A Comparative Study of the Microbial, Physiochemical and Sensory Properties of Samples of Labneh Produced at Large (Industrial) Scale and Small Scale

Labneh is a semi-sold fermented dairy product obtained by the removal of the whey from yogurt samples. The present study is aimed to study the influence of method of labneh production on its microbial, physiochemical, and sensory properties. For this purpose (4) branded (produced at large scale) and (4) unbranded (produced at small scale) labneh samples were collected from Irbid City markets, Northern of Jordan. The data were analyzed by SPSS method. The mean values of total solids content were lower than the Jordanian Codex in branded samples while unbranded samples were conform these standards. However, the mean pH values of branded were high as compared to unbranded pH (4 vs. 3.6) and the acidity were ranged between (1.33 to 1.8%) and (1.78 to 2.2%), respectively. The range of the total count and coliform for branded and unbranded samples were (1×103 to  1.5×104 cfu/ml)  and ( 5 × 107 to 3 × 10 8 cfu/ml)  respectively. While the range of the coliform for branded and unbranded samples were (0.6×10 to  1×10 cfu/ml)  and ( 3 × 102 to 8 × 102 cfu/ml)  respectively. Also, unbranded samples had higher numbers of yeast and mold. Method of labneh production had a significant effect on overall acceptability and acceptability of texture, flavor and appearance. Keywords: branded Labneh, physiochemical, microbiological, sensory characters

Evaluation of Good Manufacturing Practices in Small Dairy Plants in Jordan

The aim of this study was to assess the good manufacturing practices (GMPs) in small dairy plants in Jordan. In addition, the microbial product quality was used to assess the quality control practices in the production of concentrated yogurt (Labanah). The study was applied to 40 small dairy plants in the governorates of Irbid and Jerash, north of Jordan. Data were collected using a questionnaire, which consisted of a general information section besides two sections that addressed GMPs and the barriers to implementation of GMPs in the small dairy plants in Jordan. Assessment of GMPs was performed by using a structured questionnaire (checklist) that consisted of four sub-sections that addressed contemplating building, personnel, equipment, and food production. The mean overall score of implementation of GMPs in Irbid was 2.75, meaning that implementation of GMPs was low to moderate, while in Jerash it was 2.14, suggesting a low level of implementation of GMPs. Results showed that poor infrastructure and lack of financial resources were the most prominent obstacles to implementation of GMPs in the sample dairy plants in both governorates. The mean total counts of bacteria in the Labanah samples collected from the 40 dairy plants were 4.36 and 6.8 log10 cfu/mL, respectively. All the Labanah samples showed negative results of salmonella and staphyllocccus. Contamination of the Labanah samples with yeast and molds, and coliform bacteria was an indicator of insufficient hygienic practices. Implementation of the food safety practices by the dairy producers is necessary. Keywords: Food safety, Labanah, Microbiological quality. DOI: 10.7176/FSQM/84-05

Autism Electromagnetic and Diet Therapy

Autism is a neurological disorder of childhood with poorly understood, in terms of its etiology and pathology. Oxidative stress may play a role in the disease pathophysiology. Oxidative stress results in an excess of free radicals which leading to organ dysfunction. Mitochondria are the main intracellular source of free radicals. In this experimental study, an innovative approach of using a DC electrical pulsating device with an antioxidants supplements in early treatments of disease is introduced. The current study included (20) autistic children as the intervention group and (20) non-autistic children as a control. The intervention group received an electromagnetic treatments and the antioxidants supplements for four months. Their autistic states were evaluated according to the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC). Lactate (The mitochondrial dysfunction biomarker), Ceruloplasmin and Transferrin were tested for the presence of the oxidative stress. Pre-treatment values were compared with post- treatment values and with standard values. Results indicate that there is a significant decrease in lactate values after intervention (mean ± SD 2.6 ± 0.82 and 1.88 ± 0.61) pre- and post intervention. Assessment of the autism state by (ATEC) reported that 90% of the respondents showed a decrease in total ATEC scores after the treatment process by an average of 69.28%. The strong correlation of the oxidative stress biomarkers  associated with autism severity. Suggesting a good ground to use electromagnetic and antioxidant supplements treatment for autistic children. Keywords: electromagnetic therapy, autism, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, food supplements

