overview and mapping of malaria and its vectors in Iran

In spite of public health level improvement in Iran, Malaria is still an important health problem in the southeast corner of the country. Mapping distribution of endemic diseases with their relations to geographical factors has become important for public health experts. This study was carried out to provide the distribution maps of the geographical pathology of Malaria in Iran with emphasis on its vectors. A systematic literature review was performed and the data and/or metadata were used for evaluation of findings. All available articles and books were used for mapping vectors and parasites, data of Malaria cases were obtained from Iran Center for Diseases Control, Ministry of Health in 2010. Incidence or prevalence of the diseases and also scientific names of vectors with collection details were arranged and mapped as a shapefile in ArcGIS software. About 28 different Anopheles species are found in Iran. Seven maps provided for the main vectors in the country. Distribution maps generated for Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax and co- infection cases. Distribution maps of transmission and endemic areas are provided. Out of 11668 indigenous and transmitted malaria from imported cases in three years leading to 2010, about 9400 cases occurred in south parts of the country where the weather is influenced by Afrotropical zoogeographic region, while 2200 cases occurred in the southeast corner of the country where the weather is influenced by Indo-malayan and only 25 cases were reported in the typical Palearctic area of Iran. Most malaria cases occurred in the southeast corner in Sistan Baluchistan, Hormozgan and south parts of Kerman. There are similarities between malaria transmission conditions in Iran and many tropical and subtropical countries. Such information on vectors, incidence of all cases and environmental factors can be used to set a Malaria Early Warning System and help to prevent and control of malaria

[Entomological research and its specific course in Iran from 1935 to 2008]

Malaria remains an important vector-borne disease globally and is a threat for human life. Forty percent of the world's populations who are living in low-income countries are at risk of malaria. The disease exists in Iran and caused economic and social damages. As result of malaria control program that has been done during the past years, the disease is eliminated from the most parts of the country, so that it is only reporting from a small part in these years. During this study, all available papers, books and thesises were reviewed and articles from Iranmedex, DIS and PubMed databanks were also used. Furthermore the related reports from different sources were noted. The extensive studies have important information about malaria vectors. In this study the data about malaria vectors and related training courses are listed. During this study the related papers, Books and thesises which have been reviewed. Although efforts, surveillance system, diagnostic and treatment facilities, as well as knowledge and attitude of peoples regarding to health behavior are improved nowadays, there are significant improvements about decreasing the malaria cases. Risk of the disease exists because of population exchange and asymptomatic cases. The malaria can be studied with both public health and economical aspects. This paper represents entomological studies of malaria during 1935 by the end of 2008. our study revealed that, based on recent malaria national program, the authorities should make an emphasis on vector control monitoring, resistance management, malaria evaluation and because of weak supervision on all malaria operation at stage of elimination of malaria, accurate and careful suppersional require to reach the objective and goal of elimination

[Mapping the distribution of some important scorpions collected in the past five decades in Iran]

Scorpions are important venomous arthropods which kill many people annually globally. Scorpion sting is one of important health issues in subtropical area in south of Iran. Scorpions are subjects of many studies conducted before in many parts of Iran. The aims of this study were to find the dispersion and mapping the distribution of scorpion specimens based on published documents. In this study all published documents on Iranian scorpions which indexed with Iranmedex and PubMed including locally information and collection details were studied. Scientific names and collection details were arranged as a shape file in ArcGIS software and were mapped. Alternatively, a systematic literature review was preformed and the data and/or metadata were used for evaluation of the findings. Maps show the distribution of scorpions across Iran and provide preliminary information for its monitoring. Further prevention and control programs are needed. There was not considerable difference between the distribution of the studied specimens and the other information obtained from the other studies. The specimens of a few species which previously reported from some parts of Iran were not available. The existence of some species which was reported from different parts of the country needs to be confirmed by experts. It seems that more species of scorpions in Iran may found in central and south part of Iran and areas with low altitude

Wound myiasis due to musca domestica [diptera: muscidae] in persian horned viper, pseudocerastes persicus [squamata: viperidae]

A case of myiasis due to Musca domestica describes in Pseudocerastes persicus for the first time. The snake was found in Bari Karafs, Kashan, Iran, with a lesion on its body. Fourteen live larvae of M. domestica removed from its wound. This is the first report of a new larval habitat of M. domestica

