Active-passive immunization effectiveness against hepatitis B virus in children born to HBsAg positive mothers in Amol, north of Iran

HBV infection is a contagious disease that may transmit vertically from mothers to their neonates or horizontally by blood products and body secretions. Over 50% of Iranian carriers have contracted the infection perinatally, making this the most likely route of transmission of HBV in Iran. This study assesses the serologic markers of HBV in children born to HBsAg positive mothers who received HBIG and 3 doses of HBV vaccine. To evaluate the effectiveness of vaccination against HBV, a study was conducted on 95 Children, born to hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg]-positive mothers, who had received Hepatitis B Immune Globulin and HBV vaccines during 2004- 2008. All children were tested for the presence of HBsAg, anti- HBs and anti-HB core antigen [anti-HBc]. Among an estimated 30000 pregnant women during the five year study, about 130 [0.42%] were HBV carriers. Ninety-five children from these mothers were enrolled in this study. Only one child [1.1%] was HBsAg positive, while 88.4% of children were Anti-HBs Positive. Eleven children [11.6%] were exposed to HBV as shown by the presence of anti-HBc. A significant difference was observed between the children's age and Anti-HBs [p=0.0001]. Passive-active immunoprophylaxis of high risk babies was highly efficacious in preventing perinatal transmission of the HBV carrier state. Also, evaluation of serologic markers in HBV infected people is important for designing the strategies for disease control

[ assessment of risk factors for prostate cancer in Mazandaran province, Iran]

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and it is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men after lung cancer. Therefore, this study was done to assess of risk factors for prostate cancer in Mazandaran province, Iran. A matched case-control study was conducted on 104 prostate cancer patients and 104 controls in Mazandaran province during 2005. The addresses of the patients were obtained using the cancer registry information existed in Babol research center in Iran. The data were collected using a questionnaire by in-person interview of cases and their controls and were analyzed using STATA [8.0]. Univariate condition logistic regression showed that age, prostatitis, drinking alcohol, using chopoghe, family history of prostate cancer, having other cancer, intensity of activity, time of job activity were found to be the risk factors although higher BMI and execreise were protective for prostate cancer [P<0.20]. In multivariate analysis, after adjusting for the effect of the confounders, prostatitis, age, alcohol consumption and family history of prostate cancer were found to the most important risk factors. This study identified prostatitis, age, alcohol consumption and family history of prostate as the independent risk factors for prostate cancer. We suggest that men after the age of 60 should be screened for prostate cancer annually

[Prevalence of rota, adeno and astrovirus in children with acute gastroenteritis in Babol, Iran]

Viral gastroenteritis is associated with significant cause of morbidity and is a common cause of hospitalization in worldwide. This study was performed to assess the role of rota, adeno and astroviruses in children presenting with acute diarrhea in the main Children's Medical Hospital in Babol-Iran. Stool specimens from 208 children suffering from diarrhea were tested for the presence of rota, adeno and astroviruses by ELISA test during winter 2004 to autumn 2005. Data were then analyzed by the Chi-square and Fisher exact test with SPSS-10 software. Rota, adeno and astrovirus antigens were detected in 61.1%, 2.9% and 2.4% of patients. Infants between 6 and 12 months of age were most frequently affected with rotavirus [29.8%], [p < 0.05]. Rotavirus infection was significantly less frequent in summer and spring than winter and autumn [p < 0.05]. Fever and vomiting were present in 55.1% and 51.7% of children, respectively. There was not significant correlation between rotavirus infection and gender of patients. This study showed that rotavirus can be regarded as a major etiologic agent of winter acute diarrhea in children under 2-years old in Babol. Therefore, it is suggested to provide proper vaccination to immunize the children