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Showing papers by "University of Jordan published in 2005"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that homozygous mutations in LPIN2 result in Majeed syndrome, an autosomal recessive, autoinflammatory disorder characterised by chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis and congenital dyserythropoietic anaemia, and understanding the aberrant immune response in this condition will shed light on the aetiology of other inflammatory disorders of multifactorial aetsiology.
Abstract: Background: Majeed syndrome is an autosomal recessive, autoinflammatory disorder characterised by chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis and congenital dyserythropoietic anaemia. The objectives of this study were to map, identify, and characterise the Majeed syndrome causal gene and to speculate on its function and role in skin and bone inflammation. Methods: Six individuals with Majeed syndrome from two unrelated families were identified for this study. Homozygosity mapping and parametric linkage analysis were employed for the localisation of the gene responsible for Majeed syndrome. Direct sequencing was utilised for the identification of mutations within the genes contained in the region of linkage. Expression studies and in silico characterisation of the identified causal gene and its protein were carried out. Results: The phenotype of Majeed syndrome includes inflammation of the bone and skin, recurrent fevers, and dyserythropoietic anaemia. The clinical picture of the six affected individuals is briefly reviewed. The gene was mapped to a 5.5 cM interval (1.8 Mb) on chromosome 18p. Examination of genes in this interval led to the identification of homozygous mutations in LPIN2 in affected individuals from the two families. LPIN2 was found to be expressed in almost all tissues. The function of LPIN2 and its role in inflammation remains unknown. Conclusions: We conclude that homozygous mutations in LPIN2 result in Majeed syndrome. Understanding the aberrant immune response in this condition will shed light on the aetiology of other inflammatory disorders of multifactorial aetiology including isolated chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis, Sweet syndrome, and psoriasis.

344 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Different estimation procedures have been used to estimate the unknown parameter(s) and their performances are compared using Monte Carlo simulations, and it is observed that this particular skewed distribution can be used quite effectively in analyzing lifetime data.

302 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The general public in Northern Ireland were highly aware of the abuse potential of some OTC drugs, with the majority naming painkillers as the products most liable for abuse.
Abstract: Methods. Data were collected using a survey administered to 1000 members of the public in 10 study sites in Northern Ireland, using a structured interview technique. The questionnaire was divided into four sections addressing: (a) attitudes towards community pharmacy and patients’ contact with pharmacies; (b) attitudes towards the use of OTC medicines; (c) views on OTC medicines in terms of safety, potency and effectiveness; and (d) knowledge and opinion of abuse/misuse of OTC medicines. Data were coded and entered into a custom designed SPSS © database for statistical analysis. Results. The majority of participants (74.6%) visited a community pharmacy at least once per month. Almost one-third (32.2%) of participants reported buying OTC drugs at least once per month and the majority (86.4%) would always or often follow the directions on the product. The general public in Northern Ireland were highly aware of the abuse potential of some OTC drugs, with the majority naming painkillers as the products most liable for abuse. Almost one third of the participants reported having personally encountered cases of OTC abuse. Conclusions. This survey revealed that the general public had a high level of awareness of the abuse potential of OTC medicines. These findings indicate that pharmacists could be more proactive in the management of inappropriate OTC drug use.

211 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a basin-type solar still and a conventional flat-plate collector were connected together in order to study the effect of augmentation on the still under local conditions, where the still inlet was connected to a locally made, fin-tube collector such that its outlet was fed to the still basin instead of the common storage tank.

209 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The development of SPE and HPLC methods for the simultaneous determination of metformin and glipizide, gliclazide, glibenclamide or glimperide in plasma can serve as a standard method for the plasma determination therefore saving time, effort and money.