Utility of filter paper for preserving insects, bacteria, and host reservoir DNA for molecular testing

Appropriate methodology for storage biological materials, extraction of DNA, and proper DNA preservation is vital for studies involving genetic analysis of insects, bacteria, and reservoir hosts as well as for molecular diagnostics of pathogens carried by vectors and reservoirs. Here we tried to evaluate the utility of a simple filter paper-based for storage of insects, bacteria, rodent, and human DNAs using PCR assays. Total body or haemolymph of individual mosquitoes, sand flies or cockroaches squashed or placed on the paper respectively. Extracted DNA of five different bacteria species as well as blood specimens of human and great gerbil Rhombomys opimus was pipetted directly onto filter paper. The papers were stored in room temperature up to 12 months during 2009 until 2011. At monthly intervals, PCR was conducted using a 1-mm disk from the DNA impregnated filter paper as target DNA. PCR amplification was performed against different target genes of the organisms including the ITS2-rDNA of mosquitoes, mtDNA-COI of the sand flies and cockroaches, 16SrRNA gene of the bacteria, and the mtDNA-CytB of the vertebrates. Successful PCR amplification was observed for all of the specimens regardless of the loci, taxon, or time of storage. The PCR amplification were ranged from 462 to 1500 bp and worked well for the specified target gene/s. Time of storage did not affect the amplification up to one year. The filter paper method is a simple and economical way to store, to preserve, and to distribute DNA samples for PCR analysis

Larvicidal activity of essential oils of apiaceae plants against malaria vector, anopheles stephensi

Plant extracts and oils may act as alternatives to conventional pesticides for malaria vector control. The aim of this study was to evaluate the larvicidal activity of essential oils of three plants of Apiaceae family against Anopheles stephensi, the main malaria vector in Iran. Essential oils from Heracleum persicum, Foeniculum vulgare and Coriandrum sativum seeds were hydro distillated, then their larvicidal activity were evaluated against laboratory-reared larvae of An. stephensi according to standard method of WHO. After susceptibility test, results were analysis using Probit program. Essential oils were separated from H. persicum, F. vulgare and C. sativum plants and their larvicidal activities were tested. Result of this study showed that F. vulgare oil was the most effective against An. stephensi with LC[50] and LC[90] values of 20.10 and 44.51 ppm, respectively. All three plants essential oil can serve as a natural larvicide against An. stephensi. F. vulgare oil exhibited more larvicidal properties

effect of numbers and locations of retentive on master casts on reducing the polymerization distortion of the maxillary complete denture

Polymerization shrinkage is one of the disadvantages of Polymethyl Methacrylate, resulting in distortion of resin denture bases. One of the methods, designed to reduce this distortion, is mechanical anchoring to the cast. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of numbers and locations of retentive holes on reducing polymerization distortion. This was an experimental study, including 48 similar master casts in 4 groups, fabricated during the study. A power analysis using a power factor of 0.8 and a significance level of 0.01 determined the sample size of 12 casts per each test group. Groups were assigned as: A [control]; B [one anchoring hole in midline along the posterior border]; C [additionally, two extra anchoring holes in lateral palate, between midline extending to ridge crest]; D [two more anchoring holes along the midline, within 15 mm and 20 mm from the posterior border]. An Olympus-SZX9 measuring microscope was used for the gap measurement across the denture base and cast interface. Variables were the gap distance between the denture base and the cast in midline, in PPSA and the mean gap in right and left lateral palate in PPSA. The data were analyzed with one-way ANOVA followed by the Post-Hoc test. Variables were significantly different in four studied groups [p=0.000] and the gap distance between the denture base and the cast in mid-palate was less affected than lateral palate in anchorage technique. In general, anchoring significantly reduced mean gap distances [p=0.000]. Generally, anchoring during processing, improved adaptation of the denture base to the master cast. Mechanical anchorage between denture base and cast significantly reduced the gap distances in lateral and mid-palate; and this decrease was significantly affected by numbers and locations of anchoring holes

[People awareness of hypertension in Golestan province, north of Iran [2006]]

