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Showing papers by "University of Jordan published in 2021"


Journal ArticleDOI
16 Feb 2021-Vaccine
TL;DR: A systematic search of the peer-reviewed English survey literature indexed in PubMed was done on 25 December 2020 as discussed by the authors to provide an up-to-date assessment of COVID-19 vaccination acceptance rates worldwide.

1,096 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
12 Jan 2021-Vaccine
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors assess the attitudes towards the prospective COVID-19 vaccines among the general public in Jordan, Kuwait and other Arab countries, and assess the association between COVID19 vaccine acceptance and conspiracy beliefs.

378 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
23 Apr 2021-PLOS ONE
TL;DR: In this paper, the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines and its predictors in addition to the attitudes towards these vaccines among public in Jordan were investigated and a survey was conducted to find the predictors of vaccine acceptability.
Abstract: Vaccines are effective interventions that can reduce the high burden of diseases globally. However, public vaccine hesitancy is a pressing problem for public health authorities. With the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, little information is available on the public acceptability and attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccines in Jordan. This study aimed to investigate the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines and its predictors in addition to the attitudes towards these vaccines among public in Jordan. An online, cross-sectional, and self-administered questionnaire was instrumentalized to survey adult participants from Jordan on the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines. Logistic regression analysis was used to find the predictors of COVID-19 vaccines' acceptability. A total of 3,100 participants completed the survey. The public acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines was fairly low (37.4%) in Jordan. Males (OR = 2.488, 95CI% = 1.834-3.375, p < .001) and those who took the seasonal influenza vaccine (OR = 2.036, 95CI% = 1.306-3.174, p = .002) were more likely to accept COVID-19 vaccines. Similarly, participants who believed that vaccines are generally safe (OR = 9.258, 95CI% = 6.020-14.237, p < .001) and those who were willing to pay for vaccines (OR = 19.223, 95CI% = 13.665-27.042, p < .001), once available, were more likely to accept the COVID-19 vaccines. However, those above 35 years old (OR = 0.376, 95CI% = 0.233-0.607, p < .001) and employed participants (OR = 0.542, 95CI% = 0.405-0.725, p < .001) were less likely to accept the COVID-19 vaccines. Moreover, participants who believed that there was a conspiracy behind COVID-19 (OR = 0.502, 95CI% = 0.356-0.709, p < .001) and those who do not trust any source of information on COVID-19 vaccines (OR = 0.271, 95CI% = 0.183-0.400, p < .001), were less likely to have acceptance towards them. The most trusted sources of information on COVID-19 vaccines were healthcare providers. Systematic interventions are required by public health authorities to reduce the levels of vaccines' hesitancy and improve their acceptance. We believe these results and specifically the low rate of acceptability is alarming to Jordanian health authorities and should stir further studies on the root causes and the need of awareness campaigns. These interventions should take the form of reviving the trust in national health authorities and structured awareness campaigns that offer transparent information about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines and the technology that was utilized in their production.

243 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The findings elucidate the risk of psychosocial strain during the COVID-19 home confinement period and provide a clear remit for the urgent implementation of technology-based intervention to foster an Active and Healthy Confinement Lifestyle AHCL.
Abstract: Although recognised as effective measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak, social distancing and self-isolation have been suggested to generate a burden throughout the population. To provide scientific data to help identify risk factors for the psychosocial strain during the COVID-19 outbreak, an international cross-disciplinary online survey was circulated in April 2020. This report outlines the mental, emotional and behavioural consequences of COVID-19 home confinement. The ECLB-COVID19 electronic survey was designed by a steering group of multidisciplinary scientists, following a structured review of the literature. The survey was uploaded and shared on the Google online survey platform and was promoted by thirty-five research organizations from Europe, North Africa, Western Asia and the Americas. Questions were presented in a differential format with questions related to responses “before” and “during” the confinement period. 1047 replies (54% women) from Western Asia (36%), North Africa (40%), Europe (21%) and other continents (3%) were analysed. The COVID-19 home confinement evoked a negative effect on mental wellbeing and emotional status (P < 0.001; 0.43 ≤ d ≤ 0.65) with a greater proportion of individuals experiencing psychosocial and emotional disorders (+10% to +16.5%). These psychosocial tolls were associated with unhealthy lifestyle behaviours with a greater proportion of individuals experiencing (i) physical (+15.2%) and social (+71.2%) inactivity, (ii) poor sleep quality (+12.8%), (iii) unhealthy diet behaviours (+10%), and (iv) unemployment (6%). Conversely, participants demonstrated a greater use (+15%) of technology during the confinement period. These findings elucidate the risk of psychosocial strain during the COVID-19 home confinement period and provide a clear remit for the urgent implementation of technology-based intervention to foster an Active and Healthy Confinement Lifestyle AHCL).

