PLT antigen discrepancy pattern among couples with recurrent abortion.

Background: Recurrent abortion refers to a condition of two or more consecutive pregnancies without known etiology affected by miscarriage before the completion of the 20th week of gestational age. However, several hypotheses have been proposed, but not much data are available concerning the relationship between human platelet antigens (HPAs) polymorphisms and recurrent abortion. This study was conducted to evaluate the genetic differences between HPA-1, -2, -3, -5, and - 15 in Iranian couples with a history of recurrent abortion. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 74 couples with at least 2 recurrent abortions without any known specified reasons enrolled in the study. HPA polymorphisms genotyping was performed by single-specific primer PCR. Genotype frequency was calculated using the Hardy-Weinberg equation. Results: A total of 39 couples (52.7%) had HPA genotyping partial mismatches. The most common partial mismatch pairs were found concomitantly on both HPA-15a and HPA-15b in three couples (4%), followed by two (2.7%) on HPA-3a and one (1.3%) in each HPA-2b and HPA-5b. There was a deviation from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the HPA-2 and -5 systems. Conclusion: The present study declared that partial mismatches of HPA-3 and -15 genotypes were common among Iranian couples due to the history of recurrent abortion and approximately half of the couples carried at least one HPA gene that was absent in their partners. Further studies might be helpful to clarify the association between HPA polymorphisms and recurrent abortion, such as an investigation into the alloantibodies against HPAs.

The effect of vitamin D deficiency on platelet parameters in patients with COVID-19.

Introduction: Since there is very little information about the relationship between platelet parameters and vitamin D concentration in patients with COVID-19, the aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between serum vitamin D level and platelet parameters in patients with COVID-19 and to compare these parameters in patients with COVID-19 without vitamin D deficiency and, subsequently, the prognostic value of these parameters in cases of vitamin D deficiency. Methods: Seven hundred and forty-three patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into two groups: those with and without vitamin D deficiency. The associations between platelet indices and vitamin D levels were analyzed by Pearson's correlation analysis and a one-way ANOVA test. Results: Platelet count and mean platelet volume (MPV) were significantly higher in the patients with vitamin D deficiency than in the patients without vitamin D deficiency. There was a significant negative correlation between platelet count and MPV with vitamin D levels in patients with vitamin D deficiency (r = -0.835, P = 0.001 & r = -0.324, P = 0.042, respectively). Vitamin D levels in COVID-19 patients can determine the platelet count and MPV of the patients. Discussion: The aforementioned results imply that maintaining an elevated concentration of vitamin D in COVID-19 patients is important because it is associated with a decrease in MPV, which in turn reduces susceptibility to diseases such as coronary artery disease.

A Rare Case of Klippel Trenaunay Syndrome with Von Willebrand Factor Deficiency and Multiple Accessory Spleens: A Case Report and Brief Literature Review.

Klippel Trenaunay Syndrome (KTS) is an uncommon inherited syndrome identified by venous varicosities and capillary abnormalities. von Willebrand Disease is the most common inherited hemorrhage disturbance in humans, leading to insufficiency in von Willebrand Factor, which is a complex multimeric protein with two functions: it forms a bridge between the platelets and injured vascular areas and it attaches factor VIII and stabilizes it. We present a 13-year-old son with a typical clinical manifestation of KTS, including "port-wine stains" as capillary malformation, venous malformation, and hypertrophy of the left lower extremity, who also suffers from von Willebrand Disease type 3. He has been suffering from these two rare conditions since birth. The occurrence of KTS with von Willebrand Factor deficiency in a patient has so far not been reported, which may propose a mutation in the putative common regulatory gene that caused this uncommon phenotype.

Bone Reporting and Data System (Bone-RADS) and Other Proposed Practice Guidelines for Reporting Bone Tumors.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this article is to review the different bone tumor radiology reporting systems [Bone Reporting and Data System (Bone-RADS), Osseous Tumor Reporting and Data System (OT-RADS), Solitary Bone Tumor Imaging Reporting and Data System (BTI-RADS), and Radiological Evaluation Score for Bone Tumors (REST)] and summarize their advantages and disadvantages. METHODS: A selective search of PubMed was performed for literature regarding the definition and discussion of bone tumor reporting systems. No time frame was selected, but the search was particularly focused on current literature on musculoskeletal radiology lexicon. RESULTS: To date, four major reporting systems has been proposed to standardize and systematize the reporting of imaging studies of bone tumors: Bone-RADS, OT-RADS, BTI-RADS, and REST. Both Bone-RADS and OT-RADS aid in the characterization and management of bone lesions on CT and MRI. OT-RADS and REST can be applied to MRI and radiography, respectively. CONCLUSION: Radiologists play a central role in the detection and characterization of asymptomatic (or incidentally detected) and symptomatic bone tumors. There are several existing bone tumor reporting systems with various advantages and disadvantages including emphasis on lesion characterization as well as management of incidentally detected bone lesions. KEY POINTS: · Four bone tumor reporting systems have been proposed thus far.. · Bone-RADS guides management of incidental bone lesions on CT and MRI.. · OT-RADS guides management of bone lesions on MRI with high accuracy.. · BTI-RADS classifies bone tumors on CT and MRI..

