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Background: Tinnitus is a common complaint that carries a significant impact on life. However, there is paucity of data regarding this condition in Jordan. Our study is the first study to demonstrate the prevalence of tinnitus in Jordan and its characteristics. Methods: A sample of 1060 participant's representative of the Jordanian population was invited to answer a questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised of 15 questions about tinnitus and its characteristics. The data was collected over a year (2016-2017). Results: The prevalence of tinnitus was 28.8% with 72.8% reporting non-pulsatile tinnitus, 95.5% reporting intermittent tinnitus and 57.4% had bilateral tinnitus. There was no significant difference found between males and females (p value: 0.786). There was significant correlation between tinnitus, vertigo, and dizziness (p value < 0.0001). Conclusion: Tinnitus is a common condition with high prevalence in Jordan denoting the significance of diagnosis and offering treatment especially for debilitating cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To present our ten-year experience in mastoid obliteration using the inferiorly based postauricular periosteal-pericranial flap in canal wall down (CWD) tympanomastoidectomy, and review its efficacy in producing a dry, small, low-maintenance mastoid cavity. Materials and methods: A retrospective study of sixty-four consecutive procedures of CWD tympanomastoidectomy was conducted over the period from 2007 to 2017 for the treatment of active chronic otitis media, with or without cholesteatoma. The main outcome measure was the successful control of suppuration to create a dry, self-cleansing mastoid cavity. Results: Fifty-three ears (82.8 %) had a small, dry, healthy, and self-cleaning mastoid cavity. Four ears (6.3%) had intermittent otorrhea easily controlled by topical and systemic antibiotic treatment and aural toileting. Seven patients (10.9 %) had persistent otorrhea of which three had meatal stenosis, two had granulation tissue and two had recurrence of cholesteatoma. Outcomes remained stable over progressively more extended follow-up periods (up to 132 months). Conclusion: The use of postauricular periosteal-pericranial flap for mastoid obliteration in CWD tympanomastoidectomy is a very effective technique that results in a dry, small, self-cleaning mastoid cavity in 89.1 % of patients with active chronic otitis media with or without cholesteatoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging disease threatening the world with a rapid increase in cases and deaths since it was first identified in December 2019. Adequate knowledge, practice, and attitudes (KPA) toward COVID-19 among physicians at the frontline defense against the COVID-19 pandemic may enhance their ability to avoid the risk of self-infection, decrease mortality, and provide adequate medical care service in this pandemic. This study aimed to assess KPA toward COVID-19 among physicians in Jordan and Palestine. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study using an online survey conducted from 10 April to 26 April 2020 among Jordan and Palestine physicians. Invitations were sent to physician groups on Facebook and WhatsApp. This survey contains 36-items, divided into four main sections to assess the participants' socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, practice, and attitude about COVID-19. Results: A total of 454 physicians participated in this study. The mean score of basic knowledge was 4.4 ± 0.8 (range 2– 4). There were significant differences between basic knowledge mean scores among physicians in different professional degrees and physicians in various health sectors (P=0.0315, P=0.0137, respectively). The mean scores of self-protection measures, were 6.1 ± 1.1 (range 3– 7) and measures if physician self-suspected of COVID-19 were 9.9± 1.1 (range 5– 11). The mean score of attitudes toward COVID-19 was 41.5 ± 3.3 (range 21– 45) and significantly related to the age and different experience years (P=0.0022, P=0.0077, respectively). Conclusion: As the global threat of COVID-19 continues to emerge, physicians from Jordan and Palestine showed adequate KPA toward COVID-19. There was a significant difference in knowledge level and attitude between physicians. Policymakers and physicians should keep continuous educational activities, training, and follow-up updates during this pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of depression and anxiety among otolaryngology outpatients at Jordan University Hospital. Methods: A cross‐sectional observational study was conducted between January 2017 and February 2018. The sample included 1328 otolaryngology adult outpatients, who completed (PHQ‐9) and (GAD‐7) questionnaires for depression and anxiety. Sociodemographic and clinical data were recorded. Results: Depression and anxiety prevalence rates were 36.1% and 22.9%. The significant risk factors found for them were: age range 30 to 50 years, female sex, divorced status, smoking, alcohol drinking, asthma, family history of psychiatric illness, chronic illnesses, negative life events, secondary education, unemployment, low income, globus pharyngeus, tinnitus, and dizziness. Practice implications: Healthcare providers should have the vigilance to suspect and treat these disorders to improve patients' symptoms and quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives: Allergic rhinitis has complex patterns of inheritance, and single nucleotide polymorphisms, a common genetic variation in a population, exert a significant role in allergic rhinitis pathology. The current study aimed to investigate the association of Interleukin-4 (IL-4) polymorphisms with allergic rhinitis. Materials and Methods: Our study included 158 patients with allergic rhinitis and 140 healthy controls from Jordan that were genotyped for IL-4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) C-589T (rs2243250) and T-2979G (rs2227284) using restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction. Statistical analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics version 24 software. Results: The results showed that the allelic frequency of the minor alleles was 0.19 and 0.67 for C-589T (rs2243250) and T-2979G (rs2227284) in the allergic rhinitis patients, respectively, while it was 0.18 for C-589T (rs2243250) and 0.64 T-2979G (rs2227284) in the control group. The homozygous (TT) genotype of C-589T (rs2243250) was significantly associated with allergic rhinitis ( p < 0.05), while there was no association of any of T-2979G (rs2227284) genotypes with allergic rhinitis. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that genetic inter-population variation precipitates the differences in the percentages of many diseases among populations, including allergic rhinitis.