Comparative Genetic Features of S1 Gene from Six Massachusetts and Variant Avian 2 Infectious Bronchitis Viruses Isolated in Iran.

Infectious bronchitis (IB) disease, avian Infectious Bronchitis disease in one of the major cause of respiratory problems and economic loss in poultry industry, even in developed countries with good biosecurity practice. Since the first isolation of the virus in 1931, a lot of serotypes and genotypes of the virus have been reported around the world. The GI-1 lineage, including Massachusetts (Mass) serotype viruses, is one of the most widely spread types worldwide. Moreover, the GI-23 lineage with a growing incidence rate was reported approximately 20 years ago in the Middle East, with no or little homologues vaccine use. The genotype was previously restricted to the Middle East; now, there is evidence that it has spread to European countries, raising concerns regarding potential outbreaks. In the present study, our attempt was to phylogenetically analyze the S1 gene of six isolates from Massachusetts and variant 2 genotypes, which were isolated from broiler and broiler breeder flocks in Iran. The variant 2 viruses were compared to other reported variant 2 viruses from neighboring countries and they had more than 98% identity with the latest reported Iranian variant 2. In addition, Three Mass type viruses were similar to vaccine strains which may be shows continuous circulation of vaccine viruses in the field. This event can cause increasing the risk of their mutation or even reversion to virulence after several passages in natural host, furthermore circulating viruses may recombinant with virulent field viruses and cause emergence of new variants. Considering the variable nature of IB viruses in which few changes lead to important differences, continuous epidemiological surveillance along with clinical studies of new isolates, are crucial to a better understanding of their pathogenicity and subsequent disease control.

Comparison of risk assessment tools for cardiovascular diseases: results of an Iranian cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Several popular cardiovascular risk assessment tools have been developed in Western countries; however, the predictive abilities of these tools have not been evaluated in Middle Eastern countries. The present study aimed to determine the abilities of cardiovascular risk assessment tools in a population-based study in Northern Iran. STUDY DESIGN: Population-based cohort study in Northern Iran. METHODS: In total, 2883 individuals (1629 men and 1254 women), aged 40-74 years, were included in the study. We determined the predictive abilities of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) risk prediction tool, the Framingham general cardiovascular risk profile in primary care settings, and the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) equations for low- and high-risk European countries. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine the predictive abilities of these four risk assessment tools. RESULTS: Based on areas under curve (AUC) values and related 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), the discriminative abilities of the ACC/AHA tool, the Framingham approach, and the SCORE for low- and high-risk European countries to estimate non-fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) events were 0.6625, 0.6517, 0.6476 and 0.6458, respectively, in men, and 0.7722, 0.7525, 0.7330 and 0.7331, respectively, in women. Moreover, the abilities of these four tools to estimate fatal CVD events were found to be 0.8614, 0.8329, 0.7996 and 0.7988 in men, and 0.8779, 0.8372, 0.8535 and 0.8518 in women, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The cardiovascular risk assessment tools investigated in this study showed acceptable predictive abilities in women. The ACC/AHA approach showed slightly better performance compared with the SCORE tool; however, the SCORE tool benefited from the lowest cost compared with all the other tools.

The serum vitamin D levels in children with urinary tract infection: a case-control study.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common infections in infants and children. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between vitamin D levels and urinary tract infections in children. This case-control study was performed on 80 children aged 1-12 years with urinary tract infection referred to the pediatric clinic of Mousavi Hospital in Zanjan, Iran. For each patient in the case group, an individual of the same age and sex was selected in the control group. Vitamin D was measured by the ELISA method. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS V22 software. In this study, 80 children were divided into two groups of 40 cases (UTI) and control. Serum levels of vitamin D in the case group were significantly lower than in the control group [OR (95%CI) = 3.316 (1.286-8.550),( p = 0.013)]. In females, serum levels of vitamin D in cases were significantly lower than for controls [OR (95%CI) = (5.417 (1.685-17.417), P-value = 0.005)]. No significant relationship was found between serum levels of vitamin D in cases and controls regarding male gender, age and weight. Conclusions: This study showed that vitamin D deficiency has a significant relationship with the prevalence of UTI in children. Vitamin D deficiency and female gender are more frequent risk factors for UTI.

