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.

This overview is intended to give a general outline about the basics of Cytopathology. This is a field that is gaining tremendous momentum all over the world due to its speed, accuracy and cost effectiveness. This review will include a brief description about the history of cytology from its inception followed by recent developments. Discussion about the different types of specimens, whether exfoliative or aspiration will be presented with explanation of its rule as a screening and diagnostic test. A brief description of the indications, utilization, sensitivity, specificity, cost effectiveness, speed and accuracy will be carried out. The role that cytopathology plays in early detection of cancer will be emphasized. The ability to provide all types of ancillary studies necessary to make specific diagnosis that will dictate treatment protocols will be demonstrated. A brief description of the general rules of cytomorphology differentiating benign from malignant will be presented. Emphasis on communication between clinicians and pathologist will be underscored. The limitations and potential problems in the form of false positive and false negative will be briefly discussed. Few representative examples will be shown. A brief description of the different techniques in performing fine needle aspirations will be presented. General recommendation for the safest methods and hints to enhance the sensitivity of different sample procurement will be given. It is hoped that this review will benefit all practicing clinicians that may face certain diagnostic challenges requiring the use of cytological material.

The stigmatizing attitude towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) can be a major barrier to effective patient care. As future physicians, medical students represent a core group that should be targeted with focused knowledge and adequate training to provide patient care without prejudice. The aim of the current study was to examine HIV/AIDS knowledge, and the stigmatizing attitude towards PLWHA, among medical students in Jordan. The current study was based on a self-administered online questionnaire, which was distributed during March–May 2021, involving students at the six medical schools in Jordan, with items assessing demographics, HIV/AIDS knowledge, and HIV/AIDS stigmatizing attitude, which was evaluated using the validated HIV-stigma scale. The total number of respondents was 1362, with predominance of females (n = 780, 57.3%). Lack of HIV/AIDS knowledge among the study participants was notable for the following items: HIV transmission through breastfeeding (40.8% correct responses), HIV is not transmitted through saliva (42.6% correct responses), and vertical transmission of HIV can be prevented (48.8% correct responses). Approximately two-thirds of the respondents displayed a positive attitude towards PLWHA. For six out of the 14 HIV/AIDS knowledge items, lack of knowledge was significantly correlated with a more negative attitude towards PLWHA. Multinomial regression analysis showed that a significantly more negative attitude towards PLWHA was found among the pre-clinical students compared to the clinical students (odds ratio (OR): 0.65, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.43–0.97, p = 0.036); and that affiliation to medical schools that were founded before 2000 was associated with a more positive attitude towards PLWHA compared to affiliation to recently founded medical schools in the country (OR: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.42–2.42, p < 0.001). About one-third of medical students who participated in the study displayed a negative attitude towards PLWHA. Defects in HIV/AIDS knowledge were detected for aspects involving HIV transmission and prevention, and such defects were correlated with a more negative attitude towards PLWHA. It is recommended to revise the current medical training curricula, and to tailor improvements in the overall HIV/AIDS knowledge, which can be reflected in a more positive attitude towards PLWHA, particularly for the recently established medical schools in the country.

Fine needle aspiration biopsy cytopathology (FNAC) of lymph nodes is a very common, inexpensive, and rapid diagnostic procedure and can lead to the accurate and timely diagnosis of one of the wide range of pathological processes that involve lymph nodes. These diagnoses include specific reactive processes, specific infections such as tuberculosis, metastatic carcinomas and melanomas, and some lymphomas. The FNAC effectively triages the lymph node material, but the initial diagnosis often requires ancillary testing as a second diagnostic step to make a specific diagnosis, such as the particular infectious agent, the type of lymphoma or Hodgkin lymphoma, or the specific type of metastatic malignancy. An international group of cytopathologists have begun the process of developing a system for the standardized reporting of lymph node FNAC. The group is addressing the pre-analytical issues related to the FNAC, including the role of clinical information and the use of ultrasound, and developing a structure of reporting categories based on the cytopathological findings linked to management recommendations. The basis of the system is the integration of the FNAC with the clinical setting, imaging, and ancillary tests that utilize the FNAC material, to produce a final report that will enhance patient care.

In recent years, many rapid and automated instruments with highly complex testing methodologies have been introduced to our laboratories, almost all