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Biomarkers of Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is essential in the management of musculoskeletal (MSK) tumors. This review delves into the diverse MRI modalities, focusing on anatomical, functional, and metabolic sequences that provide essential biomarkers for tumor detection, characterization, disease extent determination, and assessment of treatment response. MRI's multimodal capabilities offer a range of biomarkers that enhance MSK tumor evaluation, aiding in better patient management.

Effect of oral silymarin on liver function in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the maintenance phase: a double-blind randomized clinical trial.

Introduction: Liver dysfunction is one of the most common disorders in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In recent studies, silymarin has been observed to have hepatic protective effects. Therefore, in this study, the effect of oral silymarin on the hepatic functions of patients with ALL was investigated. Methods: In the present double-blind clinical trial study, 121 patients with ALL over 5 years of age were divided into two groups after obtaining informed consent. The subjects were randomly divided into a silymarin-treatment group and a placebo group. In the silymarin-treatment group, patients received 70 mg oral capsules of silymarin twice daily or syrup of silymarin three times a day (each 5 ml of syrup contains 50 mg of silymarin). Patients were examined once a month for 9 months to receive capsules and measure the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), bilirubin, albumin, and cholesterol. Results: Comparison of changes before and after treatment in the two groups showed that receiving oral silymarin resulted in a slight significant decrease in the levels of ALT, AST, GGT, and bilirubin (p < 0.05), but had no effect on ALP, albumin, and cholesterol (p > 0.05). Discussion: The results of the present study showed that in pediatric patients with ALL, silymarin intake improves liver function. The very strong antioxidant effect of silymarin may explain its protective effect on the liver. Clinical Trial Registration: IRCT20150119020715N10.

Cytokine-armed dendritic cell progenitors for antigen-agnostic cancer immunotherapy.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting myeloid cells that regulate T cell activation, trafficking and function. Monocyte-derived DCs pulsed with tumor antigens have been tested extensively for therapeutic vaccination in cancer, with mixed clinical results. Here, we present a cell-therapy platform based on mouse or human DC progenitors (DCPs) engineered to produce two immunostimulatory cytokines, IL-12 and FLT3L. Cytokine-armed DCPs differentiated into conventional type-I DCs (cDC1) and suppressed tumor growth, including melanoma and autochthonous liver models, without the need for antigen loading or myeloablative host conditioning. Tumor response involved synergy between IL-12 and FLT3L and was associated with natural killer and T cell infiltration and activation, M1-like macrophage programming and ischemic tumor necrosis. Antitumor immunity was dependent on endogenous cDC1 expansion and interferon-γ signaling but did not require CD8+ T cell cytotoxicity. Cytokine-armed DCPs synergized effectively with anti-GD2 chimeric-antigen receptor (CAR) T cells in eradicating intracranial gliomas in mice, illustrating their potential in combination therapies.

A wearable system to assist impaired-neck patients: Design and evaluation.

Patients with neurological disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and cerebral palsy, often face challenges due to head-neck immobility. The conventional treatment approach involves using a neck collar to maintain an upright head position, but this can be cumbersome and restricts head-neck movements over prolonged periods. This study introduces a wearable robot capable of providing three anatomical head motions for training and assistance. The primary contributions of this research include the design of an optimized structure and the incorporation of human-robot interaction. Based on human head motion data, our primary focus centered on developing a robot capable of accommodating a significant range of neutral head movements. To ensure safety, impedance control was employed to facilitate human-robot interaction. A human study was conducted involving 10 healthy subjects who participated in an experiment to assess the robot's assistance capabilities. Passive and active modes were used to evaluate the robot's effectiveness, taking into account head-neck movement error and muscle activity levels. Surface electromyography signals (sEMG) were collected from the splenius capitis muscles during the experiment. The results demonstrated that the robot covered nearly 85% of the overall range of head rotations. Importantly, using the robot during rehabilitation led to reduced muscle activation, highlighting its potential for assisting individuals with post-stroke movement impairments.

