Showing papers by "Jordan University of Science and Technology published in 2018"

Global, Regional, and National Cancer Incidence, Mortality, Years of Life Lost, Years Lived With Disability, and Disability-Adjusted Life-Years for 29 Cancer Groups, 1990 to 2016: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study.

Abstract: Importance The increasing burden due to cancer and other noncommunicable diseases poses a threat to human development, which has resulted in global political commitments reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals as well as the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Action Plan on Non-Communicable Diseases. To determine if these commitments have resulted in improved cancer control, quantitative assessments of the cancer burden are required. Objective To assess the burden for 29 cancer groups over time to provide a framework for policy discussion, resource allocation, and research focus. Evidence Review Cancer incidence, mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) were evaluated for 195 countries and territories by age and sex using the Global Burden of Disease study estimation methods. Levels and trends were analyzed over time, as well as by the Sociodemographic Index (SDI). Changes in incident cases were categorized by changes due to epidemiological vs demographic transition. Findings In 2016, there were 17.2 million cancer cases worldwide and 8.9 million deaths. Cancer cases increased by 28% between 2006 and 2016. The smallest increase was seen in high SDI countries. Globally, population aging contributed 17%; population growth, 12%; and changes in age-specific rates, −1% to this change. The most common incident cancer globally for men was prostate cancer (1.4 million cases). The leading cause of cancer deaths and DALYs was tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer (1.2 million deaths and 25.4 million DALYs). For women, the most common incident cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths and DALYs was breast cancer (1.7 million incident cases, 535 000 deaths, and 14.9 million DALYs). In 2016, cancer caused 213.2 million DALYs globally for both sexes combined. Between 2006 and 2016, the average annual age-standardized incidence rates for all cancers combined increased in 130 of 195 countries or territories, and the average annual age-standardized death rates decreased within that timeframe in 143 of 195 countries or territories. Conclusions and Relevance Large disparities exist between countries in cancer incidence, deaths, and associated disability. Scaling up cancer prevention and ensuring universal access to cancer care are required for health equity and to fulfill the global commitments for noncommunicable disease and cancer control.

Global, regional, and national burden of Parkinson's disease, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

Abstract: Summary Background Neurological disorders are now the leading source of disability globally, and ageing is increasing the burden of neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson's disease. We aimed to determine the global burden of Parkinson's disease between 1990 and 2016 to identify trends and to enable appropriate public health, medical, and scientific responses. Methods Through a systematic analysis of epidemiological studies, we estimated global, regional, and country-specific prevalence and years of life lived with disability for Parkinson's disease from 1990 to 2016. We estimated the proportion of mild, moderate, and severe Parkinson's disease on the basis of studies that used the Hoehn and Yahr scale and assigned disability weights to each level. We jointly modelled prevalence and excess mortality risk in a natural history model to derive estimates of deaths due to Parkinson's disease. Death counts were multiplied by values from the Global Burden of Disease study's standard life expectancy to compute years of life lost. Disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) were computed as the sum of years lived with disability and years of life lost. We also analysed results based on the Socio-demographic Index, a compound measure of income per capita, education, and fertility. Findings In 2016, 6·1 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 5·0–7·3) individuals had Parkinson's disease globally, compared with 2·5 million (2·0–3·0) in 1990. This increase was not solely due to increasing numbers of older people, because age-standardised prevalence rates increased by 21·7% (95% UI 18·1–25·3) over the same period (compared with an increase of 74·3%, 95% UI 69·2–79·6, for crude prevalence rates). Parkinson's disease caused 3·2 million (95% UI 2·6–4·0) DALYs and 211 296 deaths (95% UI 167 771–265 160) in 2016. The male-to-female ratios of age-standardised prevalence rates were similar in 2016 (1·40, 95% UI 1·36–1·43) and 1990 (1·37, 1·34–1·40). From 1990 to 2016, age-standardised prevalence, DALY rates, and death rates increased for all global burden of disease regions except for southern Latin America, eastern Europe, and Oceania. In addition, age-standardised DALY rates generally increased across the Socio-demographic Index. Interpretation Over the past generation, the global burden of Parkinson's disease has more than doubled as a result of increasing numbers of older people, with potential contributions from longer disease duration and environmental factors. Demographic and potentially other factors are poised to increase the future burden of Parkinson's disease substantially. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Global Burden of Multiple Myeloma: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

