Food Safety Knowledge among Chicken Shawerma Food Handlers in Amman- Jordan

Aims: Several food poisoning outbreaks in Jordan were due to Salmonella species isolated from chicken shawerma. This study aimed to assess the food safety knowledge among chicken shawerma food handlers in Jordan.  Methods: Forty chicken shawerma restaurants in Amman were selected randomly and 120 food handlers (Egyptians 53%, Jordanians 26% and Syrians 19%) were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive and multivariate data analysis was conducted to assess their knowledge about food safety. Results: Low overall mean score of food safety knowledge (40%); the mean percent of correct answers about transportation, receiving of chicken shawerma, storage, preparation, selling, and controlling microorganisms were: 63%, 54%, 45%, 31%, and 26%, respectively. Ninety percent of the participants had no previous training in food safety concepts.  Better food safety knowledge was significantly associated (p > 0.05) with higher educational levels, receiving special training in food safety and having a Jordanian nationality.  Conclusions: This study recommends establishing a comprehensive food safety program in Jordan to build the capacity of the food handlers and enforce periodic evaluation of their food safety knowledge and evidence-based best practices

Are women and providers satisfied with antenatal care? Views on a standard and a simplified, evidence-based model of care in four developing countries

BACKGROUND: This study assessed women and providers' satisfaction with a new evidence-based antenatal care (ANC) model within the WHO randomized trial conducted in four developing countries. The WHO study was a randomized controlled trial that compared a new ANC model with the standard type offered in each country. The new model of ANC emphasized actions known to be effective in improving maternal or neonatal health, excluded other interventions that have not proved to be beneficial, and improved the information component, especially alerting pregnant women to potential health problems and instructing them on appropriate responses. These activities were distributed within four antenatal care visits for women that did not need any further assessment. METHODS: Satisfaction was measured through a standardized questionnaire administered to a random sample of 1,600 pregnant women and another to all antenatal care providers. RESULTS: Most women in both arms expressed satisfaction with ANC. More women in the intervention arm were satisfied with information on labor, delivery, family planning, pregnancy complications and emergency procedures. More providers in the experimental clinics were worried about visit spacing, but more satisfied with the time spent and information provided. CONCLUSIONS: Women and providers accepted the new ANC model generally. The safety of fewer visits for women without complications with longer spacing would have to be reinforced, if such a model is to be introduced into routine practice

Reproductive morbidity among Iranian women; issues often inappropriately addressed in health seeking behaviors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Reproductive morbidity has a huge impact on the health and quality of life of women. We aimed to determine the prevalence of reproductive morbidities and the health seeking behavior of a nationally representative sample of Iranian urban women.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A sample of 1252 women, aged 18-45 years, was selected using the multi stage, stratified probability sampling procedure. Data were collected through interviews and physical, gynecological and ultrasonographic examinations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Reproductive tract infection (RTIs), pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and menstrual dysfunction were the three main groups of morbidities with a prevalence of 37.6%, 41.4% and 30.1%., respectively. Our study demonstrated that 35.1, 34.5 and 9.6 percent of women experienced one, two or these reproductive organ disorders mentioned, respectively, while 20.6 percent of participants had none of these disorders. Findings also showed that the majority of women who suffered from reproductive morbidities (on average two out of three) had not sought appropriate care for these except for infertility.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Reproductive health morbidities impose a large burden among Iranian women and have negative impact on their reproductive health and wellbeing.</p

Estimating the prevalence of obstetric fistula: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Obstetric fistula is a severe condition which has devastating consequences for a woman's life. The estimation of the burden of fistula at the population level has been impaired by the rarity of diagnosis and the lack of rigorous studies. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and incidence of fistula in low and middle income countries. METHODS: Six databases were searched, involving two separate searches: one on fistula specifically and one on broader maternal and reproductive morbidities. Studies including estimates of incidence and prevalence of fistula at the population level were included. We conducted meta-analyses of prevalence of fistula among women of reproductive age and the incidence of fistula among recently pregnant women. RESULTS: Nineteen studies were included in this review. The pooled prevalence in population-based studies was 0.29 (95% CI 0.00, 1.07) fistula per 1000 women of reproductive age in all regions. Separated by region we found 1.57 (95% CI 1.16, 2.06) in sub Saharan Africa and South Asia, 1.60 (95% CI 1.16, 2.10) per 1000 women of reproductive age in sub Saharan Africa and 1.20 (95% CI 0.10, 3.54) per 1000 in South Asia. The pooled incidence was 0.09 (95% CI 0.01, 0.25) per 1000 recently pregnant women. CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the most comprehensive study of the burden of fistula to date. Our findings suggest that the prevalence of fistula is lower than previously reported. The low burden of fistula should not detract from their public health importance, however, given the preventability of the condition, and the devastating consequences of fistula

The influence of light on nitrogen cycling and the primary nitrite maximum in a seasonally stratified sea