Axial T1-weighted imaging of the lumbar spine: a redundancy or an asset?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic value of axial T1-weighted imaging for patients suffering from lower back pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, 100 consecutive lumbar spine MRIs obtained in patients with chronic low back pain were reviewed in two sessions: First, readers viewed core sequences (sagittal T1-weighted, STIR and T2-weighted, and axial T2-weighted) with axial T1-weighted sequences, and second, readers viewed cores sequences alone. Readers recorded the presence of disc degeneration, nerve root compromise, facet joint arthritis, and stenosis at each lumbar spine level as well as the presence of lipoma of filum terminale (LFT), spondylolisthesis, transitional vertebrae, and fractures. The McNemar, Wilcoxon signed-rank, and student T tests were utilized. RESULTS: For 100 studies, 5 spine levels were evaluated (L1-L2 through L5-S1). There were cases of disc disease (444/500 bulges, 56/500 herniations), nerve root compromise (1/500 nerve enlargement, 36/500 contact only, 20/500 displacement or compression), facet arthritis (438/500), stenosis (58/500 central canal, 64/500 lateral recess, 137/500 neuroforaminal), 6/100 LFTs, and other abnormalities (58/500 spondylolisthesis, 10/100 transitional vertebrae, 10/500 fracture/spondylolysis). There was no difference in diagnostic performance between the interpretation sessions (with and without axial T1-weighted imaging) at any level (p > 0.05), although four small additional LFTs were identified with axial T1-weighted imaging availability. CONCLUSION: There was no clinically significant difference in the interpretation of lumbar spine MRI viewed with and without axial T1-weighted imaging, suggesting that the axial T1-weighted sequence does not add diagnostic value to routine lumbar spine MRI.

Correlation of Magnesium Level with Cardiac and Hepatic Hemosiderosis Measured by T2*MRI Technique and Age in Patients with Thalassemia Major.

Background: Given the association of hypomagnesemia with cardiac arrhythmia, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum magnesium levels with age and T2* magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of the heart and liver in patients with thalassemia major (TM). Materials and Methods: In a descriptive cross-sectional study, a total of 62 patients with ß-thalassemia major aged 11-48 years were selected at the Amir-Kabir Hospital, Arak, Iran. Serum magnesium, ferritin, and iron levels of patients were measured, and the rate of cardiac and hepatic hemosiderosis of patients was extracted according to the routine T2*MRI method. Results: The mean age of the patients at diagnosis was 32.6 years. The comparison of TM patients with and without hepatic/cardiac hemosiderosis demonstrated that mean levels of serum ferritin, serum iron, and age were significantly higher in TM patients with cardiac hemosiderosis than in hepatic/cardiac non-hemosiderosis (P < 0.05); however, there was no significant difference in mean levels of serum magnesium in TM patients with and without hepatic/cardiac hemosiderosis (P = 0.279). Interestingly, the correlation of age with serum magnesium levels in TM patients revealed a statistically significant and moderate inverse correlation (r = -0.56, P = 0.013). Conclusion: Hypomagnesemia may occur in a time-dependent manner. It is recommended that, in addition to cardiac and hepatic T2*MRI, serum magnesium levels be measured by using magnesium replacement if necessary.

Dexmedetomidine versus sufentanil as adjuvants to bupivacaine for brachial plexus block during upper extremity surgery: a randomized clinical trial

Abstract Background: Brachial plexus block (BPB) has been accepted as a reliable alternative for general anesthesia in upper limb surgeries. Adding adjuvant drugs like dexmedetomidine and sufentanil has been shown to have clinical and pharmacologic advantages. In this randomized parallel clinical trial, we aim to compare the effects of these two adjuvants for bupivacaine in BPB. Methods: In this double-blinded study, by using computer-assisted block randomization, 40 patients ranged from 20 to 65 years old and scheduled for elective upper limb surgeries were assigned to two equal study groups (n = 20), receiving 1 mL of 5 μg.mL-1 sufentanil (group S) or 1 mL of 100 μg.mL-1 dexmedetomidine (group D) in adjunction to 30 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine for supraclavicular BPB under the guidance of ultrasonography. Characteristics of local anesthesia and postoperative analgesia were evaluated (n = 40). Results: The duration of blocks significantly improved in group S (sensory: estimated median difference (EMD) [95%CI] = 100.0 [70.0~130.0], p < 0.001; motor: EMD [95%CI] = 120.0 [100.0~130.0], p < 0.001). Group S also had significantly longer postoperative analgesia and lower opioid consumption within 24 hours after the surgery (EMD [95%CI] = 4.0 [3.0~7.0], p < 0.001; EMD [95%CI] = -5.0 [-5.0~-5.0], p < 0.001; respectively). None of the patients showed adverse effects concerning vital signs, nausea, or vomiting. Conclusion: Our study showed that during ultrasound-guided supraclavicular BPB, sufentanil is a fairly better choice than dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant for bupivacaine and can provide preferable sensory and motor blocks. No significant side effects were seen in either of the study groups.