Abstract: Introduction Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell neoplasm with substantial morbidity and mortality. A comprehensive description of the global burden of MM is needed to help direct health policy, resource allocation, research, and patient care. Objective To describe the burden of MM and the availability of effective therapies for 21 world regions and 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2016. Design and Setting We report incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) estimates from the Global Burden of Disease 2016 study. Data sources include vital registration system, cancer registry, drug availability, and survey data for stem cell transplant rates. We analyzed the contribution of aging, population growth, and changes in incidence rates to the overall change in incident cases from 1990 to 2016 globally, by sociodemographic index (SDI) and by region. We collected data on approval of lenalidomide and bortezomib worldwide. Main Outcomes and Measures Multiple myeloma mortality; incidence; years lived with disabilities; years of life lost; and DALYs by age, sex, country, and year. Results Worldwide in 2016 there were 138 509 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 121 000-155 480) incident cases of MM with an age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of 2.1 per 100 000 persons (95% UI, 1.8-2.3). Incident cases from 1990 to 2016 increased by 126% globally and by 106% to 192% for all SDI quintiles. The 3 world regions with the highest ASIR of MM were Australasia, North America, and Western Europe. Multiple myeloma caused 2.1 million (95% UI, 1.9-2.3 million) DALYs globally in 2016. Stem cell transplantation is routinely available in higher-income countries but is lacking in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of the Middle East. In 2016, lenalidomide and bortezomib had been approved in 73 and 103 countries, respectively. Conclusions and Relevance Incidence of MM is highly variable among countries but has increased uniformly since 1990, with the largest increase in middle and low-middle SDI countries. Access to effective care is very limited in many countries of low socioeconomic development, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Global health policy priorities for MM are to improve diagnostic and treatment capacity in low and middle income countries and to ensure affordability of effective medications for every patient. Research priorities are to elucidate underlying etiological factors explaining the heterogeneity in myeloma incidence.

Global mortality from firearms, 1990-2016

Abstract: Importance Understanding global variation in firearm mortality rates could guide prevention policies and interventions. Objective To estimate mortality due to firearm injury deaths from 1990 to 2016 in 195 countries and territories. Design, Setting, and Participants This study used deidentified aggregated data including 13 812 location-years of vital registration data to generate estimates of levels and rates of death by age-sex-year-location. The proportion of suicides in which a firearm was the lethal means was combined with an estimate of per capita gun ownership in a revised proxy measure used to evaluate the relationship between availability or access to firearms and firearm injury deaths. Exposures Firearm ownership and access. Main Outcomes and Measures Cause-specific deaths by age, sex, location, and year. Results Worldwide, it was estimated that 251 000 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 195 000-276 000) people died from firearm injuries in 2016, with 6 countries (Brazil, United States, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and Guatemala) accounting for 50.5% (95% UI, 42.2%-54.8%) of those deaths. In 1990, there were an estimated 209 000 (95% UI, 172 000 to 235 000) deaths from firearm injuries. Globally, the majority of firearm injury deaths in 2016 were homicides (64.0% [95% UI, 54.2%-68.0%]; absolute value, 161 000 deaths [95% UI, 107 000-182 000]); additionally, 27% were firearm suicide deaths (67 500 [95% UI, 55 400-84 100]) and 9% were unintentional firearm deaths (23 000 [95% UI, 18 200-24 800]). From 1990 to 2016, there was no significant decrease in the estimated global age-standardized firearm homicide rate (−0.2% [95% UI, −0.8% to 0.2%]). Firearm suicide rates decreased globally at an annualized rate of 1.6% (95% UI, 1.1-2.0), but in 124 of 195 countries and territories included in this study, these levels were either constant or significant increases were estimated. There was an annualized decrease of 0.9% (95% UI, 0.5%-1.3%) in the global rate of age-standardized firearm deaths from 1990 to 2016. Aggregate firearm injury deaths in 2016 were highest among persons aged 20 to 24 years (for men, an estimated 34 700 deaths [95% UI, 24 900-39 700] and for women, an estimated 3580 deaths [95% UI, 2810-4210]). Estimates of the number of firearms by country were associated with higher rates of firearm suicide ( P R2 = 0.21) and homicide ( P R2 = 0.35). Conclusions and Relevance This study estimated between 195 000 and 276 000 firearm injury deaths globally in 2016, the majority of which were firearm homicides. Despite an overall decrease in rates of firearm injury death since 1990, there was variation among countries and across demographic subgroups.

