Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal
Volume:22 Issue: 10, Oct 2020

Decision fusion has emerged as a data management technique due to the diversity and scalability of data in health care. This first-scope review aimed to investigate the use of this technique in health care.

A query was carried out on PubMed, Science Direct, and EMBASE within 1960-2017 using such keywords as decision fusion, information fusion, symbolic fusion, distributed decisions, expert fusion, and sensor fusion, in conjunction with med-* and health-care. The articles were analyzed in terms of methodology and results.

The literature search yielded 106 articles. Based on the results, in the field of health care, the articles were related to image processing (29%), sensors (22%), diagnosis area(10%), biology (6%), health informatics (8%), and signal process (15%). The majority of articles were published in 2011, 2012, and 2015, and the USA had the largest number of articles. Most of the articles were about engineering and basic sciences. Regarding healthcare, the majority of studies were conducted on the diagnosis of diseases (80%), while 9% and 11% of articles were about prevention and treatment, respectively. These studies applied the following

intelligent methods (44%), new methods (36%), probabilistic (13%), and evidential methods (7%). The dataset was as follows: research project data (49%), online dataset (42%), and simulation (9%). Furthermore, 49% of articles mentioned the applied software, among which classification and interpretation were reportedly the most and the least used methods. Discussion and

Decision fusion is a holistic approach to evaluate all areas of health care and elucidate diverse techniques that can lead to improved quality of care. Innovation: This article is the first scope review article about the application of the decision fusion technique in the field of health care, building on an established protocol. Decision fusion can reduce the cost of care and improve the quality of health care provision. Therefore, this article can help care providers understand the benefits of this technique and overcome challenges in adopting decision fusion technology.

 This study faces two main challenges, namely the lack of budget and similar national social networks. Moreover, the problems of information and communication technology infrastructure in Iran and issues, such as compliance with copyright and privacy, complicated the project.

 Given that there has been no previous research in this regard, the present study was the first attempt to design and implement a social network for Iranian health academics. Therefore, to achieve the goals of this study, various methods will be used to prevent the failure of the project and gather comprehensive information. This research project will make use of four qualitative studies, one comparative study, one review study, and four quantitative studies.

This study faces two main challenges, namely the lack of budget and similar national social networks. Moreover, the problems of information and communication technology infrastructure in Iran and issues, such as compliance with copyright and privacy, complicated the project.

 Among the most important chronic diseases is multiple sclerosis (MS) leading to physical disability and decrease in the patientsʼ quality of life.

 The present study aimed to investigate the effect of the royal jelly capsule on the life quality of patients with MS.

 This randomized clinical trial study was conducted on a total of 100 patients referring to the MS Society of Hamadan, Iran, in 2018. Allocation sequences were determined using block randomization with a block size of 4, and the subjects were assigned to the intervention and control groups according to a predetermined sequence. The intervention group received one royal jelly capsule (500 mg) daily, and the control group received a placebo capsule for 90 days. The life quality of the patients and their daily activities were evaluated using the specific questionnaire for the life quality of the patients with MS and Barthel Index of Daily Living Activities before and after the intervention. Data analysis was performed by Stata software (version 13) and appropriate statistical tests with a significance level of 0.05.

 The comparison of the mean score of the patientsʼ life quality showed that it was higher in the experimental group in the post-intervention (66.51±15.08) than that reported for the control group (51.31±15.08) after controlling possible confounding factors, which was statistically significant (P<0.001). Furthermore, Cohen's d (1.01; 95% CI: 0.59-1.42) also indicated the intended large effect size of the intervention. The comparison of daily activity status scores between the two groups also demonstrated an improvement in the experimental group (18.76±1.44), compared to that of the control group (16.96±3.01), which was statistically significant (P=0.001).

Based on the findings of the current study, it can be concluded that the use of the royal jelly supplement can be effective in the improvement of the life quality of the patients with MS.

 Breast cancer is a hormone-dependent malignancy. Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) is the main transport binding protein for sex steroid hormones in plasma and regulates their accessibility to target cells.

 The present study aimed to assess the relationship between rs6257 and rs6258 polymorphisms in the SHBG gene with breast cancer risk.

