Sonographic assessment of kidney length in Jordanian children: results from a tertiary hospital in the north of the kingdom

Objective: To provide a reliable and practical reference for normal standard kidney length values in Jordanian children using ultrasound according to age, height, and weight, and to assess the comparability of our standards to those from previous studies

Materials and Methods: The kidneys of 331 children [156 males, 175 females] ages between newborns and 14 years of age, who had diseases unrelated to the urinary tract were prospectively examined by ultrasound. All the examined kidneys were normal in size, shape, and position. The length of the kidneys were correlated with the age, weight, and height of the patients, and was compared to previous studies published in the literature

Results: There was no significant statistical difference between the length of the right kidney and the left kidney, and no difference between boys and girls [P>0.05]. There was good correlation between the length of the kidneys and the somatic parameters of the patients. Also, there was agreement between the kidney length in our study to those from previous international studies

Conclusions: A reliable and practical reference for normal standard kidney length values in Jordanian children is provided, which is in concordance with previously published data

Prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus [MRSA] at a Tertiary hospital in North Jordan

Steadily increasing methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus [MRSA] contributes significantly to mortality, morbidity, and increasing health care burden. In this study, we identified MRSA percentage rates, and patterns of resistance to various antibiotics at King Abdullah University Hospital [KAUH] in north Jordan. This retrospective study covered the period between 31/10/2003 and 31/10/2005. We tracked all MRSA infections judged by the infection control committee to be of nosocomial origin in eight different wards of the hospital. The number of isolates analyzed was 152. Susceptibility testing of staphylococcus aureus [S. aureus] to different antibiotics was done at KAUH clinical laboratory by disk diffusion testing according to NCCLS recommendations. MRSA percentage rate was 34% allover, with notably high percentage rates [about 57-70%] in adult intensive care units. No statistically significant age or gender differences in the pattern of S. aureus susceptibility have been encountered. In conclusion, MRSA percentage rate at KAUH is high and similar to rates from surrounding countries. Patterns of MRSA are also similar to those reported in literature, but no resistance to alycopeptides has been detected. Strict system to enforce proper use of antibiotics, assisted by applying proper infection control practices and surveillance in order to monitor and control nosocomial infections including MRSA

bibliometric analysis of pubmed-published Jordanian literature in the twentieth century

To identify the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of research published by Jordanian institutions in the medical and paramedical fields in the twentieth century. PubMed database was searched to identify relevant articles. Abstracts, full text, and or the 2003 Journal Citation Report were used to retrieve investigated characteristics. Jordanian medical institutions published 833 Pubmed-indexed articles in the twentieth century. Most of these articles [81%] were published in the last decade of the twentieth century. Articles published in Pharmacology Journals represented the largest proportion among other disciplines [12%], followed by dental, general medicine, infectious diseases, and obstetric journals, respectively. 72% of the articles were published in journals with assigned impact factors. However, the bulk of these articles [60%] were published in journals with impact factors of only 2 or less. It is worth nothing that only 16% of the published articles reflected experimental trials and only 3% were randomized and controlled, while 55% of the articles reflected observational studies. Jordan University of Science and Technology [JUST] researchers produced 44% of the total while Jordan University researchers produced 34%. Inter-institutional collaborative research was minimal and was dominated by JUST and the Ministry of Health. It is very clear that the Jordanian medical sciences research production has increased significantly in the last decade of the twentieth century. However, the quality of this research continues to be of low value. Efforts and resources are better directed toward multi-center, interventional, and more controlled research

Swine flu: an old virus with a new face

This review is describing the current world status of the recently identified swine origin influenza virus A [H1N1] outbreak with special focus on Jordan. This recent outbreak originated in Mexico and spread to more than 40 countries including USA and has been caused by a novel swine origin influenza virus A [H1N1]. This virus is thought to be a result of a genetic reassortment process that took place in pigs. This disease affects mostly young people with symptoms that are similar to those of seasonal influenza. Sustained human-to-human transmission has been documented and the virus is so far resistant to both amantadine and rimantadine but susceptible to oseltamivir and zanamivir. The World Health Organization [WHO] has raised the level of influenza pandemic to phase 5 and future speculations seem to be uncertain. Laboratory diagnosis is confirmed using a swine virus real-time, reverse transcriptase PCR test. No cases have been confirmed in Jordan. Nevertheless, Jordanian health authorities have started a very serious cascade of actions based on a comprehensive preparedness plan and supported by the already available infrastructure, increasing stockpiles of medications and protective equipments, and strengthening infection control preparedness of health care facilities