218 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The analysis results reveal that the most important factors behind the students' dissatisfaction during online learning are a distraction and reduced focus, psychological issues, and management issues.

144 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This survey is the first to provide an inclusive definition to the notion of domain KG, and a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art approaches drawn from academic works relevant to seven dissimilar domains of knowledge is provided.

138 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a systematic search of COVID-19 vaccination intention related literature published on or before 31 December 2020 from seven databases was undertaken to synthesise evidence regarding vaccination intention, identify factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy among healthcare professionals and the general populations globally.
Abstract: Aims and objectives To synthesise evidence regarding vaccination intention, identify factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy among healthcare professionals and the general populations globally. Background As COVID-19 vaccine becomes available worldwide, attention is being directed to community vaccine uptake, to achieve population-wide immunity. A number of factors have been reported to influence vaccine intention. Methods Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic search of COVID-19 vaccination intention related literature published on or before 31 December 2020 from seven databases was undertaken. Results Thirty articles were included in this systematic review. Overall COVID-19 vaccination intention during the first year of the pandemic ranged from 27.7% to 93.3%. Findings highlighted that socio-demographic differences, perceptions of risk and susceptibility to COVID-19 and vaccine attributes influenced vaccination intention. Healthcare professionals particularly, nurses have higher vaccine hesitancy reportedly due to concerns regarding vaccine safety and efficacy and mistrust of health authorities. Negative information about COVID-19 vaccines in the social media and low confidence in the health system were associated with lower acceptability among the community. Interestingly, cumulative increase in COVID-19 caseloads of countries over time was not associated with vaccination intention. Conclusions The significant variability in vaccine intention rates worldwide would hamper efforts to achieve immunity against COVID-19. Nurses' concerns about vaccine safety and efficacy need to be addressed to increase vaccine acceptance and maximise their influence on vaccination decision in the community. As misinformation through social media negatively impacts vaccination uptake, authoritative and reliable information on vaccine attributes, disease risks and vaccination benefits are needed. Relevance to clinical practice Concerns about vaccine safety and efficacy including misinformation are important contributors to vaccine hesitancy. Addressing these factors, particularly among nurses who are considered trusted influencers of vaccination decisions in the community is an important strategy for pandemic preparedness.

122 citations


Posted ContentDOI
04 Jan 2021-medRxiv
TL;DR: A systematic search of the peer-reviewed English survey literature indexed in PubMed was done on December 25, 2020 to provide an up-to-date assessment of COVID-19 vaccination acceptance rates worldwide as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Introduction Utility of vaccine campaigns to control coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is not merely dependent on vaccine efficacy and safety. Vaccine acceptance among the general public and the healthcare workers, appears to have a decisive role for successful control of the pandemic. Aim To provide an up-to-date assessment of COVID-19 vaccination acceptance rates worldwide. Methods A systematic search of the peer-reviewed English survey literature indexed in PubMed was done on December 25, 2020. Results from 30 studies, met the inclusion criteria and formed the basis for final COVID-19 vaccine acceptance estimates. Results of an additional recent survey from Jordan and Kuwait was considered in this review as well. Results Survey studies on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates were found from 33 different countries. Among adults representing the general public, the highest COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates were found in Ecuador (97.0%), Malaysia (94.3%), Indonesia (93.3%) and China (91.3%). On the other hand, the lowest COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates were found in Kuwait (23.6%), Jordan (28.4%), Italy (53.7), Russia (54.9%), Poland (56.3%), US (56.9%), and France (58.9%). Only eight surveys among healthcare workers (doctors, nurses) were found, with vaccine acceptance rates ranging from 27.7% in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to 78.1% in Israel. In a majority of survey studies among the general public (62%), the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination showed a level of ≥ 70%. Conclusions Low rates of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance were reported in the Middle East, Russia, Africa and several European countries. This could represent a major problem in the global efforts that aim to control the current COVID-19 pandemic. More studies are recommended to address the scope of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Such studies are particularly needed in the Middle East Africa, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Middle and Latin America. Graphical COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates worldwide For countries with more than one survey study, the vaccine acceptance rate of the latest survey was used in this graph. The estimates were also based on studies from the general population, except in the following cases were no studies from the general public were found (Australia: parents/guardians; DRC: healthcare workers; Hong Kong: healthcare workers; Malta: healthcare workers).

