Does prospective permutation scan statistics work well with cutaneous leishmaniais as a high-frequency or malaria as a low-frequency infection in Fars province, Iran?

Objective: To determine whether permutation scan statistics was more efficient in finding prospective spatial-temporal outbreaks for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) or for malaria in Fars province, Iran in 2016. Methods: Using time-series data including 29 177 CL cases recorded during 2010-2015 and 357 malaria cases recorded during 2010-2015, CL and malaria cases were predicted in 2016. Predicted cases were used to verify if they followed uniform distribution over time and space using space-time analysis. To testify the uniformity of distributions, permutation scan statistics was applied prospectively to detect statistically significant and non-significant outbreaks. Finally, the findings were compared to determine whether permutation scan statistics worked better for CL or for malaria in the area. Prospective permutation scan modeling was performed using SatScan software. Results: A total of 5 359 CL and 23 malaria cases were predicted in 2016 using time-series models. Applied time-series models were well-fitted regarding auto correlation function, partial auto correlation function sample/model, and residual analysis criteria (P

Correlation between peptidyl arginine deiminase type 4 polymorphism and disease activity in polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis in egyptian patients

Background: juvenile idiopathic arthritis [JIA] is a broad term that describes a clinically heterogeneous group of arthritides of unknown cause, which begin before 16 years of age affecting one or more joints, lasting for at least 6 weeks. PADI4 is one member of PADI gene family. The PADI gene region is located at chromosome 1p36. It codes for enzymes responsible for the posttranslational conversion of arginine residues into citrulline. There are likely to be different genetic risk factors for JIA in different ethnic groups. Therefore, here we sought an influence of HLA-SE and PADI4 on JIA susceptibility in Japanese, because both HLA-SE and PADI4 were reported as significant genetic risk factors for RA independent of ethnicity. Recently, association of PADI4 gene polymorphisms with ACPA positivity and disease activity in polyarticular JIA

Aim of the Work: the aim of this work is to investigate PADI polymorphism rs2240340 to determine whether this polymorphism could be a marker of susceptibility to JIA in Egyptian children and adolescents and whether this single nucleotide polymorphism [SNP] is correlated with clinical parameters in JIA

Patients and Methods: the ethical approval was obtained from the hospital ethical research committee and each patient entering the study will sign an informed consent. Thirty patients included in this study with polyarticular types of juvenile idiopathic arthritis and all of them fulfilled ILAR classification criteria [2004]. All were under the age of sixteen at time of diagnosis. They were recruited from Physical Medicine, Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Department at Al-Hussein and Sayed Galal University Hospitals during the period from January 2018 to June 2018. In this study we measure PADI4 polymorphism and correlate with disease activity in polyarticular JIA in Egyptian patients

Results: association of PADI4 gene polymorphisms with ACPA positivity and disease activity in polyarticular JIA and PADI4 gene polymorphism can be used as a marker of susceptibility to polyarticular JIA

Conclusion: PADI4 gene polymorphism became a marker of susceptibility to polyarticular JIA and gene polymorphism correlated with disease activity in ACPA positivity in polyarticular positive JIA

Lipid and glucose serum levels in children with congenital heart disease

Coronary artery disease is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. Atherosclerosis begins in early childhood and progresses through life. With advances in pediatric cardiology, the prevalence of congenital heart disease in adults has increased in relation to children. A great deal of research has been conducted on serum glucose and lipid concentrations in patients with congenital heart disease, but comparison has yet to be made between congenital patients and the general population, especially in pediatric groups. The aim of this study was to compare the serum concentrations of glucose and lipids between pediatric congenital heart disease patients and a healthy age and sex-matched control group. We measured and compared the total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol, triglyceride [TG], and plasma glucose concentrations of 100 pediatric congenital heart disease patients [cases] and 100 individuals matched for age and sex [controls] during a period of 7 months between November 2011 and June 2012. Total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol concentrations were significantly higher in the patients than in the control group [p value < 0.05]. Blood sugar levels in both groups had no significant difference [p value = 0.25]. In the case group, the cholesterol level was higher in the males than in the females [p value = 0.30]; moreover, the TG and HDL cholesterol levels were lower in the males than in the females and the LDL cholesterol and blood sugar levels had no statistically significant difference. In the control group, there was no difference between the males and females in terms of the cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, TG, and blood sugar levels. The results of this study showed that our pediatric congenital heart disease patients had significantly higher levels of serum lipids than did their age and sex-matched controls. In light of these results, we recommend that the lipid profile be screened in children with congenital heart disease so as to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis

Nested polymerase chain reaction and sequencebased detection of leishmania infection of sand flies in recently emerged endemic focus of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis,southern iran

Background: Geographical distribution of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis [ZCL] has continuously been extended in recent years in Iran. The Beiza District is one of the newly-emerged endemic foci of ZCL in southern Iran. The main aim of the present study was to detect the vector[s] of ZCL in this area

Methods: To detect the fauna and vectors of ZCL in this district, sand flies were caught using sticky papers. Seventy randomly selected female sand flies out of 730 were molecularly investigated for Leishmania infection using species-specific nested polymerase chain reaction [PCR] assay between April and October 2010

Results: A total of 2543 sand flies were caught. The fauna was identified as 10 species [five Phlebotomus spp. and five Sergentomyia spp.]. Phlebotomus papatasi was the most dominant species both indoors and outdoors [37.55% and 16.35%, respectively]. L. major was detected in 5 out of 48 investigated Phlebotomus papatasi [10.41%]. Sequence-based characterization was carried out to confirm the PCR findings. The positive samples were shown to have 75-88% similarity with L. major sequences in GenBank

Conclusion: According to the findings of the present study, similar to the other foci of ZCL in Iran, P. papatasi is the proven and primary vector of CL. This study could be drawn upon for future strategy planning in this newly emerged endemic focus

Celiac artery trunk thrombosis presenting as acute liver failure

Acute mesenteric ischemia is a life-threatening vascular emergency that requires early diagnosis and intervention to adequately restore mesenteric blood flow and to prevent bowel necrosis and patient death. While, almost always superior and inferior mesenteric arteries are involved, we report a 57-year-old male with an unusual celiac artery trunk thrombosis leading to gastero-duodenal and hepato-splenic infarction, and presenting an acute liver failure

Assessment of nurses - midwives practices regarding prolonged labor in Babylon Governorate

To assess the nurse-midwives practices regarding prolonging labor in Babylon Governorate hospitals. Purposive sample of [57] nurse-midwives, which was selected from [6] hospitals included [3] General Hospital, [2] Maternity Hospital and Teaching Hospital .These nurse-midwives represented several nursing educational levels. A questionnaire was constructed for the purpose of the study, which was comprised demographic characteristics, information a bout nurse-midwives related to their ages, marital status, educational level, experience years in nursing and delivery, and attending midwifery courses through out their work. The study findings indicated that, there were a significant relation ship between the nurse-midwives practices regarding prolonged labor and their ages [x2 = 23.434. P <0.05], Marital status [x2=12.088. P < 0.05], and the experience years in delivery room [x2=17.8. P < 0.05], while there was no significant relation between the nurse-midwives practices and their educational level [x2 =11.153. P < 0.05]. The study concluded that these results regarding the nurse-midwives practices certainly unsatisfactory and effects the type of care given to laboring women with low progress labor. The study recommended that an educational program can be designed and constructed for nurse-midwives through the program, an emphasis can be directed and oriented toward the laboring process. The nurse-midwives can be encouraged for being participated in a special training programs designed and constructed to fulfill the nurse-midwives needs concerning defects and limitations in their practices. collaborative work can be issued between ministry of health and higher education to provide such program