Attitude of Jordanians towards a new enactment for an opt-out organ donation system: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Organ donation entails saving or transforming lives through the provision of organs, either from living donors or deceased individuals. In Jordan, low donation rates are attributed to religious misconceptions, limited education and insufficient awareness of the burden on patients with organ failure. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the attitudes of the Jordanian population towards the practicality and effectiveness of introducing an opt-out organ donation system through legislative measures, with the aim of increasing donation rates. DESIGN: This cross-sectional study used a designed self-administered questionnaire. Data were subsequently analysed using IBM SPSS software. SETTING: The study encompassed all 12 cities located in Jordan. PARTICIPANTS: Data were collected from 1146 Jordanian participants, excluding individuals under the age of 18. RESULTS: Approximately 36.6% reported organ or blood donation while 18.9% participated in awareness campaigns. Many (75.7%) perceived insufficient awareness about the importance of organ donation, and 67.1% noted a scarcity of online donor registration platforms. Only 12.0% of participants discussed organ donation with healthcare providers. As anticipated, only 9.0% were registered donors while 67.7% expressed acceptance of organ donation, with 55.3% willing to enrol in donor programmes. Religion influenced 54.2% of organ donation decisions. There are associations between agreement for a new enactment and prior organ or blood donation or discussions with healthcare providers. However, religion affected willingness to donate organs. Most importantly, refusal to be a donor after death was associated with religion, occupation and awareness levels. CONCLUSION: Despite the population's understanding and support for the concept of organ donation, the willingness towards donating their own organs is limited. To boost organ donation rates and acceptance of the new enactment, we recommend conducting educational campaigns, improving online registration platforms, enhancing healthcare provider engagement, collaborating with religious communities and advocating for supportive policies.

Prevalence of text neck syndrome, its impact on neck dysfunction, and its associated factors among medical students: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Students increasingly rely on digital devices, leading to text neck syndrome, a common overuse syndrome caused by repetitive forward neck flexion. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of text neck syndrome among medical students and the resulting neck dysfunction and to investigate the possible associated factors. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used an online self-developed questionnaire among medical students. Students' characteristics and data about smartphone usage were evaluated for diagnosis. Individuals with at least 3 of the 6 text neck syndrome symptoms and a history of more than four hours a day spent on a smartphone were diagnosed with text neck syndrome. Neck dysfunction was measured using the neck disability index. Descriptive statistics and the chi-square test were used. P values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The study found that 31.7% of students with text neck syndrome have mild neck disabilities, with a higher proportion of females (40%). The characteristics that have a significant relation to text neck syndrome include being female (p < 0.0001), overweight (p = 0.025), being right-handed (p = 0.001), using four digital devices or more (p = 0.002), having low levels of physical activity (P = 0.018), and spending more than three hours a day sitting down (P = 0.027). CONCLUSION: More than a quarter of medical students had text neck syndrome, and most of them had a mild neck disability. Text Neck Syndrome was linked to an increased number of gadgets used, low exercise, and more time spent in a sitting position.

Rodent brain extraction and dissection: A comprehensive approach.

The neuroscience is continuously expanding field, and conducting experiments serves as one of the most effective approaches to enhance and broad our understanding of this fascinating field. Most of the lab work in neuroscience involves the use of animal models such as rats and mice for experiments dedicated to monitoring cerebral changes. The study:•Introduces a practical method for brain extraction without perfusion with paraformaldehyde prioritizing brain integrity and avoiding damage.•Offers a detailed, step-by-step dissection guide for different brain regions, including the hippocampus, cerebral cortex, corpus striatum, thalamus, cerebellum, and medial prefrontal cortex, from rodent brains, accompanied by high-resolution images that provide anatomical clarity.•Presents enhanced reliability, precision, and detailed anatomical descriptions.Conclusion: This study has introduced a reliable technique for brain extraction that eliminates the need for paraformaldehyde perfusion. Furthermore, a comprehensive methodology has been presented for extracting different brain regions from rodent brains.

Increased incidence of musculoskeletal pain in medical students during distance learning necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a consequence of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, the education system has changed globally. Face to face education has been replaced by distance learning. The aim of the present study was to find the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and syndromes among medical students during distance learning and to investigate the correlations of musculoskeletal pain with different causal factors. A total of 282 students completed an online questionnaire that measured time spent on digital devices, type of physical activity, time spent sitting, number of walking days/week, ergonomics, and postural habits. Some of these measurements were compared between periods before and during the pandemic. Because of distance learning, time spent on digital devices and total time spent sitting increased significantly from before to during the pandemic (p < 0.001); students' daily physical activities and the number of days per week with at least 10 min of walking decreased significantly (p < 0.001). Most of the students (75.9%) experienced at least one type of musculoskeletal pain, predominately shoulder and neck pain (65%). There was a very significant positive correlation between musculoskeletal pain and postural habits (p < 0.0001). This study suggested that postural habits while sitting have a profoundly negative effect on the musculoskeletal system and are factors in the causation of musculoskeletal pain.