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Background: Individual variability in the length and thickness of hamstring tendon autografts is a serious drawback in using these tendons for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). In this study, we aimed to determine the correlation between the anthropometric parameters and the size of hamstring tendon autografts., Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 52 male ACLR candidates were included. The length of semitendinosus and gracilis tendons and the diameter of single, doubled, and quadrupled tendons were measured. A graft sizing block device with an incremental size change of 0.5 mm (range 4.5-12) was used to measure the tendon graft diameter. The evaluated anthropometric parameters included age, gender, height, weight, BMI, thigh length and diameter, calf length, thigh-to-calf ratio, wrist diameter, and ankle diameter. A Pearson's or Spearman's correlation coefficient test was used for evaluating the correlation of anthropometric factors with graft characteristics., Results: The mean age of the patients was 27.1 ± 6.4 years. The semitendinosus length was significantly correlated with the patient's height (r = 0.373, P = 0.007), thigh length (r = 0.364, P = 0.009), and calf length (r = 0.340, P = 0.015). The gracilis length was significantly correlated with thigh length (r = 0.278, P = 0.049). The mean quadruple diameter was 8.56 ± 1.15 mm (range 6.5-11). The quadruple diameter was significantly correlated with the thigh length (r = 0.283, P = 0.044). No other significant correlation was found between the tendons' size and evaluated anthropometric parameters., Conclusion: Thigh length was correlated with the semitendinosus length, gracilis length, and quadruple diameter. Therefore, it could be regarded as the most consistent and promising anthropometric factor in the prediction of hamstring autograft size., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2023 Iran University of Medical Sciences.)

Introduction: Earlier reports described the possibility of higher SARS-CoV-2 infection and severity in patients with hematological malignancies. Given the importance and incidence of these malignancies, we aimed to systematically review SARS-CoV-2 infection and severity in patients with hematologic cancers., Methods: We retrieved the relevant records by searching the keywords in online databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, and Scopus on December 31st, 2021. A two-step screening; title/abstract and full-text screening, was employed to select the eligible studies. These eligible studies entered the final qualitative analysis. The study is adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist to ensure the reliability and validity of the results., Results: Forty studies concerning different hematologic malignancies and the effect of COVID-19 infection on them were included in the final analysis. The findings showed that in general, the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the severity of the disease are often higher in hematologic malignancies and the patients could experience higher morbidity and mortality compared to general populations., Conclusion: It appeared that individuals with hematologic malignancies are more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection and they experience more severe disease with higher mortality rates. The presence of other comorbidities could also deteriorate this situation. Further investigation is recommended to evaluate the outcome of COVID-19 infection in different subtypes of hematologic malignancies., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Introduction: Earlier studies demonstrated a decreased level of physical activity (PA) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we aimed to systematically review the relevant studies among various age groups and explore the impact on physical and mental health., Methods: We searched and retrieved all relevant articles using the keywords on the online databases of PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane from the start of the pandemic until May 3rd, 2021. A two-phase screening process of identified records was carried out to shortlist the most relevant studies. First, the studies were evaluated based on their title/abstract, and then the full-text of included studies was thoroughly read. The eligible studies based on the eligibility criteria were included in this review., Results: A total of 57 studies were included based on the eligibility criteria. Lockdowns and infection with SARS-CoV-2 have led to a decreased level of PA in the general population compared to the prepandemic era. Men had significantly less PA compared to women in some studies, probably due to higher pre-pandemic PA. The level of PA among those with chronic diseases also significantly diminished, putting them at a higher risk of cardiovascular incidents. Sedentary lifestyles have dominated people's life, including adolescents and university students. The increased levels of mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and occupational stress, have been suggested to contribute to the decreased PA. On the other hand, the decreased PA appeared to lead to more mental health issues. Fortunately, the decreasing trend of PA seemed to taper towards the end of the quarantines., Conclusion: Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent quarantines reduced PA among all age groups and both sexes and had detrimental effects on people's physical and mental health. We suggest countries implement strategies to alleviate restrictions and encourage people to exercise in safe environments and prepare healthy routines for themselves., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 cause pneumonia can spread across the lung and lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in severe cases. Post-exposure prophylaxis has shown great potential to prevent the transmission of some viral infections; however, such results for COVID-19 are still inconclusive., Methods: Therefore, the aim of this study was to systematically review the resources that utilized postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) for COVID-19 and the possible clinical benefits of such drugs. An organized search of relevant literature was done using the keywords and search queries on public databases of Cochrane, PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus from December 2019 to August 23, 2021. Original resources that had the inclusion criteria were included after two-phase title/abstract and full-text screenings. This review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta- Analysis (PRISMA) statement., Results: Out of 841 retrieved records 17 resources were appropriate to include in the systematic review. Hydroxychloroquine with a daily dose of 400-800 mg and a duration of 5-14 days was the most frequently used agent for PEP. Chloroquine was recommended to use to control treatment in patients with mild to severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Other agents like Lopinavir-ritonavir (LPV/r), angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), Vitamin D, arbidol, thymosin drugs, and Xin guan no.1 (XG.1, a Chinese formula medicine) have also been applied in some studies., Conclusion: Current evidence demonstrated no established clinical benefits of any drug as PEP in individuals with COVID-19. However, scarce indication occurs for the beneficial effects of some agents, but more studies are needed to explore such effects., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Introduction: Knowledge of the safety of vaccines is crucial, both to prevent and cure them and to decrease the public hesitation in receiving vaccines. Therefore, this study aimed to systematically review the adverse events reported for inactivated vaccines and Novavax., Methods: In this systematic review, the databases of PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Web of Science were searched on September 15, 2021. Then we identified the eligible studies using a two-step title/abstract and full-text screening process. Data on the subjects, studies, and types of adverse events were extracted and entered in a word table, including serious, mild, local, and systemic adverse events as well as the timing of side effects' appearance., Results: Adverse effects of inactivated coronavirus vaccines side effects were reported from phases 1, 2, and 3 of the vaccine trials. The most common local side effects included injection site pain and swelling, redness, and pruritus. Meanwhile, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, fever, and gastrointestinal symptoms including abdominal pain and diarrhea were among the most common systemic adverse effects., Conclusion: This systematic review indicates that inactivated COVID-19 vaccines, including Sinovac, Sinopharm, and Bharat Biotech, as well as the protein subunit vaccines (Novavax) can be considered as safe choices due to having milder side effects and fewer severe life-threatening adverse events., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this manuscript.

