COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths after vaccination: a cohort event monitoring study, Islamic Republic of Iran.

Objective: To investigate the incidence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Iranians vaccinated with either AZD1222 Vaxzevria, CovIran® vaccine, SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated (lnCoV) or Sputnik V. Methods: We enrolled individuals 18 years or older receiving their first COVID-19 vaccine dose between April 2021 and January 2022 in seven Iranian cities. Participants completed weekly follow-up surveys for 17 weeks (25 weeks for AZD1222) to report their COVID-19 status and hospitalization. We used Cox regression models to assess risk factors for contracting COVID-19, hospitalization and death. Findings: Of 89 783 participants enrolled, incidence rates per 1 000 000 person-days were: 528.2 (95% confidence interval, CI: 514.0-542.7) for contracting COVID-19; 55.8 (95% CI: 51.4-60.5) for hospitalization; and 4.1 (95% CI: 3.0-5.5) for death. Compared with SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell), hazard ratios (HR) for contracting COVID-19 were: 0.70 (95% CI: 0.61-0.80) with AZD1222; 0.73 (95% CI: 0.62-0.86) with Sputnik V; and 0.73 (95% CI: 0.63-0.86) with CovIran®. For hospitalization and death, all vaccines provided similar protection 14 days after the second dose. History of COVID-19 protected against contracting COVID-19 again (HR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.69-0.84). Diabetes and respiratory, cardiac and renal disease were associated with higher risks of contracting COVID-19 after vaccination. Conclusion: The rates of contracting COVID-19 after vaccination were relatively high. SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell) provided lower protection against COVID-19 than other vaccines. People with comorbidities had higher risks of contracting COVID-19 and hospitalization and should be prioritized for preventive interventions.

A screening strategy for identifying the dominant variant of SARS-COV-2 in the fifth peak of Kurdistan- Iran population using HRM and Probe-based RT-PCR assay.

By the emergence of SARS CoV-2 variants, many studies were developed to deal with it. The high transmissibility and mortality rate of some variants, in particular developing countries have caused the operation of simple diagnostic tests for genomic surveillance. In this study, we developed two assays of High Resolution Melting (HRM) and Probe-based RT-PCR as simple and inexpensive methods to identify the variants. We screened the mutations of del69-70, E484K, E484Q, D614G, L452R, and T478K in 100 cases from SARS-COV-2 positive patients in Kurdistan- Iran population. In general, the result of the two methods overlapped each other, nevertheless, we suggested HRM results be confirmed with a standard assay (Whole-Genome Sequencing). This work indicated that HRM as the rapid and inexpensive method could identify and categorize the variants of SARS CoV-2 and reduce the costs for carrying out sequencing.

Laboratory Evidence of the Presence of Demodex in Urine Laboratory: A Case Report.

Folliculorum mites (Demodex folliculorum, and D. brevis) are part of the common external parasites in humans as the exclusive host of them. The highest focus of these mites is on those parts of the body that have fat glands and fatty products in the skin. This is proven by the dermal - epidermal separation method. In the present study, the presence of Demodex is reported in a urine sample containing hematuria, which has not been observed so far according to the previous investigations. The case was related to a 44-yr-old woman with symptoms of headache, chills, and joint pain referring to the medical diagnostic laboratory of Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, northwest of Iran. After historiography and collecting the urine sample as middle, the live parasite of Demodex was observed. The presence or migration of mite in the atypical areas of the body (genital, urinary, eye, etc.), which are close to hairy tissues (especially in women), may be one of the causes of allergic reactions and clinical symptoms in people.

Detection of Borna Disease Virus (BDV) in Patients with First Episode of Schizophrenia.

Objective: Schizophrenia is a complex widespread neuropsychiatric disorder. This illness encompasses a complex debilitating mental disorder causing illusion, delusion, disturbed relationship, low motivation and decline of emotion. Viral infection of the brain including Borna Disease Virus (BDV) may play a role in transient or permanent neurological and behavioral abnormalities. This role of Borna virus has not been resolved outright yet, and based on published papers investigation examining the role of this virus in schizophrenia is in progress worldwide. Method: In this study, Nested Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (Nested RT-PCR) was used for detection of BDV Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) of a group of patients experiencing the first episode of schizophrenia. The results were compared with a normal group. Results: In our study, no BDV-positive was found in PBMCs of the case group. Out of 40 participants of control group one was positive for P24 gene of BDV. This result are similar to several published papers about this topic. Conclusion: An etiological relationship between Bornavirus and schizophrenia was not found in this study. More investigations are warranted to illustrate the probable relationship between bornavirus infection and schizophrenia.