Obesity and Related Factors among Jerash University Population

This study aims to measure the prevalence of obesity, to assess the food habits and physical activity among university population in Jerash University, Northern Jordan. A cross-sectional survey of (203) university students and employee (147 males and 56 females) aged 20 to 60 years were selected randomly during the spring 2016 semester. Participants filled out a self-reported questionnaire (included questions on eating and physical activity habits). Weights, heights body mass index (BMI) measured. Study results showed that (39.4%) of sample were overweight and (24.1%) were obese. Prevalence of overweight and obesity was more common among males compared to females (40.8% and 25.2% vs. 35.7% and 21.45 respectively). In contrast 12.5% females were under weight compared to 5.4% males. Majority of the sample (68%) reported taking meals irregularly. A total of (64.3%) of the subjects reported the consumption of colored vegetable while (30%) reported eating fruits daily. More than half of both males and females did not eat fast foods. The prevalence of overweight and obesity were higher in males within the age of 20-25 years while in contrast it is higher in females within the age of more than 30 years (36% and 22.5% in males vs. 7.1% and 26% in females). More than one third of the participants did not engage in any sport exercises for at least 30 minutes during the week. Keywords: Overweight, Obesity, Food consumption, physical activity, Jordan

Comparison Between the Effects of Different Sources of Dietary Fiber on Blood Lipid Profile in Rats

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of different sources of dietary fiber on serum lipids and lipoproteins in Sprague-Dawley rats, namely total cholesterol (TC), Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high–density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) triglyceride (TG), and (HDL-C/LDL-C) ratio. The experimental diets included casein diet, untreated wheat bran diet, soaked wheat bran diet, Arabic white bread diet, lupine diet, chickpea and pectin diet. Each group of rats (6/group) was fed one of the seven prepared diets for 6 weeks. Untreated wheat bran has hypercholesterolemic effect since it significantly (p<0.05) increased TC, LDL-C and decreased HDL-C values as compared with treated bran diets. The soaking process lowered significantly (p<0.05) TC and LDL-C levels in comparison with casein diet. Chickpea diet had higher significant value of HDL-C than soaked wheat bran and lupine diets. However, it was not significantly different from casein and untreated wheat bran diet.  In addition, Chickpea diet had a significantly higher HDL-C value than pectin diet. The values of HDL-C of the Lupine diet are not significantly different (p>0.05) from casein and pectin diets, but it has also decreased LDL-C. White bread was found to have no hypocholesterolemic effect in comparison with treated brans groups and control group; it raised TG, TC and LDL-C levels. Pectin had a similar behavior in a remarkable decrease blood TC and LDL-C cholesterol. White bread was found to have  no hypocholesterolemic effect in comparison with treated brans groups and control group; it raised TG, TC and LDL-C  levels. It is concluded that the behavior of cereals and legumes varies in its effect on cholesterol–lowering ability. Preparation of wheat bran foods by soaking improve some physiological characteristics of insoluble fibers, particularly lowering total cholesterol TC and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol LDL-C). Keywords: Dietary fiber, Arabic bread, Wheat bran, Soaking, Chickpea, Lupine, Pectin, Lipoproteins, Rat

The ability of digital breast tomosynthesis to reduce additional examinations in older women

