The Histopathological Findings in Appendectomy Specimens in an Iranian Population.

BACKGROUND: Appendicitis is one of the most common causes of acute abdominal surgeries. The importance of parasitic etiologies in the pathogenesis of appendicitis is not well known in appendectomy specimens on a large scale in southwestern Iran. The current study aimed to retrospectively assess the demographic data and histopathological records of appendicitis in a 28-year period in Fars province, southwestern Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Histopathological records of 13,013 patients who had undergone surgeries for appendicitis at Dr. Ali Shariati Hospital, affiliated with the Fasa University of Medical Sciences from December 1993 to January 2021 were reviewed and data concerning the patients' demographic data and histopathological records were retrieved from each record. More than 6800 archived microscopic glass slides were also reviewed. RESULTS: From a total of 13,013 histopathological records of surgical excisions of appendicitis that were reviewed over a 28-year period, 8,189 (62.9%) were male and 4,842 (37.1%) were female. Patients' age ranged from 2 to 98 years, with a mean age of 24.68±19.87 years. The most common inflammatory changes were 5,687 (43.7%), 1,228 (9.4%), 670 (5.1%), 522 (4%), and 363 (2.8%) cases of acute appendicitis, suppurative appendicitis, early acute appendicitis, gangrenous appendicitis, and perforated appendicitis respectively. Microscopically, no viral inclusions, fungal elements, and histopathologic findings of bacterial causes were found. Parasitic infections such as helminthiasis were detected in 74 (0.6%) cases aged from 6 to 63. Enterobiasis (Syn. oxyuriasis, pinworm infection) accounted for 73 (98.6%) of the 74 helminthiases, while ascariasis accounted for 1 (1.4%). Out of 74 cases, 29 (39.2%) showed evidence of appendicitis. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that although parasitic agents are minor causes of appendicitis, these agents should be kept in mind during differential diagnosis. However, whether every parasitic infection leads to appendicitis is controversial.

Fabrication of amphotericin B-loaded electrospun core-shell nanofibers as a novel dressing for superficial mycoses and cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Amphotericin B (AmB) is an antifungal and antiparasitic agent that is the main drug used for the treatment of mycoses infections and leishmaniasis. However, its high toxicity and side effects are the main difficulties attributed to its application. In this study, to minimize its harmful effects, AmB-loaded core-shell nanofibers were fabricated, using polyvinyl alcohol, chitosan, and AmB as the core, and polyethylene oxide and gelatin as the shell-forming components. The nanofibers were characterized, using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, tensile test, drug release, and MTT assay. The results showed that the prepared nanofibers were smooth and had a core-shell structure with almost no cytotoxicity against fibroblast cells and the release study suggested that the core-shell structure decreased the burst release. The disk diffusion assay revealed that the nanofibrous mats at different AmB concentrations exhibited significant activity against all the eight evaluated fungal species with the inhibition zones of 1.4-2.6 cm. The flow cytometry assay also showed that the prepared nanofibrous mat significantly killed Leishmania major promastigotes up to 84%. The obtained results indicated that this AmB-loaded nanofibrous system could be a suitable candidate for a topical drug delivery system for the treatment of both superficial mycoses and cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Parasitic infections in irritable bowel syndrome patients: evidence to propose a possible link, based on a case-control study in the south of Iran.

OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of parasitic infections and their possible association with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), through a case-control study. Stool samples were collected from patients with IBS and healthy subjects and were examined microscopically to detect intestinal parasites. RESULTS: A total of 200 subjects were enrolled in the study including 100 patients with IBS and 100 healthy controls. The patients were selected based on the Rome III criteria. Of the 100 patients with IBS, 65 (65%) were female and 35 (35%) were male, with a mean age of 42.57 (± 4.07) years. Of these, 30 (30%) were infected with at least one intestinal parasite; the most common ones were Blastocystis hominis and Giardia lamblia. Of the control cases, 64 (64%) were female and 36 (36%) were male, with a mean age of 41.82 (± 11.75) years. Of these, 16 (16%) were infected with at least one intestinal parasite; the most common were B. hominis and Endolimax. There was a significant difference between the rate of parasitic infections between the patients with IBS and the control in particular, B. hominis and G. lamblia. The findings of the study support a possible link between parasitic infections and IBS.

Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of toxocariasis among nomads in Boyer-Ahmad County, southwest Iran.

BACKGROUND: Human toxocariasis is caused by the larval stage of Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati. This cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the seroprevalence and the risk factors associated with Toxocara infection in nomads of Boyer-Ahmad County in the southwest of Iran. METHODS: A total of 968 blood samples were collected from nomads. A structured questionnaire, containing sociodemographic data, was completed for each participant. Sera were evaluated for anti-Toxocara antibodies, using the T. canis excretory-secretory antigens prepared from the second stage larvae, in an ELISA system. RESULTS: Among the 968 participants, 220 (22.7%) were males and 748 (77.3%) were females; the mean age was 40.71 y. Anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies were detected in 14 (1.4%) of the 968 nomads. The association between Toxocara infection and gender, age, contact with dogs, residential area and level of education were not statistically significant (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the study revealed a low prevalence rate of toxocariasis in nomadic communities in southwest Iran. Geographic location and climatic conditions as well as the lifestyle and sociodemographic features of the participants may contribute to the low prevalence rate of Toxocara infection.

Level of circulating steroid hormones in malaria and cutaneous leishmaniasis: a case control study.

Epidemiological and clinical studies have shown a great difference in the severity and prevalence of infectious diseases in men and women and various studies have shown that the key immunological factors are affected by sex-associated hormones. Considering the role of sex hormones in various infections, the current study aimed to determine the level of sex hormones in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and malaria and compare it with those of healthy controls. The survey was designed as a case-control study. Peripheral blood was collected from thirty male malaria patients, sixty patients (equal number of both sexes) with cutaneous leishmaniasis and ninety healthy subjects. Disease confirmations were done through microscopic examination of either peripheral blood smears, in case of malaria, or Giemsa-stained lesion imprint slides for CL. The level of testosterone, progesterone and estrogen were measured in malaria and CL patients along with healthy subjects, using an ELISA commercial kit. Age of participants was 18-35 years (mean 25.39 ± 4.70) for CL patients and 14-41 years (mean 27.63 ± 9.09) for malaria patients. Differences between the age of patients and the healthy subjects were insignificant. The level of testosterone in malaria patients (1.44 ± 0.12 ng/mL) was lower than control group (1.46 ± 0.06, ng/mL) but the differences were not statistically significant (p > .05). The concentration of testosterone in CL patients (1.49 ± 0.03 ng/mL) was higher than those of control group (1.46 ± 0.06 ng/mL), and the difference was statistically significant (p  = 0.05). Although the concentration of estrogen and progesterone in CL patients were lower than controls, still the differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Findings of the current study demonstrated a significant difference in the serum level of testosterone in CL patients in comparison with the healthy subjects whereas such difference was not seen in malaria patients.

Development of a Double Glass Mounting Method Using Formaldehyde Alcohol Azocarmine Lactophenol (FAAL) and its Evaluation for Permanent Mounting of Small Nematodes.

BACKGROUND: Permanent slide preparation of nematodes especially small ones is time consuming, difficult and they become scarious margins. Regarding this problem, a modified double glass mounting method was developed and compared with classic method. METHODS: A total of 209 nematode samples from human and animal origin were fixed and stained with Formaldehyde Alcohol Azocarmine Lactophenol (FAAL) followed by double glass mounting and classic dehydration method using Canada balsam as their mounting media. The slides were evaluated in different dates and times, more than four years. Different photos were made with different magnification during the evaluation time. RESULTS: The double glass mounting method was stable during this time and comparable with classic method. There were no changes in morphologic structures of nematodes using double glass mounting method with well-defined and clear differentiation between different organs of nematodes in this method. CONCLUSION: Using this method is cost effective and fast for mounting of small nematodes comparing to classic method.