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The mRNA-seq data analysis is a powerful technology for inferring information from biological systems of interest. Specifically, the sequenced RNA fragments are aligned with genomic reference sequences, and we count the number of sequence fragments corresponding to each gene for each condition. A gene is identified as differentially expressed (DE) if the difference in its count numbers between conditions is statistically significant. Several statistical analysis methods have been developed to detect DE genes based on RNA-seq data. However, the existing methods could suffer decreasing power to identify DE genes arising from overdispersion and limited sample size, where overdispersion refers to the empirical phenomenon that the variance of read counts is larger than the mean of read counts. We propose a new differential expression analysis procedure: heterogeneous overdispersion genes testing (DEHOGT) based on heterogeneous overdispersion modeling and a post-hoc inference procedure. DEHOGT integrates sample information from all conditions and provides a more flexible and adaptive overdispersion modeling for the RNA-seq read count. DEHOGT adopts a gene-wise estimation scheme to enhance the detection power of differentially expressed genes when the number of replicates is limited as long as the number of conditions is large. DEHOGT is tested on the synthetic RNA-seq read count data and outperforms two popular existing methods, DESeq2 and EdgeR, in detecting DE genes. We apply the proposed method to a test dataset using RNAseq data from microglial cells. DEHOGT tends to detect more differently expressed genes potentially related to microglial cells under different stress hormones treatments., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Yuan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Objectives: To assess the association between severity and extent of maternal periodontal disease and preterm birth/low birth weight (PLBW) among women in the north of Jordan., Methods: A total of 148 woman who gave preterm birth/low birth weight birth and 438 women with uncomplicated full term vaginal delivery were included in this study. Socio-demographic characteristics, antenatal history, medical history, and family medical history were collected through personal interview or abstracted from maternal records. The oral hygiene status, and periodontal and dental parameters were assessed for all women., Results: The average of probing pocket depth (PPD) and average of clinical attachment level (CAL) were significantly higher among women who gave PLBW babies. The mean gingival recession was not significantly different between the two groups. The percentages of sites with PPD > or = 3 mm and CAL > or = 3 mm were significantly higher among women who gave PLBW babies. Number of decayed teeth, number filled teeth, and number of missing teeth showed no significant association with PLBW delivery., Conclusion: The extent and severity of periodontal diseases appeared to be associated with increased odds of PLBW delivery. Nevertheless, more and larger intervention trials are needed before it can be fully accepted that periodontal infection is a true risk factor for PLBW.

Background: In recent years there has been a growing appreciation of the issues of career preference in medicine as it may affect student learning and academic performance. However, no such studies have been undertaken in medical schools in Jordan. Therefore, we carried out this study to investigate the career preferences of medical students at Jordan University of Science and Technology and determine factors that might influence their career decisions., Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was carried out among second, fourth and sixth year medical students at the Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan during the academic year 2006/2007. A total of 440 students answered the questionnaire which covered demographic characteristics, specialty preferences, and the factors that influenced these career preferences. Possible influences were selected on the basis of a literature review and discussions with groups of medical students and physicians. Students were asked to consider 14 specialty options and select the most preferred career preference., Results: The most preferred specialty expressed by male students was surgery, followed by internal medicine and orthopaedics, while the specialty most preferred by female students was obstetrics and gynaecology, followed by pediatrics and surgery. Students showed little interest in orthopedics, ophthalmology, and dermatology. While 3.1% of females expressed interest in anesthesiology, no male students did. Other specialties were less attractive to most students. Intellectual content of the specialty and the individual's competencies were the most influential on their preference of specialty. Other influential factors were the "reputation of the specialty", "anticipated income", and "focus on urgent care"., Conclusion: Surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynaecology were the most preferred specialty preferences of medical students at Jordan University of Science and Technology.

Background: Despite a huge body of published research, understanding the basic pathology that leads to pre-eclampsia is still incomplete. This study was conducted among women in north Jordan to determine factors associated with pre-eclampsia and to determine if dental caries was involved., Methods: A case-control study was carried out among women who delivered at Princess Badea Teaching Hospital, Irbid, North Jordan, between September 1, 2004 and January 1, 2005. 115 women with pre-eclampsia and 230 normotensive controls were included in the study. Information regarding participants' demographics, antenatal history and family history were collected through personal interviews. Several oral parameters were measured for each participant., Results: In multivariate analysis, factors found to be associated with increased odds of pre-eclampsia were age > or =35 years (adjusted OR 2.20; 95% CI 1.08, 4.48), nulliparity (adjusted OR 2.73; 95% CI 1.38, 5.39), emotional stress during pregnancy (adjusted OR 4.22; 95% CI 1.79, 9.90), maternal history of pre-eclampsia (adjusted OR 16.04; 95% CI 5.82, 44.22), family history of cardiovascular diseases (adjusted OR 2.82; 95% CI 1.22, 6.51), family history of pre-eclampsia (adjusted OR 23.26; 95% CI 5.07, 106.78), twin births (adjusted OR 37.79; 95% CI 4.22, 338.51), and Body Mass Index (BMI). In comparison with women with pre-pregnancy BMI <25, adjusted OR were 1.97, 95% CI 1.02, 3.81 for women with BMI from 25 to 29.9, and 3.31, 95% CI 1.36, 8.03 for women with BMI > or =30. Mean decayed teeth surface was found to be associated with increased odds of pre-eclampsia (adjusted OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.03, 1.27)., Conclusion: This study demonstrated no difference to reported risk indicators of pre-eclampsia in other populations, but adds that dental caries may have an association with increased odds of pre-eclampsia.

