthermore, it also lowers blood glucose levels and improves insulin sensitivity (P < 0.05). Moreover, hepatic steatosis was also prevented by sorafenib in the histopathological analysis of the liver. According to our study, the effects of sorafenib were significant in improving dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and insulin sensitivity, as well as preventing the accumulation of fatty deposits in the rats' liver tissue when sorafenib was administered with a high-fat sucrose diet.