The Status of the Surveillance System of Groups at Risk of Tubercolosis in Iran: AQualitative Study

Background: In order to achieve a dynamic surveillance system for the groups at risk of tuberculosis and to improve its quality, investigating its various aspects and benefiting from the opinions of the experts and experienced individuals in this field are very important. Hence, the objective of this study was to explore the status of the surveillance system for the groups at risk of tuberculosis in Iran. Methods: Data collection was carried out via interviews with 17 experts in the tuberculosis control program of Iran. In order to evaluate the validity and reliability of data, four criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability were used. Frame analysis was used for data analysis. Results: Based on the interviewee's opinions, twelve major groups at risk of tuberculosis and seven challenges in the surveillance system were identified. For the majority of these at risk groups, there is no structured program and the status of case finding and treatment is similar to the public population. For some others (HIV/ AIDS patients, prisoners and people at exposure), there is a program, but its effectiveness is uncertain. Conclusion: Results indicate that groups at risk of tuberculosis are widespread and access to some of them is difficult; hence, these groups are the main challenges of the tuberculosis control program in Iran

Does Tuberculosis Have a Seasonal Pattern among Migrant Population Entering Iran?

Background: There are few quantitative documents about the seasonal incidence of tuberculosis (TB) among immigrant populations. Concerning the significant role of recognizing seasonal changes of TB in improving the TB control program, this study determines the trend and seasonal temporal changes of TB among immigrants entering Iran. Methods:In this longitudinal study, data from the Iranian TB register Program (from 2005 to 2011) was used. The aggregated number of monthly and seasonal TB cases was obtained by adding the daily counts. Data was analyzed by Chi-square, Independent T-test, ANOVA, and Poisson regression using Stata 11 and SPSS 20 software. Results: Among 74,155 registered patients with TB, 14.3% (10,587) were non-Iranian who had immigrated to Iran from 29 different countries. The highest aggregated number of seasonal and monthly incidence of TB in immigrants was observed in spring (2824, P= 0.007) and in May (1037, P< 0.001). The number of non-Iranian patients with TB increased significantly over the years (β= 0.016, P= 0.001). Conclusion: This study shows that immigrants constitute a significant portion of TB patients recorded in Iran and this trend is increasing. Also, the peak incidence of this disease is the second month of the spring

The Effect of Short-Term Treadmill Exercise on the Expression Level of TFAM in the Heart of Nicotine-Sensitized Rats

Introduction: TFAM (mitochondrial transcription factor A) is involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and induces anti-oxidant and anti-apoptotic effects. Nicotine can also alter the function of cardiovascular system and induce heart failure and other heart diseases. Interestingly, it has been reported that exercise can interfere with the effects of nicotine, and change the expression pattern of different genes. The goal of the present study was to investigate the effect of short-term treadmill exercise on the expression level of TFAM in the heart of nicotine-sensitized rats.Materials and Methods: Nicotine was administered intraperitoneally at the dose of 0.21 mg/kg. Treadmill exercise was performed during 14 days, according to the study’s protocol.Results: The results revealed that nicotine reduced the expression of TFAM. The treadmill (Fourteen-day training) increased the expression of TFAM in the heart of the control rats. Furthermore, 14-day training with treadmill restored the effect of nicotine on the expression of TFAM in nicotine-sensitized rats.Conclusion: Nicotine induced pro-apoptotic and anti-oxidative stress effects via down-regulating the expression of TFAM. Fourteen -day training with treadmill induced a protective effect against nicotine-induced cardiac apoptosis and oxidative stress, via restoring the effect of nicotine on TFAM. The results are indicative of the fact that short-term treadmill exercise may decrease the risk of heart failure and other cardiac diseases. 