The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of natural rubber latex allergy and its associated factors among health care workers in Jordan based on a self-administered questionnaire. In this cross-sectional study, the data were obtained through a self-reported hand-delivered questionnaire that was distributed to 500 health care workers who use natural rubber latex gloves. A total of 420 (84%) health care workers responded by filling the questionnaire. Of the total number of 420 health care workers who filled the questionnaire, 57 (13.6%) reported allergy to latex gloves. The prevalence of allergy to latex gloves was significantly higher for those who had allergy to some foodstuffs (especially avocado, kiwifruits and chestnuts) or with history of eczema and hay fever. However, allergy to latex gloves was independent of gender, age, job, family history, type of gloves, hours of use/day and number of years of use. It is concluded that a high rate of allergy to latex gloves was reported among health care workers in Jordan.

Aim: To examine dentists' awareness on major health risks associated with smoking and their opinions on factors that influence tobacco use., Design: A pre-tested postal questionnaire survey., Participants: A randomly selected sample of 849 licensed general dentists who were practicing dentistry in Jordan., Results: A response rate of 72.2% (613/849) was obtained. The majority of respondents (91.8%) related lung cancer to smoking, however, associations with other cancers (cancer of oesophagus, pancreas and urinary bladder) were the least reported (33.6%). Only 39% agreed that smoking is the most important cause of premature death, non-smokers were significantly more likely to believe in this than current smokers. Most dentists associated tobacco use with staining of teeth (97.2%), whereas fewer dentists reported that smokers have increased risks of oral cancer (83.7%) and potentially malignant oral lesions (76.7%). Friends and stress were the most frequently implicated factors in the habit of smoking., Conclusion: This study revealed a significant lack of awareness among Jordanian dentists with respect to serious health consequences of smoking. An educational programme targeted towards general dentists in Jordan is needed, focusing attention on tobacco related morbidity and mortality.

This article surveys early and current research on the relationship between smoking and various aspects of dental health. Results of early studies on the prevalence of periodontal diseases in smokers, which were often contradictory, are discussed briefly, and more recent research on the effects of tobacco on the periodontium is presented. This includes research examining the relationship--between smoking and the various indicators of periodontitis, such as bone and tooth loss. Studies examining the effect of smoking on the outcome of periodontal therapy, and ways in which tobacco may be harmful are also reviewed, as are the effects of smokeless tobacco on the periodontium. It is suggested that a separate category for smoking-associated periodontitis be created.

We prospectively included in a database all thrombolyzed acute transmural myocardial infarction patients admitted to our hospital from November 1986 to September 1995. Six hundred and twenty-seven patients (497 males) with a mean age of 61 +/- 12 years (range 26-88 years) were included. 87% were having their first acute myocardial infarction. Different thrombolytic regimens were applied in the emergency room but the vast majority (92%) received t-PA. The median delay between the onset of pain and admission was 2 h 0 min (10 min-22 h). The median admission to treatment time was 40 min (5 min-6 h 20 min). The latter has been shortened (median 55 min from 1986 to 1989 versus 35 min from 1990 to 1995, p < 0.05) during the study period. The rate of intracerebral hemorrhage was 2.4% (confidence interval 1.1-3.5%) and no significant predictor could be found, although patients with cerebral bleeding tended to be slightly older (66 +/- 9 years vs 61 +/- 13 years, p = ns). The rate of false diagnosis was only 4.6%, even when patients with a final diagnosis of unstable angina and/or aborted acute myocardial infarction were included. The in-hospital mortality was 8.8%, a rate similar to those reported in the literature. Using multivariate analysis, negative prognostic factors were higher age (p < 0.001), advanced Killip class at admission (p < 0.001) and elevated peak CPK levels (p < 0.001). These results confirm that thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction in the emergency room can be done with a short admission-to-treatment time and with an acceptably low rate of false diagnosis. However, our intracerebral hemorrhage rate was clearly higher than generally reported in the literature and may be explained by a different patient selection from that in large randomized studies.

A 64-year-old woman developed a severe embolic cerebral attack with total left hemiplegia approximately 30 hours after cardiac catheterization for mitral stenosis. She underwent intra-arterial thrombolysis of the right internal carotid artery four and one-half hours after the onset of neurologic deficit with subsequent recanalization of the occluded vessel and near complete neurologic recovery.

Lungs of 37 patients with pulmonary hypertension (PHT), 5 normal human lungs, and 30 normal rat lungs, were studied using immunohistochemical stainings for actin, alpha-smooth muscle (alpha-SM) actin and desmin. The type of PHT was determined on clinicopathologic grounds (in 17 cases by catheterism); 20 patients had precapillary and 17 postcapillary PHT. In normal lungs, myofibroblasts, ie, contractile interstitial cells (CIC), distributed in alveolar septa, were not stained by alpha-SM actin antibodies. Only around the venules, were cells labeled by this antibody present. Furthermore, there were bundles of alpha-SM actin-positive cells around the openings of air sacculi into the alveolar ducts. In precapillary PHT, the distribution and immunostaining properties of interstitial cells remained unchanged; alpha-SM actin-positive cells were observed in thickened arterial intima and in plexiform lesions. In postcapillary PHT secondary to heart failure, to mitral stenosis, or in veno-occlusive disease, many interstitial cells in the alveolar septa were decorated by alpha-SM actin antibodies but not with desmin. The authors propose that, in postcapillary PHT, mechanical stretch due to capillary congestion may be responsible for the generation of cells that express an actin isoform associated with smooth muscle.