Association of the human platelet antigens polymorphisms with platelet count in patients with COVID-19.

Polymorphism in human platelet antigen (HPA)-1 and HPA-3 (GPIIb/IIIa), HPA-2 (GPIb/IX), HPA-4 (GPIIIa), HPA-5 (GPIa/IIa), & HPA-15 (CD109) was investigated in 86 COVID-19-infected patients with thrombocytopenia (Group A) and 136 COVID-19-infected patients without thrombocytopenia (Group B). HPA genotyping was done by the sequence-specific primers PCR method. Lower HPA-3a and higher HPA-3b (P = 0.028) allele frequencies were seen in Group A than in Group B, and homozygosity for HPA 3b (P = 0.038) alleles was more prevalent in Group A than in Group B. The allele and genotype distributions of the other HPA polymorphic variants were similar between the two groups. Univariate analysis identified the CCGGGC (P = 0.016) combined genotype to be negatively associated & the TCGGGC (P = 0.003) and CCGGGC (P = 0.003) to be positively associated with thrombocytopenia. The frequency of anti-HPA-1a and anti-HPA-3a antibodies was significantly higher in all patients compared to other anti-HPAs antibodies (P < 0.05). These results highlight the role of HPAs in the thrombocytopenia of COVID-19 infected patients. This is the first evidence demonstrating the differential association of the six common HPA gene variants and specific HPA genotype combinations with thrombocytopenia in COVID-19-infected patients.

A review: hemocompatibility of magnetic nanoparticles and their regenerative medicine, cancer therapy, drug delivery, and bioimaging applications.

Nanoparticles have demonstrated noteworthy advancements in the management of various complex medical conditions, particularly cancer. In any case, these particles still harbor the potential to improve medicate conveyance to challenging, hard-to-reach loci. The interactions that occur between nanoparticles and red blood cells during their journey throughout the human body, despite exposure to blood, are still not fully understood. Assessment of the ability of nanoparticles to integrate with blood, characterized as nanoparticle compatibility, has been consistently overlooked and undervalued in its import. This review article investigates the effect of nanoparticles on red blood cells, while examining the compatibility of nanoparticles through the angle of hemolysis. This article discusses the main roles of erythrocytes and also provides an informed interpretation of several mechanisms involved in the interaction of nanoparticles and erythrocytes. Throughout the review, significant emphasis is attributed to the investigation of hemocompatibility studies concerning newly designed nanoparticles to promote their successful translation into clinical application. This review article examines the compatibility of magnetic nanoparticles in various fields, including regenerative medicine, cancer therapy, bioimaging, and drug delivery. Our results show that the chemical composition of the nanoparticle surface is a determining factor in hemocompatibility performance and interaction with blood cells. The surface properties of nanoparticles, namely surface charge, geometry, porosity, and surface functionalities of polymers or specific functional groups, represent key determinants of hemocompatibility.

Pulmonary Invasive Fungal Disease: Ultrasound and Computed Tomography Scan Findings.

