Handling Encrypted Email at the Gateway of a Network

Protection for email is provided by client side encryption from being read or hacked. But the security risk in this protection is that it also protects virus from being sensed by the anti virus software. It also hides the hacker�s destructive payload. The encrypted message can�t be examined by any anti virus software rather filtered by content specific filtering engine. In case of providing perimeter defense for email virus, the network administrator faces the problem of disclosing the email or denies sending the email. If the email is allowed then network is not secure, if the message is disclosed then the message privacy is not maintained. Hence we suggest having an Email Virus Certification Authority which certifies all the emails sent from the message generating gateway or mail exchange server. This paper addresses the above problem and provides a theoretical solution for such security and privacy issue. Simple simulation is also implemented

Knowledge, attitude and practice of breastfeeding in the north of Jordan: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: In Jordan, as in neighboring countries in the Middle East, higher education and higher employment rates in recent years among women have had an impact on traditionally based infant feeding. The objective of this study was to evaluate practice, knowledge and attitude to breastfeeding and to assess factors associated with breastfeeding among women in the north of Jordan. METHODS: A cross sectional study was carried out between 15 July 2003 and 15 August 2003. A total of 344 women with children aged between 6 months and 3 years from five different villages in the north of Jordan were randomly selected and interviewed. Information regarding participants' demographics, infant feeding in first six months of life, knowledge and attitude towards breastfeeding was collected. RESULTS: Full breastfeeding was reported by 58.3%, mixed feeding was reported by 30.3% and infant formula feeding was reported by 11.4%. Almost one third of the full breastfeeding group did so for 6–12 months, and almost two thirds did continue breastfeeding for more than one year. Employed women were more likely not to practice full breastfeeding compared to unemployed women (odds ratio 3.34, 95% CI 1.60, 6.98), and women who had caesarian delivery were more likely not to practice full breastfeeding compared to those who had vaginal delivery (odds ratio 2.36, 95% CI 1.17, 4.78). Jordanian women had a positive attitude but work place and short maternity leaves had a negative impact on breastfeeding. CONCLUSION: This study showed that a high proportion of Jordanian women did breastfeed for more than one year. However, working women and those who deliver by caesarean section were less likely to breastfeed. It is speculated that adopting facilitatory measures at hospitals and work place could increase the rate of full breastfeeding

Enhanced Cloud Service Broker Selection Policy Based On Differential Evolution Algorithm

Cloud computing (CC) is speedily an emerging technology in the Information Technology sector and is becoming a pivotal research area. CC permits cloud service providers to provide different types of cloud services to different users. Cloud users are willing to meet their requests demands at the lowest cost and minimum processing time and response time, which is highly dependent on the data center (DC) that is responsible for executing the requests. The selection of a DC in the CC environment is the responsibility of the Cloud Service Broker (CSB) that operates in accordance with a built-in routing policy. Improper DC selection might cause a bottleneck and congestion in the service brokerage architecture, resulting in resource leakage in termsof time and cost

Clinical and Biological Effects of Adjunctive Photodynamic Therapy in Refractory Periodontitis

Introduction: To date, no novel treatment approach is available for optimum outcomes regarding refractory periodontitis. The aim of the present study was to assess the efficiency of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in treating patients diagnosed with refractory periodontitis and compare the clinical and biological outcomes of conventional periodontal treatment with or without adjunctive PDT in these patients, by assessing clinical parameters (plaque index [PI], gingival recession [GR], bleeding on probing [BOP], periodontal probing depth [PPD] and clinical attachment level [CAL]) as well as biological parameters (IL-1β) in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF).Methods: Sixteen patients within the age of 30 to 60 years, with a mean age of 40 years old, diagnosed with refractory periodontitis were included. In this split mouth design study, 2 quads (1 upper + 1 lower) from the same patient were randomly treated with (scaling and root planing [SRP]+PDT) together. The other 2 quadrants (1 upper + 1 lower) were treated by SRP only and selected to serve as controls. Clinical parameters including PI, GR, BOP, PPD and CAL and biological parameters (IL-1β) in the GCF were measured at baseline, then at, 2 and 6 months after therapy.Results: A statistically significant reduction in several clinical parameters as, BOP (P < 0.001), PI (P < 0.001), PPD (P < 0.001) and CAL (P < 0.001) in quadrant treated with SRP and adjunctive PDT when compared to control group treated with SRP alone was observed and both therapies showed non-statistically significant differences in the reduction of IL-1β level.Conclusion: The inclusion of PDT as an adjunctive measure to nonsurgical conventional periodontal treatment seems to be a useful therapeutic measure in refractory periodontitis treatment

Metabolic Syndrome and Its Individual Components among Jordanian Children and Adolescents

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MeS) and its individual components in Jordanian children and adolescents aged 7–18 years and determine the factors that are associated with clustering of metabolic abnormalities. MeS was defined using the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition. The prevalence of MeS was estimated from 512 subjects who had complete information on all MeS components. The prevalence of MeS according to IDF criteria was 1.4% in subjects aged between 10 and 15.9 years and 3.6% in subjects aged between 16 and 18 years. When categorized according to body mass index (BMI), the prevalence of the MeS was 15.1% in obese subjects, compared to 0.3% in subjects with normal BMI, and 3.0% in overweight subjects. In conclusion, our results indicate that although the prevalence of MeS is low in Jordanian children and adolescents, a large proportion of them had one or two metabolic abnormalities

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) in Primary Healthcare Facilities in Jordan in the Context of COVID-19