Hypertension is considered as a major public health problem in most countries due to its association with ischemic heart disease. The aim of this study was to determine people awareness of hypertension in Golestan province of Northern Iran. This cross sectional population based study carried out on 2497 subjects [15-65 years old] including 1500 men and 1247 women in Golestan province- Northern Iran during 2006. The subjects were chosen by proportional-cluster sampling based on sex and age groups. The subjects were interviewed, antropometric indexes and serum biochemical factors were evaluated. Blood pressure was measured three times with 5 minutes interval and defined based on JNC-7 classification. Serum cholesterol and fast blood sugar [FBS] were determined using laboratory kits [enzymatic methods], and spectrophotometery technique. Data was analyzed by SPSS-16 software and Chi-Square test. In general, the prevalence of hypertension in this region was 23.9%. With higher rate among women urban area by 3.3% and 5% respectively. Only 48.7% of hypertensive patients were aware of their disease and that was significantly more in women than men [P<0.001]. Low physical activity, chronical age, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, general obesity, central obesity and illiteracy were the risk factor for hypertension morbidity [P<0.05]. This study showed, in spite of prevalency of hypertension among 20% of subjects in this area only 48.7% of them were aware about their disorder

Mapping the distribution of the important rodents reservoir in Iran

Far from the economic importance, rodents can play an important role in distribution of some infectious diseases, called Rodent borne diseases. These diseases are also considered as zoonosis. Some of these diseases can transmitted from other animals to humans, but rodents considered as the reservoir host of Rodent borne diseases. Knowledge on rodents' reservoir and their distributions will provide a clue for people who work in the field such as farmers and soldiers. The importance of rodents and plague has been uncovered to people particularly in wartime. The experiences of the Imposed War also indicated the widespread of exposure of fully trained military units to cutaneous leishmaniasis; it was due to the trench construction and destruction of rodent borrows and nests near the endemic areas in Shoosh [hills of Do-salak]. Apart from the name Do-salak, which refer to the endemicity of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Persian word, there are other diseases indicate the role of rodents reservoirs during the wartime such as plague, tick- borne relapsing fever, murine typhus and some parasitic diseases.However, the prevention of such diseases should be started in peacetime with increase in knowledge particularly in geography and biology of rodents among peers and practitioners who work in the military medicine teams. Although a Comprehensive study that had conducted by Etemad in 1977, provided a baseline information in Iran, but there is still need for updating the information. The aim of this study is mapping the distribution of 17 important species rodents using ArcGIS software. In this approach, we provided distribution maps for 17 medically important species of rodents in the country

Faunestic study of ants with emphasis on the health risk of stinging ants in Qeshm Island, Iran

Qeshm [26.75N, 55.82E], Iran, is 1500 km[2] island in the Strait of Hormuz. Qeshm is a free trade zone, acting as an important channel for international commerce, and has been the site of much recent development. There is potential risk of stinging ant attacks for residents and visitors that may occur in the island. The aims of this study were to find out the fauna, dispersion, and some of the biological features of ant species with special attention to those, which can play role on the public health of the island. In this cross-sectional study, we surveyed ants around the island using non-attractive pitfall traps and active collection to evaluate potential threats to humans and other species during 2006-2007. All collected specimens were identified using the morphological ant keys. Only six ant species were found: Pachycondyla sennaarensis [41%], Polyrhachis lacteipennis [23%], Camponotus fellah [16%], Cataglyphis niger [9%], Tapinoma simrothi [7%], and Messor galla [4%]. We were surprised not to find any cosmopolitan tramp ants so often associated with commerce and development. Instead, all six species may be native to the Middle Eastern region. The most common species, P. sennaarensis, has a powerful sting and appears to do well around human habitations. This species may prove to be a serious pest on the island

Opium use in a rural area of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Because of its geographic proximity to the major drug production centres, there is easy access to narcotic drugs in the Islamic Republic of Iran despite efforts by governmental and nongovernmental organizations. Using a structured questionnaire as a basis for conversation, local health workers interviewed 310 residents of a rural area in Babol province about opium use. The self-reported rate of opium use, adjusted due to a bias in the sex ratio of the sample, was 8.9%. All the 42 opium users reported opium use at least 2-3 times per week in the previous 3 months. Opium was smoked by 95.2% and taken orally by 4.8%; there was no injecting use. There was no reported use of other substances, including alcohol. There was a statistically significant relationship between opium use and male sex, unemployment and cigarette smoking

