Hypertension Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment and Control, and Associated Factors: Results from a National Survey, Jordan

The study examined prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension (HTN), and associated factors and to evaluate the trend in hypertension between 2009 (period 2) and 1994–1998 (period 1). A national sample of 4117 adults aged 25 years and older was selected. Prevalence rate of HTN (SBP ≥ 140 or DBP ≥ 90 or on antihypertensive therapy) was 32.3% and was higher than the 29.4% prevalence rate reported in period 1. Prevalence rate was significantly higher among males, older age groups, least educated, obese, and diabetics than their counterparts. The rate of awareness among hypertensives was 56.1% and was higher than the 38.8% rate reported form period 1 data. Awareness was positively associated with age, smoking, and diabetes for both men and women, and with level of education and body mass index for men. Rate of treatment for HTN among aware patients was 63.3% and was significantly higher than the 52.8% rate reported in period1. Control rate of HTN among treated hypertensives was 39.6%; significantly higher than the 27.9% control rate in period 1. Control of HTN was positively associated with age but only for women. In conclusion, HTN is still on the rise in Jordan, and levels of awareness and control are below the optimal levels

Review article: time to revisit Child‐Pugh score as the basis for predicting drug clearance in hepatic impairment

From Wiley via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2021-03-04, rev-recd 2021-04-14, accepted 2021-06-04, pub-electronic 2021-07-04Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedFunder: Egyptian Missions SectorSummary: Background: Prescription information for many drugs entering the market lacks dosage guidance for hepatic impairment. Dedicated studies for assessing the fate of drugs in hepatic impairment commonly stratify patients using Child‐Pugh score. Child‐Pugh is a prognostic clinical score with limitations in reflecting the liver's metabolic capacity. Aims: To demonstrate the need for better drug dosing approaches in hepatic impairment, summarise the current status, identify knowledge gaps related to drug kinetic parameters in hepatic impairment, propose solutions for predicting the liver disease impact on drug exposure and discuss barriers to dosing guidance in those patients. Methods: Relevant reports on dosage adjustment in hepatic impairment were analysed concerning the prediction of the impairment impact on drug kinetics using physiologically‐based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modelling. Results: PBPK models are suggested as a potential framework to understand drug clearance changes in hepatic impairment. Quantifying changes in abundance and activity of drug‐metabolising enzymes and transporters, understanding the impact of shunting, and accounting for interindividual variations in drug absorption could help in extending the success of these models in hepatically‐impaired populations. These variables might not correlate with Child‐Pugh score as a whole. Therefore, new metabolic activity markers, imaging techniques and other scoring systems are proposed to either support or substitute Child‐Pugh score. Conclusions: Many physiological changes in hepatic impairment determining the fate of drugs do not necessarily correlate with Child‐Pugh score. Quantifying these changes in individual patients is essential in future hepatic impairment studies. Further studies assessing Child‐Pugh alternatives are recommended to allow better prediction of drug exposure

Relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and metabolic syndrome among Jordanian adults

Evidence of the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and metabolic syndrome (MeS) remains uncertain and incongruent. This study aimed to determine the association between 25(OH)D and MeS among Jordanian adults. A complex multistage sampling technique was used to select a national population-based household sample. The present report deals exclusively with adults aged > 18 years who had complete information on all components of MeS (n = 3,234). A structured questionnaire was used to collect all relevant information. Anthropometric, clinical, and laboratory measurements were obtained. MeS was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition. Of the total, 42.0% had MeS and 31.7% had 25(OH)D < 30 ng/ml. In a stratified analysis, the prevalence of MeS did not differ significantly between subjects with low and normal 25(OH)D levels for men and women in all age groups. In the multivariate analysis, the odds of MeS were not significantly different between subjects with low and normal 25(OH)D levels (OR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.70, 1.05, P-value = 0.133). The association between 25(OH)D and MeS remained non-significant when 25(OH)D was analyzed as a continuous variable (OR = 1.004, 95% CI; 1.000, 1.008, P = 0.057) and when analyzed based on quartiles. None of the individual components of MeS were significantly associated with 25(OH)D level. This study does not provide evidence to support the association between 25(OH)D level and MeS or its individual components. Prospective studies are necessary to better determine the roles of 25(OH)D levels in the etiology of MeS

Cross section measurement of t-channel single top quark production in pp collisions at root s=13 TeV

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Search for Evidence of the Type-III Seesaw Mechanism in Multilepton Final States in Proton-Proton Collisions at root s=13 TeV

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Search for single production of vector-like quarks decaying into a b quark and a W boson in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

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Measurement of the top quark mass using single top quark events in proton-proton collisions at root s=8 TeV

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Search for direct production of supersymmetric partners of the top quark in the all-jets final state in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

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