Prevalence of Hepatitis C virus Genotype 3a in patients with Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major public health problem worldwide. Replication and persistence of HCV genome have been described in the liver tissue as well as B cells lymphocyte. Several investigations have reported that long-term persistence of HCV in B cells may result in Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This study was aimed to determine frequency of HCV RNA in histological tissues obtained from patients suffered from Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 52 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks including 23 (44.3%) Hodgkin and 29 (55.7%) Non-Hodgkin samples were collected and five micrometer sections were prepared. RNA was extracted and cDNA was synthesized. Two consecutive Nested RT-PCR assays were carried out for detection of HCV 5' UTR and core gene. RT-PCR products were sequenced and aligned to construct HCV phylogenic tree to evaluate the homology of sequences in comparison to the reference sequences retrieved from Genbank. RESULTS: Overall, 6 Non-Hodgkin (20.6%) and 3 Hodgkin lymphoma (13.04%) samples showed positive PCR results for both 5' UTR and HCV core RNA via nested PCR (P<0.469). Sequencing results revealed that all detected HCV RNA samples belonged to the genotype 3a. CONCLUSION: Despite low prevalence of HCV infection in Iran, high frequency of HCV RNA genotypes 3a (17.3%) has been found in patients with Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. To improve treatment regimens, screening of HCV RNA in patients suffered from Hodgkin or Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is recommended which can be done through highly sensitive molecular means before and after immunosuppression status.

Preemptive low-dose of ketamine does not effective on anesthetic consumption, perioperative analgesic requirement and postoperative pain, nausea and vomiting in painful ophthalmic surgery.

BACKGROUND: Ketamine, a non-competitive NMDA (N-Methyl-D-Aspartate) receptor antagonist, is recognized as an intraoperative anesthetic agent. Increasing interest in the use of low-dose ketamine for postoperative analgesia has developed in part because of its NMDA-antagonistic properties, which may be important in attenuating central sensitization and opioid tolerance. Despite of many trial evaluations which have been done on the effect of low-dose ketamine in postoperative pain, the role of ketamine, as a component of perioperative analgesia, remains unclear. We evaluated the analgesic effect of low-dose ketamine during anesthesia induction in painful ophthalmic surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After institutional approval and written informed consent, 88 patients undergoing retinal detachment, strabismus, and keratoplasty surgery aged 18-80 years old were randomly divided intoequal case and control groups. Anesthesia was induced with sodium thiopental, fentanyl, atracurium, and liducaine, and maintained with N2O, O2, and propofol. Ketamine 0.5 mg/kg was administered intravenously to patients in the case group during anesthetic induction. Mean blood pressure and pulse rate were listed in questionnaire every 5 minutes. The consumption of anesthetic, perioperative additional analgesic, extubation time, postoperative pain and nausea scores (based on Visual Analog Scale), vomiting frequency, and the recovery time were recorded. RESULTS: There were no differences in the recovery time (17.3 ± 3.4 in the case group vs. 16.3 ± 3 in the control group, P < 0.05), postoperative pain scores (5 ± 1 in the case group vs. 5.6 ± 2 in the control group, P < 0.05), the consumption of anesthetic (9376.9 ± 1245.8 in the case group vs. 9012.9 ± 1620 in the control group, P < 0.05), the analgesic requirements (1000 in the case group vs. 940.9 ± 135.6 in the control group, P < 0.05), and perioperative additional analgesic (63.4 ± 26.5 in the case group vs. 69.4 ± 25.6 in the control group, P < 0.05) between two groups. The extubation time in the case group (13.59 ± 4.83) was significantly shorter than in the control group (15.9 ± 3.6) (P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that a low dose administration of ketamine during anesthesia induction in retinal detachment, strabismus, and keratoplasty surgery improves the extubation time but have no effect on postoperative pain, nausea and vomiting, and perioperative additional analgesic requirements.

Bacterial contamination of hospital-prepared enteral tube feeding formulas in Isfahan, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Hospital-prepared tube feedings from three intensive care units of two hospitals in Isfahan, Iran were analyzed for microbial contamination. METHODS: A total number of 152 samples (76 samples each at the time of preparation and 18 hours following preparation) were collected. Standard plate count, coliform count and Staphylococcus aureus count for all samples were conducted. Samples were analyzed also for the presence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria spp. RESULTS: At the time of food preparation, out of 76 samples, 53 samples (70%) had coliform contamination and 87% of these contaminated samples had counts greater than 10(1) cfu/g. Also, 68 samples (90%) had S. aureus contamination greater than 10(1) cfu/g. In standard plate count, 74 samples (97%) had counts greater than 10(3) cfu/g, while 54 samples (71%) had counts greater than 10(4) cfu/g. In second sampling occasion, out of 76 samples, 68 samples (90%) had coliform contamination and 84% of these contaminated samples had counts greater than 10(1) cfu/g. Also, 72 samples (95%) had S. aureus contamination, 98.6% of these contaminated samples had counts greater than 10(2) cfu/g. In standard plate count, 74 samples (97%) had counts greater than 10(4) cfu/g. No Salmonella or Listeria was detected from samples. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that a majority of the blenderized enteral tube feedings in those hospitals are not safe. In comparison to the standard limits, these enteral tube feedings are highly contaminated and posed substantial risk for developing a foodborne disease or nosocomial infection.