Objectives. Few reports of lupus nephritis (LN) from Jordan and the Middle East exist. This study assessed the demographic, clinical, and basic laboratory characteristics of Jordanian patients with LN and correlations with the histological class of LN. Methods. This was a retrospective study of all patients who underwent kidney biopsy between 2007 and 2018 at a tertiary medical center in Jordan. Patients’ demographic, clinical, laboratory, and pathological data were reviewed. Results. In total, 79 patients were included in this study [mean age, 29.95 ± 12.16 years; 11 men (13.9%), 68 women (86.1%)]. Asymptomatic proteinuria and hematuria were the most common presentations in LN patients at biopsy (59.5%). The study revealed a significant difference in frequency of nephritic syndrome (p= 0.01) between sexes (10.3% female vs. 45.5% male). Class IV was the most common pathological class of LN [37 (46.8%)], followed by class V [15 (19%)] and class III [10 (12.7%)]. Post hoc analysis of the associations between laboratory values and histopathological patterns revealed a significant correlation between class IV lupus and renal failure (p= 0.018) and class IV lupus and anti-DNA antibodies p= 0.030). End-stage renal disease (ESRD) occurred in 25% of lupus nephritis cases. There was an increased likelihood of ESRD among men than women (45% vs. 22%). Overall mortality was 10%. Conclusion. Although some clinical and laboratory findings correlate with histological types of LN, clinical and laboratory parameters of Jordanian patients with LN are not predictive of the histological type, although differences with regional studies were noted.

Background: This study sought to determine the prevalence of carotid artery calcifications (CACs) and pulp stones detected on panoramic radiographs (PRs) and ascertain their correlation. Methods: A total of 2013 digital PRs were retrospectively retrieved and thoroughly examined to determine the prevalence of CACs and pulp stones, their correlation with patient age and gender, and the relationship between the presence of pulps stones and radiographically detectable CACs. Results: The prevalence of CACs on PRs was 2.0%; the prevalence of pulp stones was 4.6%. There was no statistical relationship between pulp stones and CACs (p = 0.714). Older patients exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of CACs than younger patients (p < 0.001); pulp stones were statistically more prevalent in younger patients than older patients (p = 0.001). There were no significant differences between male and females in terms of the prevalence of either CACs or pulp stones (p = 0.087 and p = 0.278, respectively). Conclusions: Dentists should be trained to detect CACs on PRs belonging to patients older than 40 to exclude the presence of CACs. Moreover, pulp stones do not function as a diagnostic marker for CACs.

Aim To determine the prevalence and frequency of different pathological patterns of glomerulonephritis (GN) in adolescent (age ≥ 11 years) and adult Jordanian patients. Materials and Methods A retrospective analysis of all clinical and pathological reports of Jordanian patients who had native renal biopsies at the University of Jordan hospital between January 2007 and March 2018 to assess the prevalence and pathological pattern of GN. The data were analyzed statistically using descriptive statistics, the chi-squared test, and Fisher's exact tests. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Results Two hundred and nine patients (88 males and 121 females) had native kidney biopsies diagnosed as having GN; the mean age at the time of biopsy was 36.0 ± 14.9 years. Primary GN (51.2%) was more common than secondary GN (48.8%). The most common GN was lupus nephritis (LN) (33.5%), followed by membranous nephropathy (MGN) (15.3%), and diabetic nephropathy (DN) (11.0%). Furthermore, IgA nephropathy was noted in 8.1% of cases. LN was the most common among the secondary GN and occurred in 49.6% of females; MGN was the most common primary GN and occurred in 22.7% of males. There was a statistically significant difference between males and females in the prevalence of LN and MGN (P < .001 and P = .011, respectively). LN was also dominant in all age groups expect for the ≥60 years group, which tended to exhibit DN (40%). Conclusion LN is the most common GN type in Jordan, followed by MGN and DN. MGN is the predominant primary GN with a higher prevalence among males; LN is the predominant secondary GN and tends to occur in Jordanian females. The GN patterns in this study shifted from membranoproliferative GN to MGN in Jordan, which revealed a shift towards similar patterns exhibited in developed countries. Furthermore, DN is the most frequent GN in the elderly.

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Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmia in clinical practice and is a common comorbidity in hemodialysis patients. AF contributes to cardiovascular complications; therefore, it is recommended to screen for AF in high-risk patients to prevent serious complications. As we currently lack a handy AF screening tool, the aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of a modified BP monitor (Omron M6), in detecting AF in hemodialysis patients. In a cross-sectional analysis conducted from October 2018 to February 2019, we enrolled all the hemodialysis patients, older than 18 years and maintained on hemodialysis for at least 3 months in four hemodialysis centers in Jordan. Logistic regression was used to predict the accuracy, while the R package (epiR) was used to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the Omron M6 in screening AF. A total of 227 patients participated in the study, with a median age of 57 years (42.8-67.3); among these, 44.5% were female. Of all the participants, 18 were detected with AF, which was confirmed by a 12-lead ECG. The prevalence of AF in our study was 7.9%, while the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the Omron M6 in detecting AF were calculated as 83.0% (95% CI, 59.0-96.0), 94.0% (95% CI, 90.0-97.0) and 93.4% (95% CI, 88.0-95.0) respectively. We concluded that Omron M6 has high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in screening AF among hemodialysis patients. However, further studies are required to ascertain and firmly establish this preliminary finding.