Epidemiology of HBV-HCV Coinfection Among Iranian Patients: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are major causes of hepatitis, an important disease affecting millions of people worldwide. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of HBV-HCV coinfection in Iran and evaluate the demographic and behavioral factors associated with a heterogeneity of results. METHODS: We used MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, Google Scholar, and 1 Persian database (Scientific Information Database) for a systematic search from January 1, 2005 to February 26, 2022. Data were analyzed based on the city, publication time, enrollment time, number of patients, gender, mean age, and HBV/HCV diagnosis method. The analysis was carried out using R (version 4.2.1) and the metafor package (version 3.8.1). RESULTS: In total, 2,072 studies were found through databases: PubMed/Medline (n = 224), Scopus (n = 1,092), Web of Science (n = 394), Google Scholar (n = 272), and Scientific Information Database (n = 90). Overall, nine studies with 1,964 male and 1,909 female patients (age average = 38.1) were included in the analysis. The observed proportion ranged from 0.004 to 0.273. The estimated average proportion was µ = 0.040 (95% CI: 0.016 to 0.101). Therefore, the average outcome differed significantly from zero (z = -6.330, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: HBV/HCV coinfection is a challenging and crucial medical condition because of its variable clinical manifestations, increased risk of cirrhosis and HCC, and unpredictable treatment response. There is a heterogeneous distribution pattern of HBV/HCV infection between Iran's provinces, indicating the necessity of continuous prevention and control measurements and the implementation of further epidemiologic studies for collecting reliable data on HBV/HCV prevalence in different parts of Iran.

Laboratory and demographic findings among patients with coronavirus disease 2019: a review.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the third known animal coronavirus, after severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The mean age of the infected patients was estimated to be between 50 and 69 years old. Accordingly, the COVID-19 mortality rate was calculated as 15%. In this regard, the essential component of prevention and planning is knowledge of laboratory and demographic findings among COVID-19 patients; therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate laboratory and demographic findings among these patients worldwide. This systematic review was performed on the articles published in English between January 1, 2019 and May 4, 2020, using MeSH-compliant keywords such as "COVID-19", "Laboratory, coronavirus disease-19 testing", and " demography " in international databases (PubMed, and web of science Scopus). Thereafter, the articles relevant to laboratory and demographic findings among COVID-19 patients were included in the final review. Reviewing the included articles showed changes in the mean lymphocytes count ranged from 0.7 to 39 in hospital or severe cases. Moreover, Leukopenia was not observed in patients with thrombocytopenia. In addition, C-reactive protein (CRP), leukocytes, D-dimer, FDP, FIB, neutrophils, AST, serum creatinine, t-troponin, troponin I, and blood bilirubin levels showed increasing trends in most studies conducted on COVID-19 patients. Notably, the elevated LDH level was more common among children than adults. According to the results of the present study, and by considering the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients on the one hand, and considering the changes in laboratory samples such as lymphocytes and other blood markers due to the damaged myocardial, hepatic, and renal tissues on the other hand, it is recommended to confirm the diagnosis of this infection by evaluating the patients' blood samples using other diagnostic methods like lung scan.

Epidemiological Characterization of Drug Resistance among Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolated from Patients in Northeast of Iran during 2012-2013.

INTRODUCTION: Tuberculosis is still one of the most important health problems in developing countries and increasing drug resistance is the main concern for its treatment. This study was designed to characterize the drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from patients suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis in northeast of Iran. METHOD: In this cross-sectional study during 2012-2013, drug susceptibility testing was performed on Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated in northeast of Iran using proportional method. Epidemiological data concerning these strains were also analyzed. RESULTS: Among 125 studied isolates, 25 mycobacteria (20%) were diagnosed as nontuberculosis mycobacteria. Among the remaining 100 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates, the resistance rates were 7%, 7%, 3%, and 9% against isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, and streptomycin, respectively. Four isolates were resistant against both isoniazid and rifampin (MDR tuberculosis). The highest resistance rate was observed among 15-45-year-old patients. The MDR tuberculosis was much more prevalent among those who had previous history of treatment. CONCLUSION: Considering these findings, DOTS strategy should be emphasized and promptly used in order to prevent further resistance. Regarding the high rate of nontuberculosis mycobacteria, it is recommended that confirmatory tests were performed before any therapeutic decision.