Publications by authors named "Majdi Al Qawasmeh"

Background: Poststroke depression among patients is well-recognized, while caregiver depression is understudied. The interaction between patient and caregiver depression is also unclear.

Methods: This cross-sectional and follow-up study recruited 108 patient-caregiver dyads after the first-ever stroke.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to evaluate how topical lidocaine gel affects discomfort during nerve conduction studies (NCS) compared to a placebo gel (K-Y gel).
  • A total of 130 patients participated, with one palm treated with lidocaine while the other received K-Y gel, and pain levels were measured through two pain scales.
  • Results demonstrated that patients experienced significantly less pain with lidocaine gel, particularly in certain subgroups, although the overall clinical relevance of the findings may require further exploration and better drug delivery methods.
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Unlabelled: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a major cause of acute flaccid paralysis that is encountered in all geographical areas. Very limited data about this syndrome has been reported from the Arab countries. This study is the first one trying to describe the clinical features and management outcomes of GBS in the Jordanian population.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study examines the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers (HCWs) by comparing depressive symptoms between two groups: one month after the pandemic began and one year later.
  • - Data from 422 HCWs showed a significant increase in the prevalence and severity of depression over the year, with 41.7% of the one-year group meeting criteria for major depressive disorder, compared to 31.8% in the onset group.
  • - Various factors such as age, marital status, income, and job role were linked to higher depression scores, highlighting that younger, unmarried individuals and medical professionals directly dealing with COVID-19 patients faced the greatest psychological challenges.
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Background: Alpha calcitonin gene-related peptide (aCGRP), neuropeptide Y (NPY), and substance P (SP) are neuropeptides that have emerged recently as potent immunomodulatory factors with potential as novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets in multiple sclerosis (MS).

Objective: The study aimed to detect serum levels of aCGRP, NPY, and SP in MS patients versus healthy controls and their association with disease activity and severity.

Methods: Serum levels were measured in MS patients and age and sex-matched healthy controls using ELISA.

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Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by episodes of depression and mania, associated with impaired emotion processing. Several functional MRI (fMRI) studies have been used to investigate the structural and functional alteration in BD. Here, we aim to investigate the current fMRI findings of brain activation during emotion-regulation tasks between BD patients and healthy controls (HC).

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Background: Migraine is a primary headache disorder that causes debilitating throbbing pain. Several functional MRI (fMRI) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies have been used to investigate the structural and functional alteration in migraine. Here, we aim to study the converged brain regions of functional and structural abnormalities in gray matter volume (GMV) associated with pain processing and management in migraineurs and healthy controls (HC).

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Aims: The authors aimed to assess the ischemic stroke risk factors and scales.

Materials & Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients with acute ischemic stroke (from January 2017 to December 2018). The scores of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) at admission and discharge and of the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and Barthel Index (BI) scale post-month of the stroke were collected.

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We assessed whether stroke severity, functional outcome, and mortality in patients with ischemic stroke differed between patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and those without. We conducted a prospective, single-center cohort study in Irbid, North Jordan. All patients diagnosed with ischemic stroke and SARS-CoV-2 infection were consecutively recruited from October 15, 2020, to October 16, 2021.

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Poststroke depression (PSD) is common and remains a significant risk factor for poor outcomes. This prospective study is aimed at assessing the prevalence, severity, and predictors of PSD among Jordanian stroke survivors. A total of 151 patients who were consequently admitted to a tertiary teaching hospital with ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes were enrolled.

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Purpose: We report a case of a pediatric patient developing a delayed-onset scalp arteriovenous fistula (AVF) and pseudoaneurysm managed with a new technique.

Technique: A 10-year-old boy presented to the outpatient clinic complaining of a growing pulsatile mass in the right side of the skull after head trauma 6 months ago. He had no neurological deficits.

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Background: Assessing physical activity (PA) in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) is essential to follow-up the recommended PA level. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the Incidental and Planned Exercise Questionnaire (IPEQ) have been widely used, but their validity has not been investigated previously in PwMS.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the convergent and criterion validity of the IPAQ and the IPEQ in PwMS.

