The effects of novel alginate-lauric arginate coatings with temperature on bacterial quality, oxidative stability, and organoleptic characteristics of frozen stored chicken drumsticks.

Although alginate has been reported to be used as an edible film and coating in food, to the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the individual effects of coatings, temperatures, storage times, as well as their interactions, on the bacterial quality, deterioration criteria, and sensory attributes of chicken drumsticks. To accomplish this, six groups of chicken drumsticks were treated with different coatings, temperatures, and storage conditions. The groups included 2 % alginate at 25 °C (Alg25) and 50 °C (Alg50), a mixture of 2 % alginate and 2 % LAE at 25 °C (M25) and 50 °C (M50), besides control untreated samples in distilled water at 25 °C (C25) and 50 °C (C50). The chicken drumsticks were stored at -18 °C for 3 months. The results showed that all treated chicken drumsticks induced a significant reduction in all bacterial counts, as well as a significant decrease in pH and thiobarbituric acid values, with an improvement in all sensory attributes, particularly in the M25 and M50 coated samples compared to the C25 and C50. Furthermore, exposing alginate and LAE to a temperature of 50 °C can increase their antimicrobial activity. In conclusion, the innovative combinations of LAE and alginate can be used successfully to decontaminate chicken carcasses in poultry processing plants.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice toward Skin Cancer Prevention and Detection among Jordanian Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Skin cancer is one of the most growing types of cancer, especially in the Mediterranean, even though it is a preventable disease. The purpose of this study is to assess medical students' knowledge, attitude, and practice about skin cancer prevention and detection. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated structured questionnaire covering the areas of knowledge, attitude, and practice of the study participants. RESULTS: The study involved 1530 students; 55.3% were females. Most of the students possessed proper knowledge about skin cancer (81%). The most prevalent skin cancer risk factors were sun exposure during the day (83.5%) and immunosuppression (71.2%). More than half of the students did not have any habits of skin examination (61.5%). 20% of the students never used sunscreen, while only 20% of them avoided sun exposure during day hours. CONCLUSION: The general level of the medical students' knowledge of skin cancer and its risk factors appeared to be higher than what is found in other studies; it is reasonable as the study participants were medical students. However, the protective behavior from the sun was inadequate when compared to the level of knowledge reported. Additional education about the behavior toward sun exposure and protection against skin cancer may be needed to be implemented in the dermatology curriculum.

Pre-Implantation Gender Selection: Family Balancing in Jordan.

PURPOSE: To find out whether couples with predominant female offspring have more chances to produce more female embryos during non-medical pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for male sex selection. METHODS: A total of 125 couples who had three or more female offspring and underwent non-medical PGD for male sex selection between 2015 and 2019 were included. Nuclear DNA was analyzed by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Two-chromosome (X, Y), 3-chromosome (21, X, Y), and 5-chromosome (13, 18, 21, X, Y) probes were used for FISH. The standard protocol was followed for sperm processing and embryo culture for IVF and PGD. RESULTS: In 83.2% of the couples, the ratio of female embryos was higher than male embryos. Independent sample t-test showed that there is no significant difference between equal and unequal embryonic groups in patients' age, husbands' age, sperm count, sperm motility, total male embryos, total female embryos, normal male embryos, and normal female embryos. For patients with positive pregnancy outcome, 84.6% had unequal embryonic ratio while 15.4% had equal embryonic ratio. Similarly, patients who were treated by short protocol had 85% of unequal embryonic ratio and 15% had equal ratio. CONCLUSION: A greater variability in the female to male embryonic ratio is produced in couples having predominantly female offspring and seeking non-medical PGD for male sex selection.