Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of scorpionism in Shiraz (2012-2016); development of a clinical severity grading for Iranian scorpion envenomation

Background: Scorpionism is a public health problem in some provinces in Iran. The present study aimed to assess the clinical manifestations of scorpion envenomation in Shiraz and determine a clinical severity grading for Iranian scorpion envenomation in order to suggest a treatment guideline for emergency physicians. Methods: In this analytic retrospective study, all medical charts of patients with scorpion sting admitted in the adult medical toxicology center in Shiraz during July 2012 to July 2016 were assessed. Data regarding the patient's age, gender, sting site, month of envenomation, time of sting, clinical manifestations, vital signs, presence of blood or hemoglobin in urine analysis, duration of admission, color of scorpion, received treatments, and administration of scorpion antivenin were recorded. Results: The scorpions in Shiraz and its suburban area were classified into two groups: yellow scorpions (Mesobuthus eupeus, Mesobuthus caucasicus, and Compsobuthus matthiesseni) and Hottentotta scorpions (Hottentotta jayakari and Hottentotta zagrosensis). A total of 126 cases of scorpion stings were assessed. About 59% (n=74) were males. The patients aged 8-63 years (mean age, 33.8±11.5 years). About 38.4% (n=48) of the stings occurred during summer. More than 40% of patients (n=51) referred to the emergency department (ED) at night. Localized pain was the most frequent presenting complaint (76.2%). The most frequent general symptom was nausea (6.3%). The most prevalent envenomation site was the lower extremities followed by upper extremities (43.5% and 41.9%, respectively). Based on the clinical severity grading for Iranian scorpion envenomation, 65, 43, and 18 patients (51.6%, 34.1%, and 14.3%) were classified in the grades I, II, and III, respectively. Eighty-one (73%) patients stayed in the ED from 1 to 6 hours, and 30 (27%) patients stayed for >6 hours for observation. Severe localized pain was more prevalent in stings with Hottentotta scorpions than yellow scorpions (P=0.01). The season of envenomation with Hottentotta scorpions was summer in all cases, but envenomation with yellow scorpions was seen throughout the year. All patients received symptomatic treatment, and five were given scorpion antivenin. No death was reported. Conclusion: Hottentotta jayakari is recommended to be listed among the medically important scorpions in Iran. Moreover, scorpion- stung patients in geographical regions where Hemiscorpius lepturus and Androctonus crassicauda are not prevalent may be treated in outpatient departments. The presented grading system can be used for treating patients with scorpion envenomation. © Iran University of Medical Sciences

Human leukocyte antigen class I (A, B) and class II (DRB1) allele and haplotype frequencies in Iranian patients with Buerger's disease

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I (HLA-A and HLA-B) and II (HLA-DRB1) allele and haplotype frequencies in a group of Iranian patients with Buerger's disease (BD) in comparison with a normal healthy control group. Methods: A total of 70 unrelated male patients and 100 healthy controls from Sina Hospital, Tehran, Iran, belonging to the same ethnic background, were enrolled in this case-control study. HLA-A, B, and DRB1 typing were performed by polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP). Results: The results of this case-control study showed that the frequency of the HLA-A*03:01 (odds ratio (OR) = 2.88, P value (Pv) =.002), HLA-A*29:01 (OR = 15.31, Pv <.001), HLA-DRB1*04:02 (OR = 3.41, Pv <.001), and HLA-DRB1*16:01 (OR = 8.16, Pv <.001) was significantly higher in BD patients compared with healthy controls, whereas the frequency of the HLA-DRB1*01:01 (OR = 0.03, Pv <.001) was significantly lower in BD patients. The most frequent extended haplotypes in our patients were HLA-A*02:01-B*55:01-DRB1*04:03. Conclusion: This study is the first study evaluating an association between the HLA pattern and BD in the patients with BD from North West and North Iran. © 2020 The Authors. Immunity, Inflammation and Disease published by John Wiley & Sons Lt

