Barriers and facilitators of implementing child injury surveillance system

Purpose: Child injuries are a global public health problem and injury surveillance systems (ISS) can be beneficial by providing timely data. However, ISS implementation has challenges. Opinions of stakeholders of ISS implementation barriers and facilitators are a good source to understand this phenomenon. The aim of this study is to investigate barriers and facilitators of implementing ISS in Iran. Methods: This is a qualitative study. Data were gathered through interviews with 14 experts in the field of child injury and prevention from Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME), medical universities, pediatrics hospitals, general hospitals and health houses during January 2017 to September 2017. Data collection and analysis continued until data saturation. Data were analyzed using content analysis through identifying meaning units. Results: Barriers were classified in three main categories and nine subcategories including management barriers (including performance, coordination and cooperation, supervision and attitude), weakness in data capture and usage (including data collection, data recording and data dissemination) and resource limitation (including human and financial resources). Facilitators identified in three areas of policy making (including empowerment and attitude), management (including organization, function and cooperation and coordination) and data recording and usage (including data collection/distribution and data recording). Conclusion: The most important barrier is lack of national policy in child injury prevention. The most important facilitator is improving MOHME function through passing supportive regulations. Effective data usage and dissemination of information to those requiring data for policy making can help reduce child injuries. Coalition of stakeholders helps overcome existing barriers.     

Induction of specific cell‐mediated immune responses and protection in BALB/c mice by vaccination with outer membrane vesicles from a Brucella melitensis human isolate

Brucellosis is a worldwide bacterial zoonosis caused by Brucella spp. No approved vaccine is available for human use against the disease. In this study, outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) from a Brucella melitensis biovar 1 human isolate obtained in Iran were used to immunize BALB/c mice (n = 12) by 2 intramuscular injections with a 2‐week interval. Another group of 12 mice was used as non‐vaccinated controls. Two weeks after the last vaccination, six mice of each group were sacrificed, and proliferation and interferon gamma (IFNγ) production responses of their splenocytes were evaluated following in vitro stimulation with killed Brucella cells. The other mice were challenged with the virulent B. melitensis isolate. Two weeks later, mice were killed and spleens were cultured to determine the number of the challenge strain. The results showed proliferative response and IFNγ production of splenocytes from vaccinated mice (stimulation index: 2.18 ± 0.57, and 1519.35 ± 10.70 pg/mL, respectively) were significantly higher than those of control mice (stimulation index: 1.02 ± 0.02, and 210.01 ± 17.58 pg/mL, respectively). Numbers of the challenge strain in spleens of vaccinated mice were also significantly less than those in the controls with 1.6 units of protection. Our study revealed vaccination with OMVs of the B. melitensis isolate could induce specific immune responses and protection against infection in the mouse model suggesting their potential application for active immunization against brucellosis.     

Integrative Pharmacology: Advancing Development of Effective Immunotherapies

With the recent advances in cancer immunotherapy, it is now evident that the antigen-specific activation of the patients’ immune responses can be utilized for achieving significant therapeutic benefits. Novel molecules have been developed and promising advances have been achieved in cancer therapy. The recent success of cancer immunotherapy clearly reflects the novelty of the approach and importance of this class of therapeutics. Due to the nature of immunotherapy, i.e., harnessing the patient’s immune system, it becomes critical to evaluate the important variables that can guide preclinical development, translational strategies, patient selection, and effective clinical dosing paradigms following single and combination therapies. To further boost the durability and efficacy profiles of IO (immuno-oncology) drugs following single agent therapy, novel combination therapies are being sought. Combination strategies have become critical for enhancing the anti-tumor immunity in broader cancer indications. Comprehensive methods are being developed to quantify the synergistic combination effect profiles at various development phases. Further evaluation of the signaling and pathway components can potentially establish a unique “signature” characteristic for specific combination therapies following modulation of various immunomodulatory pathways. In this article, critical topics related to preclinical, translational, and clinical development of IO agents are discussed.     

Polyphenolic extract attenuates fatty acid-induced steatosis and oxidative stress in hepatic and endothelial cells

Purpose

Phenolic compounds (PC) of virgin olive oil exert several biochemical and pharmacological beneficial effects. Some dietary PC seem to prevent/improve obesity and metabolic-related disorders such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We investigated the possible effects of PC extracted from olive pomace (PEOP) and of the main single molecules present in the extract (tyrosol, apigenin, oleuropein, p-coumaric and caffeic acid) in protecting hepatocytes and endothelial cells against triglyceride accumulation and oxidative stress.

Methods

Rat hepatoma and human endothelial cells were exposed to a mixture of oleate/palmitate to mimic the condition of NAFLD and atherosclerosis, respectively. Then, cells were incubated for 24 h in the absence or in the presence of PC or PEOP. Different parameters were evaluated, such as lipid accumulation and oxidative stress-related markers.

Results

In hepatic cells, expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) and of stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD-1) were assessed as index of lipid metabolism. In endothelial cells, expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), activation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-kB), release of nitric oxide (NO), and wound-healing rate were assessed as index of inflammation.

Conclusion

PEOP extract ameliorated hepatic lipid accumulation and lipid-dependent oxidative imbalance thus showing potential applications as therapeutic agent tuning down hepatosteatosis and atherosclerosis.

     

Treatment of intrabony periodontal defects with platelet-rich plasma versus platelet-poor plasma combined with a bovine-derived xenograft: a controlled clinical trial

Background: The purpose of this study is to assess the healing outcomes of intrabony defects after treatment with platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) versus platelet‐poor plasma (PPP) combined with bovine‐derived xenograft (BDX). Methods: Using a split‐mouth design, a total of 79 intrabony defects with an intrabony component of ≥3 mm in 20 patients were treated either with PRP/BDX (group 1) or PPP/BDX (group 2). At baseline and 12 months after surgery, plaque and sulcus bleeding indices, probing depth (PD), relative attachment level, recession, and probing and radiographic bone levels were recorded. Results: After 12 months, groups 1 and 2 presented a mean PD reduction of 3.87 ± 0.86 and 3.76 ± 0.80 mm, recession of 1.35 ± 0.68 and 1.58 ± 0.54 mm, attachment gain of 2.51 ± 0.97 and 2.18 ± 0.87 mm, clinical bone gain of 2.18 ± 0.86 and 2.09 ± 0.89 mm, and radiographic bone gain of 2.11 ± 0.87 and 2.19 ± 0.96 mm, respectively. Intergroup differences were found to be insignificant. Conclusions: Within its limits, these results suggest that the outcomes of the treatment after PRP/BDX and PPP/BDX applications in intrabony defects are similar. When the platelet counts are taken into consideration, PPP seems to demonstrate similar clinical efficacy as the PRP.