 This case-control study was conducted on 100 breast cancer patients and 100 healthy control subjects. After extracting DNA from peripheral blood, Genotyping was performed using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. The data were analyzed in SPSS software using the chi-square test and logistic regression to distinguish the difference between the cases and controls in terms of the distribution of allele types and genotypes.

 The frequencies of Rs6257 were 78%, 17%, 5% in the case group and 88%, 7%, and 5% in control groups for TT, CC, and CT genotypes respectively. The rs6257 CC genotype showed about a 2.721-fold increase in breast cancer (P=0.030, OR:2.721, CI95%:1.075-6.887). This genotype was reversely associated with age, body mass index, menopausal status, and breast cancer. Nonetheless, Rs6258 had no significant correlation with breast cancer risk or other demographic factors.

 As evidenced by the obtained results, the rs6257 polymorphism may be a useful biomarker associated with breast cancer risk in Iranian women. To confirm the findings of the present study, larger studies are needed in the future.

 Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play pivotal roles in carcinogenesis and the development of drug resistance in various malignancies.

 The current study aimed to explore the impact of antisense non-coding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL) silencing on proliferation and the sensitivity of KATO III gastric cells to the doxorubicin as a common chemotherapeutic agent.

The KATO III cells were transfected with ANRIL siRNA (si-ANRIL) using Lipofectamine™2000 reagent. Following that, the relative ANRIL levels were determined by quantitative Real-Time PCR. Trypan blue assay was conducted to observe the tumor cell proliferation following the transfection. Moreover, the MTT assay was performed to identify the cytotoxic effects of doxorubicin and si-ANRIL alone or in combination on KATO III cells. The effects of si-ANRIL/doxorubicin on KATO III cells migration and apoptosis were assessed by wound healing assay and ELISA cell death method, respectively.

The results showed that the si-ANRIL significantly diminished ANRIL expression level in a time-dependent manner contributing to the distinct repression of cell growth and enhanced apoptosis. Furthermore, the si-ANRIL synergistically elevated the cytotoxic impacts of doxorubicin. Additionally, the ANRIL down-regulation dramatically promoted its induction of apoptosis. Moreover, KATO III cells transfected with si-ANRIL and exposed with doxorubicin revealed significantly reduced invasion capability and enhanced apoptosis rate.

These results demonstrated that the knock-down of lncRNA ANRIL could be a potential therapeutic strategy to trigger apoptosis and circumvent doxorubicin-resistance.

 Most patients with untreated chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection develop hepatic fibrosis. Hepatic disease progression is monitored with hematological markers (alanine aminotransferase [ALT], aspartate aminotransferase [AST], albumin and platelet [PLT] count, AST/ALT ratio, AST/PLT ratio index [APRI], and fibrosis 4 score [FIB-4]) and FibroScan. The present study aimed to investigate the association between Duffy antigen/chemokines receptor (DARC) polymorphisms and clinical parameters in the Han people with chronic hepatitis C infection in Dalian, China.

 This cohort study was performed on 245 Han people with chronic HCV at Dalian infectious hospital during April-December 2015. The participants of the research were selected using the consecutive sampling method. The DARC genotyping was performed using the TaqMan probe method and transient elastography was measured by FibroScan.

 Based on the findings, DARC polymorphisms correlated with ALT concentrations (FY*A/FY*A vs. FY*A/FY*B, P=0.025). However, the DARC polymorphism did not have an association with HCV RNA titers (FY*A/FY*A vs. FY*A/FY*B, P=0.241) or hepatic fibrosis (FY*A/FY*A vs. FY*A/FY*B, P=0.325). Moreover, correlation analyses showed that APRI (P<0.001, rho=0.603) and FIB-4 (P<0.001, rho=0.698) were useful predictors of hepatic fibrosis in chronic HCV infection. Besides, HCV RNA titers (P=0.327) and hepatic injury markers (P=0.814, 0.198, 0.767, and 0.171 for ALT, AST, ALB, and AST/ALT, respectively) were not useful for the estimation of the fibrosis stage in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

 The FY*A allele is a potentially valuable protective factor against hepatocyte damage in chronic HCV-infected patients.

