Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies pre- and post-COVID-19 vaccination in staff members of Bandar Abbas Children's Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers (HCWs) have a higher risk of contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) compared to the general population due to their frontline role and direct contact with the infected patients. Accordingly, they were among the first groups to receive vaccination against COVID-19. A higher risk of COVID-19 infection may also exist among hospital staff members other than HCWs. In this study, we assessed the seroprevalence of anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) IgG pre- and post-COVID-19 vaccination in hospital staff members. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 228 staff members of Bandar Abbas Children's Hospital, Bandar Abbas, Iran, who were recruited from 2020 to 2021. Staff members were vaccinated with vector and inactivated vaccines. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein IgG was measured in their blood samples pre- and post-COVID-19 vaccination. RESULTS: Of the 228 hospital staff members evaluated in this study (mean age: 37.59 ± 8.70 years), 204 (89.5%) were female and 210 (92.1%) were HCWs. Only one staff member was not vaccinated, the rest received one dose (99.6%), and 224 (98.7%) two doses. Vector vaccines were administered to 71.4% of staff members and 72.9% of HCWs. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody was positive in 8.8% of staff members before vaccination, 9.3% after the first dose, and 50% after the second dose. The corresponding percentages were 9.5%, 9.5%, and 48.8% in HCWs. Being a HCW was not associated with the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG after the second dose; however, multivariable binary logistic regression analysis revealed that the interval between two vaccine doses (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.595, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.434; 0.816, P = 0.001) and age (aOR = 1.062, 95% CI 1.021; 1.105, P = 0.003) were associated with seroprevalence. CONCLUSIONS: After receiving a second dose of vector or inactive virus vaccines, our hospital's staff members and HCWs had a seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies of around 50%. Seroprevalence increased with increasing age and shorter intervals between doses.

Radiolabeled vitamins as the potential diagnostic probes for targeted tumor imaging.

Nuclear medicine like single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) is one of the most sensitive methods for diagnostic imaging and radionuclide therapy which could lead to higher efficacy and reduced toxicity. There is enormous incentive to develop probes that detect lesions at earliest stages. Vitamins are biomolecules that play an important role in a variety of biological processes in animals and humans. The development of vitamin based radiopharmaceuticals for use in the detection and treatment of malignancies is increasing. In this review article we focus on recent studies that employ radiolabeled vitamins for targeted tumor imaging.

The utility of radiolabeled PSMA ligands for tumor imaging.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a glycosylated type-II transmembrane protein expressed in prostatic tissue and significantly overexpressed in several prostate cancer cells. Despite its name, PSMA has also been reported to be overexpressed in endothelial cells of benign and malignant non-prostate disease. So its clinical use was extended to detection, staging, and therapy of various tumor types. Recently small molecules targeting PSMA have been developed as imaging probes for diagnosis of several malignancies. Preliminary studies are emerging improved diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of PSMA imaging, leading to a change in patient management. In this review, we evaluated the first preclinical and clinical studies on PSMA ligands resulting future perspectives radiolabeled PSMA in staging and molecular characterization, based on histopathologic examinations of PSMA expression.

Dysentery as the only presentation of COVID-19 in a child: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused irreparable damage to society, and the damage continues. Pediatricians are confronted with COVID-19 in a variety of presentations, which may lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment. Early diagnosis of the disease plays an important role in preventing transmission of the virus in the community. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we report a 27-month-old previously healthy Iranian female child who presented with fever and bloody diarrhea, diagnosed with COVID-19 based on contact history, exclusion of enteric bacterial pathogens and parasites, and positive stool and nasopharyngeal severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests. The patient had viral shedding for more than a month. CONCLUSIONS: The pediatric population usually does not present with typical clinical features of COVID-19, which are respiratory involvement. Dysentery may be the only presentation of this disease, and long-term isolation should be considered, as the viral shedding may last for more than a month.