epidemiological study of cutaneous leishmaniasis using active case finding among elementary school students in Pakdasht, southeast of Tehran, Iran 2013-2014

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is one of the prevalent health problems in tropical and subtropical areas including Iran. Therefore, it is essential to identify the prevalence and new foci of this disease in different regions of Iran. This study aimed to determine the epidemiology of cutaneous leishmaniasis by active case finding in elementary schools in Pakdasht city, Southeast of Tehran, Iran 2013-2014. This cross sectional study was carried out on 4800 students from 60 elementary schools in Pakdasht during October 2013 to March 2014. After examining the students, some epidemiological data such as age, gender, date, anatomic location of the lesion[s] in the body, number and size of lesion[s], lesion type, and travel history to endemic areas was recorded in a checklist. Students with active lesions were examined using parasitological and molecular methods [PCR]. Totally, 31 students [0.64%] had leishmaniasis, of which 15 [0.31%, 95% CI, 0.15%, 0.47%] had active lesions and 16 [0.33%, 95% CI, 0.17%, 0.49%] had leishmaniasis scars. Molecular testing showed that Leishmania major was the causative agent of leishmaniasis in all patients with active lesion. The highest frequency of cutaneous leishmaniasis was found in the age group 10-12 years [P=0.03]. There was a significant difference between the frequency of the disease in different months [P=0.04] and the anatomic location of the lesion/scar [P=0.04]. Moreover, t-test revealed that there was a significant relationship between number of lesions/scars and the age group [P<0.001]. The leishmanial type diagnosed in all patients was L. major. This finding suggests that Pakdasht might be a new focus for zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis

[Study of gel and ice packs effects on assembling process of blood and blood product bags in cold boxes using hospital cold blood chain]

Assurance of blood and blood components safety depends on storage and transportation in the consistent and controllable temperature. The aim of this study was to access an adaptable type of packaging for safe transportation of blood and blood components and the factors such as number and volume of blood and blood component bags, transport duration and temperature. In this cross sectional study, red blood cells and platelets were separated from whole blood by using some blood bags including bovine whole blood and a centrifuge, in temperature between 20°C to 42°C. Then, in order to evaluate integrity of platelets and red blood cells in the allowed temperature, we used 22°C and 4°C gel and -20°C ice packs [Sina Ebtekar Equipment Company]. The storage statuses in different environments from 2°C to 42°C during transportation were statistically evaluated. This study determined that packaging of blood and blood components in cold box varied according to different parameters like type of components, temperature of environment, number of blood component bags, time and distance of transmission. According to the findings of this study, the number of gel packs and time duration in maintaining blood safety is very important and increasing the number of gel packs will add the storage time. Hence, selecting the correct number of gel packs is essential and using extra packs will lead to the out of standard temperature

Genetic identification of trichomonas vaginalis by using the actin gene and molecular based methods

Trichomonas vaginalis is the agent of urogenital tract infection that causes human trichomoniasis with some serious health complications. More under-standing about genetic features of the parasite can be helpful in the study of the pathogenesis, drug susceptibility and epidemiology of the infection. For this end, we conducted analysis of the actin gene of T. vaginalis by applying the PCR-SSCP [PCR-Single Stranded Conformational Polymorphism] and nucleotide sequencing method. Fifty T. vaginalis samples were collected from 950 women attending gynecology clinics in two cities of Iran, Hamadan and Tehran, from November 2010 to July 2011. After axenisation of isolates, all samples subjected to PCR-SSCP and nucleotide sequencing. According to the SSCP banding patterns and nucleotide sequencing, seven sequence types were detected among the isolates. Alignment of the nucleotide sequences showed five polymorphic sites in the different strain types. Amino acid substitution was not observed in the nucleotide sequence translation of the all sequences. The actin gene analysis represents genetic diversity of T. vaginalis and it suggests that various strains can be responsible for clinically different trichomoniasis in infected individuals. It is expected that further studies will be conducted to increase our knowledge about relationship between the actin gene polymorphism and different biological behavior of the parasite