AimsTo assess the diagnostic performance of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) in older women across varying breast densities and to compare its effectiveness for cancer detection with 2D mammography and ultrasound (U/S) for different breast density categories. Furthermore, our study aimed to predict the potential reduction in unnecessary additional examinations among older women due to DBT.MethodsThis study encompassed a cohort of 224 older women. Each participant underwent both 2D mammography and digital breast tomosynthesis examinations. Supplementary views were conducted when necessary, including spot compression and magnification, ultrasound, and recommended biopsies. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated for 2D mammography, DBT, and ultrasound. The impact of DBT on diminishing the need for supplementary imaging procedures was predicted through binary logistic regression.ResultsIn dense breast tissue, DBT exhibited notably heightened sensitivity and NPV for lesion detection compared to non-dense breasts (61.9% vs. 49.3%, p < 0.001) and (72.9% vs. 67.9%, p < 0.001), respectively. However, the AUC value of DBT in dense breasts was lower compared with non-dense breasts (0.425 vs. 0.670). Regarding the ability to detect calcifications, DBT demonstrated significantly improved sensitivity and NPV in dense breasts compared to non-dense breasts (100% vs. 99.2%, p < 0.001) and (100% vs. 94.7%, p < 0.001), respectively. On the other hand, the AUC value of DBT was slightly lower in dense breasts compared with non-dense (0.682 vs. 0.711). Regarding lesion detection for all cases between imaging examinations, the highest sensitivity was observed in 2D mammography (91.7%, p < 0.001), followed by DBT (83.7%, p < 0.001), and then ultrasound (60.6%, p < 0.001). In dense breasts, sensitivity for lesion detection was highest in 2D mammography (92.9%, p < 0.001), followed by ultrasound (76.2%, p < 0.001), and the last one was DBT. In non-dense breasts, sensitivities were 91% (p < 0.001) for 2D mammography, 50.7% (p < 0.001) for ultrasound, and 49.3% (p < 0.001) for DBT. In terms of calcification detection, DBT displayed significantly superior sensitivity compared to 2D mammography in both dense and non-dense breasts (100% vs. 91.4%, p < 0.001) and (99.2% vs. 78.5%, p < 0.001), respectively. However, the logistic regression model did not identify any statistically significant relationship (p > 0.05) between DBT and the four dependent variables.ConclusionOur findings indicate that among older women, DBT does not significantly decrease the requirement for further medical examinations

Encouraging female entrepreneurship in Jordan: environmental factors, obstacles and challenges

The number of female entrepreneurs and their contribution to the economy is steadily rising. Yet research suggests that female entrepreneurs face more challenges and barriers than their male counterparts. This is expected to be even more prevalent in Islamic contexts, which are characterised by conservative and patriarchal societies. In this research, 254 female business students from a private and a public university responded to a questionnaire that gauges their perceptions about potential barriers to entrepreneurship in Jordan and whether the business education they are receiving helps to prepare them for future entrepreneurial activity. Our results help to form a basis on which a deeper understanding of the phenomena can be achieved through more in depth future research. Among the main environmental factors that worry potential female entrepreneurs are the weakness of Jordanian economy, lack of finance, fear of risk, gender inequality and inability to maintain a work and private life balance. Our results also show that students are really not aware of the opportunities available to them and are unable to make a proper assessment. We call on both universities and the Jordanian government to put more emphasis on practical entrepreneurial education and encouraging women to play a much more active role within the workforce

Exploring the Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Children and Adolescents with COVID-19 Infections in Slovakia during March 2020 to July 2022

Background and Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant global impact, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of its spatiotemporal patterns. The objective of this study is to explore the spatial and temporal patterns of COVID-19 infections among five age groups (Material and Methods: During the study period, a total of 393,429 confirmed PCR cases of COVID-19 or positive antigen tests were recorded across all studied age groups. The analysis examined the spatiotemporal spread of COVID infections per quarter, from September 2021 to May 2022. Additionally, data on hospitalizations, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, pulmonary ventilation (PV), and death cases were analyzed. Results: The highest number of COVID-19 infections occurred between September 2021 and May 2022, particularly in the 10–14-year-old group (68,695 cases), followed by the 15–19-year-old group (62,232 cases), while the lowest incidence was observed in the Conclusions: The spatial and temporal patterns of COVID-19 infections among different age groups in Slovakia showed a higher number of infections in the 10–14-year-old age group, mainly occurring in urban districts. The temporal pattern of the spread of the virus to neighboring urban and rural districts reflected the movement of infected individuals. Hospitalizations, ICU and PV admissions, and deaths were relatively low. The study highlights the need for more proactive measures to contain outbreaks promptly and ensure the resilience of healthcare systems against future pandemics