113 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review comprehensively highlights the potentiality of various nanocarriers and nanomedicines for multifaceted applications in diagnostics and drug delivery, especially the potentialities of polymeric nanoparticle, nanoemulsion, solid-lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carrier, self-micellizing anticancer lipids, dendrimer, nanocapsule and nanosponge-based therapeutic approaches in the field of cancer.

104 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The present review summarizes the recent literature related to p Piperine as a therapeutic agent against several diseases and highlights and discusses the medicinal and health‐promoting effects of piperine, along with possible mechanisms of its action in health promotion and disease prevention.
Abstract: Medicinal plants have been used for years as a source of food, spices, and, in traditional medicine, as a remedy to numerous diseases. Piper nigrum, belonging to the family Piperaceae is one of the most widely used spices all over the world. It has a distinct sharp flavor attributed to the presence of the phytochemical, piperine. Apart from its use as a spice, P. nigrum is frequently used for medicinal, preservation, and perfumery purposes. Black pepper contains 2-7.4% of piperine, varying in content is associated with the pepper plant. Piperine displays numerous pharmacological effects such as antiproliferative, antitumor, antiangiogenesis, antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-obesity, cardioprotective, antimicrobial, antiaging, and immunomodulatory effects in various in vitro and in vivo experimental trials. Furthermore, piperine has also been documented for its hepatoprotective, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties. This review highlights and discusses the medicinal and health-promoting effects of piperine, along with possible mechanisms of its action in health promotion and disease prevention. In addition, the present review summarizes the recent literature related to piperine as a therapeutic agent against several diseases.

104 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used an online survey conducted in January 2021 with a chain-referral sampling approach to evaluate COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among university students in Jordan.
Abstract: Vaccination to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged as a promising measure to overcome the negative consequences of the pandemic. Since university students could be considered a knowledgeable group, this study aimed to evaluate COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among this group in Jordan. Additionally, we aimed to examine the association between vaccine conspiracy beliefs and vaccine hesitancy. We used an online survey conducted in January 2021 with a chain-referral sampling approach. Conspiracy beliefs were evaluated using the validated Vaccine Conspiracy Belief Scale (VCBS), with higher scores implying embrace of conspiracies. A total of 1106 respondents completed the survey with female predominance (n = 802, 72.5%). The intention to get COVID-19 vaccines was low: 34.9% (yes) compared to 39.6% (no) and 25.5% (maybe). Higher rates of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance were seen among males (42.1%) and students at Health Schools (43.5%). A Low rate of influenza vaccine acceptance was seen as well (28.8%), in addition to 18.6% of respondents being anti-vaccination altogether. A significantly higher VCBS score was correlated with reluctance to get the vaccine (p < 0.001). Dependence on social media platforms was significantly associated with lower intention to get COVID-19 vaccines (19.8%) compared to dependence on medical doctors, scientists, and scientific journals (47.2%, p < 0.001). The results of this study showed the high prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and its association with conspiracy beliefs among university students in Jordan. The implementation of targeted actions to increase the awareness of such a group is highly recommended. This includes educational programs to dismantle vaccine conspiracy beliefs and awareness campaigns to build recognition of the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a review highlights the efforts made to investigate the CO2 adsorption/desorption for EGR applications under typical reservoir conditions in conventional depleted sandstone and carbonate reservoirs.

