ABSTRACT
Introduction: Mobile Health refers to activities in the field of medicine and general health through using smart devices for gathering clinical healthcare data, presenting information about physicians, researchers and patients, supervising vital signs, and distant visits. Since using this accessible and inexpensive tool for healthcare education has not been developed yet in our country, this study was designed with the aim of identifying effective factors on the adoption of mobile health technology
Method: In this survey research, the study population was pregnant women referred to Hospitals in Karaj who completed the designed questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive referential statistical methods [the single-variable t- test] and Friedman Test was used to prioritize the research variables
Results: According to the research findings, facilitating conditions had the most effect on the adoption of mobile health technology followed by the variables of social influence, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, waiting time, attitude, information quality, technology anxiety, data privacy and security, trust, and hedonic motivation
Conclusion: Facilitating conditions of using health mobile technology should be improved through increasing necessary financial, organizational and technical infrastructures of using health technology services and consequently increasing the acceptance of using this type of services. Also, with creating changes in thoughts, feelings, attitudes, the acceptance of this new technology should be facilitated
ABSTRACT
Objective: The regenerative potential of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells [MNCs] and CD133+ stem cells in the heart varies in terms of their pro-angiogenic effects. This phase II/III, multicenter and double-blind trial is designed to compare the functional effects of intramyocardial autologous transplantation of both cell types and placebo in patients with recent myocardial infarction [RMI] post-coronary artery bypass graft
Materials and Methods: This was a phase II/III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial COMPARE CPM-RMI [CD133, Placebo, MNCs - recent myocardial infarction] conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki that assessed the safety and efficacy of CD133 and MNCs compared to placebo in patients with RMI. We randomly assigned 77 eligible RMI patients selected from 5 hospitals to receive CD133+ cells, MNC, or a placebo. Patients underwent gated single photon emission computed tomography assessments at 6 and 18 months post-intramyocardial transplantation. We tested the normally distributed efficacy outcomes with a mixed analysis of variance model that used the entire data set of baseline and between-group comparisons as well as within subject [time] and group×time interaction terms
Results: There were no related serious adverse events reported. The intramyocardial transplantation of both cell types increased left ventricular ejection fraction by 9% [95% confidence intervals [CI]: 2.14% to 15.78%, P=0.01] and improved decreased systolic wall thickening by -3.7 [95% CI: -7.07 to -0.42, P=0.03]. The CD133 group showed significantly decreased non-viable segments by 75% [P=0.001] compared to the placebo and 60% [P=0.01] compared to the MNC group. We observed this improvement at both the 6- and 18-month time points
Conclusion: Intramyocardial injections of CD133+ cells or MNCs appeared to be safe and efficient with superiority of CD133+ cells for patients with RMI. Although the sample size precluded a definitive statement about clinical outcomes, these results have provided the basis for larger studies to confirm definitive evidence about the efficacy of these cell types
ABSTRACT
Background: preterm labor and birth are associated with several neonatal complications including respiratory distress syndrome and intraventricular hemorrhage. Differentiating true and false labor pain is a dilemma to obstetricians
Objective: to elucidate the role of cervical length measurement in prediction of birth in pregnant women with threatened preterm labor
Materials and Methods: in this double blind randomized clinical trial, 120 women with gestational age <34 wk who presented painful uterine contractions randomly assigned to undergo measurement of cervical length. Patients were registered in the hospital and a unit number was given. Based on the unit numbers, patients were randomly assigned to two groups using a computerized random digit generator. All participants were managed accordingly [n=65] or to receive tocolysis as planned [n=55]. Tocolysis was prescribed when cervical length was <15 mm while those with cervical length >/=15 mm were managed expectantly. Delivery within 7 days of the presentation was the primary outcome
Results: this RCT showed in case group, 78.9% of patient with cervical length <15 mm were delivered within 7 days and only 21.1% of them maintained their pregnancy. Of those with cervical length >/=15 mm, only 15.2% were delivered within the study period and the rest [84.8%] maintained their pregnancy [p<0.001]
Conclusion: "our results indicate that in women who presented preterm labor symptoms, cervical length measurement will result in decreased unnecessary tocolytic treatment. Women with cervical length >/=15mm should not receive tocolysis, however, withholding corticosteroid therapy in these patients needs further evidence
ABSTRACT
Objective: Nonunion is defined as a minimum of a 9-month period of time since an injury with no visibly progressive signs of healing for 3 months. Recent studies show that application of mesenchymal stromal cells [MSCs] in the laboratory setting is effective for bone regeneration. Animal studies have shown that MSCs can be used to treat nonunions. For the first time in an Iranian population, the present study investigated the safety of MSC implantation to treat human lower limb long bone nonunion
