The Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection and Genotypes in Patients with Hemophilia and Other Blood Coagulopathies in Mashhad, Iran

Background and Aim: Patients with blood coagulopathies treated with multiple transfusions have a high risk to acquire some viral infections such as hepatitis C. This research was aimed to identify hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection prevalence, and the viral genotypes among patients with hemophilia and other inherited coagulopathies in Mashhad, Iran. Methods: Medical records of 760 patients with inherited coagulopathies including hemophilia were reviewed in Sarvar Clinic of Mashhad. Plasma samples were subjected to detect antibodies against HCV (anti-HCV) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. HCV RNA and genotypes were determined by a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Results: Totally 128 individuals (16.8%) including patients with hemophilia (n=116) and individuals with other coagulopathies (n=12) were found to be seropositive for anti-HCV. They comprised 122 men and six women with a mean age of 31.6 ± 10.5 years. The PCR results were available for 118 patients, of whom 86 individuals (72.9%) were found to have detectable HCV RNA in their serum. The most frequent genotypes were 1a and 3a (49.1% and 35.8%, respectively). HCV genotypes were not significantly correlated with the patients’ age (p=0.477) as well as with the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (p=0.655) and aspartate aminotransferase (p=0.332). Conclusion: The patients with blood coagulation disorders had a greater prevalence of HCV infection in comparison with the general population in our region. The most common subgenotypes of HCV were 1a, and 3a, respectively. These results could assist professionals to choose more efficient approaches for the management of their patients. *Corresponding Author: Mohammad Reza Hedayati-Moghaddam; Email: [email protected] Please cite this article as: Badiei Z, Ahmadi-Ghezeldasht S, Sima HR, Habibi M, Khamooshi M, Azimi A, Hedayati-Moghaddam MR. The Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection and Genotypes in Patients with Hemophilia and Other Blood Coagulopathies in Mashhad, Iran. Arch Med Lab Sci. 2021;7:1-7 (e9). https://doi.org/10.22037/amls.v7.3396

Efficient one-pot synthesis of 2,4,5-trisubstituted and 1,2,4,5-tetrasubstituted imidazoles using SBA-Pr-SO3H as a green nano catalyst

Sulfonic acid functionalized SBA-15 nanoporous material (SBA-Pr-SO3H) with a pore size of 6 nm was found to be a green and effective solid acid catalyst in the one-pot synthesis of 2,4,5-trisubstituted and 1,2,4,5-tetrasubstituted imidazoles under solvent-free conditions. SBA-Pr-SO3H was proved to be a recyclable, green, and highly efficient catalyst which could be easily handled, recovered, and reused several times without significant loss of reactivity

Controllable Synthesis of Mesoporous Sulfur-Doped Carbon Nitride Materials for Enhanced Visible Light Photocatalytic Degradation

Mesoporous sulfur-doped graphitic carbon nitride (MCNS) materials were successfully synthesized using thiourea as a low-cost precursor and SiO₂ gel solution as a template through a simple thermal condensation method. The effects of three synthesis key factors, namely, the reaction temperature, the reaction time, and the weight ratio of SiO₂/thiourea, and also their interactions on the removal rate of methyl orange (MO) were investigated using response surface methodology, and the samples were subjected to several characterization techniques. Results showed that the optimized physicochemical properties could be achieved for the MCNS samples by controlling the synthesis key factors, and it was found that the reaction temperature and the reaction time had significant influences on the MO photocatalytic removal. Among bulk graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄), CN (undoped g-C₃N₄), CNS (sulfur-doped g-C₃N₄ without template), and TiO₂ (Degussa P25) samples, the optimized MCNS-4 illustrated the highest photocatalytic activity toward the removal of MO under visible light irradiation. The enhanced performance originated from the synergistic effects of high surface area, mesoporous texture, sulfur doping, and high visible light absorption, which were helpful for the separation and transportation of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs. Furthermore, MCNS-4 revealed high reusability and stability without any significant decrease in its efficiency. Our findings not only confirm the importance of simultaneous sulfur doping and mesoporous structure to synthesize highly active photocatalysts but also might provide a new insight into textural engineering of carbon nitride materials only by the optimization of the synthesis key variables, considering their interactions without relying on extra metal oxides