An Edge Computing Based Smart Healthcare Framework for Resource Management.

Abstract: The revolution in information technologies, and the spread of the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart city industrial systems, have fostered widespread use of smart systems. As a complex, 24/7 service, healthcare requires efficient and reliable follow-up on daily operations, service and resources. Cloud and edge computing are essential for smart and efficient healthcare systems in smart cities. Emergency departments (ED) are real-time systems with complex dynamic behavior, and they require tailored techniques to model, simulate and optimize system resources and service flow. ED issues are mainly due to resource shortage and resource assignment efficiency. In this paper, we propose a resource preservation net (RPN) framework using Petri net, integrated with custom cloud and edge computing suitable for ED systems. The proposed framework is designed to model non-consumable resources and is theoretically described and validated. RPN is applicable to a real-life scenario where key performance indicators such as patient length of stay (LoS), resource utilization rate and average patient waiting time are modeled and optimized. As the system must be reliable, efficient and secure, the use of cloud and edge computing is critical. The proposed framework is simulated, which highlights significant improvements in LoS, resource utilization and patient waiting time.

Enhancing Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis of Arabic Hotels’ reviews using morphological, syntactic and semantic features

Abstract: This research presents an enhanced approach for Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis (ABSA) of Hotels’ Arabic reviews using supervised machine learning. The proposed approach employs a state-of-the-art research of training a set of classifiers with morphological, syntactic, and semantic features to address the research tasks namely: (a) T1:Aspect Category Identification, (b) T2:Opinion Target Expression (OTE) Extraction, and (c) T3: Sentiment Polarity Identification. Employed classifiers include Naive Bayes, Bayes Networks, Decision Tree, K-Nearest Neighbor (K-NN), and Support-Vector Machine (SVM).The approach was evaluated using a reference dataset based on Semantic Evaluation 2016 workshop (SemEval-2016: Task-5). Results show that the supervised learning approach outperforms related work evaluated using the same dataset. More precisely, evaluation results show that all classifiers in the proposed approach outperform the baseline approach, and the overall enhancement for the best performing classifier (SVM) is around 53% for T1, around 59% for T2, and around 19% in T3.

Myogenic regulatory factors: The orchestrators of myogenesis after 30 years of discovery.

Abstract: Prenatal and postnatal myogenesis share many cellular and molecular aspects. Myogenic regulatory factors are basic Helix-Loop-Helix transcription factors that indispensably regulate both processes. These factors (Myf5, MyoD, Myogenin, and MRF4) function as an orchestrating cascade, with some overlapped actions. Prenatally, myogenic regulatory factors are restrictedly expressed in somite-derived myogenic progenitor cells and their derived myoblasts. Postnatally, myogenic regulatory factors are important in regulating the myogenesis process via satellite cells. Many positive and negative regulatory mechanisms exist either between myogenic regulatory factors themselves or between myogenic regulatory factors and other proteins. Upstream factors and signals are also involved in the control of myogenic regulatory factors expression within different prenatal and postnatal myogenic cells. Here, the authors have conducted a thorough and an up-to-date review of the myogenic regulatory factors since their discovery 30 years ago. This review discusses the myogenic regulatory factors structure, mechanism of action, and roles and regulations during prenatal and postnatal myogenesis. Impact statement Myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) are key players in the process of myogenesis. Despite a considerable amount of literature regarding these factors, their exact mechanisms of actions are still incompletely understood with several overlapped functions. Herein, we revised what has hitherto been reported in the literature regarding MRF structures, molecular pathways that regulate their activities, and their roles during pre- and post-natal myogenesis. The work submitted in this review article is considered of great importance for researchers in the field of skeletal muscle formation and regeneration, as it provides a comprehensive summary of all the biological aspects of MRFs and advances a better understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating myogenesis. Indeed, attaining a better understanding of MRFs could be utilized in developing novel therapeutic protocols for multiple myopathies.

