Background: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an inflammatory disease that can impair function and lower quality of life, which causes spinal bone fusion and new bone production. Several studies have been done on the differences in damage between women and men. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the differences between men and women with AS regarding clinical characteristics, structural damage, and treatment used by Algerian patients. Methods: In this study, 292 patients diagnosed with AS at the Hassani Abdelkader Hospital Rehabilitation Department of Sidi Bel Abbes Region between 2018 and 2021 were enrolled. The studied parameters were age, disease duration, age at disease onset, morning stiffness, joint involvements, laboratory data, disease activity, and treatments. All data were processed and analyzed via Excel and SPSS 20.0 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, IBM Corporation, Chicago, IL, August 2011). Results: We assessed 166 females and 126 males. The mean age at disease onset was 31.69 ± 10.675 vs. 30.38 ± 10.250 years, and morning stiffness duration was 26.08 ± 26.977 vs. 23.80 ± 26.529 minutes in females and males, respectively. Positive HLA-B27 was noted more in 71.9% of women and 69.6% of men. Also, the female group suffered more from their lumbar (100%) and high inflammation (83.8% elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and 59.9% positive C-reactive protein (CRP)) rather than females who suffered from a long disease duration (7.28 ± 4.867 vs. 6.74 ± 3.584). Peripheral joints were primarily affected in males than females (knees involvement: 26.4% vs. 3.6% and hips involvement: 69.6% vs. 3%, respectively). In addition, high disease activity was more noted in men (52.8% vs. 41.9%, respectively). The most noted comorbidities, including uveitis, psoriasis, and diabetes, affected more females than males (40% vs. 29.9%, 4.8% vs. 2.4%, and 2.4% vs. 1.2%, respectively). Concerning the treatment, men used more sulfasalazine than women, 86.4% vs. 76%, while women used more Humira than men (88.6% vs. 74.4%, respectively). Conclusions: According to our findings, women had a higher inflammation rate and more damage in their lumbar, requiring more sulfasalazine and Humira treatment than men who suffered from their peripheral joints and higher disease activity.

In the summer of 1999, Canadian Blood Services (CBS) will implement pre-storage leukoreduction of red cells, in addition to the pre-storage leukoreduction of platelets, which has been available since February 1998. (Donor leukocytes)1, the residual white blood cells in platelet or red cell transfusions, are associated with potential adverse reactions. Leukocytes, with their specific allogeneic structure (exposing the HLA class I and class II antigens on their surface) are main targets of the recipient’s immune system. Some transfusion recipients develop a fever after transfusion in response to the donor leukocytes.Repeated exposure to donor leukocytes may create an immune response that makes the recipient refractory to the donor platelets, thereby deriving no benefit from the transfusion event. In addition, some (viruses) 2, such as cytomegalovirus (CMV) are transmitted in donor leukocytes, in which they reside. Another less well-established effect of transfused leukocytes is a (modulating) 3 influence they may have on the recipient’s immune system, potentially compromising the recipient’s ability to fight infection or prevent cancer recurrence. In an effort to overcome these adverse effects, methods of removal of the donorleukocytes – leukoreduction or leukodepletion – have been developed. Today’stechnology permits removal of > 99.99% of donor leukocytes, usually by means of filtration of the red cells and or platelets. This filtration may occur shortly after donationand processing of the blood unit, and is called pre-storage leukoreduction. The filtrationmay occur in the hospital blood bank, just prior to the transfusion event, or may occur atthe patient’s bedside, the latter two being referred to as post-storage leukoreduction. Most data suggest that pre-storage leukoreduction is superior to any means of post3 storage leukoreduction, since the leukocytes have not yet begun to fragment or synthesize the variety of biological response modifiers (cytokines) they have been reported to produce. The membrane fragments and pre-formed biological response modifiers will generally pass through post-storage filters, and still are able to exert the adverse effects associated with intact white cells.

Introduction: Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is responsible for an increasing number of serious hospital- and community-acquired infections. USA300 is known to be the most common cause of community-acquired infections, but recently there have been some reports on hospital-acquired infections caused by this strain. Methods: Totally 171 isolates of S. aureus were collected from different clinical samples in selected university hospitals in Mashhad, Tehran, and Isfahan cities. Then, they were assessed by agar screening and disk diffusion methods to determine their resistance to Methicillin. The isolated MRSA strains were confirmed by detection of mecA gene. The staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec), agr, and spa typing and also detection of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) and arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) genes were performed on mecA harboring isolates. Multilocus sequence typing was performed on PVL/ACME positive MRSA strains. Results: We found a PVL/ACME positive MRSA isolate. Genetic evaluation results for this isolate produced the following profile: positive for mecA, pvl, arcA, and HLA genes, negative for vanA, sec, and tst1, and belonged to agr I, SCCmec IV, sequence type 8 (ST8), and spa t008. Conclusion: Our results suggest a finding of USA300CA-MRSA isolate in Mashhad, Iran. This is an uncommon finding, because USA300 is routinely found in areas other than Middle East. A notable point about these isolates is that they belong to American Endemic clones.

Porous bone scaffolds are made by various methods such as membrane lamination, space holder, freeze-drying, and 3D printing techniques. With the advent of 3D printing, this method has emerged as a new tool for designing porous scaffolds.  The porous scaffolds are expected to have a multifunctional effect and changing porosity patterns as an approach to integrating the mechanical properties of different designs into a unique scaffold design. The knees, as a large joint, in addition to helping the limbs, also bear the weight of the body. In this study, the bone scaffold was fabricated using materials such as carboxymethyl chitosan (CCHI) and hyaluronic acid (HLA) using a three-dimensional bioprinter method for repairing the knee joint bone. In this study, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis is used to study morphology.  In order to investigate the existing phases, phase changes due to different content  to determine the absence of space particles in the production scaffold and to determine the size of blocks by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The MTT toxicity, apatite formation, as well as cell growth tests, were used to evaluate the biocompatibility and biodegradability of the porous scaffold. The scaffold degradation rate is determined after immersion in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) as well as Phosphate Buffer Saline (PBS). The outcome shows that the sample with 10 wt% HLA presents suitable mechanical and biological properties compared to the pure sample.

Introduction: The most widespread gastrointestinal infection globally is attributed to non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS). Given the rising prevalence of antibiotic-resistant strains and the absence of commercially available vaccines, there is a crucial need for research and development of new vaccines against NTS. The purpose of the present study was to design a multi-epitope vaccine targeting non-typhoidal salmonella serovars (Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella enteritidis) based on fimbriae protein using an immunoinformatics approach. Methods: The sequences of the fimbriae protein were obtained and the predicted epitopes for B and T lymphocytes were identified. The epitopes' antigenic features, non-allergenicity, and non-toxicity were investigated, and the vaccine model was constructed. The characteristics of the vaccine were determined, and its effectiveness was evaluated through docking, molecular dynamics simulation involving the interaction between the vaccine and immune receptors, and immunological simulation. The vaccine was then optimized for cloning. Results: B and T lymphocyte-targeting vaccine construct was developed by selecting twelve epitopes. Immunoinformatics analyses predicted that the constructed vaccine is reliable and safe, hydrophilic, and exhibits stability under diverse temperatures and conditions. Additionally, it displayed the capability to bind to immune receptors TLR4, HLA-C, and HLA-DRB1. Moreover, this vaccine candidate stimulates antibody response and memory B and T cell activation after repeated injection. Conclusion: This study introduced the primary results of a novel multi-epitope vaccine against NTS based on adhesion protein. In-silico methods predicted that the proposed vaccine can potentially elicit an immune response and be expressed in the prokaryotic system