Background Huge efforts are being made to control the spread and impacts of the coronavirus pandemic using vaccines. However, willingness to be vaccinated depends on factors beyond the availability of vaccines. The aim of this study was three-folded: to assess children’s rates of COVID-19 Vaccination as reported by parents, to explore parents’ attitudes towards children’s COVID-19 vaccination, and to examine the factors associated with parents’ hesitancy towards children’s vaccination in several countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). Methods This study utilized a cross-sectional descriptive design. A sample of 3744 parents from eight countries, namely, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia (KSA), and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was conveniently approached and surveyed using Google forms from November to December 2021. The participants have responded to a 42-item questionnaire pertaining to socio-demographics, children vaccination status, knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines, and attitudes towards vaccinating children and the vaccine itself. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS- IBM, Chicago, IL, USA) was used to analyze the data. A cross-tabulation analysis using the chi-square test was employed to assess significant differences between categorical variables and a backward Wald stepwise binary logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the independent effect of each factor after controlling for potential confounders. Results The prevalence of vaccinated children against COVID-19 was 32% as reported by the parents. Concerning parents’ attitudes towards vaccines safety, about one third of participants (32.5%) believe that all vaccines are not safe. In the regression analysis, children’s vaccination was significantly correlated with parents’ age, education, occupation, parents’ previous COVID-19 infection, and their vaccination status. Participants aged ≥50 years and those aged 40-50 years had an odds ratio of 17.9 (OR = 17.9, CI: 11.16-28.97) and 13.2 (OR = 13.2, CI: 8.42-20.88); respectively, for vaccinating their children compared to those aged 18-29 years. Parents who had COVID-19 vaccine were about five folds more likely to vaccinate their children compared with parents who did not receive the vaccine (OR = 4.9, CI: 3.12-7.70). The prevalence of children’s vaccination in the participating Arab countries is still not promising. Conclusion To encourage parents, vaccinate their children against COVID-19, Arab governments should strategize accordingly. Reassurance of the efficacy and effectiveness of the vaccine should target the general population using educational campaigns, social media, and official TV and radio channels.

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Aim This study aims to explore the psychological status of nurses working with cancer patients in Jordan. Background Literature shows that nurses face many stressors in their job, in particular oncology nurses. Some of them have psychiatric illness such as anxiety and depression. Most of the reviewed studies were conducted in developed countries, and none in the Middle East. Method A qualitative descriptive approach was adopted, whereby interviews were conducted with 24 nurses that were selected from the oncology departments of one governmental hospital. Results Participants identified coping with death and dying in nursing care and some cultural issues (that they encountered) as the main factors that influence their psychological well‐being, which in turn may have contributed to a reduced quality of care for patients. Conclusion Findings indicated that the working environment within oncology is highly stressful, which might negatively affect the nurses’ job satisfaction and the quality of care that they provided. Implications for Nursing Management Findings of this study could help health care managers to understand the impact of psychological stressors on nurses’ performance, and the importance of improving the psychological status of oncology nurses.

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Synthetic control of gene expression, whether simply promoter selection or higher-order Boolean-style logic, is an important tool for metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. This work develops a suite of orthogonal T7 RNA polymerase systems capable of exerting AND/OR switchlike control over transcription in the yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae. When linked with CRISPR dCas9-based regulation systems, more complex circuitry is possible including AND/OR/NAND/NOR style control in response to combinations of extracellular copper and galactose. Additionally, we demonstrate that these T7 system designs are modular and can accommodate alternative stimuli sensing as demonstrated through blue light induction. These designs should greatly reduce the time and labor necessary for developing Boolean gene circuits in yeast with novel applications including metabolic pathway control in the future.

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Background: Huge efforts are being made to control the spread and impacts of the coronavirus pandemic using vaccines. However, willingness to be vaccinated depends on factors beyond the availability of vaccines. The aim of this study was three-folded: to assess the prevalence of children’s vaccination against COVID-19, to explore parents’ attitudes towards children’s vaccination, and to discover the factors associated with parents’ hesitancy towards children’s vaccination in several countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). Methods: This study utilized a cross-sectional descriptive design. A sample of 3744 parents from eight countries, namely, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia (KSA), and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was conveniently approached and surveyed using Google forms. The participants have responded to a 42-item questionnaire pertaining to socio-demographics, children vaccination status, knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines, and attitudes towards vaccinating children and the vaccine itself. Results: The prevalence of vaccinated children against COVID-19 was 32% as indicated by the parents. Concerning parents’ attitudes towards vaccines safety, about one third of participants (32.5%) believe that all vaccines are not safe. In the regression analysis, children’s vaccination was significantly correlated with parents’ age, education, occupation, parents’ previous COVID-19 infection, and their vaccination status. Participants aged ≥50 years and those aged 40-50 years had an odds ratio of 17.9 (OR=17.9, CI: 11.16-28.97) and 13.2 (OR=13.2, CI: 8.42-20.88); respectively, for vaccinating their children compared to those aged 18-29 years. Parents who had COVID-19 vaccine were about five folds more likely to vaccinate their children compared with parents who did not receive the vaccine (OR=4.9, CI: 3.12-7.70). The prevalence of children’s vaccination in the participating Arab countries is still not promising. Conclusion: To encourage parents, vaccinate their children against COVID-19, Arab governments should strategize accordingly. Reassurance of the efficacy and effectiveness of the vaccine should target the general population using educational campaigns, social media, and official TV and radio channels.

Background: Consumption of fast food is pervasive among young adults. This research aimed to assess the impact of consuming fast foods on total cholesterol level among university students in Northern Jordan. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, a blood sample to investigate cholesterol level was drawn from a sample of university students in Northern Jordan. Besides, students’ dietary habits and anthropometric measurements were obtained. Results: Out of 201 participants, 57% (n=115) were male and 43% (n=86) were female. More than three quarters of the sample ate shawarma (Mediterranean fast food) at least once per week. About 44% of the study subjects had increased BMI and about 37% had increased serum cholesterol level. Participants’ gender, age, marital status, physical activity, BMI, living status, and daily pocket money significantly correlated with cholesterol level (P<0.05). In the regression analysis, eating fast foods and increased BMI were strong predictors of high cholesterol level. Students who ate shawarma more than 3 times a week had more than 8 folds to have hypercholesterolemia (OR=8.4; CI: 2.62-26.72), and obese students were more than 14 folds at higher risk to have hypercholesterolemia compared to those with normal BMI (OR=14.2; CI: 4.80-42.29). In addition, male students had doubled odds for having abnormal cholesterol level compared to females (OR=2.1; CI: 1.10-4.44). Conclusion: Fast food consumption among university students in Jordan was significantly associated with increased total cholesterol level. Encouraging healthy diet and lifestyle are the basis for prevention of dyslipidemia.