Measles vaccination coverage and seroprevalence of anti-measles antibody in south-east Islamic Republic of Iran

Discrepancies often exist between recorded immunization coverage and the real immunity level in a community. To estimate the vaccination coverage against measles in south-east Islamic Republic of Iran, a cross-sectional study was conducted in 3 districts during summer 2011. Using probability proportional to size cluster sampling, 1368 children aged 30-54 months were selected. Serum samples of 663 who had received 2 injections of mumps-measles-rubella [MMR] vaccine were checked for anti-measles IgG. Vaccination coverage for the second dose of MMR vaccine was 93.7%. The prevalence of anti-measles IgG in those who had received at least 2 MMR vaccine doses was 94.6%. There was a statistically significant association between the serological results and variables that reflected poor accessibility to health services. Combining serological results with coverage data, the proportion of the community protected against measles was estimated as 88.6%, which was below the limits defined for the measles elimination goals

Seroprevalence of poliovirus antibodies among 7-month-old infants after 4 doses of oral polio vaccine in Sistan-va-Baluchestan, Islamic Republic of Iran

Despite high coverage rates of polio vaccine in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the seroconversion rates of infants may be inadequate. This study measured seroprevalence of antibodies against poliovirus serotypes 1 to 3 [PV1, PV2 and PV3] in 7-month-old infants who had received at least 4 doses of trivalent oral polio vaccine. A serosurvey was conducted in 2010 in rural areas of Chabahar, Sistan-va-Baluchestan province. Using cluster sampling, 72 eligible infants were tested for antibody against the 3 poliovirus serotypes according to WHO guidelines. Antibody titres >/= 1:10 were considered positive. The seropositive rates for antibody against PV1, PV2 and PV3 were 84.7%, 95.8% and 70.8% respectively. Only 63.9% of participants were seropositive for antibodies against all 3 poliovirus serotypes. Except for PV2, the seroprevalence of antibody against the other 2 poliovirus serotypes, especially PV3, was unsatisfactory

Risk of polio reintroduction to border regions of Islamic Republic of Iran: seroprevalence study of children with at least 5 doses of oral polio vaccine

Movements of populations from countries where polio has not been eradicated is a concern in the Islamic Republic of Iran. A cross-sectional, community-based study was implemented in 2010 in 2 districts in Sistan-va-Baluchestan Province near the south-east border. The aim was to determine the seroprevalence of antibodies in children aged 20 [+/

[Verbal fluency and working memory deficit in first-degree relatives of autistic children]

Autism spectrum disorder is a genetic-based cognitive and neurobehavioral disorder characterized by impairment in social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication and repetitive motor behavior. This study was done to evaluate the verbal fluency and working memory deficit in first-degree relatives of autistic children. In this case - control study, 49 first-degree relatives of autistic children from 33 families [32 mothers, 10 fathers, 6 sisters, and 1 brother] supported by Isfahan autism association were selected and compared with 51 first-degree relatives of typical children [23 mothers, 16 fathers, 7 sisters, and 5 brothers] of 27 families during 2010. The assessing tasks were phonemic and semantic verbal fluency tests to assess verbal fluency and forward and backward digiti span tests to assess low load and high load working memory. Data were analyzed using SPSS-19 and independent t-test and paired t-test. Autistic relatives showed significant poor performance in phonemic [11.46 +/- 3.3 V.S. 14.08 +/- 3.8], semantic verbal fluency [16.83 +/- 3.3 V.S. 19.23 +/- 3.9], forward digiti span [5.22 +/- 0.6 V.S. 5.55 +/- 0.9] and backward digiti span [3.65 +/- 0.98 V.S. 4.14 +/- 0.8] [P<0.05] compared to healthy children of first-degree relatives. This study showed that parents and siblings of autistic children have a lower performance in phonemic and semantic, low and high load verbal fluency, which might be transmitted genetically

Causes of new cases of major thalassemia in Sistan and Balouchistan province in South-East of Iran