190 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Two techniques are proposed based on wavelet analysis and fuzzy-neural approaches that can be very helpful for radiologist in detection and diagnosing abnormalities earlier and faster than traditional screening programs.
Abstract: The high incidence of breast cancer in women has increased significantly in the recent years. The most familiar breast tumors types are mass and microcalcification. Mammograms-breast X-ray-are considered the most reliable method in early detection of breast cancer. Computer-aided diagnosis system can be very helpful for radiologist in detection and diagnosing abnormalities earlier and faster than traditional screening programs. Several techniques can be used to accomplish this task. In this paper, two techniques are proposed based on wavelet analysis and fuzzy-neural approaches. These techniques are mammography classifier based on globally processed image and mammography classifier based on locally processed image (region of interest). The system is classified normal from abnormal, mass for microcalcification and abnormal severity (benign or malignant). The evaluation of the system is carried out on Mammography Image Analysis Society (MIAS) dataset. The accuracy achieved is satisfied.

163 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The developed model serves as guidelines for simplifying the search of waste problems and identifies opportunities for waste elimination.
Abstract: Purpose – The paper aims to investigate the waste in a job shop environment and proposes an assessment method aimed at helping companies to identify root causes of waste.Design/methodology/approach – The seven wastes (overproducing; processing; inventory; transporting; producing defects; time waiting; and motion waste) and their relationships were explored. A waste matrix was developed to quantify in a percentage form the relationships among wastes and represents a probability that a certain type of waste will affect others or be affected by others. An assessment questionnaire was employed to allocate the source of waste and differentiate between the levels of waste. The waste matrix and the assessment questionnaire were incorporated in the assessment method to rank the existing waste in a job shop.Findings – The developed model serves as guidelines for simplifying the search of waste problems and identifies opportunities for waste elimination. A case study was conducted to validate the model; and the res...

146 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Wide variation exists in the study design related to assessment of cleft-related deformity, and an internationally agreed objective method of assessment for this facial deformity is required.
Abstract: Objective: To review the stimulus media, measurements and scoring system, rater's characteristics, and facial region used in assessment of the appearance of cleft-related deformity. Methods: A review of the literature was conducted using MedLine from January 1966 to June 2003. Key orthodontic journals and The Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Journal were hand searched as well. Results: Most studies used a static two-dimensional means of assessment. Direct clinical assessment, three-dimensional media, or both have been used to a lesser extent. Only one study utilized all three assessment media. Three studies, however, attempted to compare the direct clinical assessment with that obtained using two-dimensional media. Most of the studies demonstrated that appearance of the cleft-related deformity could be measured by a variety of judges. The reliability and validity of the three different media as methods of assessment have received limited attention. The facial area assessed has varied from the full face,...

146 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Investigating the experiences of a group of critical care Jordanian nurses concerning verbal communication with critically ill patients concluded that communication with sedated or unconscious patients in intensive care units should not be viewed as only an interactive process.
Abstract: Aim. This paper reports a study that investigated the experiences of a group of critical care Jordanian nurses concerning verbal communication with critically ill patients. Background. There is evidence that communication in critical care settings is not sufficiently implemented in practice. Inadequate nurse–patient communication results in increased levels of stress and anxiety. Verbal communication can help patients preserve their self-identity and self-esteem, which in turn will enhance their well-being and optimism. Method. The study was guided by the phenomenological hermeneutics of Heidegger. Data were generated in 2002 from in-depth interviews and overt participant observation, and analysed qualitatively. Findings. Unconscious patients received less verbal communication and interaction than verbally responsive patients. Conclusion. Communication with sedated or unconscious patients in intensive care units should not be viewed as only an interactive process. Rather, it should be perceived as the means to give the information and support that such patients need.

