A survival analysis of socio-demographic and clinical predictors among hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Southern Iran.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the socio-demographic, clinical, and laboratory risk factors in hospitalized COVID-19 patients during the first 6 months of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. METHOD: This retrospective hospital-based cross-sectional study included all laboratory-confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus that were admitted to the Shohadaye-Khalije-Fars Hospital in Bushehr, Iran, from February 22, 2020 to September 21, 2020. The patients' records were reviewed during the hospitalization period. The global COVID-19 clinical platform, i.e., the World Health Organization Rapid Case Report Form was used as the data collection tool. We conducted the survival analysis using the Kaplan-Meier and the Stepwise Cox regression analyses. RESULTS: The analysis included 2108 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with a mean age of 47.81 years (SD 17.78); 56.8% men, 43.2% women and 6.3% (n = 133) deaths. After adjustment, it was found that factors associated with an increased risk of death consisted of chronic kidney disease, intensive care unit admission, cancer, and hemoptysis. The 7-day survival rate was 95.8%, which decreased to 95.1%, 94.0%, and 93.8% on days 14, 21, and 28 of hospitalization, respectively. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Older COVID-19 patients with manifestation of hemoptysis and a past medical history of chronic kidney disease and cancer, should be closely monitored to prevent disease deterioration and death, and also should be admitted to the intensive care unit.

Prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis in women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of recently published literature (2016-2020).

BACKGROUND: Urinary schistosomiasis is a serious threat in endemic territories of Africa and the Middle East. The status of female urinary schistosomiasis (FUS) in published literature between 2016 and 2020 was investigated. METHODS: A systematic search in PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science, based on the 'Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses' checklist, and a meta-analysis using random-effects model to calculate the weighted estimates and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were done. RESULTS: Totally, 113 datasets reported data on 40,531 women from 21 African countries, showing a pooled prevalence of 17.5% (95% CI: 14.8-20.5%). Most studies (73) were performed in Nigeria, while highest prevalence was detected in Mozambique 58% (95% CI: 56.9-59.1%) (one study). By sample type and symptoms, vaginal lavage [25.0% (95% CI: 11.4-46.1%)] and hematuria 19.4% (95% CI: 12.2-29.4%) showed higher FUS frequency. Studies using direct microscopy diagnosed a 17.1% (95% CI: 14.5-20.1%) prevalence rate, higher than PCR-based studies 15.3% (95% CI: 6.1-33.2%). Except for sample type, all other variables had significant association with the overall prevalence of FUS. CONCLUSIONS: More studies are needed to evaluate the true epidemiology of FUS throughout endemic regions.

The effect of women's sexual functioning on quality of their sexual life.

INTRODUCTION: Considering the high prevalence of sexual dysfunction among women and the role of quality of sexual life in women's life and health, in addition to the important role of sexual function evaluation in measuring quality of life, this study aimed to determine the effect of female sexual function on the quality of sexual life. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This research was a descriptive and cross-sectional. The population of this study was 420 women from Qazvin in 2020, who were selected by multi-stage sampling. The data collection tool was a demographic questionnaire and Persian version of the Female Sexual Function Assessment questionnaire (FSFI) and Sexual Quality of Life Questionnaire (SQOL-F). Data were analyzed using SPSS 23, and descriptive statistics and logistic regression were applied. RESULTS: The mean (SD) of sexual function score was 21.56 (4.83) out of 36, therefore, it was at an unfavorable level. Also, the mean (SD) score of sexual quality of life 59.71 (19.21) was out of 108 (moderate). The results of logistic regression test showed that the variables of sexual function, age and level of education of women were the factors affecting the quality of women's sexual life (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Young women with lower sexual function, and lower level of education had lower quality of sexual life. Hence, it is necessary to pay more attention to these women in designing educational programs for improving the quality of their sexual life.

Bioinformatics features and immunogenic epitopes of Echinococcus granulosus Myophilin as a promising target for vaccination against cystic echinococcosis.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a neglected zoonosis especially in underdeveloped countries around the world. Hence, immunization strategies are beneficial to avert the infection. The present investigation was aimed to predict the primary biochemical characteristics of the EgMyophilin and its potential B-cell and human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-binding epitopes as a promising vaccine candidate. Different web servers were used to predict physico-chemical, antigenic and allergenic profiles, transmembrane domain, subcellular localization, post-translational modification (PTM) sites, secondary and 3D structure, tertiary model refinement and validations. B-cell and HLA-binding epitopes were predicted and screened in terms antigenicity, allergenicity, solubility (B-cell) or hydrophobicity (T-cell). The 89.82 KDa protein was non-allergenic, hydrophilic, stable, with improved thermotolerance and 94 post-translational modification sites. The secondary structure included 42.94% alpha helix, 42.82% random coil and 41.23% extended strand. Based on Ramachandran plot output for refined model, 96.2%, 99.5%, and 0.45% of amino acid residues were incorporated in the favored, allowed, and outlier regions of the refined model, respectively. After epitope screening, four B-cell and five HLA-binding epitopes possessed the highest antigenic index in the protein sequence. This paper is a premise for further researches, and provides insights for the development of a suitable vaccine against CE. More empirical studies are required using the EgMyophilin alone or in combination with other antigens/epitopes in the future.