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Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system. Vasoactive and intestinal peptide (VIP) and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) are neuropeptides that play roles in anti-inflammation and neuroprotection in MS. In this study, we aimed to determine the serum levels of VIP and PACAP in MS patients versus healthy controls and to correlate them with demographics and clinical characteristics.

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A 14-year-old female patient presented with symptoms of chronic mid and low back pain that radiated to both lower limbs for 5 months, with rapidly progressive lower limb weakness and urine retention. Radiologic evaluation revealed an intramedullary mass at the level of first to sixth thoracic vertebrae. The patient underwent surgery and intraoperative findings showed an intramedullary mass lesion composed of well-differentiated fat tissue.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The most common abnormalities included sinus tachycardia, premature ventricular contractions, and atrial fibrillation (Afib), with Afib being notably more prevalent in females.
  • * Key factors associated with EKG abnormalities were older age, a history of epilepsy or seizures, and whether the EEG was conducted for evaluating seizures/epilepsy or syncope, prompting neurologists to pay closer attention to EKG findings during EEG testing.
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Objectives: This study examines the usefulness of computed tomography (CT) scans in evaluating patients with dizziness in the emergency department (ED).

Methods: Medical records of patients presented with complaints of dizziness or vertigo to the ED of a tertiary university hospital and underwent head CT scans from July 2015 to June 2018 were reviewed. The patients' demographic information, presenting symptoms, and final head CT scan and Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results were collected.

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BACKGROUND Stimulus-induced rhythmic, periodic, or ictal discharges (SIRPIDs) commonly occur in critically ill patients and can be distinguished from spontaneous epileptic seizures by continuous electroencephalogram (CEEG) monitoring. There are no current treatment guidelines for SIRPIDs. This report is of a 73-year-old woman with respiratory failure and without any detectable gross brain lesions.

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Pain and fatigue are highly prevalent debilitating symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD), however, their relationship with physical performance, fear of falling (FOF) and falls is not clear. We aim in this pilot study to investigate the relationship of pain and fatigue with physical performance, FOF and falls in people with Parkinson's disease (PwPD). 53 PD patients were assessed for fall history, physical performance, FOF, pain and fatigue.

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Background: Vitamin D (Vit.D) deficiency is a risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS) and correlates with its severity. Depression is also common in people with MS (PWMS).

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This article has been withdrawn at the request of the editor and publisher. The publisher regrets that an error occurred which led to the publication of this paper, which had been rejected by the editor. This error bears no reflection on the editor.

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Background: Gangliogliomas are neoplasms containing both astrocytic and neuronal components. We present a case of gangliogliomas of the optic chiasm, which are extremely rare pathologies.

Case Description: A 16-year-old female patient referred to our clinic with gradual deterioration of vision for the age of 1 year mostly in the right eye.

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Background: To study the clinical, radiological, electroencephalographic, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) features of Human Herpes Virus 6 (HHV-6) encephalitis in leukemia patients underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all leukemia patients who underwent allogeneic HSCT between January 2010 and December 2018. The clinical, radiological, electroencephalographic, and CSF features of those with HHV6 encephalitis were recorded.

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Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease that is caused by an autoimmune response that results in the neuron's demyelination in the central nervous system. The exact etiology of MS is not clear; however, several environmental and genetic factors are believed to participate in its initiation and development, including exposure to viruses. This study aims to investigate the association between the seropositivity and antibody titer of selected herpesviruses and MS in Jordanian MS patients.

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Ventriculo-femoral vein shunts have been described in few case reports as an alternative for treating complex cases of hydrocephalus in which other accesses are discarded. To our best knowledge, only 6 cases have been reported in the literature to date. We present a case of a 2-year-old female patient with hydrocephalus secondary to neonatal sepsis and meningitis.

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The burden of stroke can be substantially studied by establishing the functional consequences of stroke and its predictors on the population, economy and to guide rehabilitation efforts. This study aims to determine the subtypes, risk factors, and epidemiology of stroke in Jordan. : A retrospective cohort study design was carried out to determine the risk factors and subtypes of stroke during 2017-2018.

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