141 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Vitamin E and C individually and in combination were found to be more effective in restoring the endogenous antioxidant system than vitamin A, and combined vitamin (E + C) post-stress treatment was found to been effective but not additive in combating hepatic oxidative stress.
Abstract: Background and aim: Stress as a cofactor has been reported to affect the progression and severity of several diseases. The influence of stress on the liver is of interest from the clinical point of view because stress plays a potential role in aggravating liver diseases in general and hepatic inflammation in particular, probably through generation of reactive oxygen species. The present study was undertaken to investigate the potential of the antioxidant vitamins A (retinol), E (tocopherol) and C (ascorbic acid) individually and in combination (vitamin E + C) to modulate restraint stress-induced oxidative changes. These effects were determined by measuring changes in hepatic levels of free radical scavenging enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and catalase, as well as levels of total glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Methods: Immobilisation was achieved by placing the animals in wire mesh cages of their size. The rats were orally administered vitamins A, E and C individually and in combination (E + C) prior to and after 6 hours of immobilisation stress exposure. The hepatic levels of SOD, GST, catalase, GSH and MDA were determined by spectrophotometric methods. Liver SOD activity was assayed by monitoring the amount of enzyme required to inhibit autoxidation of pyrogallol by 50%. Hepatic GST was monitored by following the increase in absorbance at 340nm of CDNB-GSH conjugate generated due to GST catalysis between GSH and CDNB. Catalase activity in liver tissues was determined using peroxidase as the substrate. Lipid peroxidation was measured by determining the level of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. ALT and AST were determined by commercial kits. Results: Six hours of immobilisation stress caused a decrease in liver levels of SOD (p = 0.001), catalase (p = 0.031), GST (p = 0.021) and GSH (0.013), while levels of MDA (p = 0.0015), AST (p = 0.05) and ALT (p = 0.046) were increased compared with non-stressed control rats. Both pre-vitamin stress and post-vitamin stress treatments either alone or in combination were associated with increased normalisation of these parameters towards control values, with post-vitamin treatment being the more effective of the two. Vitamins E and C individually were found to be more effective in restoring the endogenous antioxidant system than vitamin A. The combined vitamin (E + C) post-stress treatment was found to be effective but not additive in combating hepatic oxidative stress. The beneficial effects of these vitamin treatments were also reflected in reversions of altered AST and ALT levels towards their control values. Conclusion: Vitamins E or C alone or in combination can be given as prophylactic/therapeutic supplements for combating scavenging free radicals generated in liver tissue. This approach may reduce oxidative stress caused by diseases such as cirrhosis.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The study shows that high shear levels are confined to small regions within the channel cross-section, but the circulatory nature of the flow causes an increased percentage of blood elements to pass through the high sheer regions, and increases the likelihood of cell damage.
Abstract: This study presents a numerical investigation of the flow field in a screw pump designed to circulate biological fluid such as blood. A simplified channel flow model is used to allow analysis using a Cartesian set of coordinates. Finite analytic (FA) numerical simulation of the flow field inside the channel was performed to study the influence of Reynolds number and pressure gradient on velocity distribution and shear stresses across the channel cross-section. Simulation results were used to predict flow rates, circulatory flow and the shear stresses, which are known to be related to the level of red blood cell damage (hemolysis) caused by the pump. The study shows that high shear levels are confined to small regions within the channel cross-section, but the circulatory nature of the flow causes an increased percentage of blood elements to pass through the high shear regions, and increases the likelihood of cell damage.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A database of refractive error prevalence and ocular biometric correlates of ametropia in a Middle Eastern population of working age is established and Linear regression analysis showed that AL correlated most closely with spherical equivalentRefractive error.