Global seroprevalence of Neospora spp. in horses and donkeys: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Neospora infections due to Neospora caninum and N. hughesi are prevalent among equids of the world. The disease may affect reproductive and neurological consequences. The present systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the global Neospora seroprevalence among horses and donkeys. A number of 57 out of 1575 total retrieved studies were included by searching the PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science and ProQuest. A total of 25,783 horses and 4377 donkeys were examined serologically, yielding a weighted seroprevalence of 13.46 % (95 % CI: 10.26 %-17.42 %) globally. Subgroup analysis revealed that there were statistically significant differences in the overall prevalence of Neospora spp. in the examined animals according to year, continent, WHO region, country, host, and diagnostic method. Age and sex in horses as well as sex in donkeys were significantly associated with the Neospora seroprevalence (P < 0.001). Our findings showed a relatively high exposure to Neospora spp. in horses and donkeys worldwide. Considering the possible economic impact, as well as the importance in animal health, more studies are needed to clarify the species causing equine neosporosis, correlate serological findings with clinical outcomes and assess the risk factors, in order to define adequate prevention and control strategies.

Toxoplasma gondii ROP38 protein: Bioinformatics analysis for vaccine design improvement against toxoplasmosis.

Rhoptry proteins (ROPs) play a significant role in various stages of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) life cycle, being critical for both invasion and intracellular survival. ROP38 is a key manipulator of host gene expression and has a function in tachyzoite to bradyzoite conversion. In this study, we've employed various bioinformatics online tools for immunogenicity prediction of ROP38 protein, comprising physico-chemical, antigenic and allergenic profiles, transmembrane domain, subcellular localization, post-translational modification (PTM) sites, secondary and 3D structure, B-cell, MHC-binding and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes. The findings showed 54 PTM sites without a transmembrane domain. Also, ROP38 was proved a non-allergenic and antigenic protein. The protein had Sec signal peptide (Sec/SPI) with 0.8762 likelihood. The secondary structure included 52.68% random coil, 29.57% alpha helix and 17.74% extended strand. Based on Ramachandran plot output for refined model, 95.3%, 3.4%, and 1.4% of amino acid residues were incorporated in the favored, allowed, and outlier regions, respectively. B-cell epitopes TFPGDDIQTSS (67-72) and KAKNKWGRTRYTLQG (207-221) as well as T-cell epitope LSPVGFFTAL (6-15) possessed the highest antigenic index in the protein sequence. This paper is a premise for further researches, and provides insights for the development of a suitable vaccine against toxoplasmosis. More empirical studies are required using the ROP38 alone or in combination with other antigens/epitopes in the future.

Particularly neglected in countries with other challenges: High Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in pregnant women in Kabul, Afghanistan, while a low proportion know about the parasite.

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease of global importance. It is widespread and endemic practically all over the world, with infection prevalence varying by geographic location. The parasite and the disease are neglected, which is illustrated by the lack of baseline information on the prevalence from many regions. Developed, peaceful regions are in better situation to address toxoplasmosis, while the neglected status is particularly pronounced in regions with other challenges. Due to the lack of baseline data, these regions are rarely mentioned in discussions about the neglected status of the disease. A dramatic manifestation of toxoplasmosis, congenital toxoplasmosis, is the dreaded outcome of vertical transmission of the infection from the mother to the unborn child. For this reason, pregnant women are a key target group for primary prevention of T. gondii infections, and baseline data on the prevalence in pregnant women is important. In this cross-sectional seroepidemiological study, we estimated Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence and evaluated possible risk factors for seropositivity in pregnant women in Kabul, Afghanistan. Altogether 207 of the 431 women included in the study tested positive for immunoglobulin G antibodies against T. gondii, yielding an apparent seroprevalence estimate of 48.03% (95% CI 43.33-52.75). Based on the final multivariable model for T. gondii seropositivity, non-concrete floor in the house and well or river as water source were identified as risk factors for seropositivity, while residence in rural area was a protective factor. The majority of the participants (72.9%) reported that they did not know about T. gondii. Our study is the first to report an estimate of T. gondii seroprevalence in pregnant women in Afghanistan. The high seroprevalence indicates substantial infection pressure, and the results of the risk factor analysis suggest that the environmental route, infection from oocysts, might be the most relevant to address to prevent the infections in the region. Our results contribute to the global discussion on neglected status of toxoplasmosis.