A Review on the Applications of Crowdsourcing in Human Pathology

The advent of the digital pathology has introduced new avenues of diagnostic medicine. Among them, crowdsourcing has attracted researchers' attention in the recent years, allowing them to engage thousands of untrained individuals in research and diagnosis. While there exist several articles in this regard, prior works have not collectively documented them. We, therefore, aim to review the applications of crowdsourcing in human pathology in a semi-systematic manner. We firstly, introduce a novel method to do a systematic search of the literature. Utilizing this method, we, then, collect hundreds of articles and screen them against a pre-defined set of criteria. Furthermore, we crowdsource part of the screening process, to examine another potential application of crowdsourcing. Finally, we review the selected articles and characterize the prior uses of crowdsourcing in pathology

Relationship between Quality of Sleep and Mental Health among Students Living in Dormitories

Abstract: Introduction: This study was carried out to investigate the sleep quality and its relationship with mental health among students living in dormitories. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 277 students residing in dormitories of Tehran University of Medical Sciences were selected through stratified random sampling procedure. A demographic questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) were used for data collection. Chi-square, Spearman and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Results: The prevalence of sleep disturbance was 73.3% (68.1-78.5) in this sample and the prevalence of poor mental health was 34.4% (28.7-39. 9). The findings showed a significant relationship between quality of sleep and mental health (P<0.001). Conclusion: Our study displayed a significant relationship between quality of sleep and mental health. So interventionist programs are suggested to improve the sleep quality of students ant to prevent mental health disorders among students living in dormitories

Sleep Quality of Students living in Dormitories in Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) in 2011

Background & Objectives: Sleep quality is an important factor in student life and affects in their learning process. Sleep problems are related to increased health concerns, irritability, depression, fatigue, attention and concentration difficulties, along with poor academic performance. The aim of this paper is to conduct a survey based on a questionnaire that would characterize the quality of sleep in students living in dormitories of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using the ..

Determining the lymphadenopathy characteristics of the mediastinum in lung CT scan of children with tuberculosis

AbstractObjective/Background: Most tuberculosis cases in children are primary infection, with difficult and imprecise diagnosis mainly based on the existence of mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Here, we investigated the characteristics of mediastinal lymphadenopathy in lung computed tomography (CT) scans of children with tuberculosis. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 75 children with tuberculosis referred to Masih Daneshvari Hospital in Tehran, Iran, from 2009 to 2013. Their medical records were investigated, and CT-scan characteristics were extracted by a radiologist. Results: Mean±standard deviation age of cases was 11.2±4.6years. CT-scan results indicated 94.7% of cases had lymphadenopathy, with lower paratracheal, upper paratracheal, hilar, and subcarinal forms observed in 81.7%, 69.1%, 53.5%, and 47.9% of cases as the most involved stations in lymph nodes, respectively. In 74.6% of patients with mediastinal lymphadenopathy, perilymph node fat inflammation (matting) was observed, with 52.11% exhibiting conglomeration. Bronchial pressure was observed in 4.23% of children with tuberculosis, and bilateral-, right-, and left-parenchymal involvement was observed in 42.7%, 25.3%, and 8% of these cases, respectively. Left- and right-pleural effusion and calcification was reported in 6.7%, 12%, and 5.6% of patients, respectively. Additionally, nearly 80% of patients exhibited mediastinal lymphadenopathy and lung-parenchyma involvement simultaneously. Lung-parenchyma involvement was significantly correlated with subcarinal (p<.001), hilar (p<.001), subaortic (p=.030), lower paratracheal (p=.037), and axillary (p=.006) stations. Conclusion: Situation of mediastinal lymphadenopathy and its synchronicity with lung-parenchyma involvement can help in differential diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis from other lung diseases

Screening role of complete blood cell count indices and C reactive protein in patients who are symptomatic for COVID-19

INTRODUCTION: Diagnosis of COVID-19 is through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or typical involvement of the lung by the virus in computed tomography (CT) scan. However, PCR is not always available, and also CT scan has a high dose of radiation. This study was performed to find the role of complete blood cell (CBC) indices and qualitative C-reactive protein (CRP) in screening of symptomatic patients.MATERIAL AND METHODS: A diagnostic accuracy study was performed on symptomatic cases in Abadan. Four stepwise logistic regression models were designed that the outcomes were PCR positivity, CT scan positivity, PCR and CT scan positivity, and COVID-19 positivity (i.e., PCR or CT scan positivity). Post-estimation receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was performed to report the area under the curve (AUC).RESULTS: A total of 104 patients were studied. The most accurate model was for the prediction of CT scan positivity (AUC = 0.874) in which the predictors were age [odds ratio (OR) =1.063] and CRP (OR = 2.661 for each plus of positivity). The second accurate model was for the prediction of COVID-19 positivity (AUC = 0.828) in which the predictors were white blood cell count (OR = 0.735 for every 1000 counts per μL) and neutrophil per lymphocyte ratio (OR = 1.248).CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of CRP are associated with and predictor of lung involvement in COVID-19 infection. CRP qualitative levels can be measured before a CT scan if there is no other indication for imaging

Investigating the relationship between fetus heart rate in the first trimester screening with fetus sex

