Treatment of psychological morbidity secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia: a comparative study

Background: Authors tend to compare the medical treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia with the surgical option regarding lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and related psychological morbidity.Methods: A retrospective study of (1614) patients who were managed by either transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) or medical treatment for lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) over a period of 5 years between (Sep. 2013 and Sep. 2018) carried out in Prince Hussein Urology Center at Jordanian Royal Medical Services. Patients were classified into two groups, group1 (807 patients) who get a medical option and group 2 (807 patients who underwent TURPs. A comparison between both groups according to the effect of minimizing the psychological morbidities was done over a period of 1-year follow-up after reviewing the patient’s medical records.Results: Ages of the patients for group1 and 2 were (47-68 years), (49-73 years), respectively. There were significant differences at the level of depression, anxiety and psychiatric morbidity pre-treatment between both groups p-value 0.05, but significant differences in the level of improvement after treatment between both groups and in group 2 were found, p-value <0.05.Conclusions: The severity of LUTS and psychological morbidity have a positive relationship and were higher in the pretreatment surgical group, but the effect of TURP was superior to the medical group in the management of this morbidity and its causative (LUTS)

Endothelin-1 down-regulates matrix metalloproteinase 14 and 15 expression in human first trimester trophoblasts via endothelin receptor type B

$\textbf{STUDY QUESTION}$: Does endothelin-1 (ET-1) regulate matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 14 and 15 production and invasion of human first trimester trophoblasts? $\textbf{SUMMARY ANSWER}$: ET-1 in pathophysiological concentrations down-regulates MMP14 and MMP15 expression via endothelin receptor (ETR) type B and decreases trophoblast migration and invasion. $\textbf{WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY}$: MMP14 and MMP15 are involved in trophoblast invasion. Impairment of invasion has been linked to pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia (PE). ET-1 is up-regulated in PE. $\textbf{STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION}$: $\textit{In vitro}$ study using primary human trophoblasts from 50 first trimester placentas (gestational week 7-12). $\textbf{PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS}$: Trophoblasts were cultured in the absence or presence of 10-100 nM ET-1. MMP14 and MMP15 mRNA and protein were quantified by RT-qPCR and Western blotting, respectively. Selective antagonists for ETRA (BQ-123) or ETRB (BQ-788) were used to identify ETR subtypes involved. Functional ET-1 effects were tested in first trimester chorionic villous explants and transwell invasion assays. The roles of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α (25 ng/ml) and oxygen (1%) in ET-1 regulation of MMP14 and 15 expression were assessed by Western blotting. $\textbf{MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE}$: ET-1 down-regulated MMP14 and MMP15 mRNA (-21% and -26%, respectively, $\textit{P}$ < 0.05) and protein levels (-18% and -22%, respectively, $\textit{P}$ < 0.05). This effect was mediated via ETRB. ET-1 decreased trophoblast outgrowth in placental explants (-24%, $\textit{P}$ < 0.05) and trophoblast invasion (-26%, $\textit{P}$ ≤ 0.01). TNF-α enhanced ET-1 mediated MMP15 down-regulation (by 10%, $\textit{P}$ < 0.05), whereas hypoxia abolished the effect of ET-1 on both MMPs. $\textbf{LARGE SCALE DATA}$: N/A. $\textbf{LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION}$: Only primary trophoblasts were used in this study. Since trophoblast yield from first trimester placental material is limited, further aspects of MMP14 and 15 regulation could not be characterized. Other anti-invasive factors may be altered by ET-1 in trophoblasts and, thus, contribute to the reduced invasion, but have not been investigated. Oxygen levels similar to those found in the decidua (5-8% O2) were not analyzed in this study. $\textbf{WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS}$: ET-1 modifies placental function already during the first trimester of pregnancy, the time-window when the placental changes implicated in PE occur. Thus, our results improve the understanding of the placental mechanisms underlying trophoblast invasion and PE.The study was funded by the Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Anniversary Fund, project number: 14796) and the Herzfelder'sche Familienstiftung (to J.P.; number: 00685). AMM received funding from the Austrian Science Fund FWF (W1241) and the Medical University Graz through the PhD Program Molecular Fundamentals of Inflammation (DK-MOLIN)