Materials and Methods: It is a prospective clinical trial for evaluating the safety of using autologus bone marrow derived mesenchymal stromal cells for treating nonunion. Orthopedic surgeons evaluated 12 patients with lower limb long bone nonunion for participation in this study. From these, 5 complied with the eligibility criteria and received MSCs. Under fluoroscopic guidance, patients received a one-time implantation of 20-50x106 MSCs into the nonunion site. All patients were followed by anterior-posterior and lateral X-rays from the affected limb, in addition to hematological, biochemical, and serological laboratory tests obtained before and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the implantation. Possible adverse effects that included local or systemic, serious or non-serious, and related or unrelated effects were recorded during this time period
Results: From a safety perspective, all patients tolerated the MSCs implantation during the 12 months of the trial. Three patients had evidence of bony union based on the after implantation X- rays
Conclusion: The results have suggested that implantation of bone marrow-derived MSCs is a safe treatment for nonunion. A double-blind, controlled clinical trial is required to assess the efficacy of this treatment
Subject(s)
Adult , Adolescent , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Young Adult , Autografts , Transplantation, Autologous/methods , Plastic Surgery Procedures , Mesenchymal Stem Cells , Lower Extremity , Prospective StudiesABSTRACT
Background: Erythropoietin, as a principal hormone promotes red blood cell production in bone marrow. Varieties of erythropoietin biosimilar are being produced by recombinant DNA technology in cell cultures. The detection or quantification of these molecules are being performed by different methods which some of theme such as Western blot and enzymelinked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] require specific antibodies. High cost, inappropriate shipping [cold chain failures], reduced sensitivity and thus poor detection performance are common pitfalls of using commercial kits for performing immunological tests
Objectives: To produce in-house polyclonal antibody against active pharmaceutical ingredient [API] of recombinant human erythropoietin [rh-EPO] was the aim of this study
Materials and Methods: Two healthy female albino rabbits were injected four times in 14 days interval using rh-EPO API as antigen. The produced antibody was separated from plasma via either caprylic acid or saturated ammonium sulfate precipitation and the results were compared from each purification methodologies. The antibody was further purified by ion exchange chromatography. Acceptable purity and good immunogenicity were detected respectively by SDS-PAGE and western blot analysis. The purified antibody was compared with a commercial kit to determine rh-EPO concentration in different steps of production batches via ELISA
Results: The purity of antibodies after ion exchange chromatography, obtained from caprylic acid and ammonium sulfate precipitation were 97 and 80%, respectively
Conclusions: As producing in house kits is one of the important challenges of bio- pharmaceutical manufacturers, a simple, cost- and time-effective, and easy to scale up strategy for making in-house polyclonal antibody was set up. Caprylic acid precipitation resulted higher purity than ammonium sulfate and finally purified antibody [97% purity] used as a capture antibody in sandwich ELISA test was able to detect erythropoietin antigen as sensitive [100%] and specific [100%] as commercial kits
Subject(s)
Animals, Laboratory , Erythropoietin/immunology , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Sensitivity and Specificity , RabbitsABSTRACT
Objective: Executive functions refer to a group of higher-order cognitive processes responsible for self-regulated and targeted behaviors. This study aimed to investigate the effects of age and gender on executive functions focusing on three distinct areas of attentional control, planning and set-shifting among18-80 year-old healthy subjects
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled a total of 200 healthy adults [100 women and 100 men] 18-80 years of age living in Tehran. Sampling was done through a random stratified cluster procedure with regard to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Each area of the executive functions was evaluated using Stroop test for attentional control, Tower of London [ToL] test for planning and problem-solving and Wisconsin test for set-shifting. The correlation between age and components of executive functions was evaluated through Pearson correlation test. Moreover, the differences between age groups were examined by ANOVA while the correlation between gender and components of the executive functions was examined by t-test
Results: Age was significantly correlated with all subscales of Stroop test except time-interference, with the total number of errors and the overall result from ToL and all subscales of Wisconsin [P<0.001], R=0.49]. There were no gender effect on executive functions except for the total time [t=-2.09, p=0.037] and the number of errors [t=-9.2, p=0.004] in ToL test which was significantly higher in women than men
Conclusion: The executive functions including attentional control, planning and set-shifting was shown to be decreased by age. Problem-solving and planning were better in men than women
ABSTRACT
One of the most important aspects in recombinant biologic production, based on GMP rules, is the accuracy of final product quality control, especially assessment of host cell macromolecules contamination rate in final product. The purification requirement can be eliminated when the yeast cell containing the recombinant protein is used as a host cell. It is possibile that the final product contaminated to the host cell protein during purification stages of HBsAg [HBV vaccine]. The protein purification costs depend on the purification procedures required. Nowadays several companies produce commercial kits for identification and assessment of host cell protein contamination based on ELISA and Western blotting methods. But high prices, difference in sensitivity and lack of easy access to these kits sometimes create problems. So, in this study, two methods of Ammonium sulphate and caprilic acid precipitation technique were used separately for IgG purification. The results showed that IgG purification increased by 97% in caprylic acid method, compared with only a 77% increase in ammonium sulphate method. There were also significant differences in specificity and sensitivity between our standardized ELISA technique and using commercial kit [Cygnus CHO HCP]