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: There is a need to force regulations to control community use of antibacterial drugs and to increase awareness of the consequences of their inappropriate and uncontrolled use.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors studied the deflection behavior of prismatic and non-prismatic cantilever beams subjected to various types of loadings, including uniform, non-uniform distributed loads and tip concentrated loadings in vertical and horizontal directions.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Dental plaque and prolonged breast feeding exerted an independent effect on caries severity and gingivitis, and health promotion strategies need to be targeted to mothers from less advantaged backgrounds.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the power requirements of several inlet air cooling techniques for gas-turbine power plants in two locations; namely, Marmul and Fahud, in Oman have been evaluated using typical meteorological year (TMY) data.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The data indicate that the 5 MEFV mutations are well distributed in Arabs and show that M694V is the most common mutation in Arab patients with FMF and seems to have an association with the development of amyloidosis and the PFMS.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Dental students at the University of Jordan have access to substantial IT resources and demonstrated attitudes toward the computer and Internet technology and use that were similar to other students in other nations, however, the educational use of ICT among Jordanian students remains low.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the current knowledge, skills, and opinions of undergraduate dental students at the University of Jordan with respect to information communication technology (ICT). Dental students from the second, third, fourth, and fifth years were asked to complete a questionnaire presented in a lecture at the end of the second semester in the 2002-03 academic year. The response rate was 81 percent. Besides free and unlimited access to computers at the school of dentistry, 74 percent of the students had access to computers at home. However, 44 percent did not use a computer regularly. Male students were more regular and longer users of computers than females (p<0.001). A significant number of students (70 percent) judged themselves competent in information technology (IT) skills. More males felt competent in basic IT skills than did females (p<0.05). More than two-thirds acquired their computer skills through sources other than at the university. The main educational use of computers was accessing the Internet, word processing, multimedia, presentations, Medline search, and data management. More clinical students felt competent in word-processing skills (p<0.05) and many more used word processing for their studies (p<0.001) than did preclinical students. More males used word processing for their studies than females (p<0.001). Students used computers for personal activities more frequently than for academic reasons. More males used computers for both academic (p<0.01) and personal activities (p<0.001) than did females. All students had access to the Internet at the university, and 54 percent had access at home. A high percentage of students (94 percent) indicated they were comfortable using the Internet, 75 percent said they were confident in the accuracy, and 80 percent said they were confident in the relevance of information obtained from the Internet. Most students (90 percent) used email. Most students (83 percent) supported the idea of placing lectures on the web, and 61.2 percent indicated that this would not influence lecture attendance. Students used the Internet more for personal reasons than for the study of dentistry. More clinical students used the Internet for dentistry than preclinical students (p<0.001). More males than females used the Internet for dentistry (p<0.01) as well as for pleasure (p<0.01). Time and availability were the main obstacles to Internet use. Dental students at the University of Jordan have access to substantial IT resources and demonstrated attitudes toward the computer and Internet technology and use that were similar to other students in other nations. However, the educational use of ICT among Jordanian students remains low.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The conventional heating methods of milk did not cause any significant increase in the trans isomer content, with the exception of milk heated at 63 +/- 1.0 degrees C for 30 min and milk microwaved for 5 min, which were significantly increased by 19 and 31%, respectively.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results showed that anaerobic digestion affects chemical composition of sludge flocs and consequently, SFP, which was found to be inversely proportional to the degree of digestion (both SRT and temperature).