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2011. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Progress In Oceanography 91 (2011): 545–560, doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2011.09.001.In the seasonally stratified Gulf of Aqaba Red Sea, both NO2- release by phytoplankton and NH4+ oxidation by nitrifying microbes contributed to the formation of a primary nitrite maximum (PNM) over different seasons and depths in the water column. In the winter and during the days immediately following spring stratification, NO2- formation was strongly correlated (R2=0.99) with decreasing irradiance and chlorophyll, suggesting that incomplete NO3- reduction by light limited phytoplankton was a major source of NO2-. However, as stratification progressed, NO2- continued to be generated below the euphotic depth by microbial NH4+ oxidation, likely due to differential photoinhibition of NH4+ and NO2- oxidizing populations. Natural abundance stable nitrogen isotope analyses revealed a decoupling of the δ15N and δ18O in the combined NO3- and NO2- pool, suggesting that assimilation and nitrification were co-occurring in surface waters. As stratification progressed, the δ15N of particulate N below the euphotic depth increased from -5‰ to up to +20‰. N uptake rates were also influenced by light; based on 15N tracer experiments, assimilation of NO3-, NO2-, and urea was more rapid in the light (434±24, 94±17, and 1194±48 nmol N L-1 day-1 respectively) than in the dark (58±14, 29±14, and 476±31 nmol N L-1 day-1 respectively). Dark NH4+ assimilation was 314±31 nmol N L-1 day-1, while light NH4+ assimilation was much faster, resulting in complete consumption of the 15N spike in less than 7 hour from spike addition. The overall rate of coupled urea mineralization and NH¬4+ oxidation (14.1±7.6 nmol N L-1 day-1) was similar to that of NH¬4+ oxidation alone (16.4±8.1 nmol N L-1 day-1), suggesting that for labile dissolved organic N compounds like urea, mineralization was not a rate limiting step for nitrification. Our results suggest that assimilation and nitrification compete for NH4+ and that N transformation rates throughout the water column are influenced by light over diel and seasonal cycles, allowing phytoplankton and nitrifying microbes to contribute jointly to PNM formation. We identify important factors that influence the N cycle throughout the year, including light intensity, substrate availability, and microbial community structure. These processes could be relevant to other regions worldwide where seasonal variability in mixing depth and stratification influence the contributions of phytoplankton and non-photosynthetic microbes to the N cycle.This research was supported under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Science for Peace Grant SfP 982161 to AP and AFP, a grant from the Koret Foundation to AP, a National Science Foundation Biological Oceanography grant to AP, the Israel Science Foundation grant 135/05 to AFP, and research grant 8330-06 from the Geological Society of America to KRMM

Goat and buffalo milk fat globule membranes exhibit better effects at inducing apoptosis and reduction the viability of HT-29 cells

Bovine milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) has shown many health benefits, however, there has not been much study on non-cattle MFGMs. The purpose of this study was to compare the anti-proliferation effects and investigate the mechanisms of MFGMs from bovine, goat, buffalo, yak and camel milk in HT-29 cells. Results showed that protein content in MFGM of yak milk is the highest among five MFGM. All MFGMs inhibited cellular proliferation which was in agreement with cell morphology and apoptosis. However, the number of cells in S-phase from 24 h to 72 h was increased significantly by treatment with goat, buffalo and bovine MFGMs (100 μg/mL), but not yak and camel. All MFGMs treatment significantly reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential (with an order of goat>buffalo>bovine>camel>yak) and Bcl-2 expression, but increased the expression of both Bax and Caspase-3. Taken together, the results indicate that all MFGMs, especially goat and buffalo MFGMs, showed better effects at inducing apoptosis and inhibition of the proliferation of HT-29 cells. The mechanism might be arresting the cell cycle at S phase, depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential, down-regulation of Bcl-2 expression and increase of Bax and Caspase-3 expression

Physicians&rsquo; Knowledge of Abdominal Compartment Syndrome and Intra-Abdominal Hypertension in Saudi Arabia: An Online Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Rayan Qutob,1,2 Alanoud Hassan A Alkhannani,1 Turki Yazeed Alassaf,1 Saad Othman Alhokail,1 Ghassan Abdullah Bagazi,1 Abdulmalak Abdullah Alsaleh,1 Mashael kamel alqarni,1 Yousef Alammari,1 Khalid Al Harbi,1 Alyaa Elhazmi,3 Abdullah Ibrahim Bukhari,1 Abdullah Alaryni,1 Abdullah Alghamdi,1 Osamah A Hakami1 1Faculty of Medicine, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2Adult Critical Care Department, Dr. Sulaiman Al-Habib Medical Group, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 3College of Medicine, AlFaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Alanoud Hassan A Alkhannani, Faculty of Medicine, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966 545436837, Email [email protected]: To determine physicians’ knowledge of abdominal compartment syndrome and intra-abdominal hypertension in Saudi Arabia.Methods: A cross-sectional online survey study was conducted on physicians in Saudi Arabia between March and August 2022. A previously developed questionnaire was adapted and used in this study. The survey instrument investigated the knowledge and management of intra-abdominal hypertension and abdominal compartment syndrome among physicians. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of being knowledgeable about abdominal compartment syndrome and intra-abdominal hypertension.Results: A total of 266 physicians participated in this study. Around one-fifth (21.8%) the study participants were ICU physicians and 25.0% reported that they practice internal medicine. Intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and the impact of increased intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) on organ function were terms that the majority of research participants (70.3%) reported they were familiar with. A similar percentage (73.7%) reported that they are familiar with abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS). Around 43.0% of the study participants reported that they do not know how to measure IAP. The most frequently reported (13.5%) intervention in the treatment of IAH and ACS was the use of inotropes or vasopressors. The study participants showed a weak level of knowledge of ACS and IAH with a median score of 3.00 (IQR: 5.00– 2.00), which represents 27.3% of the maximum attainable score. Physicians working at hospitals with 20– 50 ICU beds were 41.0% (odds ratio: 0.59 (CI: 0.37– 0.96)) less likely to be knowledgeable about intra-abdominal hypertension and abdominal compartment syndrome (p≤ 0.05).Conclusion: Physicians demonstrated a low level of IAP and ACS knowledge. To increase the safety of medical practices and enhance clinical outcomes for patients, awareness should be raised about the proper diagnosis and management of IAP and ACS. Future research should focus on developing effective educational strategies to improve physicians’ understanding of IAP and ACS.Keywords: abdominal compartment syndrome, intra-abdominal hypertension, intra-abdominal pressure, knowledge, physicians, Saudi Arabi