Objective There is a common belief that sex of the fetus is predictable by assessing fetal heart rate (FHR) in the early weeks of pregnancy. We aimed to assess the relationship between FHR in the first trimester screening with fetus sex. Methods This mixed prospective–retrospective cohort study is done on 374 fetus samples of pregnant women who referred to evaluate nuchal translucency (NT) in a hospital in Tehran, Iran between October 2013 and March 2015. Adjusted multivariable linear regression model, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Youden index were used in analysis. Results There were 52.9% male among fetuses. The median and interquartile range (IQR) of FHR in male and female fetus were 155.5 (152–160) and 155 (150–160) beats per minute (bpm), respectively (P = 0.213). The crude regression results showed that the average FHR of the male fetuses was 1.27 bpm higher than females but it was not statistically significant (P = 0.131). The adjusted regression results showed that fetus sex was not significantly associated with FHR in terms of similar age and mother’s gravid and parity. Area under the ROC curve was 0.54 (95% confidence interval: 0.48, 0.59) which shows very low FHR power to determine sex of the fetus in the first trimester of pregnancy. The best cut off point was equal to 152 pulse bpm, sensitivity and specificity were 82.81 and 30.11, respectively. Conclusion The results showed that FHR is not a good factor to determine sex of the fetus

Improving Multi-Epitope Long Peptide Vaccine Potency by Using a Strategy that Enhances CD4+ T Help in BALB/c Mice.

Peptide-based vaccines are attractive approaches for cancer immunotherapy; but the success of these vaccines in clinical trials have been limited. Our goal is to improve immune responses and anti-tumor effects against a synthetic, multi-epitope, long peptide from rat Her2/neu (rHer2/neu) using the help of CD4+ T cells and appropriate adjuvant in a mouse tumor model. Female BALB/c mice were vaccinated with P5+435 multi-epitope long peptide that presents epitopes for cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) in combination with a universal Pan DR epitope (PADRE) or CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG-ODNs) as a Toll-like receptor agonist adjuvant. The results show that vaccination with the multi-epitope long peptide in combination with the PADRE peptide and CpG-ODN induced expansion of subpopulations of CD4+ and CD8+ cells producing IFN-γ, the average tumor size in the vaccinated mice was less than that of the other groups, and tumor growth was inhibited in 40% of the mice in the vaccinated group. The mean survival time was 82.6 ± 1.25 days in mice vaccinated with P5+435 + CpG+ PADRE. Our results demonstrate that inclusion of PADRE and CpG with the peptide vaccine enhanced significant tumor specific-immune responses in vaccinated mice

Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Assessment of Quality of Endodontic Treatment and Prevalence of Procedural Errors in Mandibular Molars

Objectives. This study assessed the quality of endodontic treatment and the prevalence of procedural errors in permanent mandibular molars using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Materials and Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 328 CBCT scans (182 females and 146 males) of endodontically treated mandibular molars retrieved from the archives of two radiology centers in Ardabil city, Iran, in 2019. Mandibular molars were evaluated on sagittal, coronal, and axial sections regarding obturation length, obturation density (voids), missed canals, broken instruments, apical perforation, strip perforation, ledge formation, transportation, root fracture, root resorption, and periapical lesions by a senior dental student under the supervision of an oral and maxillofacial radiologist and an endodontist. Differences between the frequency of procedural errors and tooth type and gender were analyzed by the chi-square test. Results. The frequency of underfilling, missed canals, overfilling, voids, apical perforation, transportation, ledge formation, broken instruments, root fracture, strip perforation, root resorption, and periapical lesions was 34.8%, 17.4%, 16.8%, 14.3%, 7.3%, 6.1%, 4.3%, 3%, 1.2%, 0.6%, 5.5%, and 46%, respectively. The frequency of root fracture was significantly higher in females than in males P<0.05. The prevalence of underfilling was the highest in right second molars (47.2%), followed by right first molars, left second molars, and left first molars P<0.005. The frequency of transportation was maximum in right first molars (10%), followed by right second molars, left first molars, and left second molars P<0.04. Conclusion. Underfilling, missed canals, and overfilling were the most prevalent procedural errors in mandibular molars in our study population

The percentages of IL-4-producing <i>CD4</i>+ T cells.

<p>Fourteen days after the last vaccination three mice per group were euthanized, and splenocytes were collected and characterized for CD4+ T cells using intracellular IL-4 staining followed by flowcytometry analysis. Data represent mean ± SEM (n = 3). ** denote significant differences from controls and all other groups, respectively.</p

In vivo antitumor effects experiments.

<p>Six mice/group were immunized three times with P₅₊₄₃₅ long peptide alone, long peptide + CpG, or long peptide + PADRE + CpG. Control mice were immunized with PADRE, PADRE + CpG, or PBS. After 14 days the mice were challenged subcutaneously with 5× 10⁵ live TUBO cells. (A) Tumors were measured weekly and sizes were recorded. The values are means of tumor size and error bars indicate SD. (B) The survival times of the mice were analyzed by log-rank (P = 0.117) and Fleming-Harrington tests (P = 0.058) for 80 days. * denotes significant difference from PBS (P < 0.05).</p