1.The Psychological Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on the General Population of Oman: A National Community-based Study
Saleha Al-Jadidi ; Maryam Al-Harrasi ; Norizan Mohd Kassim ; Ali Alkalbani ; Akila Muthukrishnan ; Ahmed Al-Shukaili
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2022;18(No.5):114-121
Introduction: Despite evidence that that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in general poses unprecedented
risks, it is unclear to what extent these consequences have affected the mental health of the general population. This
study aims to evaluate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the general population in Oman
and to associate the physical health status and psychological impact. Methods: A cross-sectional online anonymous
survey in which 831 adults from Oman’s general population were randomly sampled as per the inclusion criteria.
The medical research and ethics commission approved the project. Data were collected after obtaining informed
consent from the study participants. The criteria of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders was used to measure the psychological impact. Results: Among 831 respondents in this
study, only 4.2 % and 14.9 % of total participants reported depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively. There
is a statistically significant difference in psychological scores between males and females at the p < .05 level: F (1,
829) = 16.03, p < .001. As a result of this discovery, it appears that women are mentally affected by the pandemic.
Conclusion: The COVID-19 epidemic has had a severe impact on the general population’s psychological health in
Oman. This survey found that the global health crisis has a psychological impact on most of the adult population,
regardless of their age. As a result, early detection, urgent medical intervention, and counseling are required.
2. Analgesic effects of crude extracts and fractions of Omani frankincense obtained from traditional medicinal plant Boswellia sacra on animal models
Ahmed AL-HARRASI ; Liaqat ALI ; Javid HUSSAIN ; Najeeb Ur REHMAN ; Ahmed AL-RAWAHI ; Mansoor AHMED
Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine 2014;7(S1):S485-S490
Objective: To investigate the analgesic effect of Boswellia sacra (B. sacra), which could support the Omani traditional uses of frankincense for muscle, stomach, and arthritis pain. Methods: The crude extract, the essential oils and various sub-fractions of the crude methanol extract (each 300 mg/kg of the body weight of the animal) obtained from the resin of B. sacra were administered orally, and were evaluated for their analgesic activities by using two well known models of pain in mice, viz. acetic acid induced writhing test and formalin induced pain test in mice. Results: Of 13 samples, almost all of them were effective at an orally administered dose of 300 mg/kg of the body weight. The acetic acid induced writhes were inhibited in all the three phases with comparable values to the standard drug aspirin (300 mg/kg of body weight) with inhibition of 67.6% in phase I, 66.8% in phase II, and 37.9% in phase III. At the same time, all the tested samples were found effective in both the early and the late phases of formalin test. In formalin test, most of the tested samples showed more inhibitory effects as compared to the standard drug aspirin (300 mg/kg of body weight), which showed 36.2% and 29.6% inhibition in early and late phases respectively. Among the tested samples, the most significant inhibition was produced by Shabi frankincense oil (57.5% in early phase, and 55.6% in late phase). Interestingly, the extracts showed comparable percentage of inhibition to the oil and found in the following order: 60% chloroform. /n-hexane sub-fraction (55.3% in early phase, and 66.7% in late phase), and 70% chloroform. /n-hexane sub-fraction (59.6% in early phase, and 63.0% in late phase). Conclusions: The present study provided the scientific justification about the analgesic properties of the essential oils, extract, and various sub-fractions obtained from the resin of B. sacra, thus validating its use in traditional folk medicines and other products; and hence supporting the development in the analgesic properties of bioactive natural substances.
3. Antimicrobial constituents from three endophytic fungi
Hidayat HUSSAIN ; Christine KLICHE-SPORY ; Karsten KROHN ; Hidayat HUSSAIN ; Ahmed AL-HARRASI ; Ahmed AL-RAWAHI ; Ghulam ABBAS ; Ghulam ABBAS ; Ivan Robert GREEN ; Barbara SCHULZ ; Afzal SHAH
Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine 2014;7(S1):S224-S227
Objective: To evaluate the antimicrobial potential of extracts of the endophytic fungi Plectophomella sp., Physalospora sp., and Crataegus monogyna (C. monogyna) and study the tentative identification of their active constituents. Methods: Crude extracts and isolated compounds were screened for antimicrobial activity using the agar well diffusion method. Four compounds were purified from three endophytic fungi using column chromatography and their structures have been assigned based on their
4. Nutritional assessment and antioxidant analysis of 22 date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) varieties growing in Sultanate of Oman
Ahmad AL-HARRASI ; Najeeb Ur REHMAN ; Javid HUSSAIN ; Abdul Latif KHAN ; Ahmed AL-RAWAHI ; Syed Abdullah GILANI ; Mohammed AL-BROUMI ; Liaqat ALI
Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine 2014;7(S1):S591-S598
Objective: To assess the nutritional values and antioxidant analysis of 22 varieties of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) fruit collected from various regions of the Sultanate of Oman. Methods: Nutritional parameters including moisture, fats, fiber, proteins, carbohydrates, and energy value were determined using standard methods of Association of Official Analytical Chemists. The antioxidant activity was screened for their free radical scavenging properties using ascorbic acid as a standard antioxidant. Free radical scavenging activity was evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical. Results: The results of the date fruits (dried/tamar stage) revealed significantly higher moisture (15%-21%), dry matter (78%-86%), ash content (1.0%-2.0%), fiber (1.0%-2.5%), fat (0.1%-0.7%), protein (1.8%-3.8%), nitrogen (0.25%-0.55%), carbohydrates (74.5%-82.4%), and energy values (307-345.5 kcal/100 g). The antioxidant activity ranged between 40% and 86% depending upon the type of date and location. Overall, Khalas, Fardh and Khasab have significantly higher nutritional attributes; however, other varieties such as Barshi, Qush LuLu, Handal, and Khunaizi also have comparable nutritional values. The cluster analysis further evidenced the correlation of proximate parameters in different locations. Moreover, the nutritional and antioxidant attributes of similar date varieties collected from different locations were slightly varied. Conclusions: The present finding helps in understanding the nutritional significance of different date varieties in Oman while the lesser known varieties can be improved through sustainable horticultural practices as a valuable product. The study further reveals that the consumption of these dates' fruits would exert several beneficial effects by virtue of their antioxidant activity.