Journal ArticleDOI
04 Feb 2021
TL;DR: In this paper, an extended technology acceptance model and theory of planned behavior model were proposed to analyze university students' adoption of mobile learning platforms for accessing course materials, searching the web for information related to their disciplines, sharing knowledge, and submitting assignments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abstract: Background: Mobile learning has become an essential instruction platform in many schools, colleges, universities, and various other educational institutions across the globe, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The resulting severe, pandemic-related circumstances have disrupted physical and face-to-face contact teaching practices, thereby requiring many students to actively use mobile technologies for learning. Mobile learning technologies offer viable web-based teaching and learning platforms that are accessible to teachers and learners worldwide. Objective: This study investigated the use of mobile learning platforms for instruction purposes in United Arab Emirates higher education institutions. Methods: An extended technology acceptance model and theory of planned behavior model were proposed to analyze university students’ adoption of mobile learning platforms for accessing course materials, searching the web for information related to their disciplines, sharing knowledge, and submitting assignments during the COVID-19 pandemic. We collected a total of 1880 questionnaires from different universities in the United Arab Emirates. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling and machine learning algorithms were used to assess the research model, which was based on the data gathered from a student survey. Results: Based on our results, each hypothesized relationship within the research model was supported by our data analysis results. It should also be noted that the J48 classifier (89.37% accuracy) typically performed better than the other classifiers when it came to the prediction of the dependent variable. Conclusions: Our study revealed that teaching and learning could considerably benefit from adopting remote learning systems as educational tools during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the value of such systems could be lessened because of the emotions that students experience, including a fear of poor grades, stress resulting from family circumstances, and sadness resulting from a loss of friends. Accordingly, these issues can only be resolved by evaluating the emotions of students during the pandemic.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a vital construct in the banking industry due to its influence on brand credibility, positive word of mouth, and repeat purchases as discussed by the authors. But, it is difficult to quantify the impact of CSR on bank performance.
Abstract: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a vital construct in the banking industry due to its influence on brand credibility, positive word of mouth, and repeat purchases. The purpose of this resea...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the impact of quarantine on the self-perceived preparedness of dental graduates and explored the efficacy of online education from students' perspectives and found that students partially appreciated the online education experience, whereas they did not consider it a substitute for face to face clinical practice.
Abstract: The quarantine associated with the COVID-19 pandemic forced dental schools to suspend their clinical training and to shift to distant learning methods. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of quarantine on the self-perceived preparedness of dental graduates and to explore the efficacy of online education from students’ perspectives. The questionnaire distributed to dental students comprised of two main sections. The first part covered the online education experience, and the second part measured the level of self-perceived preparedness for a range of cognitive, communication and professional skills. The survey yielded a response rate of 72%. The majority of students (77%) agreed that they missed educational experiences as a result of the lockdown. More than half of them felt less motivated to follow-up with distant e-learning and believed that online assessment is not a good