Prediction of Hospitalization Length. Quantile Regression Predicts Hospitalization Length and its Related Factors better than Available Methods.

BACKGROUND: Length of hospitalization is one of the most important indices in evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of hospitals and the optimal use of resources. Identifying these indices' associated factors could be useful. This study aimed to investigate effective factors of the length of hospitalization in Zanjan teaching hospitals in 2018 using the Quantile regression model. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 1,031 patients. The study population consisted of patients in orthopaedic, pediatric, internal, surgical and intensive care units. The samples were selected by multistage random sampling. The information was collected by a pre-designed checklist. The Quantile regression model and ordinary regression model were performed on the data. RESULTS: Of the 1,031 patients admitted to different units, 624 (60.52%) were male. Mean and standard deviation of length of hospitalization for men, women and all patients were 7.25±5.48, 8.09±6.35 and 7.58±5.83 respectively. For 90 percent of patients the length of hospitalization was less than 14 days. Twenty-five percent of patients in pediatric and orthopedic units and ten percent of patients in internal and surgery units were hospitalized less than three days. In all quantiles, patients' length of hospitalization in surgery and orthopedic units, compared to the intensive care unit, and patients hospitalized for injuries and poisonings compared to other causes, had a statistically significant difference. (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Due to the heterogeneity (skewness) of the length of hospital stay in different units of the hospital, the quantile regression model predicts the length of hospital stay more precisely than the ordinary regression models.

Avian Influenza (H9N2 Subtype) in Iranian Broiler Farms: A Cross-sectional Study.

The present study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of H9N2 influenza in broiler farms at the time of slaughter in Iran. A total of 747 birds were sampled from 74 Farms in 13 provinces within 2013-2016. The obtained sera were investigated using the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test. Out of 74 sampled farms and 747 birds, 57 farms (77%) and 445 (59.57%) birds were reported to be seropositive. In 2013, 10 farms and 110 birds were sampled out of which three farms (29.6%) and 29 birds (30%) were seropositive. In 2014, 24 farms and 220 birds were sampled out of which 22 farms (91.6%) and 220 birds (86.6%) were positive in six provinces. In 2015, 30 farms and 278 birds were sampled out of which 5 farms (16%) and134 birds (48.2%) were positive in four provinces. Finally, in 2016, 7 farms (70%) out of 10 sampled farms and 62 birds (59%) out of 105 sampled birds were positive for H9N2 in eight provinces. The mean titer of units in 2013 was statistically lower, as compared to that in 2014 (p &lt;0.01). In addition, the proportion of positive serum units in 2013 was statistically lower, as compared to that in 2014 (p &lt;0.001). In general, the prevalence of H9N2 was high indicating the continuous circulation of the virus in Iran. Given the importance and impact of this virus on the poultry industry, people&rsquo;s livelihood, and public health, more epidemiological studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the adopted measures and methods in controlling the H9N2 virus.

Investigation of Avian Influenza Viruses (H9N2-H5nx) in Pigeons during Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreaks in Iran, in 2016.

Avian influenza (AI) virus (H9N2 and H5 subtypes) infections in birds cause major concerns around the world. The majority of the avian species, such as domestic, pet, and wild birds, are natural and experimental hosts of avian influenza viruses. There are global concerns about members of the Columbidae family, namely pigeons or doves, for their role as the potential interspecies bridge in influenza A viruses ecology. The acquired scientific data in this regard is still not clear since there are doubts about whether or not they transmit viruses between susceptible populations, and spread viruses among farms during outbreaks. To monitor H5 and H9 influenza virus infection status in the rural, backyard, and domestic birds, an annual active surveillance program was performed from September to October 2016. In December 2016, an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus subtype H5N8 was detected in a layer farm in Tehran province, Iran. The present research was conducted to study H9N2 or H5 infections in pigeons within HPAI H5N8 2016 outbreaks and annual national AI surveillance in Iran. For this purpose, cloacal swabs and tissue samples (trachea, lung, brain, liver, heart, pancreas, and cecal tonsil) were collected and examined by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method and virus isolation. Results of the tests performed on the swab and tissue samples were negative for H5 nor H9N2 viruses. The samples in real-time RT-PCR that after three passages still showed negative results in HA and molecular tests were considered negative. Moreover, the Newcastle disease virus was isolated in most of the samples taken from dead pigeons, after inoculation in embryonated chicken eggs.

