Seroepidemiology of Brucellosis in Cattle Farm and Slaughterhouse Staff in Tehran, 2012

Background: Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease, which is mainly transmitted from animals to human through ingestion of unpasteurized dairy products or direct contact with infected animal secretions. Since the people in contact with animals are considered to be at risk of Brucellosis, the aim of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of this disease in staff of cattle farms and slaughterhouses in Tehran in 2012. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was performed on 430 staff of cattle farms and slaughterhouses (regular and specialized slaughterhouses for slaughtering animals suspected to brucellosis) in Tehran, 2012. Serum samples were prepared and evaluated through Rose Bengal, Wright, and 2-Mercaptoethanol tests. Demographic information and occupational characteristics of the participants were collected using a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Poisson regression via Stata 12. Results: The serologic test for brucellosis were positive in 5 patients and brucellosis seroprevalence rate was 1.16%. All participants in this study were male and 97.4 % of them were Iranian. The participants' mean age was 34.45 ± 9.46 years. The results showed that there was no significant relationship between a positive test and independent variables (including age, education, workplace, dangerous occupational exposure, past dangerous occupational exposure, consumption of unpasteurized dairy products, occupational background, and keeping livestock at home). Conclusion: Continuing implementing prevention programs such as educational programs and using personal protective equipment in at-risk groups are necessary

The Attitudes of Infertile Women towards Surrogacy in Kerman, 2014

Background: Infertility as a psychological crisis puts too much stress on infertile couples and threatens their mental health in different ways. One of the newest methods of assisted reproduction is surrogacy. Due to unique aspects of surrogacy, this method has been considered as the most controversial assisted reproduction method in the recent years. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the attitudes of infertile women towards surrogacy. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 236 infertile women referred to the Infertility Center of Afzalipour Hospital, Kerman in 2014. Samples were selected using convenience sampling method. Data were collected by a two-part questionnaire containing demographic information and attitudinal statements. Data were analyzed using logistic regression (P<0.05). Results: The mean age of infertile women was 30.17±5.93 years and the average years of infertility was 4.93±3.98 years. Most participants had a college degree (42.8%) and were housewives (73.7%). Of 236 infertile women, 82.6 percent had positive attitudes towards surrogacy and 17.4 percent had negative attitudes. There was no statistically significant relationship between attitudes of infertile women and independent variables. Conclusion: Due to the high positive attitude of infertile women towards surrogacy, making the society aware and creating the culture and basis for more acceptance of this assisted reproduction method by the community is very important. In this case, it can help in preserving family integrity

Evaluation of Humoral immune responses against coronavirus in healthcare staff in hospitals and medical centers of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Background and aims: Due to the different levels of exposure of different people to the coronavirus and different levels of immune response among them, this study was designed to investigate the humoral immune responses against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in healthcare staff in hospitals and medical centers admitting COVID-19 patients. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, which was performed by call-out, the serum levels of IgM and IgG antibodies in 492 staff of hospitals and medical centers were evaluated using ELISA. Then, factors influencing the immune response of participants were determined. Results: IgG positivity was 11.6 among participants of this study, 19.2 of the staff had a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, and the IgG positivity rate among them was only 16. There was no significant relationship between body mass index, underlying diseases, diabetes, immune system-related diseases, herpes simplex virus, workplace, blood type, education level, symptoms, and IgG response (P>0.05). Further, the rate of IgG positivity in healthcare staff indicated a significant relationship only with gender (P=0.005), history of hospitalization (P=0.002) due to COVID-19 and position (P=0.008). Conclusion: This study found that the prevalence of humoral immune response in healthcare staff was lower than the prevalence of the disease based on molecular tests. Based on the results of the present study, it is possible to provide an accurate estimate of the level of involvement and predisposition of healthcare staff in hospital wards and medical centers and to use this information for disease management and control

Type 2 diabetes remission after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), sleeve gastrectomy (SG), and one anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) : results of the longitudinal assessment of bariatric surgery study

Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the staff at the Minimally Invasive Surgery Research Center (MISRC) in Rasoul-e-Akram Hospital. Funding Information: This study was supported by the Deputy of Research of Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Response efficacy of PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors in salivary gland cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundSalivary gland carcinoma (SGC) is an infrequent malignancy characterized by various pathological subtypes. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have emerged as promising therapeutic strategies for several cancers. Evidence suggests that ICIs may be effective against rare neoplasms, including SGC. This meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of programmed death-1 (PD-1) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors in treating salivary gland cancers.MethodA thorough search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases up to 24 February 2024. The title, abstract, and full text of related articles were extracted and screened, and the quality of the included articles was assessed. The data extracted were then analyzed. The research protocol of this systematic review and meta-analysis was registered on the PROSPERO website.ResultsAltogether, a total of five cohort studies and three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with a total population of 532 were included in these meta-analyses. These studies were conducted in the USA, Japan, France, and China. The average age of the patients was between 53 and 67 years. Our analyses showed an increase in progression-free survival in the cohort studies and RCTs, and the pooled effect is 1.12 (95% CI 1–1.25) and 1.14 (95% CI 1.07–1.20), respectively, in patients with SGC who received PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors.ConclusionThis meta-analysis suggests that PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors in patients with salivary gland cancer can significantly increase progression-free survival. Due to the high heterogeneity of the studies, more RCTs with a larger sample size are required to prove the association