method for evaluation. A high percentage of the students (66%) thought that online group discussions had a positive value while 67% preferred online lectures compared to theatre lectures. Majority of students particularly 5th year (78.7%) (p < 0.001) stated that the quarantine increased their collaboration with their colleagues. According to 87% of students, the experience most negatively affected was their clinical training. In general, students showed satisfactory self-perceived preparedness related to a range of attributes and professional skills. The data showed that students partially appreciated the online system, whereas they did not consider it a substitute for face to face clinical practice. The overall self-perceived preparedness level was promising; however students had reservations regarding independent practice following graduation.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This conceptual model integrates the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model with the task-technology fit (TTF) and information system success (ISS) models, with trust-based information technology innovation adoption constructs, and finds that the ISS, TTF, and UTAUT models positively influence the key factors affecting supply chain employees’ willingness to adopt blockchain.
Abstract: Blockchain overcomes numerous complicated problems related to confidentiality, integrity, availability of fast and secure distributed systems. Using data from a cross-sectoral survey of 449 industries, we investigate factors that hinder or facilitate blockchain adoption in supply chains. To capture the most vital aspects of blockchain adoption in supply chains, our conceptual model integrates the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model with the task-technology fit (TTF) and information system success (ISS) models, with trust-based information technology innovation adoption constructs. Using structural equation modelling, we find that the ISS, TTF, and UTAUT models positively influence the key factors affecting supply chain employees’ willingness to adopt blockchain. Our results show that the UTAUT’s social influence factor has no significant effect on the intention to adopt blockchain, while inter-organisational trust has a significant effect on the relationship between the UTAUT dimension and intention to adopt blockchain.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Genistein is an isoflavone first isolated from the brooming plant Dyer's Genista tinctoria L. and is widely distributed in the Fabaceae family as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Genistein is an isoflavone first isolated from the brooming plant Dyer’s Genista tinctoria L. and is widely distributed in the Fabaceae family. As an isoflavone, mammalian genistein exerts estrogen-like functions. Several biological effects of genistein have been reported in preclinical studies, such as the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral activities, the effects of angiogenesis and estrogen, and the pharmacological activities on diabetes and lipid metabolism. The purpose of this review is to provide up-to-date evidence of preclinical pharmacological activities with mechanisms of action, bioavailability, and clinical evidence of genistein. The literature was researched using the most important keyword “genistein” from the PubMed, Science, and Google Scholar databases, and the taxonomy was validated using The Plant List. Data were also collected from specialized books and other online resources. The main positive effects of genistein refer to the protection against cardiovascular diseases and to the decrease of the incidence of some types of cancer, especially breast cancer. Although the mechanism of protection against cancer involves several aspects of genistein metabolism, the researchers attribute this effect to the similarity between the structure of soy genistein and that of estrogen. This structural similarity allows genistein to displace estrogen from cellular receptors, thus blocking their hormonal activity. The pharmacological activities resulting from the experimental studies of this review support the traditional uses of genistein, but in the future, further investigations are needed on the efficacy, safety, and use of nanotechnologies to increase bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy.

