Introduction: Psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic include pandemic triggered feelings of fear, uncertainty, and anxiety added to the effects of restricting the population's activities in lockdown. Aim: We aimed to study the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on sexual satisfaction of females and males in Egypt and to evaluate possible predictive factors. Methods: Married men and females in Egypt were invited to respond to an online questionnaire. The questionnaire addressed medical history, socioeconomic status, sexual performance satisfaction before and during the lockdown in addition to validated Arabic questionnaires for depression, sexual function in males and females, and sexual satisfaction (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Female Sexual Function Index, International Index of Erectile Function-5, Index of Sexual Satisfaction, respectively). Main outcome measure: The main outcome measures were frequency of depression, anxiety, sexual dysfunction, and sexual satisfaction in males and females during COVID-19 lockdown. Results: A total of 479 females and 217 males completed the questionnaire. Sexual satisfaction was significantly higher before (91.2%, 73.5%) than during lockdown (70.5%, 56.2%) in both males and females, respectively. During lockdown, significantly more males (70.5%) reported being satisfied with their sexual performance than females (56.2%) (P < .001). More than half of the male subjects (68.2%) had no erectile dysfunction while 97.3% females scored 26.5 on the Female Sexual Function Index scale suggestive of sexual difficulties. Sexual stress was significantly greater in females (70.8%) than males (63.1%). Educational level, occupation, anxiety, and erectile dysfunction were independently associated with sexual stress in males. Being a housewife or unemployed, husband's age >35 years, marriage duration of 5-10 years, anxiety, and female sexual dysfunction were predictors of sexual relation stress in females. Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic was associated with lower sexual satisfaction in both genders. Females however suffered more anxiety and depression and thereby greater risk of sexual function difficulties and sexual dissatisfaction. Intervention strategies in order to lessen the suffering of affected individuals particularly after the pandemic are recommended.

No abstract

Paraoxonase enzymes serve as an important physiological redox system that participates in the protection against cellular injury caused by oxidative stress. The PON enzymes family consists of three members (PON-1, PON-2, and PON-3) that share a similar structure and location as a cluster on human chromosome 7. These enzymes exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties with well-described roles in preventing cardiovascular disease. Perturbations in PON enzyme levels and their activity have also been linked with the development and progression of many neurological disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. The current review summarizes the available evidence on the role of PONs in these diseases and their ability to modify risk factors for neurological disorders. We present the current findings on the role of PONs in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurodegenerative and neurological diseases.

Introduction: Patients hospitalized for cardiogenic shock who survive to discharge are at high risk of readmission. Patients requiring temporary mechanical circulatory support (tMCS) during their index admission reflect a high risk population. Therefore, we aim to quantify and compare the 90-day readmission trends for patients who did and did not receive tMCS at their index hospitalization for cardiogenic shock. Methods: From 2016 to 2019, patients with an admission diagnosis for cardiogenic shock were identified in the Florida State Inpatient Database. Patient characteristics, management at index admission, and causes of readmission were analyzed. Results: In total, 31,986 patients had an index admission for cardiogenic shock, of which 5,229 (16.3%) were treated with tMCS. In a 90-day cohort analysis of 18,317 patients, 6,119 (33.4%) patients were readmitted. Among patients that received tMCS during their index admission, 1,583 (51.2%) were readmitted compared with 4,536 (29.8%) that did not receive tMCS. Repeat readmissions for cardiogenic shock were present in 490 (15.9%) of patients who received tMCS at index admission compared with 232 (1.5%) of patients who did not have tMCS at index hospitalization. There was no statistically significant difference in the readmission rates across the four years of the study. Conclusions: Despite significant improvements in medical therapy and mechanical support in recent years, the rate of readmission after index admission for cardiogenic shock has not decreased. Trends in 90-day readmission demonstrate that patients who received tMCS at their index hospitalization for cardiogenic shock were not only more likely to be readmitted, but also more likely to be readmitted specifically with a repeat diagnosis of cardiogenic shock. Patients who require tMCS at their index admission for cardiogenic shock should be targeted as a high risk group to prevent readmission.

No abstract