[Risk factors of kernicterus; a study in 312 icteric neonates]

Kernicterus, also known as bilirubin encephalopathy, is a neurologic syndrome resulting from the deposition of unconjugated bilirubin in the basal ganglia and brainstem nuclei. Indirect bilirubin is toxic for brain. Neurologic dysfunction [BIND] that include acute phase [hyperbilirubin encephalopathy] and chronic phase [Kernicterus] resulting from hyperbilirubinemia and disruption of blood brain barrier. In this study, the association between bilirubin encephalopathy and risk factors was evaluated. In this retrospective study, 312 icteric neonates were admitted in the neonatal ward of Children's Hospital, Medical Center, Tehran, and 305 of these cases were evaluated. Patient histories were taken and physical examinations were performed. For each patient, the age, sex, birth weight, time of discharge from the hospital and risk factors were recorded, and a questionnaire was completed. In this study, of the 305 icteric neonates evaluated, 25 cases had kernicterus. Risk factors included acidosis, prematurity, hemolysis, hypoglycemia, sepsis, respiratory distress, low birth weight, ABO incompatibility and G6PD deficiency. The mean level of bilirubin in cases of kernicterus was 32 mg/dl and in the others was 20 mg/dl [p=0.001]. Kernicterus was most common among high risk neonates [p<0.001]. Birth weight less than 2,500 gm was also an important factor [p=0.04]. High-risk neonates need prompt treatment for hyperbilirubinemia compared to low risk neonates

Factors related to surgery worries among Iranian high school adolescents

Surgery operations are the fearful events among all other medical procedures. This fear causes anxiety and stress which affects the outcome of treatments, recovery from surgery and some maladaptive behaviors. To cope with surgery worries and minimize the fear, it is important to study these fears and its associated factors. This study attempts to explore the surgery worries and the associated factors among Iranian high school adolescents. To measure surgery worries, high school adolescents of age 11-15 completed the Child Worries Questionnaire [CPCI] adolescent form, and also answered the questions about the 14 independent variables [sex, age, parents education and occupation, previous hospitalization experience of child and immediate family and friends, number of hospitalization during Child's life long, previous surgery experience of child and her or his immediate families, death of close friends in hospital]. Multivariate regression method was used for statistical analysis to determine the effective factors. The results of this study showed that the Iranian Adolescents have most worries about the "Not being able to do the same things as before" and least worries about "What I will feel during the anesthesia". The factors associated with Surgery worries are; parent's education [P = .021 for father and 0.049 for mother], adolescent previous experience and number of hospitalizations [P = 0.025 and P = 0.008, respectively], the number of previous hospitalizations [P = .003], previous experience of hospitalization of immediate family and friends [P = 0.035]. The findings of this study have implications for parents, family, hospitals' staff and care given. It seems, according to the findings of this study, there should be a special educational program for children who are going to be operated in a hospital ward to reduce their worriships

Association of socio-demographic characteristics and cigarette smoking: savodjbolaq city inhabitants

A number of factors such as socio-demographic and socioeconomic status have emerged as being associated with smoking. The main goal of the present study was to identify the relationship of socio-demographic factors and cigarette smoking, and to determine the indicators of smoking status in a community based case-control study. Using the random multistage cluster sampling method on the basis of family list kept in the health center, a head cluster was selected, and 25 clusters of 10 members each were chosen. One member was selected from each family to fill the questionnaire. The neighborhood method was used for selection of controls. The socio-demographic characteristics was assessed by a self administered questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS V-11.5 software. Logistic regression was used to assess the association of age, sex, marital status, family size, number of close friends, number of smoking friends, and presence of smokers in the family with smoking status. The mean smoking consumption of smokers in this study was 14.6 per day. The mean age of smoking initiation was 18.6 years. Fifty percent of people initiated smoking at ages less than 18. The mean years of education were significantly higher in nonsmokers. A significant inverse relationship exists between the number of cigarettes smoked per day and educational levels. The positive association between number of cigarette smoked per day and age was found [OR = 1.2, CI 95% 1.07-1.4]. Number of smoking friends in smokers were significantly more than in nonsmokers. Multivariate analysis revealed that age, and number of smoking friends, could be predictors of smoking status. The association between sex, marital status, family size, and education with smoking status were not significant. This study revealed the association between several socio-demographic factors with smoking status. Antismoking strategies for adults tend to emphasize smoking cessation, preventing smoking initiation is also important during young adulthood. Anyway, educational interventions are highly suggested