Evaluation of IFN-gamma polymorphism in visceral leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis is a tropical disease that is endemic in some areas of Iran, including East Azerbaijan. IFN- gamma is one of the cytokines that triggers cell-mediated immunity, thus initiating elimination of the infection. This case-control study was performed to investigate the association between the polymorphism of the IFN- gamma gene at the +874A/T locus and visceral leishmaniasis [VL]. In this study conducted during 2012-2013, 267 participants were selected from individuals living in an endemic area of VL. Subjects were divided into three groups; 86 patients with VL, 82 seropositive individuals without any history of leishmaniasis, and 99 seronegative healthy controls. Genotyping of the IFN- gamma +874A/T polymorphism was carried out using an Amplification Refractory Mutation System-PCR [ARMS-PCR]. The frequency of the +874A allele in the patient group [75.5%] was higher than in the seropositive individuals [54%]. The highest frequency of the +874T/T genotype was observed in seropositive individuals, while the patient group had the lowest frequency [34.1% vs. 24.5%]. However, these differences were not significant. There was no significant association between IFN- gamma +874A/T polymorphism and VL

Effect of aerobic exercise with and without quercetin supplementation on rat's knee osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the commonest form of arthritis and is considered to be one out of ten major causes of disability in the world. The objective of present study was to investigate the effect of treadmill exercise alone and in combination with quercetin supplementation on male rats' knee osteoarthritis. Thirty male Wistar rats [weight of 173 +/- 1 g, 8-weeks old] were randomly divided into 5 experimental groups [N=6]: intact control, MIA only, training, quercetin, training plus quercetin. The Osteoarthritis model was induced by intra-articular injection of monosodium iodoacetate [MIA]. Subjects then followed a moderate-intensity exercise program and quercetin supplementation for 28 days. Rats were killed after 28 days and histological assessment has been performed on their knee joints. One-way ANOVA [p<0.05] and post-hoc Tukey test was used for the statistical analysis. Histological assessment including 1- Depth Ratio of Lesions [p=0.001], 2- Total Degeneration Width [p=0.001] and 3- Significant Degeneration Width [p=0.001] demonstrated a beneficial influence of moderate exercise combined with quercetin supplementation group, but this influence was not superior than the moderate exercise alone group. This study shows that a moderate exercise program and quercetin supplementation, either alone or in combination, exert a beneficial influence on rats' knee osteoarthritis. But it appears that moderate exercise alone has more effectiveness

Prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection among livestock and humans in contact with livestock in Hamadan district, Iran, 2012

Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite causes cryptosporidial diarrhea, which is typically a short-lasting benign infection, but can become severe and non-resolving in immunocompromised individuals. The aim of the present study was to determinate the prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in livestock and humans that were in contact with livestock in Hamadan district, Iran. In this cross sectional study a total of 660 fecal specimens were collected; 228, 195 and 237 from humans, whom raising livestock, their calves and lambs/goats, respectively in spring 2012. Samples were concentrated by formalin-ether concentration technique and examined using cold modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining method. Two [0.87%] out of 228, 25 [12.8%] out of 195 and 6 [2.5%] out of 237 fecal samples of humans, calves and lambs/goats were positive for Cryptosporidium oocysts, respectively. There was no significant relationship between the infection to Cryptosporidium and demographic variables of humans. However, Cryptosporidium infection rate was higher in diarrheic calves [OR=3.81; 95% CI: 1.30, 11.21; P=0.010]. Despite studies conducted in some regions of Iran that resulted in a relatively high rate of infection in humans in contact with livestock, our results showed low prevalence and low carrier status in the asymptomatic persons in Hamadan region. Because the infection in calves and lambs/goats was relatively high, these animals could be probable reservoir of infection for humans in this area

[ effect of 4-week swimming training on rat's knee osteoarthritis induced by monosodium iodoacetate]

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of synovial joint diseases which affect old people all around the world and can lead to chronic pain and severe disability. The aim of present study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of swimming exercise on MIA-induced osteoarthritis in male rats' knee joint. Eighteen Wistar male rats [weight of 173 +/- 1 g, 8 weeks old] were randomly divided into 3 experimental groups: intact control, monosodium Iodoacetate [MIA] only and swimming. Intra-articular injection of MIA [50 microl] was applied on rats' right knee, similarly saline was injected in left knees. Training program used in the study was swimming with moderate intensity for 28 days. After the completion of the protocol, rats were killed and both knees of the animals were assessed histopathologically. One-way ANOVA [p<0/05] and post-hoc Tukey test were used for statistical analysis of data. Results indicated that moderate swimming training for 4 weeks significantly improved osteoarthritic symptoms of rats' knee in 3 histopathological measures of Depth Ratio of Lesions [p=0/001], Total Degeneration Width [p=0/001] and Significant Degeneration Width [P=0/001]. The findings of the present study showed that a moderate swimming training program exerts a beneficial influence on cartilage lesions induced by monosodium iodo acetate injection. Thus, the training protocol used in this study can be recommended for the treatment of osteoarthritis

