University of Jordan

About: University of Jordan is a education organization based out in Amman, Jordan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 7796 authors who have published 13764 publications receiving 213526 citations.

Hepatitis C virus infection in Jordanian haemodialysis units: serological diagnosis and genotyping.

Abstract: The seroprevalence and genotypes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) were studied in 283 patients attending six haemodialysis units in Jordan. In all, 98 (34.6%) patients were anti-HCV-positive by EIA, 92 (93.9%) of whom were also reactive in an immunoblot assay. The prevalence of anti-HCV was correlated with a history of blood transfusion before the introduction of blood donor screening for HCV and with duration of haemodialysis. HCV RNA was detected in 30 (30.6%) of 98 anti-HCV-positive sera. HCV viraemia was not associated with a particular antibody for the six HCV antigens studied by the immunoblot assay, although reactivity to the core antigens was greater in the HCV RNA-positive sera than in negative sera. Two HCV genotypes (1 and 4) were identified for the first time in Jordan by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of HCV 5′-NCR. The predominant genotype was HCV 1a (12 of 30). Genotypes 1b and 4 were detected in 10 and 8 patients, respectively. The antibody response to HCV antigens was genotype-dependent, with a wider range of antibody specificities detected in the immunoblot assay in the 12 patients with genotype 1a infection than in the 8 patients with genotype 4. However, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of antibodies to HCV antigens among patients infected with either genotype 1a or 1b. In conclusion, the prevalence of anti-HCV, blood transfusion, duration of dialysis and HCV genotypes suggest possible nosocomial HCV transmission among patients which needs confirmation by phylogenetic analysis of subgenomic HCV regions.

Social Support and Stress Among University Students in Jordan

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perception of social support and perceived stress among university students in Jordan. A sample of 241 university students from private and government universities in Jordan answered self-report questionnaires including the perceived social support scale and perceived stress scale. The results showed that university students have moderate perception of social support and stress. Female university students had higher perception of stress and social support than male university students. Perceived stress had a negative correlation with perceived social support from family (−0.29, p < 0.05). The perceived social support from family was a better predictor of perceived life event as stressful situations than perceived social support from friends. The study implications for research and intervention were discussed.

Ubiquitous GPS vehicle tracking and management system

Abstract: Global Positioning System (GPS) is becoming widely used for tracking and monitoring vehicles. Many systems have been created to provide such services which make them popular and needed more than ever before. In this paper a “GPS vehicle tracking system” is proposed. This system is useful for fleet operators in monitoring driving behavior of employees or parents monitoring their teen drivers. Moreover, this system can be used in theft prevention as a retrieval device in addition of working as a security system combined with car alarms. The main contribution of this paper is providing two types of end user applications, a web application and a mobile application. This way the proposed system provides a ubiquitous vehicle tracking system with maximum accessibility for the user anytime and anywhere. The system's tracking services includes acquiring the location and ground speed of a given vehicle in the current moment or on any previous date. It also monitors the vehicle by setting speed and geographical limits and therefore receiving SMS alerts when the vehicle exceeds these pre-defined limits. Additionally, all the movements and stops of a given vehicle can also be monitored. Tracking vehicles in our system uses a wide range of new technologies and communication networks including General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), the Internet or the World Wide Web and Global Positioning System (GPS).

Role of lentils (Lens culinaris L.) in human health and nutrition: a review

Abstract: Humans have known lentils (Lens culinaris L.) since the dawn of civilization. The current work is a comprehensive review of lentils composition, nutritional value, and health benefits. The article addresses major proteins identified in lentils and their bioactive peptides, including lectins, defensins, and protease inhibitors. In addition, this review discusses the complex carbohydrate fractions in lentils, particularly the resistant starches, oligosaccharides, and dietary fibers with emphasis on their biomedical properties. Also, the current review discusses minerals and vitamins as well as the non-nutritive bioactive phytochemicals of lentils which add to the promising potential for clinical applications in the management and prophylaxis of several chronic human illnesses. The article finds out that various potential health benefits have been described for lentils such as anticarcinogenic, blood pressure-lowering, hypocholesterolemic and glycemic load-lowering effects. The proposed mechanisms behind each health benefit are discussed.

Intra-articular injection of expanded autologous bone marrow mesenchymal cells in moderate and severe knee osteoarthritis is safe: a phase I/II study

Abstract: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a major health problem especially in the aging population. There is a need for safe treatment that restores the cartilage and reduces the symptoms. The use of stem cells is emerging as a possible option for the moderate and severe cases. This study aimed at testing the safety of autologous bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) expanded in vitro when given intra-articularly to patients with stage II and III KOA. As a secondary end point, the study tested the ability of these cells to relieve symptoms and restore the knee cartilage in these patients as judged by normalized knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Thirteen patients with a mean age of 50 years suffering from KOA stages II and III were given two doses of BM-MSCs 1 month apart totaling 61 × 106 ± 0.6 × 106 by intra-articular injection in a phase I prospective clinical trial. Each patient was followed for a minimum of 24 months for any adverse events and for clinical outcome using normalized KOOS. Cartilage thickness was assessed by quantitative MRI T2 at 12 months of follow-up. No severe adverse events were reported up to 24 months follow-up. Normalized KOOS improved significantly. Mean knee cartilage thickness measured by MRI improved significantly. BM-MSCs given intra-articularly are safe in knee osteoarthrosis. Despite the limited number of patients in this study, the procedure described significantly improved the KOOS and knee cartilage thickness, indicating that they may enhance the functional outcome as well as the structural component. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02118519