Symptomatic dry eye disease among university students

Background: Dry eye disease (DED) is a multifactorial condition often characterized by a reduction in tear film quantity or quality. This study aimed to determine the frequency of DED and its associated subjective symptoms among students of Mu’tah University. Methods: In this cross-sectional study conducted at Mu’tah University, Mu’tah, Jordan, from January to April 2022, 489 students completed an online patient-reported DED symptom questionnaire and the ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire. Moreover, 106 participants underwent clinical examinations using the Schirmer test I and fluorescein tear breakup time (TBUT). Results: Approximately 74.6% of the students self-reported experiencing DED symptoms, and 72.6% had an OSDI score &gt; 12, which is considered the threshold for an abnormal ocular surface. Clinical examinations revealed low Schirmer test scores (&lt; 10 mm) in 26.4% (n = 28) and 25.5% (n = 27) of the right and left eyes, respectively. We observed low TBUT scores (&lt; 5 s) in 19.8% (n = 21) and 18.9% (n = 20) of the right and left eyes, respectively. We noted significant differences between the self-reported DED symptoms and the Schirmer test scores (P = 0.003 for both right and left eyes), TBUT (P &lt; 0.001 for both right and left eyes), and OSDI score (P &lt; 0.001 for each self-reported DED symptom). We observed a weak significant positive correlation between Schirmer test scores and TBUT in the right (r = + 0.30; P = 0.002) and left (r = + 0.34; P &lt; 0.001) eyes; a negligible significant inverse correlation between OSDI scores and Schirmer test scores in the right (r = - 0.24; P = 0.013) and left (r = - 0.23; P = 0.019) eyes; and a negligible significant inverse correlation between the OSDI score and TBUT of the left eye (r = - 0.25; P = 0.011) but not of the right eye (r = - 0.17; P = 0.077). Conclusions: The frequency of DED symptoms in this study was higher than that previously reported based on foreign statistics. The presence of self-reported DED symptoms was significantly associated with higher OSDI scores. Self-reported DED symptoms were more frequent than the abnormalities detected using objective methods. Therefore, a combination of subjective and objective measures may provide a higher diagnostic yield for DED. Further studies are required to confirm this hypothesis

Ruminant Brucellosis in the Kafr El Sheikh Governorate of the Nile Delta, Egypt: Prevalence of a Neglected Zoonosis

Brucellosis is a zoonosis of mammals caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella. It is responsible for a vast global burden imposed on human health through disability and on animal productivity. In humans brucellosis causes a range of flu-like symptoms and chronic debilitating illness. In livestock brucellosis causes economic losses as a result of abortion, infertility and decreased milk production. The main routes for human infection are consumption of contaminated dairy products and contact with infected ruminants. The control of brucellosis in humans depends on its control in ruminants, for which accurate estimates of the frequency of infection are very useful, especially in areas with no previous frequency estimates. We studied the seroprevalence of brucellosis and its geographic distribution among domestic ruminants in one governorate of the Nile Delta region, Egypt. In the study area, the seroprevalence of ruminant brucellosis is very high and has probably increased considerably since the early 1990s. The disease is widespread but more concentrated around major animal markets. These findings question the efficacy of the control strategy in place and highlight the high infection risk for the animal and human populations of the area and the urgent need for an improved control strategy

Consumer Adoption of Self-Service Technologies in the Context of the Jordanian Banking Industry: Examining the Moderating Role of Channel Types

YesThis study aimed to examine the key factors predicting Jordanian consumers’ intentions and usage of three types of self-service banking technologies. This study also sought to test if the impacts of these main predictors could be moderated by channel type. This study proposed a conceptual model by integrating factors from the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), along with perceived risk. The required data were collected from a convenience sample of Jordanian banking customers using a survey questionnaire. The statistical results strongly support the significant influence of performance expectancy, social influence, and perceived risk on customer intentions for the three types of SSTs examined. The results of the X2 differences test also indicate that there are significant differences in the influence of the main predictors due to the moderating effect of channel type. One of the key contributions of this study is that three types of SSTs were tested in a single study, which had not been done before, leading to the identification of the factors common to all three types, as well as the salient factors unique to each type