Evaluation of fibronectin and c-reactive protein levels in patients with sepsis: a case-control study

Sepsis is a significant health problem with an estimated 750,000 new cases in the USA annually. It is also the third leading cause of death in developed countries, equaling the number of fatalities from acute myocardial infarction. The high sepsis-related mortalities mean there is an urgent need to improve the diagnosis and management of sepsis patients. The aim of this study was the evaluation of fibronectin and C-reactive protein [CRP] plasma levels in patients with sepsis and other infectious diseases without sepsis. In a case-control study, 90 patients with sepsis and 90 patients with other infectious diseases without sepsis were studied. Serum levels of fibronectin and CRP were measured. The data were analyzed by SPSS version 15. The mean levels of fibronectin in the cases and controls were 288.97 +/- 89.10 mg/l and 341.24 +/- 110.53 mg/l respectively [P=0.001]. The mean levels of CRP in the cases and controls were 89.42 +/- 54.05 micro g/ml and 27.42 +/- 25.89 micro g/ml respectively [P<0.001]. Concerning the source of infection, the mean CRP levels were significantly higher in septic patients with urinary tract infection, pneumonia, and soft tissue infection [P<0.001]. Decreased levels of fibronectin and increased levels of CRP may be considered as reliable diagnostic markers for sepsis. Also, CRP could be a better predictive factor for sepsis than fibronectin

Frequency of trichomoniasis in patients admitted to outpatient clinics in Hamadan [2007] and relationship between clinical diagnosis and laboratory findings

Trichomoniasis is recognized as a major sexually transmitted disease [STD] in the world and has the highest prevalence and incidence of STD. The prevalence strongly is related to cultural and social norms in different societies, in relation to sexual partnership, monogamy, or polygamy. Our objective was to describe the frequency and natural history of infection and correlation of clinical signs with parasite detection. From February 2006 to March 2007, in a cross sectional study, clinical and wet mount examination of vaginal smear along with culture were performed on 683 women attending to private outpatient clinics in Hamada, western Iran. Tricomoniasis was diagnosed based on major clinical symptoms. Diagnosis was confirmed using wet mount microscopically and culture in Diamond medium. Only 2.2% of patients with clinically diagnosed trichomonal vaginitis were positive for Trichomonas vaginalis by wet smear and culture. The mean age of patients was 33.6 +/- 9.7 yr, and majority of them were married and non-pregnant. Some [5 patients] infected cases were divorced and others [7 patients] husband were car diver. There was not statistically significant relationship between clinical diagnosis and laboratory findings [P>0.5], because the most of patients diagnosed trichomoniasis, were infected by Candida or other vaginal infections. Because of special cultural background, the vaginal trichomoniasis has minor importance problem in this population and clinical diagnosis is not efficient for treatment decision

Comparison between efficacy of single dose of tinidazole with a 7 day standard dose course of metronidazole in giardiasis

Giardia intestinalis is the most common intestinal protozoan in the under developed countries. Treatment of infection has some difficulties by metronidazole because of long course of therapy and various side effects. The objective of this study was to determine efficacy and side effects of tinidazole compared with metronidazole in the treatment of giardiasis in children. A randomized controlled clinical trial, 106 subjects [69 males, 37 females] with Giardia intestinalis infection admitted to out patients or private clinics in Hamdan, West of Iran, was treated with tinidazole or metronidazole. The study period was May 2002 to January 2003. Tinidazole 50 mg/kg single dose and metronidazole 15 mg/kg three times a day for seven days were given orally to children. Parasitological cure was documented when there was 3 times negative stool examination for giardiasis at 1-2 weeks after therapy. Thirty-seven of 42 individuals [88.1%] treated with tinidazole and 43 of 64 children [67.2%] treated with metronidazole had parasitological cure. Cure rates between two groups were significant statistically [P<0.01]. No major side effect were observed except two cases in metronidazole group who had mild headache and abdominal pain for two days and some had metallic taste. Three cases in tinidazole group had nausea, dizziness and headache. Tinidazole was more effective than metronidazole, produced fewer and mild side effects and is recommended as drug of choice in single dose therapy for giardiasis. Because of single dose administration, short course of therapy and good compliance of patients, this preparation is preferred to metronidazole in the treatment of giardiasis