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and Infection prevention and control (IPC) are essential for preventing and containing outbreaks of disease. Nowadays, infection prevention is getting more attention due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The assessment of WASH/IPC indicators in the health sector is a major step in the preparation and management of such a pandemic. A facility-wide WASH and IPC assessment is the cornerstone for designing, developing, and implementing specific WASH and IPC activities at healthcare facilities. This type of assessment helps to identify and prioritize surveillance and prevention activities at the facility and provide healthcare policy makers at all levels with the evidence to strengthen WASH services and infection control policies, practices, and resources in health facilities. Moreover, this helps to motivate facilities to intensify efforts where needed to prevent, respond to, and control the spread of COVID-19. An assessment was conducted in primary healthcare facilities in Jordan to identify the strengths and gaps in the WASH and IPC practices, activities, and resources and to identify areas for quality improvement. This report demonstrates the results of a nationwide assessment of 33 healthcare centres. The assessment included eight domains (areas) pertaining to WASH/IPC with more than 150 indicators. The assessment tools were developed and adapted from the Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement Tool (WASH FIT), the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Assessment Framework (IPCAF), Guide to Infection Prevention for Outpatient Settings: Minimum Expectations for Safe Care, the Systems for Improved Access to Pharmaceuticals and Services (SIAPS) tool, and COVID-19 Technical Guidance by WHO. The assessment revealed some deficiencies in basic WASH/IPC indicators such as lack of clear guidelines that support the management of health centres in planning and leadership, shortfalls in the budget needed to strengthen the infrastructure of WASH/IPC, inconsistent or under-provisioned training and education programmes for the development of staff skills to lead, plan, manage, and improve WASH/IPC at their facilities. Moreover, the report identified the unmet WASH/IPC needs at centres that should be addressed by policy makers and stakeholders as soon as possible for further steps of consideration in policy development. The report ends with specific recommendations to improve WASH/IPC services and practices

Hypogonadism among Jordanian men with type 2 diabetes: Prevalence and associated factor

AbstractAimsPrevalence of hypogonadism is largely unknown in the general population and population of diabetics in Arab countries including Jordan. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of hypogonadism among men with type 2 diabetes in Jordan and determine its associated factors.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included a total of 1049 consecutive men with type 2 diabetes who attended the National Center for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Genetics (NCDEG) in Amman, Jordan, in the period from August 2008 to February 2009. Data were collected from medical records and using a pre-structured questionnaire. Clinical characteristic, anthropometric measurements and laboratory measurements were obtained. Hypogonadism was defined as total testosterone <3ng/ml.ResultsOverall, 36.4% of patients with diabetes had total testosterone level <3ng/ml and 29% had symptoms of androgen deficiency. Of those with serum testosterone level <3ng/ml, 80.2% had symptoms of androgen deficiency. About 16.9% of those with serum testosterone level <3ng/ml had primary hypogonadism and 83.1% had secondary hypogonadism. Age, monthly income of less than 500JD, obesity, and neuropathy were significantly associated with low serum total testosterone level.ConclusionsThe prevalence of hypogonadism among men with type 2 diabetes in Jordan is high. This urgently calls for implementing early and universal screening programs irrespective of symptoms of androgen deficiency to detect those who have low serum total testosterone level at any early stage and to supplement testosterone accordingly

Predictors of waterpipe smoking progression among youth in Irbid, Jordan: A Longitudinal Study (2008-2011)

BACKGROUND: The predictors of waterpipe smoking progression are yet to be examined using a longitudinal study that is guided by a theoretical model of behavioral change. This study identifies the gender-specific predictors of waterpipe smoking progression among adolescents in Irbid, Jordan. METHODS: This study uses data from a school longitudinal study of smoking behavior in Irbid, Jordan. A random sample of 19 schools was selected by probability proportionate to size. A total of 1781 seventh graders were enrolled at baseline, and completed a questionnaire annually from 2008 through 2011. Students who reported ever smoking waterpipe (N = 864) at any time point were assessed for progression (escalation in the frequency of waterpipe smoking) in the subsequent follow-up. Grouped-time survival analysis was used to identify the risk of progression. RESULTS: During the three years of follow-up, 29.6% of students progressed in waterpipe smoking. Predictors of waterpipe smoking progression were higher mother's education, enrollment in public school, frequent physical activity, and low refusal self-efficacy among boys, having ever smoked cigarettes, and having friends and siblings who smoke waterpipe among girls. Awareness of harms of waterpipe was protective among boys and seeing warning labels on the tobacco packs was protective among girls. CONCLUSIONS: Even at this early stage, about a third of waterpipe smokers progressed in their habit during the 3 year follow up. Factors predicting progression of use differed by gender, which calls for gender-specific approaches to waterpipe interventions among Jordanian youth

Maternal Anemia in Rural Jordan: Room for Improvement

The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to estimate the prevalence and determine factors associated with anemia among pregnant women in rural Jordan. A cohort of 700 pregnant women from a National Health Service hospital and ten health centers completed a questionnaire. Of the total, 243 (34.7%) had anemia. The prevalence was the highest for women in their 3rd trimester (42.5%) compared to those in 2nd trimester (32.7%) and 1st trimester (18.9%). Gestational age, body mass index, history of previous surgery, and multivitamin intake during pregnancy were significantly associated with anemia. Women in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters had higher odds of anemia (OR = 2.2 and 3.3, resp.). Underweight women had higher odds of anemia (OR = 2.9). History of previous surgery and multivitamin intake during pregnancy were associated with higher odds of anemia (OR = 1.6 and 1.9, resp.)