Practical recommendations to conduct a neuroimaging meta‐analysis for neuropsychiatric disorders

Over the past decades, neuroimaging has become widely used to investigate structural and functional brain abnormality in neuropsychiatric disorders. The results of individual neuroimaging studies, however, are frequently inconsistent due to small and heterogeneous samples, analytical flexibility, and publication bias toward positive findings. To consolidate the emergent findings toward clinically useful insight, meta‐analyses have been developed to integrate the results of studies and identify areas that are consistently involved in pathophysiology of particular neuropsychiatric disorders. However, it should be considered that the results of meta‐analyses could also be divergent due to heterogeneity in search strategy, selection criteria, imaging modalities, behavioral tasks, number of experiments, data organization methods, and statistical analysis with different multiple comparison thresholds. Following an introduction to the problem and the concepts of quantitative summaries of neuroimaging findings, we propose practical recommendations for clinicians and researchers for conducting transparent and methodologically sound neuroimaging meta‐analyses. This should help to consolidate the search for convergent regional brain abnormality in neuropsychiatric disorders.     

Do Subjective Norms Predict the Screening of Cancer Patients’ First-Degree Relatives? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Early detection and preventive measures can reduce the risk of cancer among first degree relatives (FDRs) of cancer patients.Several studies investigated the effect of subjective norm in relation to FDRs’ tendency to conduct preventive behaviors. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate the effect of subjective norms on cancer patients’ FDRs as well as their willingness for screening. Methods: PubMed and Scopus were studied to investigate the effect of subjective norms on preventive measures such as breast cancer self-examination, colonoscopy, PSA testing, skin examination, and genetic testing. Odds Ratio (OR), correlation was and confidence intervals were extracted for meta-analysis. After reviewing the studies, only 16 studies met the criteria to be included in this systematic review. Results: The meta- analysis and OR showed that Physician Recommendation (OR=6.98, 95% CI; 2.55–19.09, P<0.001), Health Care Provider (HCP) (OR=2.79, 95% CI; 1.26-6.16; P=0.011), family and friends (OR=1.82, 95% CI; 1.33–2.50, P <0.001) significantly enhanced the likelihood of referring for screening and preventive measures. Conclusions: The results of the current study indicated that subjective norms can significantly increase willingness to screening.     

Seroprevalence and trends of transfusion transmissible infections among retrospective blood donors in Western Azerbaijan Regional Blood Transfusion Center,Iran: A ten-years evaluation

Transfusion transmissible infections (TTIs) have been a public health challenge for the accessibility, quality and safety of blood transfusion. The present study aimed to consider the prevalence and the trends of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and syphilis across the ten years among retrospective blood donors. A retrospective investigation of blood donors’ data covering the period from 22 May 2009 to 22 May 2019 was done. Data was accumulated and analyzed from Blood Transfusion Center records, pertaining to all donors who were screened for various TTIs using respective immunological techniques. Out of the 682,171 screened donors in the 2009–2019 study period, 2470 (0.36 %) were infected with at least one infectious agent. The overall prevalence of HBV, HCV, HTLV-1, HIV and syphilis were 1700 (0.25 %), 184 (0.027 %), 335 (0.05 %), 4 (0.0.05 %) and 247 (0.036 %), respectively. The study showed male dominated donor pool (96.79 %) with higher prevalence (0.34 %) of TTIs compared to female donors (0.02 %) with 3.21 % population. Despite the low prevalence of TTIs in our study, HBV, HCV, syphilis and HIV have remained a big threat to safe blood transfusion in Iran. Strict adherence to selection criteria, algorithm of donor screening, use of highly sensitive and specific methods for detection of TTIs, regular consultation and health education programs, prevention and sanitization strategies to reduce the risk of TTIs are recommended to reduce the risk of TTIs and ensure the safety of blood transfusion for recipient.     

Preparation and evaluation of 188Re sulfide colloidal nanoparticles loaded biodegradable poly (L‐lactic acid) microspheres for radioembolization therapy

Radioembolization with radioactive microspheres has been an effective method for the treatment of liver lesions. The aim of this study was to prepare carrier‐free ¹⁸⁸Re loaded poly (L‐lactic acid) (PLLA) microspheres through ¹⁸⁸Re sulfide colloidal nanoparticles (¹⁸⁸Re‐SC nanoparticles). The formation of ¹⁸⁸Re‐SC nanoparticles was confirmed by ultraviolet‐visible spectrophotometry. The labeling yield of ¹⁸⁸Re‐SC nanoparticles was verified using the RTLC method. Effects of synthesis parameters on morphology and size of prepared ¹⁸⁸Re‐sulfide colloidal‐PLLA microspheres (¹⁸⁸Re‐SC‐PLLA microspheres) were studied by scanning electron microscopy. In vitro stability of ¹⁸⁸Re‐SC‐PLLA microspheres was investigated in normal saline at room temperature and in human serum at 37°C. In vivo distribution studies and gamma camera imaging were performed in healthy BALB / c mice. The microspheres could be prepared with sizes between 13 and 48 μm (modal value 29 μm) and radiolabeling efficiency >99%. After incubation, the microspheres were found stable in vitro up to 72 hours. The biodistribution after intravenous injection in healthy BALB / c mice showed high accumulation in lung as a first capture pathway organ for microsphere followed by great retention over 48 hours for these microspheres. These data show that ¹⁸⁸Re‐SC‐PLLA microspheres are suitable candidate for clinical studies.     

Preparation and in vivo evaluation of anti-plasmodial properties of artemisinin-loaded PCL–PEG–PCL nanoparticles

Abstract

Purpose: Artemisinin (ART) has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-amyloid, and anti-malarial effects, but its application is limited due to its low water solubility and poor oral bioavailability. In this study, the bioavailability, water solubility, and anti-plasmodial property of ART were improved by PCL–PEG–PCL tri-block copolymers.

Methods: The structure of the copolymers was characterized by ¹H NMR, FT-IR, DSC, and GPC techniques. ART was encapsulated within micelles by a single-step nano-precipitation method, leading to the formation of ART-loaded PCL–PEG–PCL micelles. The obtained micelles were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The in vivo anti-plasmodial activity of ART-loaded micelles was measured against Plasmodium berghei infected Swiss albino mice.

Results: The results showed that the zeta potential of ART-loaded micelles was about ?8.37?mV and the average size was 91.87?nm. ART was encapsulated into PCL–PEG–PCL micelles with a loading capacity of 19.33?±?0.015% and encapsulation efficacy of 87.21?±?3.32%. In vivo anti-plasmodial results against P. berghei showed that multiple injections of ART-loaded micelles could prolong the circulation time and increase the therapeutic efficacy of ART.

Conclusion: These results suggested that PCL–PEG–PCL micelles would be a potential carrier for ART for the treatment of malaria.