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Asthma and COPD have characteristic symptoms, yet patients with both are prevalent. Despite this, there is currently no globally accepted definition for the overlap between asthma and COPD, commonly referred to as asthma–COPD overlap (ACO). Generally, ACO is not considered a distinct disease or symptom from either clinical or mechanistic perspectives. However, identifying patients who present with both conditions is crucial for guiding clinical therapy. Similar to asthma and COPD, ACO patients are heterogeneous and presumably have multiple underlying disease processes. The variability of ACO patients led to the establishment of multiple definitions describing the condition’s essential clinical, physiological, and molecular characteristics. ACO comprises numerous phenotypes, which affects the optimal medication choice and can serve as a predictor of disease prognosis. Various phenotypes of ACO have been suggested based on host factors including but not limited to demographics, symptoms, spirometric findings, smoking history, and underlying airway inflammation. This review provides a comprehensive clinical guide for ACO patients to be used in clinical practice based on the available limited data. Future longitudinal studies must evaluate the stability of ACO phenotypes over time and explore their predictive powers to facilitate a more precise and effective management approach.

To investigate the associations of coffee consumption and/or smoking on certain clinical outcomes including total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), vitamin B12, and folic acid in a population of young healthy men.This cross-sectional study was conducted in Amman, Jordan, over 4 months. Participants were approached for study participation and asked to fill a questionnaire about their anthropometric information, habitual smoking, and coffee consumption during the last 3 months. Their fasting blood samples were taken to measure TC and LDL-C.Healthy male participants (n=117) in the age range of 18 to 26 years were recruited. Mean serum TC was higher in heavy coffee consumers (C++) group (≥3 cups/day) with or without smoking (M= 179.9±34.59 mg/dL and 195.94±23.69 mg/dL) in comparison with moderate coffee consumers (C+) group (1-2 cups/day) (M= 158.1±24.82 mg/dL and 177.23±34.17 mg/dL), and the mean level was higher in subjects who were coffee consumers only than smokers who were coffee consumers. LDL-C levels were higher in participants who were coffee consumers (M= 103.06±34.82mg/dL and 118.06±19.31 mg/dL) than smokers who were coffee consumers (M= 88.6±22.40 mg/dL and 108.26±37.57 mg/dL). No significant difference was noted regarding HDL-C, vitamin B12, and folic acid.Our findings showed that heavy coffee consumption was more associated with hyperlipidemia than cigarette smoking. Accordingly, we conclude that moderate coffee consumption may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases or their consequences in male.

Background: To identify stress associated factors for vitamin D deficiency (VDD) in healthy Jordanian people based on serum 25(OH)D levels. Design: Prospective cohort study. Methods: Three hundred and seventy-one Jordanian men and women aged 17–52 years, who were identified as VD deficient 25(OH)D

To investigate the association between high level serum leptin in male youths in relation to parental history of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and body mass index (BMI).This cross-sectional study was carried out at the Department of Medical Technology, Applied Science University, Amman, Jordan during the period from January to April 2009. One hundred and sixteen Jordanian male nursing students aged 18-24 years were divided into 4 groups according to parental history of T2DM and BMI. Fasting blood samples were measured for blood glucose, lipid profile, and serum leptin.Serum leptin levels in overweight and obese male youth diabetic patients with parental history of T2DM were significantly higher than in those overweight and obese without parental history (p0.001). Of the 116 subjects, 83 (71.6%) had a positive parental history of T2DM. Compared with other groups, significant (p0.001) elevation was observed in the mean cholesterol and triglyceride levels of obese T2DM. No significant differences were detected in high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, and blood glucose levels among all study groups.High levels of leptin in overweight and obese Jordanian male youths were more likely associated with a positive parental family history of T2DM than BMI factor.