 Cytomegalovirus (CMV) can vertically transmit from infected mothers to fetuses and causes congenital infection in newborns. Unfortunately, there have been limited data available on the prevalence of congenital CMV (cCMV) infection among Iranian neonates at higher risk of infection.

 The current study aimed to assess the prevalence of cCMV infection among hospitalized neonates in Tehran, Iran, and investigate the diagnostic values of CMV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on Guthrie cards in comparison to those reported for urine specimens.

 This cross-sectional study was carried out on the hospitalized neonates with 3 weeks of age. The urine specimens and Guthrie cards were taken from each eligible newborn. Total nucleic acid was extracted from the samples and tested by PCR for the presence of CMV deoxyribonucleic acid. The cCMV infection was confirmed in the newborns, and the infected neonates underwent further evaluation.

 Out of 224 newborns, CMV infection was identified in 11 neonates (4.9%). There were no factors in association with cCMV infection. The sensitivity and specificity of dried blood spot (DBS) samples for the identification of newborns with cCMV infection were 90% and 99%, respectively.

 A significant number of hospitalized neonates in the present study were infected with cCMV infection. The results of the current study revealed that Guthrie cards had adequate sensitivity for the identification of CMV infection in the hospitalized newborns. Since symptomatic newborns with cCMV infection have a higher chance for the development of early- or late-onset sequelae of infection, it is recommended to diagnose and treat this group of newborns.

 Attention to the increase of students’ physical activity is one of the goals of Healthy People 2020. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of education on the students’ physical activity by using two methods of lecturing and the peer group.

 In this quasi-experimental study, 142 female students (aged 12-15) were randomly selected and divided into two groups: lecture (n=71) and peer group (n=71). Two physical activity questionnaires; the Physical Activity Questionnaire for older Children (PAQ-C) and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAC-Short Form), were filled out by the students in two phases, before educational intervention and eight weeks later. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 20 using the parametric (independent and paired sample t-tests) and non-parametric tests (Man Whitney U and Wilcoxon Signed-Ranked tests).

 The results of the study showed that the hypothesis: “the effect of the educational intervention program using two methods of lecture and education in the peer group is different on the physical activity of students” was accepted. In both groups, the level of physical activity was low in the beginning of the study. However, eight weeks after the educational intervention program, a significant increase was observed in the physical activity of students in the peer group, in comparison to the students in the lecture group using both questionnaires; i.e. PAQ-C (p<0.001) and IPAQ-Short Form (p<0.001). Also, measurement by two questionnaires showed that the number of students with low physical activity in the peer group declined (p=0.001), and the number of those with moderate physical activity was notably added (p<0.01).

 Dynamism in the peer group causes sustainable learning in the domain of psychomotor skills. Therefore, this active teaching method can be developed in schools for increasing learning motivation of students in health programs by school or community health nurses.

 Since December 2019, a new type of pneumonia named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been reported in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. At present, there are no relevant reports on cases of COVID-19 and comorbid pulmonary tuberculosis. We herein report a case of a patient with COVID-19 and comorbid pulmonary tuberculosis.

 A 47-year-old female patient with COVID-19 positive pharyngeal swabs. She did not have fever, coughing or breathing difficulties. The patient diagnosed as COVID-19, and pulmonary tuberculosis based on the patient's epidemiological history, routine blood test, imaging findings, and COVID-19 nucleic acid test results. Contact and droplet precautions were implemented. Antiviral treatment, anti-tuberculosis treatment, and liver protection treatment were given. The patient has not complained of discomfort, and her condition is stable.

 COVID-19 and comorbid tuberculosis is suspected, epidemiological history, clinical presentation, laboratory tests, and imaging examinations must be combined to make a comprehensive diagnosis and prompt quarantine and treatment measures should be implemented.

Metaphyseal burst sign, which is soft tissue edema in the metaepiphyseal region, is defined as a novel initial sign of subchondral insufficiency fracture of the knee (SIFK). We reported the first Iranian case of the SIFK in femoral medial condyle characterized by a metaphyseal burst sign which could be an early sign of the SIFK. Early diagnosis and treatment could dramatically relieve the sign and symptoms of patients with significant improvement of the MRI scan.