Journal of Trends in Medical Sciences
Volume:2 Issue: 1, Winter 2022

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has emerged as the revolutionary cancer treatment method in recent years due to the heartwarming clinical outcomes in several types of hematologic malignancies. Since 2017, theUS Food and Drug Administration has approved four CAR T-cell products, including tisagenlecleucel [for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL)], axicabtagene ciloleucel (for DLBCL), brexucabtagene autoleucel (for mantle cell lymphoma), andlisocabtagene maraleucel (for DLBCL). The efficacy optimization and toxicity management methods of CAR T-cell therapy are among the most investigated fields of cancer immunotherapy. Furthermore, the favorable outcomes achieved by the aforementioned CAR T-cell products in hematologic malignancies have encouraged researchers to bring successful outcomes to solid tumor patients. This study aimed to highlight the outstanding characteristics and the manufacturing process of CAR T-cells and discuss the key lane leading to their clinically approved products.

Coagulation factor VII (FVII) is a vitamin K-dependent serine protease that plays a pivotal role in normal hemostasis. Mature FVII is a glycoprotein comprised -carboxyglutamic acid-rich (Gla) domain, two epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains, an activation domain, and a serine protease domain. FVII requires proteolytic activation followed by tissue factor (TF) binding for maximal activity. The F7 gene (14.8 kb) is located on 13q34, composed of nine exons and eight introns. The congenital FVII deficiency is a rare coagulopathy with an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance that occurs due to mutation in the F7 gene. A considerable number of mutations of different types have been identified throughout this gene affecting the expression, structure, and posttranslational alterations of the protein. FVII deficiency is the most frequently recessively inherited bleeding disorder. Subjects with FVII deficiency show a wide range of symptoms, including cutaneous hemorrhage, mucosal hemorrhage, gastrointestinal bleeding, joint bleeding, and central nervous system (CNS) hemorrhage. Unlike other coagulation factor deficiencies, serum levels of FVII do not demonstrate the severity of the disease, and there is no direct correlation between serum levels and clinical complications. Replacement therapy is the treatment of choice for FVII deficiency. Various therapeutic products such as prothrombin complex concentrate, plasma-derived FVII concentrate, fresh frozen plasma, and activated recombinant FVII are available to treat FVII deficient individuals. This review aims to provide information on molecular, biochemical, and clinical aspects of coagulation FVII, its role in hemostasis, and the consequences of its deficiency.

Schistosomiasis, after malaria, is the second most important parasitic disease in the world in terms of morbidity and mortality and is one of the 14 neglected tropical diseases. In 2016, about 206.4 million people needed preventive treatment for the disease.

This study evaluated schistosomiasis’s incidence rate and spatial-temporal cluster distribution in the north of Khuzestan province, Iran.

This cross-sectional study collected data from January 1977 to December 2001. The data of 1,390 definitive patients with Schistosoma haematobium in the north of Khuzestan province, Iran, were analyzed for the disease incidence in rural districts over five-year periods. Also, the changes in median age and sex were examined. Spatial scan statistics were used to diagnose and evaluate the spatial clusters of S. haematobium cases. The pure retrospective temporal analysis and retrospective spatial-temporal analysis were carried out to identify the temporal clusters and spatial-temporal clusters of schistosomiasis with high rates, respectively, using the discrete Poisson model.

The schistosomiasis incidence decreased over the years, with the last case reported in 2001. Using Kulldorff’s spatial scan method, spatial clustering showed nine high-risk areas in the north of Khuzestan province from 1977 to 2001. Besides, S. haematobium was not randomly distributed in this area. Spatial-temporal clusters identified three high-risk areas during the study period. Temporal clusters decreased from 17 months and five days to one day, and they mainly occurred in the winter and summer.

The study indicated a zero incidence and vanishing S. haematobium endemicity in the northern region of Khuzestan province of Iran in 2002. Due to snail vectors of the disease resident in this region, the disease surveillance still needs continuation.

An important challenge for universities and research managers is to motivate faculty members to carry out research and increase the number of articles, which increases the university’s research ranking. The first stage in organizing research in the community is the achievement of a correct understanding of the capabilities and available facilities and realizing the weaknesses and strengths of research programs.

This study was conducted to investigate the barriers to research from the perspective of the faculty members of Dezful University of Medical Sciences, Khuzestan, Iran.

This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional studywasperformed to determine the barriers to researchfromthe perspective of the faculty members of Dezful University of Medical Sciences. The data collection tool was a questionnaire consisting of two personal information sectionsanda questionnaire containing 39 items in four domains. The SPSS software (version 21), independent t-test, and analysis of variance were used to analyze the data.

The mean age of the participants was 26.97.43 years. Additionally, 25 (50%) and 25 (50%) subjects were male and female. Moreover, 34 (68%), 13 (23%), and 3 (6%) participants were working in the Medical School, Nursing School, and Paramedical School, respectively.

