Assessment of the knowledge,attitudes, and practices among UNRWA health staff in Jordan concerning mental health programme pre-implementation: a cross-sectional study

Background

Mental health is a major public health priority, particularly among refugees worldwide. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) started to integrate mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) into its primary health-care services in Jordan in late 2017. This baseline study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, practices, and perceived barriers among UNRWA health staff regarding the implementation of the MHPSS programme.

Neonatal mortality in Jordan: secondary analysis of Jordan Population and Family Health Survey (JPFHS) data

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the 2009 Jordan Population and Family Health Survey (JPFHS) data to determine the level, trend, and distribution of neonatal mortality (NNM) in Jordan and determine its associated factors.

Methods: Nationally representative data on NNM were extracted from the JPFHS data. Using multivariate analyses, the strength of associations between 12 clinical/sociodemographic variables and neonatal mortality were quantified after controlling for potential confounders.

Results: The weighted NNM rate for 2005–2009 period was 16 deaths per 1000 live births, with the early NNM rate and late NNM rates were 10 deaths per 1000 live births and six deaths per 1000 live births, respectively. Fluctuations of NNM according to year of birth and geographic variations were noted. Risk of NNM increased among male newborns, as mother’s education level decreased, in mothers 40–49 years old, in multiple gestations-low birth weight neonates, and as birth interval was <3 years.

Conclusions: The NNR rate for 2005–2009 period of 16 deaths per 1000 live births indicates that there are opportunities to decrease it. Risk factors of neonatal mortality with respect to predictors of death during first days of life and variables related to geographic variations require particular focus to improve the quality of obstetric and neonatal health services and to decrease neonatal mortality.     

Searching for prognostic biomarkers for small renal masses in the urinary proteome

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is frequently diagnosed incidentally as an early-stage small renal mass (SRM; pT1a, ≤4 cm). Overtreatment of patients with benign or clinically indolent SRMs is increasingly common and has resulted in a recent shift in treatment recommendations. There are currently no available biomarkers that can accurately predict clinical behavior. Therefore, we set out to identify early biomarkers of RCC progression. We employed a quantitative label-free liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) proteomics approach and targeted parallel-reaction monitoring to identify and validate early, noninvasive urinary biomarkers for RCC-SRMs. In total, we evaluated 115 urine samples, including 33 renal oncocytoma (≤4 cm) cases, 30 progressive and 26 nonprogressive clear cell RCC (ccRCC)-SRM cases, in addition to 26 healthy controls. We identified six proteins, which displayed significantly elevated expression in clear cell RCC-SRMs (ccRCC-SRMs) relative to healthy controls. Proteins C12ORF49 and EHD4 showed significantly elevated expression in ccRCC-SRMs compared to renal oncocytoma (≤4 cm). Additionally, proteins EPS8L2, CHMP2A, PDCD6IP, CNDP2 and CEACAM1 displayed significantly elevated expression in progressive relative to nonprogressive ccRCC-SRMs. A two-protein signature (EPS8L2 and CCT6A) showed significant discriminatory ability (areas under the curve: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.70–0.93) in distinguishing progressive from nonprogressive ccRCC-SRMs. Patients (Stage I–IV) with EPS8L2 and CCT6A mRNA alterations showed significantly shorter overall survival (p = 1.407 × 10⁻⁶) compared to patients with no alterations. Our in-depth proteomic analysis identified novel biomarkers for early-stage RCC-SRMs. Pretreatment characterization of urinary proteins may provide insight into early RCC progression and could potentially help assign patients to appropriate management strategies.     

