Background: Piperine is isolated from Piper nigrum popularly known as black pepper. Previous studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of piperine in various health conditions. Additionally, it is a powerful bioenhancer for many drugs. Piperine extract is believed to potentiate the effect of drugs by several folds. The present study is focused on its individual effect on liver function. Materials and methods: A total of 30 CF-1 albino mice obtained from the animal house of faculty of Medicine, Benghazi University, Benghazi, Libya were included in the study. These mice were fed with high cholesterol diet and divided into 2 groups. Twenty mice were administered piperine at a dose of 5mg/kg body weight. Piperine was isolated in Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Benghazi University, Benghazi and 10 mice were not administered piperine but fed with high fat diet. These mice were anesthetized with ketamine and halothane and blood was drawn from each mouse before the study and after three weeks by cardiocentesis. Serum transaminases (alanine aminotransferase [ALT] and aspartate aminotransferase [AST]), alkaline phosphatase and total protein were measured by authenticated methods. Results: Serum alanine amino transferase was significantly elevated (p=0.0002) in group A mice after the administration of Piperine extract for three weeks compared to those of group B mice. Serum aspartate amino transferase was elevated significantly (p=0.046) and alkaline phosphatase (p= 0.0001) also was significantly increased after the administration of piperine. Serum total protein (p= 0.011) values were significantly decreased after the use of piperine for three weeks in group A mice. Conclusion: This study showed that there might have been a considerable damage to liver with piperine extract. Further research may be required to prove this damage to liver function.

Aim:The present study was aimed to assess the early effects of ischemia/reperfusion injury on the oxidants and anti-oxidant defense status in rat testicular tissue by measuring MDA, glucose-6-phosphte dehydrogenase activity and reduced glutathione levels in a designated time frame sequel to reperfusion. Animals were divided randomly into six groups (12 animals per group) in the following order: Group I: Sham-operated control group (Cso) without the application of the torsion. Group 2: Torsion-induced ischemia group (T30 m): Ischemia was induced through the torsion of spermatic cord for a period of 30 min. Group 3: One hour reperfusion group after detorsion (T30 mR1 h). Group 4: Twenty-four hour reperfusion group after detorsion (T30 mR24 h). Group 5: Forty-eight hours reperfusion group after detorsion (T30mR48h). Group 6: One week reperfusion group after detorsion (T30mR1wk). Results and Discussion:The oxidant-antioxidant system of the testicular tissue is altered during torsion as well as detorsion which results in the altered activities involved in the key enzyme of hexose monophosphate shunt pathway, glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase activity along with a reduction of glutathione (G.SH) content. The increase in G6PDH activity during torsion and followed by an increase in detorsion indicates the tissue's response to counter the oxidant stress caused by reduced blood supply. Continued exposure to such oxidant stressed physiological state of a tissue may lead to decreased capacity of the tissue to perform its physiological function such as testicular steroidogenesis and spermiogenesis shown in the present study.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has high morbidity and results in increased risk of mortality mainly due to cardiovascular diseases. Different factors have been found to be responsible for the increased prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in T2DM. One of these factors includes raised serum levels of lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)). The present study was designed to evaluate the association of Lp(a) levels with T2DM in Libyan patients and find the degree of association between Lp(a), glycemic control, insulin, and lipid profile. The study included 100 T2DM patients, recruited from the Benghazi Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Diabetes, and 30 apparently healthy age and sex-matched individuals, to serve as controls. All participants completed a questionnaire to obtain clinical information and medical history. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for Lp(a), fasting blood glucose (FBS), HbA1c, insulin, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TAG), low-density lipoprotein c (LDL-c), and high-density lipoprotein c (HDL-c). The results from the comparison between the control and experimental groups showed that Lp(a) was significantly higher in diabetic patients. It showed the positive correlation with TC and LDL-c. On the contrary, it showed no significant correlations with glycemic control parameters nor insulin, TAG, HDL-c, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressor (BP). Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in type 2 diabetic patients could be dependent on risk factors other than LDL-c, which may not be an independent risk factor for the development and progression of atherogenesis in T2DM. Lp(a) may be a new metabolic syndrome risk factor, and it may be useful as a cardiovascular risk biomarker in future clinical practice.

Background The severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), due to its fast spread, is a disease with global health, social and economic burden. This is complicated by its high morbidity and mortality among those with medical comorbidities and older adults. During the outbreak in Libya, intensive care facilities were overwhelmed by the number of patients requiring special care. Admission to such facilities was reserved for severe cases showing low blood oxygen levels. Due to the inflammatory process in COVID-19, we believed it was essential to evaluate the outcome of inflammation reflected in the changes in interleukin-6 (IL-6) and insulin. Objective To study the changes in IL-6 and insulin during the course of the disease, if an association between them exists, and whether this association changes following seven days of treatment. Method We analyzed the data of 60 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and admitted to the hospitals' Intensive Care Units (ICU) in the eastern part of Libya. The study was initiated on January 18th and concluded on March 22, 2021. Samples for the analysis were collected on the first day of admission and after seven days of hospitalization for patients who survived till the selected day. The collected samples were used to analyze IL-6 as an indicator of change in inflammation and insulin as a potential anti-inflammatory modulator. In addition, the association of insulin with IL-6 was statistically tested. Results Diabetes and hypertension, the most commonly observed chronic diseases in Libya, were found to represent the highest comorbidities among the ICU patients included in this study. Nonetheless, other diseases affected a smaller proportion of them, ranging from two patients for malignancy to 10 patients for cardiovascular disease. In addition, both age and gender showed differences in the number of ICU hospitalized patients and the death tally among them. The study showed that the IL-6 level was on the rise during the course of COVID-19, whereas that of insulin was on the decrease. The two variables showed an association for admission day samples as well as for samples after seven days of ICU hospitalization. Conclusion Although, IL-6 appears to play a predictive role in the development and outcome of severe COVID-19, along with other biochemical and clinical findings it could serve as an indicator of the disease outcome. On the other hand, the role of insulin as a complementary factor for alleviating inflammation remains to be fully understood and requires further research. There is a pressing necessity for establishing the mechanism through which insulin is associated with inflammation modulatory pathways, in particular through the pathways involving IL-6.

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research reported.