Characterisation of Pectobacterium carotovorum causing soft rot on Kalanchoe gastonis-bonnierii in Malaysia

Soft rot disease can be found worldwide on fleshy storage tissues of fruits, vegetables and ornamentals. The soft rot Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum (Pcc) is an important pathogen of Kalanchoe spp. and other ornamental plants. The disease occurs on crops in the field, greenhouses and during transit, resulting great economic damages. The economic importance of crop loss by soft rot bacteria varies by severity of the disease and value of the crop. A destructive disease on Kalanchoe gastonis-bonnierii was observed in commercial ornamental plant greenhouses in Cameron highland and Melaka, Malaysia in 2011. Samples suspected to be infested with Pectobacterium spp. were brought to the laboratory. In pathogenicity test, a suspension of 106 CFU/ml of strains was able to cause soft rot on leaves and stems. A 434 bp banding pattern on 1% agarose gel was produced in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of pectate lyase encoding gene (Pel gene). PCR amplification of the intergenic transcribed spacer (ITS) (16S–23S rRNA) ITS region with G1 and L1 primers produced two main bands at about 540 and 570 bp. The ITS-PCR products were digested with RsaI restriction enzyme. For discrimination of the P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum (Pcc) from P. carotovorum subsp. odoriferum (Pco), all isolates subjected to α-methyl glucoside test. All isolates were identified as Pcc based on phenotypic and molecular methods. This is the first report of soft rot disease caused by P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum on K. gastonis-bonnierii, in Malaysia

Characterization of Malaysian Pectobacterium spp. from vegetables using biochemical, molecular and phylogenetic methods.

In August 2011, vegetable crops showing symptoms of maceration and water soaked lesions on their tuber, leaf, and fruit were collected from four major vegetable growing states in Malaysia including Pahang, Johor, Melaka and Selangor. The majority of the causal organisms isolated from infected tissues (52 strains) were identified as Pectobacterium spp. based on PCR amplification of the pectate lyase (pel) gene and amplification of the 16S-23S rRNA (ITS) with G1 and L1 primers. Physiological and biochemical assays divided Malaysian Pectobacterium species into two main groups: Pectobacterium wasabiae and Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp carotovorum. Partial sequence of PCR product from reaction of putative Pectobacterium spp. with 16S rRNA confirmed the results obtained from physiological and biochemical assays used for identification of the bacterium. Application of specific primers such as Eca1F/Eca2r, Br1f/L1r, EXPCCF/EXPCCR, and also ITS-PCR following by RFLP by restriction enzyme (RsaI) successfully differentiated Malaysian P. wasabiae and P. carotovorum subsp carotovorum isolates from other species and subspecies of Pectobacterium. Phylogenetic analysis of Malaysian isolates with housekeeping genes (mdh, gapA) grouped Malaysian P. carotovorum subsp carotovorum and P. wasabiae in the same cluster with P. carotovorum subsp carotovorum (Ecc380) and P. wasabiae (SCRI488) respectively

Effect of silicon on rice blast disease

Silicon is the second most plentiful element in soil and is beneficial for a large variety of plants. It is concentrated in plant tissues in quantities similar to that of macronutrients. Considerable damages to plants caused by abiotic stresses such as drought stress, salinity stress, heavy metal stress and nutrient imbalance, as well as biotic stresses like insect pests and pathogens and even herbivorous attacks, have been reported to be reduced significantly by silicon application. Among rice diseases, blast is recognized as the most devastating one. Silicon fertilization has been reported to be efficacious in controlling and mitigating rice blast severity. Two different hypotheses are proposed for the ability of silicon to lessen disease severity. The first hypothesis emphasizes on silicon function as a mechanical barrier against appressorial penetration, while the second hypothesis is based upon the belief that silicon has some physiological roles in disease resistance

Plant tonic, a plant-derived bioactive natural product, exhibits antifungal activity against rice blast disease

The tendency towards application of natural products and botanical extracts as safer antimicrobial agents against plant pathogens has recently been increased. Plant Tonic9 (EOX-SOV) is an environmentally friendly product and by its application there is no concern of resistance as it is with conventional pesticides. The goal of the present research was to determine the effect of application of this product against Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal agent of rice blast. The efficacy of plant tonic against M. oryzae was evaluated through in vitro and in vivo experiments. Under in vitro conditions, application of plant tonic at all rates (2, 3, and 4 mL/L) could significantly inhibit the mycelial growth and conidial germination of fungus with the highest inhibition (83.63% and 95.15%, respectively) recorded by the rate of 4 mL. Plant tonic treatment (3 and 4 mL) was more effective than fungicide treatment (propiconazole 25% EC (0.1%); 250 ppm) to inhibit mycelial growth and conidial germination of M. oryzae. Under in vivo conditions, plant tonic application (4 mL) was also the most effective treatment and resulted in a significant reduction (57.12%) of the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) value as compared with the control. Application of plant tonic also caused increased accumulation of phenolic compounds and higher activity of peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase enzymes than the control. The maximum amount of phenolic compounds (0.49 mg Gallic acid equivalent/g leaf fresh weight) and the highest activity of the enzymes (1.24 and 7.85 Units/mL for peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase, respectively) were observed in plants treated with plant tonic (4 mL) and challenged with M. oryzae as compared with other treatments. No phytotoxicity was observed in plant tonic treated rice plants when compared with the control. Results of the present study confirmed the beneficial effects of plant tonic in controlling rice blast disease. Therefore, its application may help to develop appropriate management strategies and provide with the opportunity to have cleaner and safer environment for agriculture