Designing a polytopic complex vaccine candidate against Gallibacterium anatis: an In-silico study.

The haemolytic biovar of Gallibacterium anatis (G. anatis) is responsible for urogenital, gastrointestinal, and respiratory diseases in chickens. There are numerous reports on the resistance of G. anatis to antibiotics and recurrence of the disease, which raise concerns about antimicrobial treatment efficiency. Vaccination has been considered as the most feasible procedure of prevention in high risk farms. Subunit vaccines containing immunogenic components can have practical protective value in preventive measures regarding the infection. The present study aimed to introduce a polytopic vaccine candidate based on epitope detection. All registered sequences of four immunogenic proteins, includig Flfa, GTxA, Gab_1309, and Gab_2348 were retrieved and directed for variational analysis. A vaccine isolate was selected for each protein and tested for B-cell epitope mapping using different tools. Furthermore, consensus selected immunogenic regions with special patterns fused together by flexible linkers were integrated into two constructs and checked for the best status of proteasomal cleavage sites, as well as hydropathy plot. Moreover, back translations, along with codon optimization were performed, and then some tags were added to the constructs. The selected consensus B-cell immunogenic epitopes were for 12656: AA114-181, 7990: AA114-181, Avicor: AA42-77, 134-197, and IPDH: 61-155 for Flfa protein, AA185-235, AA372-457, and AA807-941 for GtxA-N, AA260-305, AA340-400, and AA110-146 for Gab-1309, and AA125-AA175 for Gab-2348. Two suitable patterns of attachment were selected from the different fusion patterns of epitopes in B-cell polytopic vaccinal constructs. Finally, the examination of these constructs showed their effect and efficacy for immune system stimulation. Based on bioinformatics results, these immunogens could be utilized as potential candidates to develop polytopic protective vaccines and design diagnostic kits.

Discriminatory Ability of Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI) in Diagnosis of Metabolic Syndrome: A Population Based Study.

Background Visceral adiposity index (VAI) has been suggested as an index of visceral adiposity. This study was conducted to determine the discriminatory ability of VAI in diagnosis of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Methods and materials We used the data of 5 312 subjects aged 18-74 years of a cohort study conducted among 6 140 individuals aged 10-90 years in Amol, northern Iran. The city population was divided into 16 strata based on gender and age groups in 10-year intervals. The subjects were randomly selected from each stratum. MetS was defined based on National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP/ATPIII), American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI) update of Adult Treatment Panel III (ATPIII), International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and joint interim statement (JIS) definitions. The discriminatory ability of VAI and other obesity measures were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results While waist circumference (WC) showed the highest discriminatory ability for MetS in IDF definition in men (AUC=0.899 [CI=0.888-0.910]), VAI had the greatest discriminatory ability according to other definitions in men and women. The related AUCs of VAI were 0.866 (95%CI: 0.850-0.881), 0.829 (95%CI: 0.813-0.846), 0.859 (95%CI: 0.844-0.873) and 0.876 (95%CI: 0.863-0.889) based on NCEP/ATPIII, AHA/NHLBI update of ATPIII, IDF and JIS definition in men, and also 0.888 (95%CI: 0.875-0.902), 0.894 (95%CI: 0.881-0.907), 0.883 (95%CI: 0.869-0.897) and 0.879 (95%CI: 0.864-0.894) in women, respectively. Conclusion VAI showed an excellent discriminatory ability in diagnosis of MetS. Considering its relatively simple calculation, this index could be suggested as a reliable tool in medical practice.