Emergence of Antibiotic Resistance in Listeria monocytogenes Isolated from Food Products: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract: Listeria monocytogenes is an opportunistic pathogen that has been involved in several deadly illness outbreaks. Future outbreaks may be more difficult to manage because of the emergence of antibiotic resistance among L. monocytogenes strains isolated from food products. The present review summarizes the available evidence on the emergence of antibiotic resistance among L. monocytogenes strains isolated from food products and the possible ways this resistance has developed. Furthermore, the resistance of food L. monocytogenes isolates to antibiotics currently used in the treatment of human listeriosis such as penicillin, ampicillin, tetracycline, and gentamicin, has been documented. Acquisition of movable genetic elements is considered the major mechanism of antibiotic resistance development in L. monocytogenes. Efflux pumps have also been linked with resistance of L. monocytogenes to some antibiotics including fluoroquinolones. Some L. monocytogenes strains isolated from food products are intrinsically resistant to several antibiotics. However, factors in food processing chains and environments (from farm to table) including extensive or sub-inhibitory antibiotics use, horizontal gene transfer, exposure to environmental stresses, biofilm formation, and presence of persister cells play crucial roles in the development of antibiotic resistance by L. monocytogenes.

A novel fuzzy gaussian-based dissimilarity measure for discovering similarity temporal association patterns

Abstract: Mining temporal association patterns from time-stamped temporal databases, first introduced in 2009, remain an active area of research. A pattern is temporally similar when it satisfies certain specified subset constraints. The naive and apriori algorithm designed for non-temporal databases cannot be extended to find similar temporal patterns in the context of temporal databases. The brute force approach requires performing $$2^{n }$$ true support computations for ‘n’ items; hence, an NP-class problem. Also, the apriori or fp-tree-based algorithms designed for static databases are not directly extendable to temporal databases to retrieve temporal patterns similar to a reference prevalence of user interest. This is because the support of patterns violates the monotonicity property in temporal databases. In our case, support is a vector of values and not a single value. In this paper, we present a novel approach to retrieve temporal association patterns whose prevalence values are similar to those of the user specified reference. This allows us to significantly reduce support computations by defining novel expressions to estimate support bounds. The proposed approach eliminates computational overhead in finding similar temporal patterns. We then introduce a novel dissimilarity measure, which is the fuzzy Gaussian-based dissimilarity measure. The measure also holds the monotonicity property. Our evaluations demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms brute force and sequential approaches. We also compare the performance of the proposed approach with the SPAMINE which uses the Euclidean measure. The proposed approach uses monotonicity property to prune temporal patterns without computing unnecessary true supports and distances.

An Automated Remote Cloud-Based Heart Rate Variability Monitoring System

Abstract: The online telemedicine systems are helpful since they provide timely and effective healthcare services. Such online healthcare systems are usually based on sophisticated and advanced wearable and wireless sensor technologies. A rapid technological growth has improved the scope of many remote health monitoring systems. Here, the researchers employed a cloud-based remote monitoring system for observing the health status of the patients after monitoring their heart rate variability. This system was developed after considering many factors like the ease of application, costs, accuracy, and the data security. Furthermore, this system was also conceptualized to act as an interface between the patients and the healthcare providers, thus ensuring a two-way communication between them. The major aim of this paper was to provide the best healthcare monitoring services to the people living in the remote areas, which was otherwise very difficult owing to the small doctor-to-patient ratio. The researchers also analyzed their monitoring system using two different databases. First comes from MIT Physionet database i.e., the MIT-BIH sinus rhythm and the MIT-St. Petersburg. While the second database was collected after monitoring 30 people who were asked to use these wearable sensors. After analyzing the performance of the proposed scheme, the obtained results for accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were 99.02%, 98.78%, and 99.17%, respectively. The achieved results concluded that the proposed system was quite reliable, robust, and valuable. Also, the data analysis revealed that this system was very convenient and ensured data security. In addition, this developed monitoring system generated warning messages, directed towards the patients and the doctors, during some critical situation.

