Cervical cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in women worldwide. The availability of prophylactic vaccines for high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection represents an important advancement in the prevention of cervical cancer. In Jordan, the availability of the HPV vaccination is restricted to individuals who are willing to pay. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the willingness and attitude of female university students in health schools/faculties in Jordan to get HPV vaccination and their knowledge about the virus. A self-administered online questionnaire was distributed in October 2021, which comprised 27 items to evaluate HPV knowledge, history of HPV vaccination, intentions to get the HPV vaccine, and the reason(s) behind vaccine refusal for those who rejected vaccination. The study sample comprised 836 participants: medical students (39.7%), pharmacy students (26.0%), dental students (21.2%), and nursing students (13.2%). Only 524 participants had heard of HPV prior to the study (62.7%), of which 48.7% knew about the availability of HPV vaccines. The lowest level of HPV knowledge was observed among nursing students. Only 19/524 students reported a history of HPV vaccination (3.6%). The overall willingness to receive HPV vaccination if provided freely was 75.0%, while only 16.0% were willing to pay for the vaccine. The most common reason for HPV vaccine rejection was the perceived low risk to get HPV infection. Significantly higher intentions to get HPV vaccination were found among older participants and medical students. The embrace of vaccine conspiracy beliefs was associated with a significantly less willingness to get the HPV vaccination (p < 0.001). Dependence on the internet/social media as the source of HPV knowledge was associated with a significantly lower intention to get HPV vaccination (p = 0.002). The coverage of the HPV vaccination among female university students in health schools in Jordan appeared extremely low; however, three-fourths of the students who had heard of HPV were willing to receive the HPV vaccination if provided freely. Complacency appeared as a major factor for HPV vaccine rejection. Increasing the levels of knowledge and awareness of HPV infection and its association with cervical cancer through reliable sources is recommended. This can be helpful for the individual benefit of the students besides the potentially positive role they can play in community education. Countering vaccine conspiracy beliefs with proper education and awareness programs can be helpful to appraise the role of HPV vaccines in cancer prevention.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is set to shape the future of medical practice. The perspective and understanding of medical students are critical for guiding the development of educational curricula and training. Objective: This study aims to assess and compare medical AI-related attitudes among medical students in general medicine and in one of the visually oriented fields (pathology), along with illuminating their anticipated role of AI in the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-enhanced health care. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that used a web-based survey composed of a closed-ended questionnaire. The survey addressed medical students at all educational levels across the 5 public medical schools, along with pathology residents in 4 residency programs in Jordan. Results: A total of 394 respondents participated (328 medical students and 66 pathology residents). The majority of respondents (272/394, 69%) were already aware of AI and deep learning in medicine, mainly relying on websites for information on AI, while only 14% (56/394) were aware of AI through medical schools. There was a statistically significant difference in awareness among respondents who consider themselves tech experts compared with those who do not (P=.03). More than half of the respondents believed that AI could be used to diagnose diseases automatically (213/394, 54.1% agreement), with medical students agreeing more than pathology residents (P=.04). However, more than one-third expressed fear about recent AI developments (167/394, 42.4% agreed). Two-thirds of respondents disagreed that their medical schools had educated them about AI and its potential use (261/394, 66.2% disagreed), while 46.2% (182/394) expressed interest in learning about AI in medicine. In terms of pathology-specific questions, 75.4% (297/394) agreed that AI could be used to identify pathologies in slide examinations automatically. There was a significant difference between medical students and pathology residents in their agreement (P=.001). Overall, medical students and pathology trainees had similar responses. Conclusions: AI education should be introduced into medical school curricula to improve medical students’ understanding and attitudes. Students agreed that they need to learn about AI’s applications, potential hazards, and legal and ethical implications. This is the first study to analyze medical students’ views and awareness of AI in Jordan, as well as the first to include pathology residents’ perspectives. The findings are consistent with earlier research internationally. In comparison with prior research, these attitudes are similar in low-income and industrialized countries, highlighting the need for a global strategy to introduce AI instruction to medical students everywhere in this era of rapidly expanding technology.

Introduction: The specific protein composition of stroke-causing emboli is unknown. Because ischemic stroke has a varied etiology, it is possible that the composition of the thrombus from which an embolus originated will have distinctive molecular characteristics reflective of the underlying pathophysiology. We used mass spectrometry to evaluate the protein composition of retrieved emboli from patients with differing stroke etiologies and correlated the protein levels to serum predictors of atherosclerosis. Methods: Emboli from 20 consecutive acute stroke patients were retrieved by thrombectomy during routine stroke care. Thrombus proteins were extracted, digested and multidimentional fractionation of peptides was performed. Fractionated peptides underwent nano-liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Spectra were searched using Mascot software in which results with p<0.05 (95% confidence interval) were considered significant and indicating identity. The results were correlated to A1C, LDL, and ESR taken on admission. Results: 11 patients had atrial fibrillation, 4 had significant proximal vessel atherosclerosis, 2 were cryptogenic, and three had other identified stroke risk factors (left ventricular thrombus, dissection, endocarditis). Eighty-one common proteins (eg hemoglobin, fibrin, actin) were found in all 20 emboli. Serum LDL levels correlated with Septin-2 (rs=0.78, p=0.028), Phosphoglycerate Kinase 1 (rs =0.75, p=0.036), Integrin Alpha-M (rs=0.68, p=0.033) and Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (rs =0.63, p=0.05). Septin-7 levels inversely correlated to ESR (rs = -0.84, p=0.01). No significant protein correlations to A1C or tPA use were found. Conclusion: Our exploratory study presents mass spectrometry analysis of thrombi retrieved from acute stroke patients and correlates the thrombus proteome to clinical features of the patient. Notably, we found proteins associated with inflammation (eg Integrin Alpha–M) in emboli from patients with high LDL. Although these findings are tempered by a small sample size, we provide preliminary support for the feasibility of utilizing proteomic analysis of emboli to discover proteins that may be used as markers for stroke etiology.

Measles remains a highly contagious and potentially severe infectious disease, necessitating high vaccine coverage. However, misinformation and measles vaccine hesitancy/resistance have posed significant challenges to achieving this goal. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these challenges, leading to a measles outbreak in Jordan in 2023. This study aimed to investigate the acceptance of the measles rubella (MR) vaccine among parents in Jordan and to identify its associated determinants. This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted using a previously Arabic-validated version of the Parental Attitudes towards Childhood Vaccines (PACV) survey instrument. Data collection took place in October 2023, and the final study sample comprised a total of 391 parents, with mothers representing 69.8% of the participants (n = 273). The majority of participating parents expressed either resistance (n = 169, 43.2%) or hesitancy (n = 168, 43.0%) towards MR vaccination, while only 54 participants (13.8%) expressed MR vaccine acceptance. Multivariate analysis revealed that trust in vaccine safety/efficacy, behavior, and having fewer offspring were significantly associated with MR vaccine acceptance. The current study revealed a concerning level of MR vaccine hesitancy/resistance among parents in Jordan, which could signal a public health alarm in the country. Urgent and targeted interventions are strongly recommended to address this issue, including mass campaigns aimed at building trust in the MR vaccine’s safety/efficacy. Additionally, there is an urgent need for effective public health initiatives to ensure sufficient measles vaccine coverage to prevent future outbreaks of this serious disease.