Lipid accumulation product and metabolic syndrome: a population-based study in northern Iran, Amol.

PURPOSE: Lipid accumulation product (LAP) demonstrated a strong predictive accuracy for metabolic syndrome (MetS) in previous studies. This study was conducted to determine the predictive performance of LAP compared to obesity indexes. Moreover, the optimal cutoff point of LAP based on the study population waist circumference threshold was estimated in both men and women. METHODS: 5797 subjects with an average age of 44.77 ± 16.77 years for men and 43.78 ± 15.43 years for women were included in the present study. The ROC analysis was performed to assess the predictive accuracy of LAP in the diagnosis of MetS. The optimal cutoff point of LAP was determined according to maximal Youden index in both men and women. RESULTS: The optimal cutoff points determined for LAP were 49.71 (sensitivity = 85.2 %, specificity = 82.3 %) for women and 39.89 (sensitivity = 86 %, specificity = 79.6 %) for men. Based on the assigned cutoff points, the prevalence of high LAP was obtained 44.1 % in men and 45.1 % in women. LAP also showed a significantly higher predictive performance for MetS compared to obesity measures and also TG. CONCLUSION: LAP has a strong and reliable diagnostic accuracy for MetS in Iranian population in the north of Iran. LAP showed a better predictability than other obesity indexes assessed in the present study.

Knowledge and practices of health care workers and medical students towards universal precautions in hospitals in Mazandaran Province.

This study investigated knowledge of and practices towards universal precautions among 540 health care workers and medical students in 2 university hospitals in Mazandaran Province, Islamic Republic of Iran. Only 65.8% and 90.0% staff in the 2 hospitals and 53.5% of medical students had heard about universal precautions. Overall, there was a low understanding of precautions, except concerning disposal of sharps, contact with vaginal fluid, use of mask and gown or cleaning spilled blood. Health workers had difficulty distinguishing between deep body fluids and body secretions that are not considered infectious. Good practices were reported regarding hand-washing, disposal of needles, and glove, mask and gown usage.

Knowledge and practices of health care workers and medical students towards universal precautions in hospitals in Mazandaran Province

This study investigated knowledge of and practices towards universal precautions among 540 health care workers and medical students in 2 university hospitals in Mazandaran Province, Islamic Republic of Iran. Only 65.8% and 90.0% staff in the 2 hospitals and 53.5% of medical students had heard about universal precautions. Overall, there was a low understanding of precautions, except concerning disposal of sharps, contact with vaginal fluid, use of mask and gown or cleaning spilled blood. Health workers had difficulty distinguishing between deep body fluids and body secretions that are not considered infectious. Good practices were reported regarding hand- washing, disposal of needles, and glove, mask and gown usage

Validity and reliability of the Persian translation of the SF-36 version 2 questionnaire.

To assess the validity and reliability of a Persian translation of the SF-36 questionnaire (version 2) as a tool for use in the general population and outpatients, we carried out a cross-sectional study of the staff of Shiraz Medical School during November 2001. Response rate was 83.6%. Internal consistency for 8 scales using Cronbach's alpha was 0.87 (minimum recommended 0.85). Construct validity was acceptable as correlation between scales and some sociodemographic characteristics was significant. The correlation coefficient between 8 scales and related principal components was also acceptable. This translation is an appropriate tool for assessing health perceptions of the population.

Validity and reliability of the Persian translation of the SF-36 version 2 questionnaire

To assess the validity and reliability of a Persian translation of the SF-36 questionnaire [version 2] as a tool for use in the general population and outpatients, we carried out a cross-sectional study of the staff of Shiraz Medical School during November 2001. Response rate was 83.6%. Internal consistency for 8 scales using Cronbach's alpha was 0.87 [minimum recommended 0.85]. Construct validity was acceptable as correlation between scales and some sociodemographic characteristics was significant. The correlation coefficient between 8 scales and related principal components was also acceptable. This translation is an appropriate tool for assessing health perceptions of the population