A multithreaded programming approach for multimedia big data: encryption system

Abstract: Multimedia is currently seen to dominate the internet network and the mobile network traffic; hence, it is seen as the largest Big data. Generally, the symmetric encryption algorithms are applied to the ‘big multimedia data’; however; these algorithms are thought as very slow. In our study, we developed and designed a resource-efficient encryption algorithm system which applies the multithreaded programming process for the encryption of the big multimedia data. This proposed system describes a multi-level encryption model which uses the Feistel Encryption Scheme, genetic algorithms and the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). Our system has been assessed for actual medical-based big multimedia data and compared to the benchmarked encryption algorithms like the RC6, MARS, 3-DES, DES, and Blowfish with regards to the computational run time and its throughput for the encryption and decryption procedures. In addition, the multithreaded programming approach is adopted to implement the proposed encryption system in order to enhace the system effeciencey and porfermance. Furthermore, we also compared our system with its sequential version for showing its resource efficiency. Our results indicated that our system had the least run time and a higher throughput for the encryption and decryption processes in comparison to the already existing standard encryption algorithms. Also, our system could improve the computation run time by approximately 75% and its throughput was also increased by 4-times in comparison to its sequential version. For fulfilling the security objectives, our algorithm showed a better Avalanche Effect in comparison to the existing algorithms and therefore, could be included in any encryption/decryption process of a big plain multimedia data.

A View on the Importance of “Multi-Attribute Method” for Measuring Purity of Biopharmaceuticals and Improving Overall Control Strategy

Abstract: Today, we are experiencing unprecedented growth and innovation within the pharmaceutical industry. Established protein therapeutic modalities, such as recombinant human proteins, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), and fusion proteins, are being used to treat previously unmet medical needs. Novel therapies such as bispecific T cell engagers (BiTEs), chimeric antigen T cell receptors (CARTs), siRNA, and gene therapies are paving the path towards increasingly personalized medicine. This advancement of new indications and therapeutic modalities is paralleled by development of new analytical technologies and methods that provide enhanced information content in a more efficient manner. Recently, a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) multi-attribute method (MAM) has been developed and designed for improved simultaneous detection, identification, quantitation, and quality control (monitoring) of molecular attributes (Rogers et al. MAbs 7(5):881-90, 2015). Based on peptide mapping principles, this powerful tool represents a true advancement in testing methodology that can be utilized not only during product characterization, formulation development, stability testing, and development of the manufacturing process, but also as a platform quality control method in dispositioning clinical materials for both innovative biotherapeutics and biosimilars.

Quality of nursing documentation: Paper-based health records versus electronic-based health records

Abstract: Aim and Objective To assess and compare the quality of paper-based and electronic-based health records. The comparison examined three criteria: content, documentation process, and structure. Background Nursing documentation is a significant indicator of the quality of patient care delivery. It can be either paper-based or organized within the system known as the Electronic Health Records (EHRs). Nursing documentation must be completed at the highest standards, in order to ensure the safety and quality of health care services. However, the evidence is not clear on which one of the two forms of documentation (paper-based versus EHRs) is more qualified. Methods A retrospective, descriptive, comparative design was utilized to address the study's purposes. A convenient number of patients’ records, from two public hospitals, were audited using the Cat-ch-Ing Audit Instrument. The sample size consisted of 434 records for both paper-based health records and EHRs from medical and surgical wards. Results EHRs were better than paper-based health records in terms of process and structure. In terms of quantity and quality content, paper-based records were better than EHRs. The study affirmed the poor quality of nursing documentation and lack of nurses’ knowledge and skills in the nursing process and its application in both paper-based and electronic-based systems. Conclusion Both forms of documentation revealed drawbacks in terms of content, process, and structure. This study provided important information, which can guide policymakers and administrators in identifying effective strategies aimed at enhancing the quality of nursing documentation. Relevance to Clinical Practice Policies and actions to ensure quality nursing documentation at the national level should focus on improving nursing knowledge, competencies, practice in nursing process, enhancing the work environment and nursing workload, as well as strengthening the capacity building of nurses practice to improve the quality of nursing care and patients’ outcomes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Development and analysis of the Soil Water Infiltration Global database

Abstract: . In this paper, we present and analyze a novel global database of soil infiltration measurements, the Soil Water Infiltration Global (SWIG) database. In total, 5023 infiltration curves were collected across all continents in the SWIG database. These data were either provided and quality checked by the scientists who performed the experiments or they were digitized from published articles. Data from 54 different countries were included in the database with major contributions from Iran, China, and the USA. In addition to its extensive geographical coverage, the collected infiltration curves cover research from 1976 to late 2017. Basic information on measurement location and method, soil properties, and land use was gathered along with the infiltration data, making the database valuable for the development of pedotransfer functions (PTFs) for estimating soil hydraulic properties, for the evaluation of infiltration measurement methods, and for developing and validating infiltration models. Soil textural information (clay, silt, and sand content) is available for 3842 out of 5023 infiltration measurements ( ∼ 76%) covering nearly all soil USDA textural classes except for the sandy clay and silt classes. Information on land use is available for 76 % of the experimental sites with agricultural land use as the dominant type ( ∼ 40%). We are convinced that the SWIG database will allow for a better parameterization of the infiltration process in land surface models and for testing infiltration models. All collected data and related soil characteristics are provided online in *.xlsx and *.csv formats for reference, and we add a disclaimer that the database is for public domain use only and can be copied freely by referencing it. Supplementary data are available at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.885492 (Rahmati et al., 2018). Data quality assessment is strongly advised prior to any use of this database. Finally, we would like to encourage scientists to extend and update the SWIG database by uploading new data to it.