Journal ArticleDOI
25 Jun 2021-Vaccine
TL;DR: In this article, the authors evaluated COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among healthcare workers in Kuwait, with identification of the psychological determinants of COVID19 vaccine hesitancy using an online anonymous survey distributed between 18 March 2021 and 29 March 2021.

Journal ArticleDOI
Khaled Trabelsi1, Achraf Ammar2, Achraf Ammar3, Liwa Masmoudi1, Omar Boukhris1, Hamdi Chtourou1, Bassem Bouaziz1, Michael Brach4, Ellen Bentlage4, Daniella How4, Mona A. Ahmed4, Patrick Mueller2, Patrick Mueller5, Notger Mueller5, Notger Mueller2, Hsen Hsouna1, Yousri Elghoul1, Mohamed Romdhani, Omar Hammouda3, Omar Hammouda1, Laisa Liane Paineiras-Domingos6, Annemarie Braakman-Jansen7, Christian Wrede7, Sofia Bastoni7, Sofia Bastoni8, Carlos Soares Pernambuco9, Leonardo Jose Mataruna-Dos-Santos10, Morteza Taheri11, Khadijeh Irandoust11, Nicola Luigi Bragazzi12, Nicola Luigi Bragazzi13, Jana Strahler, Jad Adrian Washif, Albina Andreeva, Stephen J. Bailey14, Jarred P Acton14, Emma A. Mitchell14, Nicholas T. Bott15, Faiez Gargouri1, Lotfi Chaari16, Hadj Batatia16, Samira C. khoshnami3, Evangelia Samara, Vasiliki Zisi17, Parasanth Sankar, Waseem Ahmed, Gamal Mohamed Ali18, Osama Abdelkarim18, Osama Abdelkarim19, Mohamed Jarraya1, Kais El Abed1, Wassim Moalla1, Nafaa Souissi1, Asma Aloui, Nizar Souissi, Lisette van Gemert-Pijnen7, Bryan L. Riemann20, Laurel Riemann, Jan Delhey2, Jonathan Gómez-Raja21, Monique Epstein, Robbert Sanderman22, Sebastian Schulz23, Achim Jerg23, Ramzi Al-Horani24, Taysir Mansi25, Ismail Dergaa26, Mohamed Jmail, Fernando Barbosa27, Fernando Ferreira-Santos27, Boštjan Šimunič, Rado Pišot, Saša Pišot, Andrea Gaggioli8, Jürgen M. Steinacker23, Piotr Zmijewski28, Christian Apfelbacher2, Jordan M. Glenn29, Aïmen Khacharem30, Cain C T Clark31, Helmi Ben Saad32, Karim Chamari26, Karim Chamari33, Tarak Driss3, Anita Hoekelmann2 
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated whether sociodemographic variables, changes in physical activity, and sleep quality from pre- to during lockdown were predictors of change in mental wellbeing in quarantined older adults.
Abstract: Background. The COVID-19 lockdown could engender disruption to lifestyle behaviors, thus impairing mental wellbeing in the general population. This study investigated whether sociodemographic variables, changes in physical activity, and sleep quality from pre- to during lockdown were predictors of change in mental wellbeing in quarantined older adults. Methods. A 12-week international online survey was launched in 14 languages on 6 April 2020. Forty-one research institutions from Europe, Western-Asia, North-Africa, and the Americas, promoted the survey. The survey was presented in a differential format with questions related to responses “pre” and “during” the lockdown period. Participants responded to the Short Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire, and the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Results. Replies from older adults (aged >55 years, n = 517), mainly from Europe (50.1%), Western-Asia (6.8%), America (30%), and North-Africa (9.3%) were analyzed. The COVID-19 lockdown led to significantly decreased mental wellbeing, sleep quality, and total physical activity energy expenditure levels (all p < 0.001). Regression analysis showed that the change in total PSQI score and total physical activity energy expenditure (F(2, 514) = 66.41 p < 0.001) were significant predictors of the decrease in mental wellbeing from pre- to during lockdown (p < 0.001, R2: 0.20). Conclusion. COVID-19 lockdown deleteriously affected physical activity and sleep patterns. Furthermore, change in the total PSQI score and total physical activity energy expenditure were significant predictors for the decrease in mental wellbeing.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jun 2021-Vaccine
TL;DR: In this article, a questionnaire was distributed among physicians, dentists and nurses who received a COVID-19 vaccine to explore the side effects they encountered after the first or the second dose of one of three vaccines namely: AstraZeneca Vaxzevria (AZ), Pfizer-BioNTeck (PB), and SinoPharm (SP) vaccines.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors conducted a meta-analysis to explore the relationship between pre-diagnosis with mental disorders and COVID-19 outcomes, and found that prediagnosis of mental disorders increased the risk of COVID19 mortality and severity.
Abstract: Several observational studies investigated the relationship between pre-diagnosis with mental disorders and COVID-19 outcomes. Thus, we have decided to conduct this meta-analysis to explore this relationship. We complied to the PRISMA guidelines in conducting this meta-analysis. PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar and medRxiv were searched until the 15th of February, 2021. We used the Random effect model in Meta XL, version 5.3 to pool the included studies. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran's Q heterogeneity test and I². This meta-analysis included 634,338 COVID-19 patients from 16 studies. Our findings revealed that pre-diagnosis with mental disorders increased the risk of COVID-19 mortality and severity. This increase in the risk of COVID-19 mortality and severity remained significant in the model that only included the studies that adjusted for confounding variables. Furthermore, higher mortality was noticed in the included studies among schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders patients compared to mood disorders patients. In this meta-analysis we provided two models which both reported a significant increase in the risk of COVID-19 severity and mortality among patients with mental disorders, and with the upcoming COVID-19 vaccines, we recommend to give this category the priority in the vaccination campaigns along with medical health providers and elderly.