OBJECTIVE: The importance of ultrasound in diagnosing pulmonary invasive fungal diseases (IFD) has yet to be assessed. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the frequency of sonographic findings in patients suspected of an invasive pulmonary fungal infection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective longitudinal study examined all patients with lung lesions in imaging modalities and suspected IFDs referred to Dr. Sheikh and Akbar pediatric hospitals from 2019 to 2022. Considered variables were the halo sign in the computed tomography (CT) scan; the target sign in the ultrasound and contrast-enhanced CT scan; the cavity; wedge-shaped consoli- dation; and pleuritis and extrapulmonary invasion to the chest wall or subdiaphragmatic invasion in both modalities. All patients who underwent lung CT scans and ultrasounds until the final diagnosis were followed up. The degree of agreement between ultrasound and CT scan findings and the sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of these signs were assessed. RESULTS: This study involved 40 patients with an average age of 7.16 ± 4.23 years. Acute leukemia was the commonest underlying dis- ease detected in 17 (42.5%) cases. The target sign in ultrasound (61.9%) and the halo sign in CT scan (71.4%) had the highest frequency among the variables in patients with IFD. Cohen's kappa coefficient agreement in both modalities was 0.5 for the cavity, with significant relation (P = .02). The Cohen's kappa was less than .17 for other findings (P > .05). The diagnostic criteria in the simultaneous examina- tion of the fungus target in ultrasound and halo in CT scan showed a sensitivity of 82.4% and specificity of 76.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Combining the characteristic findings of ultrasound and CT-scan provides a higher value in diagnosing pulmonary invasive fungal disease.

Application of cell-derived exosomes in the hematological malignancies therapy.

Exosomes are small membrane vesicles of endocytic origin that are produced by both tumor and normal cells and can be found in physiological fluids like plasma and cell culture supernatants. They include cytokines, growth factors, proteins, lipids, RNAs, and metabolites and are important intercellular communication controllers in several disorders. According to a vast amount of research, exosomes could support or inhibit tumor start and diffusion in a variety of solid and hematological malignancies by paracrine signaling. Exosomes are crucial therapeutic agents for a variety of illnesses, such as cancer and autoimmune diseases. This review discusses the most current and encouraging findings from in vitro and experimental in vivo research, as well as the scant number of ongoing clinical trials, with a focus on the impact of exosomes in the treatment of malignancies. Exosomes have great promise as carriers of medications, antagonists, genes, and other therapeutic materials that can be incorporated into their core in a variety of ways. Exosomes can also alter the metabolism of cancer cells, alter the activity of immunologic effectors, and alter non-coding RNAs, all of which can alter the tumor microenvironment and turn it from a pro-tumor to an anti-tumor milieu. This subject is covered in the current review, which also looks at how exosomes contribute to the onset and progression of hematological malignancies, as well as their importance in diagnosing and treating these conditions.

Evaluating Aprepitant single-dose plus granisetron and dexamethasone in children receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: A triple-blinded randomized clinical trial

ABSTRACT Introduction: This study was performed to evaluate the degree of 3-day chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in children with cancer who received highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC) to ascertain the efficacy of aprepitant single-dose on dayL 1 plus granisetron and dexamethasone (DEX). Methods: This clinical trial study was conducted on 120 patients in the age range of 5 to 18 years old who received chemotherapy. Patients were divided into two groups; Group A received aprepitant at 125 mg/kg on day 1 orally, followed by 80 mg/kg daily on days 2 and 3 and Group B received a single dose of aprepitant 125 mg/kg on day 1 orally and placebo on days 2 and 3. All groups received granisetron 3 mg/m2 on day 1 and DEX on days 1 to 3. The primary and secondary endpoints were to evaluate the proportion of patients with acute, delayed and overall CINV within each group. Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups for vomiting, nausea or the use of rescue therapy. The number of patients without vomiting on day 1 was similar in both groups (96.5% vs. 98.3%, respectively; p = 0.848). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, a single dose of aprepitant 125 mg/kg was as effective as administering three doses of aprepitant on 3 days. Therefore, the use of a single dose of aprepitant in combination with other standard treatment regimens to prevent CINV in children who received HEC was safe and efficacious and can be beneficial.

The Effect and Safety of Olanzapine on Nausea and Vomiting in Children Receiving Moderately Emetogenic Chemotherapy.

Background: In order to improve the complete recovery of nausea and vomiting, we conducted a study with the aim of preventing acute and delayed nausea and vomiting in children undergoing moderate emetogenic chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: A clinical trial study was done on 130 children received chemotherapy. Patients received olanzapine and placebo. All groups received granisetron along with dexamethasone (DEX). The severity of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) induced by chemotherapy was compared in two groups. Results: The severity of nausea on the first, second, third, and fourth days was not significantly different (P > .05) in two groups. The number of patients without vomiting was significantly different during the first 24 hours after chemotherapy between patients in the two groups (82.3% vs 64.5%; P = .016). Conclusion: This study showed that olanzapine, which acts as an inhibitor of neurotransmitters, had a favorable efficacy in controlling acute and delayed CINV. More studies with large sample size are needed to compare the effect of olanzapine with other agents including aprepitant and palonosetron in the prevention of CINV.