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used fly ash in the modification of local asphalt mixes and evaluated the modification efficiency by the improvement in the performance of prepared asphalt concrete mixes, which indicated that the addition of fly ash improved both strength, and water sensitivity of the asphalt concrete mix.
Abstract: It is estimated that about 40 billion tons of oil shale is available in the southern part of Jordan. Several studies are being carried out to utilize this source of energy efficiently. Upon direct combustion of this oil shale, more than 50% of its quantity will be left as fly ash. Resulting fly ash is considered undesirable and environmentally hazardous. This investigation was conducted to make use of the fly ash in the modification of local asphalt mixes. The modification efficiency was evaluated by the improvement in the performance of prepared asphalt concrete mixes. To carry out this study, enough quantity of oil shale was collected from Al-Lajjoun quarries (about 100 km south of Amman, Jordan). This material was then crushed, sieved, and burned to obtain the fly ash. Chemical and physical analyses of the fly ash were then performed. Asphalt concrete mixes having different percentages of fly ash (0, 10, 50, and 100%) as a replacement of the mineral filler, material passing the 0.075 mm sieve, were prepared. These samples were characterized using the Marshall Stability, indirect tensile strength, stripping resistance, resilient modulus, dynamic creep, fatigue, and rutting tests. Test results were statistically analyzed and indicated that, in general, the addition of fly ash improved both strength, and water sensitivity of the asphalt concrete mixes. Replacing 10% of the mineral filler by fly ash proved to be the most effective percentage in improving the mechanical properties of all the prepared samples.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The decomposition method performs extremely well in terms of accuracy, efficiency, simplicity, stability and reliability in generalized Benjamin-Bona-Mahony-Burgers Equations.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Based on the results of the experiment, a single-stage UASB reactor operated at relatively long HRT is preferred above two-stage system at the Jordanian conditions.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the Bayesian estimation and prediction for the generalized exponential (GE) distribution, using informative priors, have been considered, and the Gibbs and Metropolis samplers data sets are used to predict the behavior of further observations from the distribution.
Abstract: The two-parameter generalized exponential (GE) distribution was introduced by Gupta and Kundu [Gupta, R.D. and Kundu, D., 1999, Generalized exponential distribution. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Statistics, 41(2), 173–188.]. It was observed that the GE can be used in situations where a skewed distribution for a nonnegative random variable is needed. In this article, the Bayesian estimation and prediction for the GE distribution, using informative priors, have been considered. Importance sampling is used to estimate the parameters, as well as the reliability function, and the Gibbs and Metropolis samplers data sets are used to predict the behavior of further observations from the distribution. Two data sets are used to illustrate the Bayesian procedure.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The phosphorite and the overlying "oil shale" succession in central and eastern Jordan has been studied for its organic matter composition, maturation, hydrocarbon potential and sedimentological implications as mentioned in this paper.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A total of 493 does from 50 herds were measured to identify the different Jordanian goat breeds based on morphostructural characteristics, and nose shape was the most discriminating variable among different pair-wise breeds’ comparisons, followed by withers height then body weight, ear type, color and teat placement.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Continuing medical education for providers about depression, provision of counseling services and antidepressant medications at the primary care level, and efforts to destigmatize depression may result in increased rates of recognition and treatment of depression in this population of patients.
Abstract: Background: Depression is one of the most common causes of morbidity in developing countries. It is believed that there are many barriers to diagnosis and treatment in the primary care setting, but little research exists. Methods: Five focus groups were conducted with the goal of exploring themes related to barriers to the diagnosis and treatment of depression, with a purposeful nationwide sample of 50 primary health care providers working in the public health clinics of the Jordanian Ministry of Health (MOH). Participant comments were transcribed and analyzed by the authors, who agreed on common themes. Results: Lack of education about depression, lack of availability of appropriate therapies, competing clinical demands, social issues, and the lack of patient acceptance of the diagnosis were felt to be among the most important barriers to the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with depression in this population. Conclusions: Continuing medical education for providers about depression, provision of counseling services and antidepressant medications at the primary care level, and efforts to destigmatize depression may result in increased rates of recognition and treatment of depression in this population. Systematizing traditional social support behaviors may be effective in reducing the numbers of patients referred for medical care.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The chelation properties of the addition-type polymers poly(amidoxime-hydroxamic acid) and poly(N -methyl amidoxime N -methyl hydroxamic acids) towards trivalent lanthanide metal ions were studied by a batch equil-ibration technique as a function of contact time, pH, and counterion as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The chelation properties of the addition-typepolymers poly(amidoxime-hydroxamic acid) and poly( N -methyl amidoxime- N -methyl hydroxamic acid) towardsome trivalent lanthanide metal ions [La(III), Nd(III),Sm(III), Gd(III), and Tb(III)] were studied by a batch equil-ibration technique as a function of contact time, pH, andcounterion The effect of the crosslinker, divinylbenzene,was also studied The selectivity and binding capacity of theresins toward various lanthanide metal ions are discussed © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc J Appl Polym Sci 97: 691–696, 2005 Key words: copolymerization; crosslinking; resins; synthesis INTRODUCTION Chelate-forming polymers have been studied exten-sively by many authors and research groups 1–24 Inaddition, the role played by toxic heavy metals in theaquatic environment 5–7 has stimulated considerableactivity and interest 1–14 in the development of metalchelating polymers, which have found widespreaduse in the separation and monitoring of trace heavymetal ions, including lanthanides, from aqueous solu-tions