Introduction: Mobile-based applications play a leading role in changes in life-style, improve medication adherence, and provide a unique opportunity to aid patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) elevate their healthcare level. Therefore, we aim to design and develop a mobile-based self-care application for patients with T2DM., Methods: The present study was an applied and developmental study to design and develop a mobile-based self-care application for people living with T2DM conducted in 2020. The design and development of the T2DM self-care application were done in 2 main phases of determining the key features and capabilities, and design and development of the T2DM self-care mobile app., Results: We identified the main model and a set of capabilities and features for the T2DM self-care application. By content analysis on 32 different applications and a previous study by the author, 18 features were extracted for the T2DM self-care mobile app. JAVA programming languages were used to design T2DM applications. Moreover, because of the cost-effectiveness, the Android operating system (AOS) was selected as a platform, and because of the widespread use of smartphones; these phones were chosen as the format of T2DM self-care application., Conclusions: In this study, we design and develop a mobile-based self-care application for patients with type 2 diabetes that shows potential in solving the shortcomings of mobile apps for diabetes care. By utilizing the T2DM self-care mobile app we are able to deploy a self-care application with a wide range of functionality such as text messaging, blood glucose monitoring, insulin dose suggestions, educational messaging, metabolic management, pedometer counts, and reporting. Future studies are needed to develop self-care applications for a different type of diabetes with different functions of diabetes care.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of technology-based services has been incremental by the care providers for patients scheduling, regulatory considerations, resource allocation, thus enabling virus exposure prevention while maintaining effective patient care. This study aims to review the currently available evidence to identify available technology solutions in the era of COVID-19., Methods: A systematic review in July 2020 using the PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Science Direct, and Web of Science databases has been carried out. After evaluating the title and abstract to select the most relevant studies based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, the selected articles underwent quality assessment. The full text of selected articles was then thoroughly evaluated to extract the essential findings., Results: In this study, 20 technology-based approaches have been identified for provision of healthcare services to patients with COVID-19. These methods included telemedicine, virtual visits, e-consult, tele-consulting, video conference, virtual healthcare, mobile-based self-care, social media, tele ICU, 3D printing technology, telemonitoring, teleradiology, telesurgical, and cloud-based service., Conclusion: Due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus, the use of technology-based methods for the provision of remote healthcare services can help control the disease. The effectiveness of each of these approaches can be investigated in future research., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Introduction: Many potential vaccines for COVID-19 are being studied and developed. Several studies have reported on the safety and efficacy of these vaccines. This systematic review aimed to report on the current evidence concerning the feasibility and effectiveness of vaccines for COVID-19., Methods: A systematic search was carried out utilizing the keywords in the online databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane. We included both human and non-human studies because of the vaccine novelty, limiting our ability to include sufficient human studies., Results: This review showed several SARS-CoV-2 vaccines to be currently under development using different platforms, including eight vaccines that are adenovirus-based vectors, six vaccines that are RNA-based formulations, one vaccine being DNA-based formulation, and other vaccines using other platforms, including lipid nanoparticles. Although the safety and efficacy profiles of these vaccines are still under debate, some countries have allowed for emergency use of some vaccines in at-risk populations, such as healthcare workers and the elderly., Conclusion: It is crucial to gather as much clinically relevant evidence as possible regarding the immunogenicity, efficacy, and safety profiles of available vaccines and adhere wisely to CDC protocols and guidelines for vaccine production., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 is the novel coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome and could afflict individuals from all walks of life. Children are usually asymptomatic or represent non-specific mild to moderate symptoms; therefore, they often remain undiagnosed and could be potential reservoirs and silent carriers of the virus. Despite the global attention to COVID-19 and its importance in public health, some clinical and paraclinical aspects of this disease in children are still unclear. Thus, we conducted a comprehensive systematic review of available literature to reflect on the current knowledge and practice of the disease among children., Methods: This study was a systematic review of current evidence conducted in October 2020. We performed a systematic search using the keywords in online databases. The investigation adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist to ensure the reliability and validity of extracted literature and results., Results: We selected and reviewed 23 most related studies out of 1744 identified papers in an initial online search based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the present review; of whom 13 were original research studies, and 10 were letters to the editors, commentaries, viewpoints, consensus statements, and perspectives. Although due to the origin of the current pandemic, China was the country with the most publications (12 articles), data from several countries have been included in this review., Conclusion: COVID-19 can also affect children and cause systemic disease with several internal organ involvements. However, the prevalence, severity, and diversity of the symptoms in children are less than in adults. Cough and fever appear to be some of the most common symptoms, followed by other symptoms such as gastrointestinal manifestations. Comorbidities increase the risk of severe COVID-19 in children, and those without underlying conditions are very unlikely to suffer from severe disease. Mental health issues such as anxiety and depression due to the isolated situation caused by pandemics are common findings in children of early ages and should be seriously considered in current practice., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)