From the perspective of the faculty members, there were several barriers to research activities, the most important of which was related to the individual domain and financial support for the researcher. Furthermore, the specification of the research process by eliminating cumbersome administrative rules and creating a balance between obligatory hours dedicated to research and education can be an effective stage in the process of performing research activities.

Preeclampsia is one of the complications of pregnancy that endangers the life of the mother and the fetus. This complication accounts for 18% of maternal mortality and is the second leading cause of maternal mortality in Iran. Various studies have shown the important role of platelets in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.

This study was conducted to evaluate platelet parameters in patients with preeclampsia compared to healthy pregnant women who were referred to Ganjavian hospital in Dezful city in 2019.

In this study, which is a retrospective case-control study, the files of women who gave birth in Ganjavian hospital in 2019 were examined. The files of the case group, which included people with preeclampsia, were selected as available samples (104 people), and the control group, which included pregnant women without preeclampsia, were randomly selected using a table of random numbers (104 cases). Criteria for entering the study in the group with preeclampsia included BP 140/90 mmHg, proteinuria of more than 300 mg in 24-hour urine or 30 mg consistently in random urine samples, and gestational age over 20 weeks. Also, people with any underlying disease, such as diabetes, chronic hypertension, known platelet disorders, multiple birth, and drug use (heparin, aspirin) in the group with preeclampsia were excluded from the study. The data of this study were analyzed using SPSS software version 20, and independent t-test, and Mann-Whitney U test at a significant level lower than 0.05.

There was no statistically significant difference in demographic factors between the two case and control groups. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean hemoglobin in healthy women 11.91  1.30 and preeclampsia 10.89  1.09 (P < 0.0001). Also, according to the findings, the individuals of the two groups had a significant difference in terms of mean platelet volume (MPV): Healthy women: 10.79  1.24 and preeclampsia women: 12.98  1.16 (P < 0.0001). Also, the results of the Mann-Whitney U test showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the number of platelets in healthy women (284.5260.58mm3) and preeclampsia women (149.3030.38mm3) (P < 0.0001).

Considering the importance of reducing the complications and mortality of pregnant mothers, early detection of changes in platelet factors during pregnancy can be a predictive factor in identifying people at risk for preeclampsia.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a severe complication in patients with acute ischemic stroke. It can cause severe pulmonary embolism, which may result in death. DVT prevalence in ischemic stroke patients ranges from 20 to 70%. Enoxaparin in prophylactic treatment can decrease the risk of developing DVT in patients with acute ischemic stroke. However, optimal enoxaparin dosing for prophylactic treatment in DVT remains elusive. Dosing between 0.3 - 0.5 IU/mL could decrease the prevalence of DVT without increased complications.

This study aims to evaluate the benefits and risks of prophylactic treatment in DVT patients with dosing of enoxaparin (Lovenox of Sanofi-Aventis Vietnam Company) 40 mg (4,000 units of anti-Xa, 0.4 mL) once daily.

Following a cross-sectional design, 58 patients with acute ischemic stroke, who met the inclusion criteria, were studied. Participants received prophylactic treatment of the lower extremities DVT with enoxaparin.

The mean Wells score was 2.14  0.35. Based on the Wells criteria for DVT, all cases had paralysis, muscle weakness, and bedridden recently > 3 days. Also, 4 cases (6.9%) had leg edema; 1 case (1.7%) had superficial collateral veins; 3 cases (5.3%) had previously documented DVT. Thrombocytopenia > 50% after treatment has a non-statistically significant decrease. The 2nd ultrasound showed no case of DVT.

Enoxaparin was not the primary cause of thrombocytopenia in prophylactic treatment. Enoxaparin is a 100% effective means to prevent lower extremity DVT in average-risk patients, and it does not increase the risk of bleeding.

Heart failure (HF) is recognized as a structural and functional heart complication. Many studies have revealed that anemia plays an ambiguous role in this complication and can be a significant prognostic parameter in HF. In our trial, for clarification of this issue, the relationship between HF and anemia was studied.

In this case-control study, 273 patients admitted to the CCU and post-CCU wards of Dezful Hospital, who were selected by the available sampling method, were studied. In this investigation, among 273 patients with HF, hematological, biochemical, and heart functional parameters were assessed and compared with 89 healthy volunteers. Consequently, the correlation between hematological parameters and functional heart parameters in the patients was evaluated via Pearson’s correlation coefficient.

The study subjects were tried to have similar conditions regarding their demographic characteristics. The mean age of the included participants was 53.682.17 years. Our data revealed that HF occurs mainly at the age of 50 to 70 years, and patients had an 8.7% mortality risk. Hematocrit (HCT) had a significant reduction in the HF group in comparison to the normal range (P-value < 0.05), and HCT level in healthy subjects (P-value = 0.02). Further, anemia is positively correlated with HF mortality rate and severity of HF indices in patients (P-value = 0.01).

The results of our study, consistent with other previous studies, showed that HF patients have a low HCT level, and this reduction is associated with a marked decline in health status indices in HF patients. Also, our results revealed that patients with the lowest level of HCT are at high risk for HF symptoms.