Outcome of full pulpotomy using Biodentine in adult patients with symptoms indicative of irreversible pulpitis.

Abstract: Aim To assess the outcome of full pulpotomy using Biodentine in permanent teeth with carious exposures and symptoms indicative of irreversible pulpitis. Methodology Sixty-four permanent molar teeth with symptomatic vital pulps in 52 patients aged 19-69 years were included. Preoperative pulpal and periapical diagnosis was established. After informed consent, the tooth was anaesthetized, isolated using rubber dam and disinfected with 5% NaOCl before caries excavation; subsequently, the pulp was amputated to the level of the canal orifices. Haemostasis was achieved, and a 3-mm layer of Biodentine (Septodont, Saint-Maur-des-Fosses, France) was placed as the pulpotomy agent. Resin-modified glass-ionomer liner was placed and the tooth restored with either resin composite or amalgam, and a postoperative periapical radiograph exposed. Clinical and radiographic evaluation was completed at 6 months and 1 year postoperatively. Pain levels were scored preoperatively and 2 days post-treatment. Results Clinical signs and symptoms indicative of irreversible pulpitis were established in all teeth, and periapical rarefaction was present in nine teeth. After 2 days, 93.8% reported complete relief of pain. At 6 months, 63 of 64 attended recall with 98.4% clinical and radiographic success. At 1 year, 59 of 63 attended recall, with 100% clinical and 98.4 radiographic success. Seven of eight cases with periapical rarefaction who attended recall had improvement in the periapical index (PAI) score. A hard tissue barrier was detected radiographically in four cases. Conclusion Full pulpotomy using Biodentine was a successful treatment option for cariously exposed pulps in mature permanent molar teeth with clinical signs and symptoms indicative of irreversible pulpitis, up to 1 year.

Microfluidics Based Magnetophoresis: A Review.

Abstract: Magnetophoresis, the manipulation of trajectory of micro-scale entities using magnetic forces, as employed in microfluidic devices is reviewed at length in this article. Magnetophoresis has recently garnered significant interest due to its simplicity, in terms of implementation, as well as cost-effectiveness while being efficient and biocompatible. Theory associated with magnetophoresis is illustrated in this review along with different sources for creating magnetic field gradient commonly employed in microfluidic devices. Additionally, this article reviews the state-of-the-art of magnetophoresis based microfluidic devices, where positive- and negative-magnetophoresis are utilized for manipulation of micro-scale entities (cells and microparticles), employed for operations such as trapping, focusing, separation, and switching of microparticles and cells. The article concludes with a brief outlook of the field of magnetophoresis.

The prevalence and risk factors of peripheral neuropathy among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus; the case of Jordan

Abstract: Peripheral neuropathy is one of the most common microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus. This study is conducted to determine the prevalence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and its associated factors among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Jordan. A cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Center for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Genetics, Jordan. A total of 1003 patients with type 2 diabetes were recruited. Data were collected from participants during a face-to-face structured interview. DPN was assessed using the translated version of Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI). The overall prevalence of DPN based on MNSI was 39.5%. The most frequently reported symptoms were numbness (32.3%) and pain with walking (29.7%), while the least reported symptoms were the history of amputation (1.3%) and loss of sensation in legs/feet while walking (3.8%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that unemployment, cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia, diabetic retinopathy and long standing DM (diabetes of ≥ 5 years) were significantly associated with DPN. Peripheral Neuropathy is highly prevalent among Jordanian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. DPN was significantly associated with duration of DM, dyslipidemia, diabetic retinopathy, cardiovascular disease, and unemployment. Early detection and appropriate intervention are mandatory among high-risk groups.