Exposure to lead (Pb) causes multiorgan dysfunction including reproductive impairments. Here, we examined the protective effects of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) administration on testicular injury induced by lead acetate (PbAc) exposure in rats. This study employed four experimental groups (n=7) that underwent seven days of treatment as follows: control group intraperitoneally (i.p.) treated with 0.1 ml of 0.9% NaCl containing 1% Tween 80 (v:v), CoQ10 group that was i.p. injected with 10 mg/kg CoQ10, PbAc group that was i.p. treated with PbAc (20 mg/kg), and PbAc+CoQ10 group that was i.p. injected with CoQ10 2 h after PbAc. PbAc injection resulted in increasing residual Pb levels in the testis and reducing testosterone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone levels. Additionally, PbAc exposure resulted in significant oxidative damage to the tissues on the testes. PbAc raised the levels of prooxidants (malondialdehyde and nitric oxide) and reduced the amount of endogenous antioxidative proteins (glutathione and its derivative enzymes, catalase, and superoxide dismutase) available in the cell. Moreover, PbAc induced the inflammatory response as evidenced by the upregulation of inflammatory mediators (tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1 beta). Further, PbAc treatment induced apoptosis in the testicular cells, as indicated by an increase in Bax and caspase 3 expression, and reduced Bcl2 expression. CoQ10 supplementation improved testicular function by inhibiting Pb accumulation, oxidative stress, inflammation, cell death, and histopathological changes following PbAc exposure. Our findings suggest that CoQ10 can act as a natural therapeutic agent to protect against the reproductive impairments associated with PbAc exposure.

Herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2) belong to the herpesviridae family and cause neurological disorders by infecting the nervous system. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of Rosmarinus officinalis L. (rosemary) extract against HSV-1 and HSV-2 in vitro. The antioxidant activity of this extract was investigated by superoxide anion and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free-radical assays. Rosemary extract was evaluated by an HSV-1 antiviral assay, in which viral replication in Vero cells was determined and quantified using a cytopathic effect assay. The present study showed that rosemary extract at 30 µg/ml caused 55% inhibition of HSV-1 plaques, whereas 40 µg/ml rosemary extract caused 65% inhibition of HSV-2 plaques. The extracts completely inhibited HSV-1 and HSV-2 plaque formation at 50 µg/ml. Scavenging activity of the superoxide anion radical was observed at 65.74 mg/ml, whereas 50% scavenging activity of the DPPH radical was observed at 67.34 mg/ml. These data suggest that rosemary extract may be suitable as a topical prophylactic or therapeutic agent for herpes viral infections. However, further research is required to elucidate the plant’s active constituents, which may be useful in drug development.

Background: Using Intravenous Smart Pump by pediatric nursing students has shaped the challenge of finding innovative ways to teach clinical skills. The study aimed to assess the effect of PDSA framework on pediatric nurses compliance in using smart pump technology for intravenous medication administration in the pediatric intensive care unit. Design: A Quasi-Experimental quantitative, pre/post-test design was used to conduct the study. A purposive sample of 90 pediatric nursing students chosen based on the simple random sample for the academic year 2016– 2017, participated in the study. Methods: Three tools were designed by the researchers to collect the necessary data to implement the Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) framework. Statistical Analysis: The collected data were coded, analyzed and tabulated using frequencies and percentage, mean, standard deviation & chi-square tests. Results: There was a statistically significant difference and marked improvement in nurses students’ total knowledge and skills levels of smart pump intravenous administration (Pre and Post Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) framework) pre/post periods of assessment. It was observed that the majority of studied sample had good scores (100%, 97.8%, 97.8% & 93.3%) respectively post-intervention compared to (73.3%, 64.5%, 52.2%, 36.7%, 16.7%, 13.3%) pre-program and respectively (p<0.01). Conclusion: Administration of intravenous therapy for neonates can be risky but when supported by the use of smart pump systems with proper programming, compliance nurses students and staff education by reporting, monitoring, it will be a valuable tool to avoid actually catastrophic damage related to medication and infusion errors. Recommendation: Collaboration between health professionals is the key of successful implementation of smart infusion pump technology which can improve patient safety.