Applying Morphometric Variation of Seta 2 [Antepalmate hair] among the Larvae of the members of the maculipennis subgroup [Diptera: Culicidae] in Iran

The members of Anopheles maculipennis subgroup [Diptera: Culicidae] are the most important vectors of malaria in the north, west, and central plateau of Iran. This study was carried out to differentiate the species composition of this subgroup based on morphometric variation seta 2-IV and V [antepalmate hair] among 149 larval specimens that were deposited at the Medical Arthropods Museum, the School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences by using the light microscope. The mean numbers of larval seta 2-IV and V of the specimens belong to different locations of Iran, were calculated by SPSS [11.5] software package, followed by cluster analysis, and four different groups [clusters] were identified. The means were compared with the similar and available published data. After analyzing, four clusters recognized. The first cluster was fitted in ten localities in Esfahan, East Azarbaijan, West Azarbaijan, Khorassan, Kurdistan, and Mazandaran Provinces with its mean and standard deviation [SD] of 14.89 +/- 1.13 [n= 79]; the second group with one location in Gilan Province [11 +/- 1.58, no= 5]; the third one with two locations in Pars and Western Azarbaijan Provinces [27.43 +/- 0.31, n=20], and the final group with four locations in Khuzestan, West Azarbaijan, and Qazvin Provinces [36.84 +/- 1.91, n= 45] were identified and corresponded to Anopheles messeae, An. atroparvus, An. melanoon, and An. sacharovi respectively. This work provides comparative information on the Maculipennis Subgroup based on morphometric examination at the larval stage in Iran

Brachytherapy polymer gel dosimetry with xCT

Polymer gels are an emerging new class of dosimeters which are being applied to the challenges of modern radiotherapy modalities. Research on gel dosimetry involves several scientific domains, one of which is the imaging techniques with which dose data is extracted from the dosimeters. In the current work, we present our preliminary results of investigating capability of X-ray CT for extracting brachytherapy dose distributions from a normoxic gel dosimeter. A normoxic radiosensitive polymer gel was fabricated under normal atmospheric conditions and poured into three phantoms. Using Cs137 brachytherapy sources, the phantoms were irradiated with different dose distributions with a LDR Selectron remote after-loader. To improve SNR, 25 images were obtained of each slice for image averaging and an averaged background image of an un-irradiated gel phantom was then subtracted for artifact removal. To further improve the accuracy, a self-consistent normalized method was used for calibration of the dosimeters based on an assumption of a linear dose response between zero and maximum dose regions in the gel. Although results reveal very similar CT-number gradients to that of brachytherapy dose distributions, but the method does not fulfill brachytherapy dosimetry requirements. This might be due to the high prescribed doses in this study which in turn results in a large change in the CT numbers. This change in the CT numbers of the images can not be considered to have a linear relationship with dose which was the basic assumption of our calibration method, so the results are just qualitatively comparable. In this study, the results of using X-ray CT for brachytherapy polymer gel dosimetry is promising but not still satisfying. Improving a proper calibration method for correlating CT numbers to dose will be significantly helpful for performing measurements with CT. The main limitation for CT is still a low signal to noise ratio especially in lower dose areas

Molecular characterization of the Anopheles maculipennis complex in the Islamic Republic of Iran

A diagnostic polymerase chain reaction [PCR] assay using species-specific primers and direct sequencing was used to identify members of the Anopheles maculipennis complex in the north-west and central regions of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Specimens were collected from 9 provinces during 2 seasonal activities in 2001-2002, identified morphologically and subjected to PCR assay and direct sequencing. Results showed that only 2 species, An. maculipennis Meigen, and An. sacharovi Faver, were present in the area of study. This was confirmed by the high similarity [99.2%-100%] of their sequences with those available in GenBank. The molecular data and relative distribution of these species in relation to their vectorial capacity and the epidemiology of malaria in the region are discussed