Evaluation of the antitumor activity of moronecidin (Piscidin)-like peptide in combination with anti-PD-1 antibody against melanoma tumor.

Objectives: Immunotherapy has changed the landscape of oncology over the last decade and has become a standard of care for various cancers. Researchers previously demonstrated that B16-F10 melanoma in C57Bl6 mice is resistant to immune checkpoint inhibitors. The goal of this study was to investigate how anti-PD1 antibodies functioned in combination with a new antimicrobial peptide (AMP) called moronecidin-like peptide (MLP). Materials and Methods: We studied the cytotoxic effect of AMP on the B10-F16 tumor cell line with the MTT experiment. The necrotic and apoptotic cells were determined by Presidium iodide (PI) /Annexin V staining and flow cytometry-based methods. Mice were inoculated subcutaneously with B10-F16 tumor cells in the mammary gland. Each group was sacrificed two weeks after the last injection to examine tumor-specific CD8+ T cell responses using flow cytometry. Results: Annexin V and PI staining assay revealed that MPL significantly induces apoptosis in B16F10 cells. It should be noted that MLP in combination with anti-PD-1 improved antigen-specific T-cell responses synergistically (P=0.01) when compared with respective monotherapy. Furthermore, when compared with the respective monotherapies, combination therapy significantly controlled tumor growth in B10-F16 tumor cells and increased survival rate. Conclusion: Treatments with anti-PD-1 inhibitors alone had only a minor effect on tumor size, whereas combination therapy resulted in significant tumor growth control and increased animal survival. MLP therapy combined with anti-PD-1 antibody improves anti-tumor immune response in addition to inducing tumor cell apoptosis. As a result, the evidence suggests that intratumoral injection of MPL can improve anti-PD-1 antibody antitumor response.

Occult hepatitis B in Iranian blood donors, an overview of the challenges: A narrative review.

Background: Occult hepatitis B infection (OBI) is a transfusion-transmitted infection. Although, screening the hepatitis B virus among blood donors can play an important role in increasing the health of blood products, OBI screening in blood transfusion centers is still a challenge. This review study aimed to appraise the challenges of OBI screening and its associated do's and don'ts in blood transfusion centers. Methods: In this review study, a search was conducted on the electronic databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Ovid, Irandoc, and Magiran from January 1996 to December 2020. Also, cross-sectional studies that determined the prevalence of OBI or anti-HBc were included in the study. In addition, studies with incomplete data on the prevalence of OBI were excluded. Results: The prevalence of OBI varies among Iranian blood donors. The rates reported by blood transfusion centers of Mashhad, Ahvaz, and Tehran were 0%, and Isfahan, Shiraz, and Kerman were 0.9%, 0.08%, and 2.36%, respectively. In areas with high prevalence of hepatitis B virus, OBI screening only by anti-HBc test led to the exemption of blood donors from donating blood. Avoiding OBI screening also effected the risk of virus transmission to blood recipients. Plasma products had a higher risk (85%) of virus transmission. Conclusions: Determining an appropriate screening strategy based on prevalence status, the cost-effectiveness of screening tests, and the policies of each blood transfusion center is essential.

The Role of Hematological Parameters in Predicting the Death of Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19.

Background: The role of the hematologic indicators in the identification of severe or critical patients requires further investigation. In this study, we focused on predicting Covid-19 patients at risk of progression using blood parameters. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective study including 444 patients with confirmed Covid-19. Hematological parameters were evaluated. The logistic regression analysis was performed with step-wise method with dependent variables such as intensive care units admission, partial pressure of oxygen saturation, and mortality. Also, independent variables such as hematological parameters, age and sex to assess variables that are likely to predict patients at risk of progression. Results: Patients in intensive care units had significantly higher mean absolute neutrophil count than outpatients (P < 0.001). There was a statistically significant difference in the mean absolute lymphocyte count between dead and survived patients (P = 0.015). Multivariate analysis confirmed the positive association of the white blood cells (P < 0.001), absolute neutrophil count (P < 0.004), red cell distribution width (P < 0.001), and lactate dehydrogenase (P = 0.007) to be positively associated with the admission of Covid-19 patients in the intensive care units and the absolute monocyte count (P = 0.012, Odds ratios = 0.100, CI95% = 0.066-0.605) to be negatively associated with mortality. Conclusion: Based on the results of our study, it is recommended to use hematological data to make clinical decisions and evaluate the patient's prognosis.