In silico prediction of B cell epitopes of the hemolysis-associated protein 1 for vaccine design against leptospirosis

Leptospirosis is known as a zoonotic disease of global importance originated from infection with the spirochete bacterium Leptospira. Although several leptospirosis vaccines have been tested, the vaccination is relatively unsuccessful in clinical application despite decades of research. Therefore, this study was conducted to predict B cell epitopes of the hemolysis-associated protein 1 (Hap1) for vaccine design against leptospirosis. For prediction of linear epitopes, the sequence of extracellular region of Hap1 was submitted to ABCpred, BCPREDs, Bcepred, Bepipred and Ellipro servers. DiscoTope 2.0 and B-pred servers were used for prediction of conformational epitopes from the entire PDB structure of Hap1 that obtained from the homology modeling method. Further analysis for solvent accessible areas and relative solvent accessibility of all the residues on the PDB structures using Naccess program and NetSurfP server defined that predicted conformational B cell epitopes had higher solvent accessible and their residues were exposed on the surface therefore, immunoinformatics analysis showed that hemolysis-associated protein 1 can properly stimulate the B cells immune responses

Applying Immunoinformatics Methods to Identify Potential T and B Cell Epitopes in the CagA Protein of Helicobacter pylori

Background and Aim: Helicobacter pylori is not only identified as a leading cause of chronic active gastritis and peptic ulcer disease in humans, but also it is considered as a risk factor for the development of gastric adenocarcinoma and MALT lymphoma. This study aims to predict specific epitopes for the utility of designing peptide vaccine against H. pylori infection by targeting invasive, virulent and membrane associated proteins CagA. Materials and Methods: In the present study, various immunoinformatics approaches have been applied to design a potential epitope-based vaccine against H. pylori infection. For prediction of linear epitopes, the sequence of CagA was submitted to ABCpred, BCPREDS, Bcepred, Bepipred and Ellipro servers. DiscoTope 2.0 and B-pred servers were also used for the prediction of conformational epitopes. In addition, prediction of T-cell epitopes was carried out by CTLPred. Results: The obtained results demonstrated 277 conformational B-Cell epitopes in addition to predicted high score linear B and T cell epitopes in CagA protein. Conclusion: These predicted epitopes might be used to design a vaccine against H. pylori and thus, could be validated in model hosts to verify their efficacy as vaccine

The Effect of E-Learning on Lifestyle in Adolescents with Thalassemia Major

AbstractIntroduction: One of the ways to improve the quality of life of patients with thalassemia major is to empower patients through education to deal with the effects and complications of illness and control disease and life further. This study aimed to determine the impact of E-learning intervention on self-care behaviors in patients with thalassemia major.Methods: The present study is a quasi-experimental study of clinical trial type. The effect of e-learning on the lifestyle of eligible adolescents with thalassemia major of both sexes referred to Razi, and Bu Ali Sina Hospitals was investigated. Samples were divided into two groups control (N=25) and intervention (N=25). The control group received routine training from the relevant centers or health care staff, and the intervention group received e-learning and regular exercise. Data were collected through valid and reliable questionnaires, including two main parts. The first part contains demographic information. The second part of the questionnaire was a standard health-promoting behaviors questionnaire that assesses the lifestyle of adolescents in three dimensions nutrition, physical activity, and stress management. Finally, data were analyzed using SPSS version 22, and P-value less than 0/05 was considered significant.Results: Obtained results demonstrated a significant difference in the quality of nutrition in adolescents with thalassemia before e-learning intervention between intervention and control groups (P< 0.05). Moreover, after the intervention, there was a significant difference in the stress management of the intervention and control groups, and the scores of the intervention group increased significantly (P< 0.05). The findings also indicated that physical health was also considerably increased in adolescents with thalassemia after intervention by e-learning compared to the control group (P< 0.05).Conclusions: It can be concluded that e-learning has a significant effect on patients' quality of life with thalassemia in three dimensions: nutrition, physical and mental health. The results of this study can serve as a guideline for designing appropriate educational programs for thalassemia patients. &nbsp