Prevalence of Pulmonary Hypertension in Patients with Thalassemia Intermedia in 2009: a single center’s experience

© 2015 The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made

Investigating salivary concentration of calcium ion in hypothyroidism

Abstract Background and Aims Hypothyroidism is the most common disease of the thyroid gland. Thyroid hormone plays a crucial role in regulating tissue growth and metabolism. Additionally, patients with thyroid dysfunction have a higher incidence of caries and periodontal problems. The presence of calcium and phosphate ions seems to be effective in remineralizing teeth and reducing caries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the salivary level of calcium in patients with hypothyroidism. Results The results of this study showed that saliva calcium concentration in patients with hypothyroidism is significantly lower than healthy subjects. Also, no significant association was found between salivary calcium levels and TSH and T4 hormones level of blood. Conclusion The increased prevalence of dental caries in patients with hypothyroidism may be related to a decrease in their calcium levels

Effect of the Sound of the Holy Quran on the Physiological Responses and Pain Caused by Blood Sampling from the Heels of Hospitalized Neonates at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Background: Invasive procedures could change the physiological responses of neonates. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of the sound of the Holy Quran on the physiological responses and pain caused by heel stick blood sampling in neonates. Methods: This three-stage, two-group, clinical trial was conducted on 72 hospitalized term neonates at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Al-Zahra Hospital  in Isfahan, Iran during 2013-2014. Subjects were selected via simple random sampling and allocated to two groups of intervention and control. Data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of the demographic characteristics, physiological responses, and pain of the neonates. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 18. Results: Post-hoc LSD test indicated that the mean respiratory and heart rates were significantly higher in the intervention group (sound of the Holy Quran) during blood sampling compared to before and three minutes after the procedure (

Oropharyngeal candidiasis in children with lymphohematopoietic malignancies in Mashhad, Iran

Background and Purpose: Over the past years, the role of fungi as a cause of nosocomial infections in hospitalized patients has been accentuated. Candida species constitute an important group of fungi causing diseases in immunocompromised patients. Oropharyngeal candidiasis continues to be a prevalent infection in immunodeficient patients. In this study, we aimed to determine the incidence of oropharyngeal candidiasis in children with lymphohematopoietic malignancies. Materials and Methods: In total, 102 patients with lymphohematopoietic malignancies and 50 healthy controls were examined in terms of Candida infections via direct sampling of the oropharyngeal cavity. Fresh smears were prepared with 10% potassium hydroxide and Gram staining was carried out. Subsequently, the obtained specimens were cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar for further analysis. Results: The most common Candida species were Candida albicans (31%), other non-C. albicans species (14.7%), C. glabrata (6.8%), and C. krusei (0.98%) in the case group, while in the control group, other non-C. albicans species (10%) and C. albicans (8%) were the most common species. Conclusion: In the present study, Candida species were the most common fungal pathogens in pediatric cancer patients; therefore, efforts should be made to prevent fungemia and fungal pneumonia. Also, non-C. albicans species must be considered as a new risk factor for pediatric cancer patients

Fe-Supported SBA-16 Type Cagelike Mesoporous Silica with Enhanced Catalytic Activity for Direct Hydroxylation of Benzene to Phenol

In this work, an Fe-supported cagelike mesoporous silica type SBA-16 catalyst (Fe/SBA-16) was successfully synthesized using iron nitrate as the precursor through a simple impregnation method. Results of X-ray diffraction, N₂ adsorption–desorption, transmission electron microscopy, and elemental mapping analysis showed that the mesoporous structure of the support was retained during catalyst preparation and that iron nanoparticles were dispersed on the SBA-16 surface. Moreover, ultraviolet–visible and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies revealed that the iron­(III) oxidation state was dominant in the Fe-supported cagelike mesoporous silica. It was found that the Fe/SBA-16 was an appropriate catalyst for the benzene hydroxylation to phenol using H₂O₂ as the oxidant. The effects on the catalytic performance of operating parameters such as the amount of H₂O₂, reaction temperature, reaction time, and catalyst dosage were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, 11.7% phenol yield and 96.4% selectivity to phenol were obtained; in addition, the catalyst could be recycled at least three times