The Clinical and Prognostic Implications of Pluripotent Stem Cell Markers Expression and Their Correlation with the WNT signal pathway in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the expression of SOX2, SOX9, p53, and β-catenin in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and their correlation with clinicopathological parameters of prognostic importance. Materials and Methods: Seventy-five patients were enrolled in this study. All patients had full clinical and follow-up data and available paraffin blocks. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed and correlated with clinicopathological factors and patient survival. Results: We detected the positive expression of SOX2, SOX9, p53, and β-catenin in 76%, 50.7%, 50.7%, and 77.9% of HCC specimens respectively. All studied markers showed a significant increase in the expression in tumor tissue specimens compared to non-tumor tissue. Both SOX2 and SOX9 expressions were significantly associated with adverse prognostic factors in HCC. Significant positive correlations were found between SOX2 and SOX9 and both p53 and β-catenin expression (r= 0.528, 0.485 and; r = 0.253, 0.327, respectively; p < 0.0001 for both of them). Regarding survival, we found that HCC patients with positive SOX2 and SOX9 expressions had significantly shorter overall survival (p=0.0001, each). Additionally, larger tumor size, tumor grade, high stage, tumor multiplicity, presence of cirrhosis, tumor necrosis, high p53 expression, and positive β-catenin expression were independent predictors of worse survival. A multivariate Cox analysis revealed that tumor grade, stage, p53, and SOX2 expression were independent predictors of unfavorable prognosis in overall survival (p=0.0001, p=0.0001,p=0.033; and p=0.003, respectively). Conclusions: Our findings might provide an insight into SOX2 and SOX9’s role in HCC and suggest that SOX2 might be targeted for HCC therapy.     

Prevalence and risk factors of steatosis and advanced fibrosis using transient elastography in the United States' adolescent population

BACKGROUND Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) is the leading cause of chronic liver disease in children and adolescents.AIM To determine the prevalence and risk factors of steatosis and advanced fibrosis using transient elastography(TE) in the United States' adolescent population.METHODS Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017-2018, adolescent participants aged 13 to 17 years who underwent TE and controlled attenuation parameter(CAP) were included in this study. Forty-one factors associated with liver steatosis and fibrosis were collected. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analysis were used to identify statistically significant predictors.RESULTS Seven hundred and forty participants met inclusion criteria. Steatosis(S1-S3), based on CAP, and advanced fibrosis(F3-F4), based on TE, were present in 27% and 2.84% of the study population, respectively. Independent predictors of steatosis grade included log of alanine aminotransferase, insulin resistance, waistto-height ratio, and body mass index. Independent predictors of fibrosis grade included steatosis grade, non-Hispanic black race, smoking history, and systolic blood pressure.CONCLUSION This study demonstrated a high prevalence of steatosis in the United States' adolescent population. Almost 3% of United States' adolescents had advanced fibrosis. These findings are concerning because a younger age of onset of NAFLD can lead to an earlier development of severe disease, including steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver decompensation.     

Cognitive decline and depressive symptoms: early non-motor presentations of parkinsonism among Egyptian Gaucher patients

neurogenetics - Evidence about the link between glucocerebrosidase (GCase) and parkinsonism is growing. Parkinsonism was described in adult type 1 Gaucher disease (GD); few case reports described...     

Prevalence of Burnout in residents of obstetrics and gynecology: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Burnout is currently a major concern among physicians due to their high level of stress at work. There are several reports on various levels of burnout in residency programs due to several predisposing factors. The aim of this systematic review was to estimate a more precise prevalence of burnout among residents of obstetrics and gynecology. Methods: PubMed, Science Direct and Scopus were searched to identify peer-reviewed Englishlanguage studies published from January 1974 to 2005 reporting burnout among residents of obstetrics and gynecology. The key words used in the search were as follows: Residents, gynecology and obstetrics, professional burnout, depersonalization, distress, anxiety, or emotional exhaustion. Relevant additional articles were identified from the lists of the retrieved articles. Results: We identified 12 studies which met our criteria. A total of 2509 participants were included in this meta-analysis. The overall prevalence rate of burnout on all the three subscales was 44% (95% CI: 30 - 57) in this group of residents. Conclusion: This meta-analysis revealed a high prevalence of burnout syndrome in residents during obstetrics and gynecology residency program. Therefore, it is recommended to consider and address this important issue to develop solutions and interventions which could improve the work condition of the medical residents.