Journal ArticleDOI
27 May 2021-eLife
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the results of the first large-scale multinational study that measures vaccine hesitancy among Arab-speaking subjects, which consists of 17 questions capturing demographic data, acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine, attitudes toward the need for COVID19 vaccination and associated health policies.
Abstract: Background Vaccine hesitancy can limit the benefits of available vaccines in halting the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Previously published studies paid little attention to Arab countries, which has a population of over 440 million. In this study, we present the results of the first large-scale multinational study that measures vaccine hesitancy among Arab-speaking subjects. Methods An online survey in Arabic was conducted from 14 January 2021 to 29 January 2021. It consisted of 17 questions capturing demographic data, acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine, attitudes toward the need for COVID-19 vaccination and associated health policies, and reasons for vaccination hesitancy. R software v.4.0.2 was used for data analysis and visualization. Results The survey recruited 36,220 eligible participants (61.1% males, 38.9% females, mean age 32.6 ± 10.8 years) from all the 23 Arab countries and territories (83.4%) and 122 other countries (16.6%). Our analysis shows a significant rate of vaccine hesitancy among Arabs in and outside the Arab region (83% and 81%, respectively). The most cited reasons for hesitancy are concerns about side effects and distrust in health care policies, vaccine expedited production, published studies and vaccine producing companies. We also found that female participants, those who are 30-59 years old, those with no chronic diseases, those with lower level of academic education, and those who do not know the type of vaccine authorized in their countries are more hesitant to receive COVID-19 vaccination. On the other hand, participants who regularly receive the influenza vaccine, health care workers, and those from countries with higher rates of COVID-19 infections showed more vaccination willingness. Interactive representation of our results is posted on our project website at https://mainapp.shinyapps.io/CVHAA. Conclusions Our results show higher vaccine hesitancy and refusal among Arab subjects, related mainly to distrust and concerns about side effects. Health authorities and Arab scientific community have to transparently address these concerns to improve vaccine acceptance. Funding This study received no funding.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A review of the current body of research focusing on pomegranate bioactive constituents and their therapeutic potential against some pathogenic microbes finds compounds to be used in combination with antibiotics or as new antimicrobial sources, such as plant extracts.
Abstract: Increasing awareness about the use of compounds obtained from natural sources exerting health-beneficial properties, including antimicrobial and antioxidant effects, led to increased number of research papers focusing on the study of functional properties of target compounds to be used as functional foods or in preventive medicine. Pomegranate has shown positive health properties due to the presence of bioactive constituents such as polyphenols, tannins, and anthocyanins. Punicalagin is the major antioxidant, abundantly found in pomegranate's peel. Research has shown that pomegranate polyphenols not only have a strong antioxidant capacity but they also inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria like V. cholera, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus, B. cereus, E. coli, and S. virulence factor, and inhibits fungi such as A. Ochraceus, and P. citrinum. Compounds of natural origin inhibit the growth of various pathogens by extending the shelf life of foodstuffs and assuring their safety. Therefore, the need to find compounds to be used in combination with antibiotics or as new antimicrobial sources, such as plant extracts. On the basis of the above discussion, this review focuses on the health benefits of pomegranate, by summarizing the current body of research focusing on pomegranate bioactive constituents and their therapeutic potential against some pathogenic microbes.

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TL;DR: In this article, the authors highlight the siRNA-based mechanism of action, challanges, and recent advances in clinical applications and highlight the benefits of using siRNAs in the context of clinical applications.

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TL;DR: In this article, two types of inverse problems for diffusion equations involving Caputo fractional derivatives in time and fractional Sturm-Liouville operator for space are studied. But these inverse problems are proved to be ill-posed in the sense of Hadamard whenever an additional condition at the final time is given.
Abstract: In this research, we deal with two types of inverse problems for diffusion equations involving Caputo fractional derivatives in time and fractional Sturm-Liouville operator for space. The first one is to identify the source term and the second one is to identify the initial value along with the solution in both cases. These inverse problems are proved to be ill-posed in the sense of Hadamard whenever an additional condition at the final time is given. A new fractional Tikhonov regularization method is used for the reconstruction of the stable solutions. Under the a-priori and the a-posteriori parameter choice rules, the error estimates between the exact and its regularized solutions are obtained. To illustrate the validity of our study, we give numerical examples. A final note is utilized in the ultimate section.