Prevalence of Common Methods of Suicide among Iranian Men; a Systematic Review

Background: Suicide is one of the public health problems with a high rate worldwide. Sex is a risk factor for successful suicide, making it the seventh leading cause of death in men in the United States. Based on the increasing suicide rate in Iran, we aimed to investigate the common methods of suicide in Iranian men. Methods: This study is a systematic review with subgroup analysis based on the prevalence of methods of suicide in Iranian men during 2009-2019. Specific keywords based on medical subject headings (MeSH) were searched in Iranian and international databases including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, SID, and MagIran by designing a search strategy. Selected studies were reviewed using the study evaluation tool. For data analysis, STATA software version 14 was used. Also, heterogeneity studies by Q and I2 statics were assessed. Results: In the first phase, 529 studies were extracted, and finally, data were extracted from 19 studies. Because of the heterogeneity of the studies, meta-analysis was not possible and the final results were extracted based on subgroup analysis. Drug abuse was the most common method of suicide and the use of firearms was the least prevalent among Iranian men. Conclusion: Currently, the most common method of suicide in Iranian men is drug abuse. Therefore, it is recommended to design preventive interventions based on gender and take into account commonly available methods

Does tuberculosis have a seasonal pattern among migrant population entering Iran?

Background: There are few quantitative documents about the seasonal incidence of tuberculosis (TB) among immigrant populations. Concerning the significant role of recognizing seasonal changes of TB in improving the TB control program, this study determines the trend and seasonal temporal changes of TB among immigrants entering Iran. Methods: In this longitudinal study, data from the Iranian TB register Program (from 2005 to 2011) was used. The aggregated number of monthly and seasonal TB cases was obtained by adding the daily counts. Data was analyzed by Chi-square, Independent T-test, ANOVA, and Poisson regression using Stata 11 and SPSS 20 software. Results: Among 74,155 registered patients with TB, 14.3% (10,587) were non-Iranian who had immigrated to Iran from 29 different countries. The highest aggregated number of seasonal and monthly incidence of TB in immigrants was observed in spring (2824, P = 0.007) and in May (1037, P < 0.001). The number of non-Iranian patients with TB increased significantly over the years (β= 0.016, P = 0.001). Conclusion: This study shows that immigrants constitute a significant portion of TB patients recorded in Iran and this trend is increasing. Also, the peak incidence of this disease is the second month of the sprin

An outbreak of leaf spot caused by Stemphylium solani on eggplant in Malaysia.

In 2011, a severe gray leaf spot was observed on aubergine (Solanum melongena) in major aubergine growing areas in Malaysia, including the Pahang, Johor and Selangor states. Disease incidence was >70% in severely infected areas of approximately 150 ha of aubergine greenhouses and fields examined. Symptoms initially appeared as small (1-5 mm in diameter), brownish-black specks with concentric circles on the lower leaves. The specks then coalesced and developed into greyish-brown, necrotic lesions, which also appeared on the upper leaves. Eventually, the leaves senesced and were shed. Fungal colonies were greyish green to light brown, and produced a yellow pigment. Single, muriform, brown, oblong conidia formed at the terminal end of each conidiophore. The conidiophores were tan to light brown and ≤220 µm long. Based on these morphological criteria, 25 isolates of the fungus were identified as Stemphylium solani. Further confirmation of the identification was obtained by molecular characterization. A BLAST search in the NCBI database revealed that the sequence was 99% identical with published ITS sequences for two isolates of Stemphylium solani (Accession Nos. AF203451 and HQ840713). This is thought to be the first report of Stemphylium solani on aubergine in Malaysia