Thalassemia is the most common monogenic disease in South-East of Iran. Despite the 70% reduction in Iranian thalassemia cases after thalassemia control comprehensive program, 601 affected babies were born in Sistan and Balouchistan Province, Iran from 2002 to 2010, so this study aims at investigating the causes of new thalassemia cases. Data from this retrospective cross-sectional study was collected through interviews and information in the patients' hospital records. Data revealed that 52.4% of fathers and 78.4% of mothers of thalassemic children had elementary education or less. In addition, 78.6% of the couples did not undergo premarital screening for thalassemia and 71.2% of the couples were not notified of their own minor thalassemia until a child was born with major thalassemia. Of the diagnosed minor couples, about 25% did PND and the others did not carry out because mothers were unaware of proper gestational age and of the importance of this issue, financial problems, and the husbands' disagreement to take the tests. Moreover, 16 mothers, in spite of being diagnosed of having a major fetus, refused to terminate the pregnancy. The most preventable causes for affected births include couples' unawareness of being minor and unawares of the PND importance and process

[Usage and costs of treatment with beta interferon among patients with multiple sclerosis in Fars province]

Introduction: Multiple Sclerosis is an inflammatory and demyelinating disease of central nervous system. It is the second most common cause of disability in young adults after trauma. Nowadays, Beta-Interferons are used as the best choice of disease modifying therapy in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. There is a remarkable difference in the uses of these medications between developed and developing countries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the rate and costs of treatment with Beta-Interferon in patients with MS in Fars Province

Methods: In a descriptive study, all patients who were registered in Shiraz multiple sclerosis society, and were treated with Beta-Interferon [confirmed by the MS Committee of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences] were recruited to the study

Results: A total of 1791 patients had received Beta-Interferon. The most and the least types of the medications used by the patients were Cinovex [28%] and Resigen [2.9], respectively. Many patients [No=587; 33.1%] used Iranian brand of interferon [Cinovex and Recigen] and 1185 patients [67.9%] used medications made in other countries. Prescription of Iranian brands of medications was considerably increased from 2006 to 2010. The annual costs of treatment with Beta-interferon were approximately 126 milliard Rials

Conclusion: A Majority of the MS patients used Beta-Interferon in Fars Province. In recent years, usage of Iranian brand of beta interferon has been largely increased. Despite this fact, more than half of Iranian patients received Beta-Interferons which were made in other countries. Annual cost of these medications was high [more than 126 milliard Rials] in Fars province

Identification and genetic variation of fasciola species from Tabriz, north-western Iran

Fascioliasis is considered as the most important helminthic infection of cattle and sheep. Traditional approaches using morphlogical and biologic characters cannot cause a certainty in the accurate and precise identification and intra-specific differences of Fasciola spp. In this study, we identified Fasciola species using ITS-1 marker and described genetic variation of each species of the parasite in isolates from Tabriz slaughterhouse in West Azerbaijan Province, north-western Iran. Overall, 100 samples [50 from sheep and 50 from cattle] morphologically detected as Fasciola worms were studied for identification of Fasciola species by PCR-RFLP method and intra-species variation of the parasite using RAPD-PCR technique. A region of approximately 460bp in all samples was successfully amplified. There were no identifiable variations among the size of PCR products. Two and three fragments in samples correspond to F. hepatica and F. gigantica was seen, respectively, through PCR-RFLP method. No difference was seen in digestion pattern according to host [sheep or cattle]. Different types of each species of the parasite was observed using RAPD-PCR technique. We could have an estimate of frequency of F. hepatica and f. gigantic and different genotype of the parasite in isolates from one locality in north-western of Iran. By extension of such studies in future to other animal hosts [buffalo and goat] and including more regions to sampling, the reliability of the results and their application for control programs in zoonotic diseases will be increased

[Effects of infusion and bolus intracameral adrenaline during phacoemulsification on endothelial density and morphology]

