The first study of 3-M Syndrome in Jordan and Literature Review

The prevalence of 3-M syndrome remains unclear owing to its rarity and the limited number of reported cases in the medical literature. To date, approximately 100 cases of the disorder have been documented in MedlinePlus Genetics. Here, we present the first case study report from Jordan of a boy diagnosed with 3-M syndrome at 9 months of age via karyotyping. The patient exhibited distinct facial features, severe prenatal and postnatal growth retardation, and normal mental development. As rare genetic autosomal recessive mutations are common where consanguineous marriages are prevalent, raising awareness of such rare genetic diseases is critical. This paper aims to provide a case report on 3-M syndrome and a literature review. (AU)

Current status of biomedical waste management practices and barriers among private Jordanian dental clinics: A cross-sectional investigation of the capital Amman.

Biomedical waste management (BMWM) is vital in facilitating safe providing of healthcare. Developing countries suffer from the impact of mishandled biomedical waste (BMW) on the general public in addition to healthcare practitioners. Thus, this study aims to investigate the awareness and compliance of dental facilities to BMW regulations. Through a questionnaire designed as per the WHO guidelines on BMWM, we randomly recruited a total of 421 dental facilities representative of Jordan's capital. Mean BMWM practice scores were relatively high for the studied sample (0.748 ± 0.12). Nonetheless, while collection, transportation and storage standards were acceptable, those pertaining to segregation and disposal demonstrated lack of compliance to BMWM safety measures. An alarming number of participants dispose of infectious waste (40%), extracted teeth (48.5%), expired pharmaceuticals (44.4%), liquid chemicals (53.2%), X-ray films (35.0%) and solutions (48.7%) in the general trash or draining system. Such is attributed to either lack of resources, lack of proper equipment or poor awareness with BMWM guidelines. Moreover, it appears that location of the clinic (p < 0.001), occupation (p = 0.026) and presence of regulatory instructions (p = 0.048) were associated with higher BMWM scores. Overall, dental practitioners require proper training in terms of handling hazardous dental, chemical and radioactive wastes. Moreover, regulatory bodies should actively enforce regulations and monitoring, update current compliance legislations and subsidize eco-friendly practices.

Admission criteria and academic performance in medical school.

BACKGROUND: Different variables have been used to predict the academic performance of students in medical schools. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of demographics, admission system, and high-school background on the academic performance of medical students. METHODS: We conducted this longitudinal cohort study on 808 students admitted to the Faculty of. Medicine at the University of Jordan (Amman, Jordan), in the years 2012 and 2013. Admission pathway, and academic performance data were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 808 students [i.e., 426 (52.7%) females, and 382(47.3%) males] were identified. Admitted students were holding 17 different types of high school degrees, and were accepted through 6 different quota pathways (open competition [National unified admission], underprivileged ["Makrumah"], parallel, children of university staff, international students, and others). Students admitted through the open competition and the underprivileged quota(Makrumah) were more likely to graduate on time and had higher graduation grades while students admitted through the parallel, international and others quota were more likely to fail and had lower graduation grades. Regarding highs school degrees, the students that were more likely to graduate were those with IB and the Jordanian high school degrees. The highest graduation GPA was for IB students followed by SAT, IGCSE as well as Jordanian and Syrian high school degrees respectively. IB, Jordanian, Kuwaiti and IGSC high school grades were significantly correlated with the graduation GPA. CONCLUSIONS: Admission criteria such as type of high school degree and grades as well as admission pathways can predict the likelihood to graduate and the graduation GPA of medical students. Open competition and underprivileged admission pathways as well as IB, IGCSE and Jordanian high school degrees seem to be better predictors of student performance in the medical school.

Factors Associated With Psychological Disturbances During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Multicountry Online Study.

BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the mental health of individuals. However, the susceptibility of individuals to be impacted by the pandemic is variable, suggesting potential influences of specific factors related to participants' demographics, attitudes, and practices. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify the factors associated with psychological symptoms related to the effects of the first wave of the pandemic in a multicountry cohort of internet users. METHODS: This study anonymously screened 13,332 internet users worldwide for acute psychological symptoms related to the COVID-19 pandemic from March 29 to April 14, 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic amidst strict lockdown conditions. A total of 12,817 responses were considered valid. Moreover, 1077 participants from Europe were screened a second time from May 15 to May 30, 2020, to ascertain the presence of psychological effects after the ease down of restrictions. RESULTS: Female gender, pre-existing psychiatric conditions, and prior exposure to trauma were identified as notable factors associated with increased psychological symptoms during the first wave of COVID-19 (P<.001). The same factors, in addition to being related to someone who died due to COVID-19 and using social media more than usual, were associated with persistence of psychological disturbances in the limited second assessment of European participants after the restrictions had relatively eased (P<.001). Optimism, ability to share concerns with family and friends like usual, positive prediction about COVID-19, and daily exercise were related to fewer psychological symptoms in both assessments (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic at the worldwide level on the mental health of internet users and elucidates prominent associations with their demographics, history of psychiatric disease risk factors, household conditions, certain personality traits, and attitudes toward COVID-19.

Worsening of Preexisting Psychiatric Conditions During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objectives: To ascertain factors associated with worsening of psychiatric conditions during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: This study anonymously examined 2,734 psychiatric patients worldwide for worsening of their preexisting psychiatric conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. An independent clinical investigation of 318 psychiatric patients from United States was used for verification. Results: Valid responses mainly from 12 featured countries indicated self-reported worsening of psychiatric conditions in two-thirds of the patients assessed that was through their significantly higher scores on scales for general psychological disturbance, posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression. Female gender, feeling no control of the situation, reporting dissatisfaction with the response of the state during the COVID-19 pandemic, and reduced interaction with family and friends increased the worsening of preexisting psychiatric conditions, whereas optimism, ability to share concerns with family and friends, and using social media like usual were associated with less worsening. An independent clinical investigation from the United States confirmed worsening of psychiatric conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic based on identification of new symptoms that necessitated clinical interventions such as dose adjustment or starting new medications in more than half of the patients. Conclusions: More than half of the patients are experiencing worsening of their psychiatric conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic.