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Skin tumours comprise an important fraction of dermatology practice. Skin tumours can be benign or malignant, and patients can present with a merely unsightly nodule to a rapidly growing nodule. The diagnosis is made on pathological basis, which is done after performing skin biopsies. In this study, we aim to describe the characteristics of malignant skin tumors diagnosed by skin biopsies over a one-year period (2023) at the Department of Dermatology, King Hussein Medical Center (KHMC). In this retrospective study, data from biopsies that were done at our department and diagnosed as skin cancers were collected, patients' demographics were registered; including age, gender, and tumour location, and final diagnosis was recorded. Data was registered on an Excel® datasheet and analyzed using simple statistical methods. There were 78 biopsies that were diagnosed as skin cancers at the department of Dermatology. Of these, the most common diagnosis was basal cell carcinoma with 38% of the biopsied cancers. Eighteen per cent were diagnosed as squamous cell carcinomas, and 15% were melanomas. Mycosis fungoides and cutaneous T cell lymphoma cases were included in this study and reached 18% of the diagnosed skin cancers in our patients.

Background. Many studies, on light-skinned patients, suggested narrowband-UVB to be effective and safe for the treatment of early stage cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Objectives. To evaluate the efficacy and side effects of narrowband-UVB in treatment of early stage cutaneous T-cell lymphoma in patients with skin phototypes III, IV, and V. Methods. A total of 27 patients with the diagnosis of early stage cutaneous T-cell lymphoma were involved in this prospective study. All patients received narrowband-UVB as monotherapy until clearance or a maximum of 42 sessions. Patients with complete clearance were followed for six months or relapse. Rate of clearance, number of sessions, and cumulative narrowband-UVB dose needed to achieve clearance, percentage of patients remaining in remission at 6 months, and side effects were analyzed. Results. Within 5–14 weeks (15–42 sessions), using cumulative narrowband-UVB dose ranging from 17.3 to 48.2 J/cm2, complete remission was achieved in 76.4% of patients. The rest of the patients achieved partial remission. Six months after discontinuation of the treatment, 42.8% of patients with complete remission remained in remission. Transient erythema in 11.1% of patients and mild hyperpigmentation in 14.8% of patients were the only side effects encountered during this study. Conclusion. We conclude that narrowband-UVB phototherapy is safe and effective for the treatment of early stage cutaneous T-cell lymphoma in darker-skinned patients.

Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCLs) represent a heterogeneous group of rare extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphomas with variable clinical presentation. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region), where darker skin colors are more common than in the West, CTCL generally presents at a younger age and with distinct clinical features that necessitate special expertise and management across disciplines: rare forms of CTCL are more common (hypo- and hyperpigmented mycosis fungoides (MF)) and a higher prevalence of pediatric MF is noticed. The high cancer burden in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region) is coupled with an increasing cancer incidence. While the MENA region constitutes 6% of the world’s population, it remains underrepresented in clinical trials. Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCLs) represent a heterogeneous group of rare extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphomas with variable clinical presentation. In the MENA region, where darker skin colors are more common than in the West, CTCL generally presents at a younger age and with distinct clinical features that necessitate special expertise and management across disciplines: rare forms of CTCL are more common (hypo- and hyperpigmented MF) and a higher prevalence of pediatric MF is noticed. The multidisciplinary approach to cancer management is growing worldwide and is necessary for the comprehensive management of CTCL. The MENA CTCL group was established with the aim of creating a collaborative environment for the diagnosis and treatment of CTCL in the region. Its first meeting was held in May 2023. The group plans to increase the global representation of the MENA region and establish CTCL registries and patient advocacy groups in the region.

The high cancer burden in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region) is coupled with an increasing cancer incidence. While the MENA region constitutes 6% of the world’s population, it remains underrepresented in clinical trials. Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCLs) represent a heterogeneous group of rare extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphomas with variable clinical presentation. In the MENA region, where darker skin colors are more common than in the West, CTCL generally presents at a younger age and with distinct clinical features that necessitate special expertise and management across disciplines: rare forms of CTCL are more common (hypo- and hyperpigmented MF) and a higher prevalence of pediatric MF is noticed. The multidisciplinary approach to cancer management is growing worldwide and is necessary for the comprehensive management of CTCL. The MENA CTCL group was established with the aim of creating a collaborative environment for the diagnosis and treatment of CTCL in the region. Its first meeting was held in May 2023. The group plans to increase the global representation of the MENA region and establish CTCL registries and patient advocacy groups in the region.

Introduction  Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disorder causing non-scarring hair loss on the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, and other areas. Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors have emerged as promising treatments, but data on their efficacy in Middle Eastern populations, including Jordanians, are limited. The Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score is commonly used to assess disease severity, while Clinician-Reported Outcome (ClinRO) measures provide additional insights. Aim To evaluate the efficacy of JAK inhibitors in Jordanian AA patients using the SALT score as the primary outcome measure. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted at King Hussein Hospital, Jordanian Royal Medical Services, from January 2020 to December 2023. Medical records of AA patients aged ≥18 years treated with JAK inhibitors were reviewed. Data included demographics, disease duration, previous treatments, and adverse effects. Efficacy was assessed by the percentage change in SALT scores at six and 12 months. Statistical analyses included repeated-measures MANCOVA (Multivariate Analysis of Covariance), Chi-square, and independent t-test. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant. Results Our analysis included 57 patients, of which 31 (54.4%) received tofacitinib and 26 (45.6%) received baricitinib. A significantly higher proportion of baricitinib users had treatment durations >12 months (53.8%) compared to tofacitinib users (12.9%), while shorter durations (three to six months) were more common among tofacitinib users (41.9% vs. 15.4%; = 0.003). Baricitinib users showed greater improvement in SALT scores between six to 12 months (92.77% vs. 82.93%; = 0.030, partial η² = 0.084), with a trend toward greater total improvement at 12 months (96.64% vs. 93.11%; = 0.055, partial η² = 0.067). Although not statistically significant, baricitinib showed numerically higher ClinRO improvement in eyebrows from six to 12 months (84.58% vs. 70.29%; = 0.212) and in eyelashes (83.92% vs. 73.40%; = 0.313), suggesting better late-stage response compared to tofacitinib. Conclusion JAK inhibitors demonstrated efficacy in Jordanian patients with alopecia areata, leading to enhanced SALT scores and noticeable hair regrowth, with baricitinib demonstrating greater improvement in SALT scores compared to tofacitinib.

Little is known about the role of viral respiratory pathogens in the etiology, seasonality or severity of severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Sentinel surveillance for SARI was conducted from December 2007 through February 2014 at 20 hospitals in Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Qatar and Yemen. Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs were collected from hospitalized patients meeting SARI case definitions and were analyzed for infection with influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus (AdV), human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and human parainfluenza virus types 1-3 (hPIV1-3). We analyzed surveillance data to calculate positivity rates for viral respiratory pathogens, describe the seasonality of those pathogens and determine which pathogens were responsible for more severe outcomes requiring ventilation and/or intensive care and/or resulting in death. At least one viral respiratory pathogen was detected in 8,753/28,508 (30.7%) samples tested for at least one pathogen and 3,497/9,315 (37.5%) of samples tested for all pathogens-influenza in 3,345/28,438 (11.8%), RSV in 3,942/24,503 (16.1%), AdV in 923/9,402 (9.8%), hMPV in 617/9,384 (6.6%), hPIV1 in 159/9,402 (1.7%), hPIV2 in 85/9,402 (0.9%) and hPIV3 in 365/9,402 (3.9%). Multiple pathogens were identified in 501/9,316 (5.4%) participants tested for all pathogens. Monthly variation, indicating seasonal differences in levels of infection, was observed for all pathogens. Participants with hMPV infections and participants less than five years of age were significantly less likely than participants not infected with hMPV and those older than five years of age, respectively, to experience a severe outcome, while participants with a pre-existing chronic disease were at increased risk of a severe outcome, compared to those with no reported pre-existing chronic disease. Viral respiratory pathogens are common among SARI patients in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Ongoing surveillance is important to monitor changes in the etiology, seasonality and severity of pathogens of interest.

The identification and counting of red blood cells (RBCs) in microscopic blood images can provide useful information concerning the health of patients. Software-based cell counting has the advantages of objectivity, speed, and convenience over the manual method. Most of the automated RBC counting techniques in literature employed the grayscale or the green component of the red-green-blue (RGB) color images of blood smears. This work focuses on comparing the effect of using different color layers on the performance of software-based RBC counting. Ten color layers were extracted from different color models of blood smear images along with the grayscale conversion. Two comparisons were made: a comparison of contrast and a comparison of RBC counting performance using 52 blood smear images. The RBC contrast in the magenta layer of the cyan-magenta-yellow-key (CMYK) color model was at least 230% higher than that in the other layers. Additionally, our results indicated that using the magenta layer can provide better RBC counting performance when compared to the green, grayscale, and key layers with the p-values of p=0.0283, p<0.0001, and p<0.0001, respectively.