To compare the morphology and function of corneal enthothelial cell in early postoperative period after phacoemulsification with infusion or bolus intracameral adrenaline. In this prospective randomized study, 71 eyes of 71 patients scheduled for phacoemulsification were randomly assigned to two groups: one group [31 eyes] received bolus intraocular adrenaline at 1/10,000 concentration and the other group [30 eyes] received adrenaline infusion at 1/1,000,000 concentration intraoperatively. Pre- and one month postoperatively, a complete ophthalmologic examination as well as endothelial evaluation with ConfoScan III was performed. Effective phaco time [EPT] and pupillary condition during the surgery were recorded. Differences between the two groups were not statistically significant in demographic characteristics, lens opacity and EPT. Endothelial cell density was 2737 +/- 321 in the bolus group vs 2742 +/- 426 in the infusion group preoperatively [P=0.1]. After one month, the rate of cell loss was 7.21% in the infusion group and 8.87% in the bolus group [P= 0.13]. Pupil diameter was >6 mm in 48% of the infusion group vs 33% of the bolus group [P=0.5]. Adrenaline was safe at the studied concentrations and there was no significant difference between bolus and infusion routes of administration in terms of effects on pupil and endothelial cells

Ocular manifestation of tuberculosis

To determine the prevalence of ocular involvement in patients with tuberculosis [TB] infection. All patients with a new diagnosis of TB who were referred to Zahedan Tuberculosis Center underwent a complete ophthalmic examination. Any cases of known ophthalmic disease or previous ocular involvement were excluded from the study. Prevalence of ocular involvement with 95% confidence interval [95% CI] was calculated. Out of 444 eyes of 222 TB patients, 19 eyes [4.3%, 95% CI: 2.6-6.6%] of 17 patients [7.7%, 95% CI: 4.5-12.0%] had some ophthalmic lesions ascribable to TB. The most frequent ophthalmic lesions were choroidal tubercles in 4 eyes [21.1%]; interstitial keratitis and acute iritis each in 3 eyes [15.8%]; chorioretinitis, peripapillary nodule and lid lupus vulgaris each in 2 eyes [10.5%]; and retinal vasculitis, vitritis and lateral rectus paresis each in one eye [5.3%]. The ocular involvement was unilateral in 88.2%. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that only the duration of TB before treatment had direct correlation with ocular involvement [odds ratio= 5.22, 95% CI: 1.57-17.35]. The frequency of ocular involvement in TB in the study population is at least 3 times greater than other countries. Early treatment of TB can reduce ocular involvement and prevent other complications of the disease

effect of breath training on arterial O2 sat and respiratory rhythms in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases

Breathing is a vital process in living creatures, which let the oxygen in and CO[2] out of the body. The process is disturbed in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases [COPD]. Breathing maneuvers are the most important methods in minimizing breathing disturbances. This study was conducted to assess the effect of breath training as a respiratory maneuver on O[2] saturation and respiratory patterns in COPD patient in medical wards of Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Kashan City. This is a quasi-experimental research, in which the effect of breath-training on O[2] saturation [O2Sat] and respiratory patterns was evaluated in 60 COPD patients, The accessible samples were entered into this study. The demographic variables, like age, sex, and respiratory rate [RR] and rhythm were recorded before educating the patients. By means of pulse oximeter, the O[2] saturation was measured before and after instructing the patients, The patients were requested to breath with puckered lips for 10 minutes and O[2] saturation and respiratory rhythm were assessed immediately after and also in 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 60 minutes following puckered lip breathing. Non-parametric tests like Wileoxon matched pairs and Macnemar tests were used for data analysis. 43.3% of the patient were farmers and 30% were working in textile industries. 56.3% of the patients were smokers. The mean values of O2Sat were 87.4% and 93% before and immediately after training; and the amount of O2Sat was significantly higher at all intervals except in the 5[th] minute after exercise [p<0.001]. The decrease in RR was 27.7% immediately after exercise and maximal decrease was encountered in the 5[th] minute after rehearsal. But RR gradually increased to pre-training rate. Respiratory rhythm did not show any significant change due to the breath exercise. We concluded that breath exercises such as puckered lip breathing led to an increase in O[2] saturation, deep breathing patterns and finally improvement of lung function. So, breath training should be included in respiratory physiotherapy programs for COPD patients to increase their quality of life