High Yield Medical Reviews

Discovering The Barriers to Colon Cancer Screening in Jordan

Mohammad Balaw — 2024-06-01

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common global cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths, affecting the colon and rectum. Screening modalities include fecal occult blood tests, immunohistochemical tests, and the gold standard, colonoscopy. Despite screening effectiveness, barriers such as misconceptions, cultural beliefs, cost, and disparities hinder widespread adoption.

Methods

This is a review article. We searched for relevant articles was done using the PubMed and Cochrane Library databases. Studies had to be published in English to be considered.

Results

We examined global, regional, and local barriers to CRC screening in Jordan. Lack of awareness and physician recommendations emerged as significant hurdles, with responses reaching 70%. The general population in Jordan demonstrated limited knowledge about CRC and screening effectiveness, in contrast to healthcare workers who exhibited acceptable levels of knowledge. While about 60% of individuals receive adequate screening in the US, the expectation is considerably lower in Jordan and other third-world countries due to widespread underestimation of colon cancer risk among the general public.

Conclusion

Despite existing research in Jordan on barriers to CRC screening, there remains a need for further patient-centered investigation to better understand these obstacles. It is crucial to address the lack of physician guidance, pinpointing whether this issue stems from poor patient-physician communication or insufficient knowledge among healthcare providers regarding the significance of CRC screening. Moreover, tackling social and gender disparities is vital, given that men are both more susceptible to CRC and less likely to pursue screening, even when asymptomatic.

Ophthalmology Perspective on The Theory of Amyloid Beta Toxicity: Implications on Future Studies

Saif Aldeen AlRyalat — 2024-06-01

Background: The debate about the theory of amyloid beta (Aβ) toxicity grew after the recent approval of the Alzheimer's drug Aducanumab. This was especially true after one of the first articles to bring up this theory was recently criticized for being questionable. Several studies in the field of ophthalmology also used the same theory of Aβ toxicity.

Methods: We searched PubMed for ophthalmology-related articles on until January 2024, mentioning amyloid beta to study the consequences of such data concerns and questioned the pathogenic role for Aβ. We will examine the breadth of Aβ-related ophthalmology articles, with an emphasis on those that address Aβ toxicity theory.

Results: There was a total of 451 articles in the field of ophthalmology that talked about Aβ. Before 2007, the number of articles did not exceed 10 per year. Since 2007, the number of articles published each year has gone up. In 2007, 14 articles were published, by 2021, 38 articles were published each year before decreasing to 24 articles by 2023. The 2006 article by Lesne et al. was cited 1216times in PubMed. When both searches were put together, a total of seven ophthalmology-related articles that cited Lesne et al's article were found, which we discussed in this review article.

Conclusion: Most articles on ophthalmology saw amyloid beta as a diagnostic biomarker, but only a few findings demonstrated that it could be toxic. Most of the time, Aβ was talked about in relation to the retina and its age-related disease, age-related macular degeneration.

From Data to Diagnosis: Narrative Review of Open-Access Mammography Databases for Breast Cancer Detection

Jaber Jaradat — 2024-06-01

Breast cancer remains a significant global health challenge, necessitating advancements in screening and diagnostic methods for its early detection and treatment. This review explores the role of open-access mammography databases in facilitating research and development in the field of breast cancer detection, particularly through the integration of artificial intelligence techniques such as machine learning and deep learning. In this review, we highlight the open-access databases, including the Digital Database for Screening Mammography (DDSM), the Curated Breast Imaging Subset of DDSM (CBIS-DDSM), Mini-DDSM, INbreast, Mammographic Image Analysis Society Dataset (MIAS), and the China Mammography and Mastopathy Dataset (CMMD). Each database was analyzed in terms of its composition, features, limitations, and contributions to breast cancer research. In addition, we highlight the importance of open-access databases in enabling collaborative research, improving algorithm development, and enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of breast cancer detection methods computer-aided diagnosis.

Decoding the Landscape of Cytomegalovirus Research in Liver Transplantation: An In-Depth Analysis

Laurie Hung — 2024-06-01

Introduction: Cytomegalovirus (CMV), a prevalent viral infection post-liver transplantation, significantly influences transplant outcomes. This bibliometric analysis explores the evolving landscape of CMV-related research in liver transplantation, emphasizing research output and key areas of interest.

Methods: Utilizing the Web of Science (WOS) database, we systematically searched for CMV and liver transplantation documents on October 16, 2023. R programming language, VOSviewer, and Microsoft Excel Office 365 were used for analysis.

Results: Analyzing 801 publications on CMV-related research in liver transplantation unveiled a variable publication pattern, peaking in 2010 and 2021. "Transplantation" stood out as the predominant journal. Leading contributors included the University of Pittsburgh, Mayo Clinic, and the University of Washington. The United States led in contributions, followed by Spain and the United Kingdom. The analysis highlighted substantial international collaboration, notably involving the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, China, and Italy. Key themes revolved around recipients, prophylaxis, prevention, and antiviral therapies, with ganciclovir and valganciclovir as primary medications. Recently, there has been significant discussion regarding medications such as letermovir and maribavir.

Conclusion: This research highlights the dynamic landscape of CMV infection studies, focusing on emerging trends and new medications like 'letermovir' and' maribavir'. Given the persistent challenges in transplantation, leveraging these insights is crucial for collaborative efforts and innovative research initiatives. As the transplantation community grapples with the challenges of CMV infections, our paper aims to serve as a cornerstone among contributors, fostering collaboration among authors, centers, and countries. We hope this collaboration will significantly benefit patients and elevate healthcare standards.

Comparative Analysis of the Bibliographic Data Sources Using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Lens

Alaa Tarazi — 2024-06-01

Background: Bibliometric analysis is a quantitative tool to evaluate collaboration and the impact of publications within a given field. This study aims to elucidate the methodologies used in different databases for bibliometric analysis, offering a detailed comparison of their pros and cons.

Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science (WOS), and Lens were used in this comparative study, with search examples of the “University of Jordan” in the period (2019-2023). 2739, 7777, 7518, and 4326 publications were retrieved from these databases, respectively. PubMed has the least number of documents due to its limited scope. Microsoft Excel 2019 and VOSviewer 1.6.20 were used to assess the data analysis.

Results: Annual growth was observed across all databases, except for Lens database. The majority of top authors were found to be shared among different databases, with variations in the number of documents, and WOS had the least number of documents per author. The top countries were shared between Scopus and WOS, but there was a substantial difference in the number of citations between WOS and Scopus. In institutions analysis, most were ranked as institute with their department, except in WOS where the results were reported as generalizable to the institute level. Keyword analysis revealed a significant similarity between different databases. Journals distribution also had a great similarity across different databases and variable documents.

Conclusion: Researchers should choose a bibliographic database based on their specific needs, considering factors like coverage and accessibility. This study provides a comparative analysis of various databases, including the Lens database.