A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study- Knowledge, behavior and psychological change among Medical and Non-medical Students in Jordan during COVID-19 pandemic

Nipah virus (NiV) is an RNA virus, a pathogenic paramyxovirus that causes nonlethal respiratory illness in pigs. It was originally reported in Malaysia in 1998. NiV is considered a potential outbreak threat because it is zoonotic. However, no vaccines or antiviral drugs have been found against NiV. Therefore, the main objective is to develop effective vaccines by characterizing the fusion protein of NiV. We used a reference sequence retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), then 3D modeled it to obtain the conserved region of the fusion protein. The interaction between the conserved region and B-cell receptors has been evaluated through a molecular docking approach. The B-cell epitope was identified using the Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) web server. As a result, we recommend Pep_D FANCISVTCQCQ as an epitope-based peptide vaccine candidate against Nipah virus. Pep D is highly immunogenic and does not cause autoimmune reactions. Pep D has the lowest binding energy for BCR molecular complexes, which can activate the transduction signal and direct B-cell immune response. However, further studies are required for confirmation (in vitro and in vivo).

Section: Fig 3 Visualization Of the Bond Between The Ligand And The R...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Reverse Vaccinology Analysis of B-cell Epitope against Nipah Virus using Fusion Protein

Aqsha,

Dharmawan,

Kharisma

et al. 2023

“…Although Jordan is known for its conservative Islamic values, substance use has become increasingly common 12,28,29 . It was reported that tobacco is considered a "gateway drug" that may lead to alcohol, hashish, and other substance use as well high-risk behaviors in the long term in Jordan (Abdel-Qader et al 2021).…”

Section: Substance Use Among Universities Studentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Substance Abuse among University Students: Assessing Prevalence, Risk and Preventive Measures

Abazid,

Abutayeh,

Abu Farha

et al. 2023

Objectives: This research was undertaken to determine the prevalence and beliefs about drug abuse among university students in Jordan and to recommend certain preventive measures for the problem of drug addiction. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional online survey was conducted in April 2021 and included 679 students from private and public universities in Jordan. Students were asked to fill out the study survey through social media (Facebook and WhatsApp). Results: The study included a survey conducted among 679 students from private and public universities whereby two third of them were females and more than half were studying in medical and health departments. It was found that 7.1% of university students used drugs in their life including illicit drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. Also, the addictive students started using drugs at a mean age of 18 years old ± 3.9. Importantly, around half of the addictive students succeeded to quit using drugs, 20.8% reported not trying to quit, while 33.3% of them tried but could not quit. In addition, the findings of this study revealed that peer pressure (n= 657, 96.8%), and the lack of religious commitment (n= 654, 96.3%), were the most motivational factors for drug abuse. Finally, regression analysis showed that female gender (OR= 0.094, p-value <0.001), and studying in public university (OR= 0.496, p-value= 0.042) were considered protective factors against substance abuse. Conclusion: Focusing on increasing the awareness of youths about the risks of using drugs is a major framework in the society. Our recommendations are to increase awareness among the students, parents and society about drug abuse.

“…It has been established that the pandemic's impacts extend beyond the psychological effects and high mortality rates of affected individuals. Mental health and lifestyle have also been affected (2) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Purchasing Intention of Vitamins in Kuwait using the Theory of Planned Behavior

Ghaith,

Echchad,

AlHaman

et al. 2023

Using the Theory of Planned Behavior model developed by Ajzen in 1985, the authors assessed the influence of attitude (ATT) toward vitamins, health awareness (HA), perceived behavioral control (PBC), subjective norms (SN), and knowledge of COVID-19 (KN) on the purchasing intention (PI) of vitamins in Kuwait during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 587 adults living in Kuwait completed the online survey, which was available in both Arabic and English. The measured variables included health awareness, attitude, knowledge about COVID-19, purchasing intention, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms. The findings indicate that HA has a significant impact on ATT. Furthermore, the results revealed that HA significantly influences ATT, ATT has a significant influence on PI, KN has a significant influence on ATT, KN has a significant influence on PI, PBC positively influences PI, SN has a significant influence over PI, and SN positively influences PI.