A Cross-Sectional study of Psychiatric disorders in Medical Sciences Students.

INTRODUCTION: Aim of article was to investigate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders (depression, social dysfunction, anxiety and somatic symptoms) and some of its influencing factors in freshmen at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study which has conducted among 781 new students of all faculties of University in 2014. A study tool was the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ28). RESULTS: Founding of this study has shown that from 781 students under study (33% male and 67% female). 27.9% of students have been suspected of some degree of mental disorders. The average total score of the questionnaire for male students was18.04±12.02 and for female students was18.69±12.13, but no significant difference was observed between the average score of mental health and sex(p<0.05). The average overall score in Ph.D students was higher than this score in undergraduates and masters that it shows there is more mental disorders in this group. But no significant difference between level of education and average mental health score, anxiety and health problems was observed(p<0.05). In terms of depression subscale(p<0.05) and social adjustment(p<0.001), this difference was significant. CONCLUSION: Due to high prevalence of mental disorders in these students, counseling and therapeutic interventions to eliminate or reduce these problems must be designed.

CuS nanoagents for photodynamic and photothermal therapies: Phenomena and possible mechanisms.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) have been emerging as attractive and promising methods for tumor treatment in clinical approaches. CuS nanoparticles are effective and cost-effective agents for PTT. Recently, it was observed that CuS nanoparticles are also excellence candidates for PDT. However, the mechanisms for CuS nanoparticles as PDT agents have never been discussed. The goal here is to explore the killing mechanisms of CuS nanoparticles as PTT and PDT agents. CuS nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple wet chemistry method by coating with amphiphilic polymer and examined for their therapeutic potential on lung adenocarcinoma cell line SPC-A-1 in vitro and in vivo using a murine cancer model. The CuS nanoparticles produce heat as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS) when excited by 808nm laser and show strong anticancer effects both in vitro and in vivo. The heating effects and release of copper ions from CuS upon heating in the tumor acidic environments are the main mechanisms for the generation of reactive oxygen species which are lethal bullets for cancer destruction. As a dual-function agent for PTT and PDT, CuS nanoparticles are promising phototherapy agents for cancer treatment.

Synthesis and conjugation of Sr2MgSi2O7:Eu2+, Dy3+ water soluble afterglow nanoparticles for photodynamic activation.

The applications of afterglow particles for photodynamic activation and biological imaging have become a topical research area. For these applications, it is critical to have water soluble nanoparticles. However, the synthesis of water soluble afterglow nanoparticles like Sr2MgSi2O7:Eu2+, Dy3+ is a challenging issue because most afterglow materials are very complicated in composition that cannot be synthesized by simple chemical routes. Here, for the first time, Sr2MgSi2O7:Eu2+, Dy3+ water soluble and stable nanoparticles are synthesize using a modified Sol-Gel method followed by the grinding and coating with APTES. The surface coating of the afterglow with APTES and the conjugation with PpIX and folic acid not only improve their water solubility but also enhance the PpIX luminescence by 10 times. More importantly, these strategies make it possible to produce singlet oxygen under X-ray irradiation, which is a very important result for deep cancer treatment. In addition, the surface coating and conjugation largely increase the cell uptake and greatly reduce their dark cytotoxicity. All these results indicate the methods reported here for afterglow nanoparticle synthesis, coating and conjugation are successful, and consequently, the prepared Sr2MgSi2O7:Eu2+, Dy3+/PPIX/Folic acid nano-conjugates are promising for X-ray induced photodynamic therapy on cancer treatment.

Investigation of the strategies for targeting of the afterglow nanoparticles to tumor cells.

Afterglow nanoparticles have been widely investigated as new agents for cancer imaging and as a light source for photodynamic activation for cancer treatment. For both applications, the targeting of the afterglow nanoparticles to tumor cells is an important and challenging issue. Here we report the strategies for targeting Sr3MgSi2O8:Eu(2+),Dy(3+) afterglow nanoparticles to tumor cells by conjugating with variety of targeting molecules such as folic acid, RGD peptide, and R-11 peptide. For folic acid targeting, experimental observations were conducted on PC-3 cells (folate receptor negative), MCF-7 (folate receptor positive), and KB cells (folate receptor positive) to compare the cellular uptake and confirm targeted delivery. For the cyclic RGDfK peptide, experiments were carried out on the integrin αvß3 positive MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line and the integrin αvß3 negative MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines in order to compare the cellular uptakes. As for R11-SH peptide, cellular uptake of the afterglow nanoparticles was observed on LNCaP and PC3 prostate cancer cell lines. All the observations showed that the cellular uptakes of the nanoparticles were enhanced by conjugation to variety of targeting molecules which are specific for breast and prostate cancer cells.

Enhancement of protoporphyrin IX performance in aqueous solutions for photodynamic therapy.

Molecular modification of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) was conducted to improve its water solubility and therapeutic performance for photodynamic therapy. The carboxylic acid and the two nitrogen atoms in the core of PpIX molecule were protonated following by conjugation with 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES). Then, folic acid (FA) was conjugated to the APTES-coated PpIX (MPpIX) through chemical bonding between FA and protonated PpIX. The results showed that APTES coating can stabilize PpIX and increase its water solubility. Consequently, this leads to the enhancement in luminescence and singlet oxygen production. Upon X-ray irradiation, singlet oxygen can be detected in the MPpIX but not in PpIX. This means that MPpIX can be used for deep cancer treatment as X-ray can penetrate deeply into tissue. Molecular modification also reduces the dark toxicity of PPIX and increases their cell uptake. All these traits indicate that the Molecular modification of PpIX may potentially improve the efficacy of photodynamic therapy for cancer treatment.