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TL;DR: An Enhanced version of the Multi-Verse Optimizer (EMVO) is proposed as a superior task scheduler in this area and substantially outperforms both MVO and PSO algorithms in terms of achieving minimized makespan time and increasing resources’ utilization.
Abstract: Cloud computing is a trending technology that allows users to use computing resources remotely in a pay-per-use model. One of the main challenges in cloud computing environments is task scheduling, in which tasks should be scheduled efficiently to minimize execution time and cost while maximizing resources’ utilization. Many meta-heuristic algorithms are used for task scheduling in cloud environments in the literature such as Multi-Verse Optimizer (MVO) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). In this paper, an Enhanced version of the Multi-Verse Optimizer (EMVO) is proposed as a superior task scheduler in this area. The proposed EMVO is compared with both original MVO and the PSO algorithms in cloud environments. The results show that EMVO substantially outperforms both MVO and PSO algorithms in terms of achieving minimized makespan time and increasing resources’ utilization.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated analytical and numerical solutions of fractional fuzzy hybrid systems in Hilbert space, which are devoted to model control systems that are capable of controlling complex systems with continuous time dynamics.
Abstract: The pivotal aim of this paper is to investigate analytical and numerical solutions of fractional fuzzy hybrid system in Hilbert space. Such fuzzy systems are devoted to model control systems that are capable of controlling complex systems that have discrete events with continuous time dynamics. The fractional derivative is described in Atangana-Baleanu Caputo (ABC) sense, which is distinguished by its non-local and non-singular kernel. In this orientation, the main contribution of the current numerical investigation is to generalize the characterization theory of integer fuzzy IVP to the ABC-fractional derivative under a strongly generalized differentiability, and then apply the proposed method to deal with the fuzzy hybrid system numerically. This method optimized the approximate solutions based on orthogonalization Schmidt process on Sobolev spaces, which can be straightway employed in generating Fourier expansion within a sensible convergence rate. The reproducing kernel theory is employed to construct a series solution with parametric form for the considered model in the space of direct sum W 2 2 [ a , b ] ⊕ W 2 2 [ a , b ] . Some theorems related to convergence analysis and approximation error are also proved. Moreover, we obtain the exact solution for the fuzzy model by applying Laplace transform method. So, the results obtained using the proposed method are compared with those of exact solution. To show the effect of Atangana-Baleanu fractional operator, we compare the numerical solution of fractional fuzzy hybrid system with those of integer order. Two numerical examples are carried out to illustrate that such dynamical processes noticeably depend on time instant and time history, which can be efficiently modeled by employing the fractional calculus theory. Finally, the accuracy, efficiency, and simplicity of the proposed method are evident in both classical and fractional cases.

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TL;DR: This article aims to detect cyber hate speech based on Arabic context over Twitter platform, by applying Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, and machine learning methods.
Abstract: Nowadays, cyber hate speech is increasingly growing, which forms a serious problem worldwide by threatening the cohesion of civil societies. Hate speech relates to using expressions or phrases that...

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TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the prevalence and predictors of depression and anxiety among senior high school students in Jordan during the COVID-19 pandemic and used an anonymous online survey.
Abstract: This study aimed to examine the prevalence and predictors of depression and anxiety among senior high school students in Jordan during the COVID-19 pandemic The study used an anonymous online survey that targeted senior high school students in Jordan Almost two thirds of students reported depressive symptoms and anxiety Father's level of education, mothers' level of education, perceived difficulties in online education, gender, and age were significant predictors of depression, while father's level of education, difficulties in online education, gender, and age were significant predictors of anxiety (p < 05) Among those identified as having depression, 307% were male and 507% were female The prevalence of anxiety among students was high, and the prevalence of anxiety in females (469%) is greater than males (276%) School health nurses and mental health counselors at schools need to emphasize the mental health and psychosocial support needs for senior high school students