Challenges in psychopharmacological management of a young child with multiple comorbid disorders, history of trauma, and early-onset mood disorder: the role of lithium

Construction of A Synthetic Gene Encoding the Multi-Epitope of Toxoplasma gondii and Demonstration of the Relevant Recombinant Protein Production: A Vaccine Candidate

BACKGROUND

Toxoplasma gondii is a widely-distributed parasite all over the world whose attributed severe afflicting complications in human necessitate the development of serodiagnostic tests and vaccines for it. Immunological responses to monovalent vaccines and the application of diagnostic reagents including single antigens are not optimally effective. Bioinformatics approaches were used to introduce these epitopes, predict their immunogenicity and preliminarily evaluate their potential as an effective DNA vaccine and for serodiagnostic goals.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A 3D structure of proteins was predicted by I-TASSER server, and linear and conformational B cell and T cell epitopes were predicted using the online servers. Then, the predicted epitopes were constructed and called Toxoeb, and their expression in the prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells was demonstrated using SDS-PAGE. In the next step, Western blotting with pooled sera of mice infected with T. gondii was done.

RESULTS

The current in silico analysis revealed that the B cell epitopes with high immunogenicity for GRA4 protein were located in the residues 34-71, and 230-266, for GRA14 in 308-387, for SAG1 in 182-195, 261-278, and for GRA7 in residues 101-120, 160-176. The T cell epitopes were selected in overlapping regions with the B cell epitopes. The immunogenic region for GRA4 are in the residues 245-253, 50-58, and 40-54, for GRA14 in 307-315, 351-359, and 308- 322, for SAG1 261-269, and 259-267, and for GRA7 in the residues 103-112, and 167-175. The results of the western blotting showed that the expressed protein had immunogenicity.

CONCLUSION

Our constructed multi-epitope of T. gondii could be considered as a candidate for diagnostic and vaccination purposes.

A survey of Psychiatric Disorders and Their Comorbidities in Children and Adolescents

Background:

This community-based study aimed to investigate the psychiatric disorders and their comorbidities according to the kind of psychiatric disorders. Frequency of demographic factors and the prevalence of total psychiatric disorders in term of demographic charactheristics were obtained too.

Materials and Methods:

The present study focused on 1028 children and adolescent aged 6 to 18 years old across the Razavi Khorasan province by random sampling. The subjects included 496 boys and 532 girls from three age groups (6-9 years, 10-14 years and 15-18 years). Eight clinical psychologists trained to complete the Persian version of K-SADS-PL (Kiddie-SADS present and life time version). This scale measures five diagnostic appendixes of psychiatric disorders. Demographic data of participants were collected too. The data were recorded into the SPSS version 16. The relationship between psychiatric disorders and demographic factors deliberate by descriptive analysis and 95% confidence interval.

Results:

The total rate of psychiatric disorders among children and adolescent was estimated as 20.5%, elimination disorders with a rate of 12.9% was the most prevalent disorder in the subjects. The lowest prevalence belongs to psychotic disorder and bulimia nervosa (0.1%). Of participants with mood disorders about 71.4% have behavioral disorders too. Anxiety disorders also commonly occurred in person with mood disorders. The comparison of ORs and their 95% confidence interval revealed that there is a significant difference for total psychiatric disorder among boys and girls (OR=0.6 for girls; 95% CI: 0.44-0.82). The rate of total psychiatric disorders in rural and urban areas was 14.9% and 21.1% respectively.

Conclusion:

With attention to the high prevalence of psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents, it’s necessary that healthcare officials pay more attention to reinforcement of mental health care.