Study of Thermodynamic Quantities in Generalized Gravity Theories

In this work, we have studied the thermodynamic quantities like temperature of the universe, heat capacity and squared speed of sound in generalized gravity theories like Brans-Dicke, Ho$\check{\text r}$ava-Lifshitz and $f(R)$ gravities. We have considered the universe filled with dark matter and dark energy. Also we have considered the equation of state parameters for open, closed and flat models. We have observed that in all cases the equation of state behaves like quintessence. The temperature and heat capacity of the universe are found to decrease with the expansion of the universe in all cases. In Brans-Dicke and $f(R)$ gravity theories the squared speed of sound is found to exhibit increasing behavior for open, closed and flat models and in Ho$\check{\text r}$ava-Lifshitz gravity theory it is found to exhibit decreasing behavior for open and closed models with the evolution of the universe. However, for flat universe, the squared speed of sound remains constant in Ho$\check{\text r}$ava-Lifshitz gravity.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figure

Auxiliary "massless" spin-2 field in de Sitter universe

For the tensor field of rank-2 there are two unitary irreducible representation (UIR) in de Sitter (dS) space denoted by $\Pi^{\pm}_{2,2}$ and $\Pi^{\pm}_{2,1}$ [1]. In the flat limit only the $\Pi^{\pm}_{2,2}$ coincides to the UIR of Poincar\'e group, the second one becomes important in the study of conformal gravity. In the pervious work, Dirac's six-cone formalism has been utilized to obtain conformally invariant (CI) field equation for the "massless" spin-2 field in dS space [2]. This equation results in a field which transformed according to $\Pi^{\pm}_{2,1}$, we name this field the auxiliary field. In this paper this auxiliary field is considered and also related two-point function is calculated as a product of a polarization tensor and "massless" conformally coupled scalar field. This two-point function is de Sitter invariant.Comment: 16 page

Cohort profile: a collaborative multicentre study of retinal optical coherence tomography in 539 patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (CROCTINO)

PURPOSE: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) captures retinal damage in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD). Previous studies investigating OCT in NMOSD have been limited by the rareness and heterogeneity of the disease. The goal of this study was to establish an image repository platform, which will facilitate neuroimaging studies in NMOSD. Here we summarise the profile of the Collaborative OCT in NMOSD repository as the initial effort in establishing this platform. This repository should prove invaluable for studies using OCT to investigate NMOSD. PARTICIPANTS: The current cohort includes data from 539 patients with NMOSD and 114 healthy controls. These were collected at 22 participating centres from North and South America, Asia and Europe. The dataset consists of demographic details, diagnosis, antibody status, clinical disability, visual function, history of optic neuritis and other NMOSD defining attacks, and OCT source data from three different OCT devices. FINDINGS TO DATE: The cohort informs similar demographic and clinical characteristics as those of previously published NMOSD cohorts. The image repository platform and centre network continue to be available for future prospective neuroimaging studies in NMOSD. For the conduct of the study, we have refined OCT image quality criteria and developed a cross-device intraretinal segmentation pipeline. FUTURE PLANS: We are pursuing several scientific projects based on the repository, such as analysing retinal layer thickness measurements, in this cohort in an attempt to identify differences between distinct disease phenotypes, demographics and ethnicities. The dataset will be available for further projects to interested, qualified parties, such as those using specialised image analysis or artificial intelligence applications

On the Limited p-Schur Property of Some Operator Spaces

We introduce and study the notion of limited $p$-Schur property ($1\leq p\leq\infty$) of Banach spaces. Also, we establish some necessary and sufficient conditions under which some operator spaces have the limited $p$-Schur property. In particular, we prove that if $X$ and $Y$ are two Banach spaces such that $X$ contains no copy of $\ell_1$ and $Y$ has the limited $p$-Schur property, then $K(X,Y)$ (the space of all compact operators from $X$ into $Y$) has the limited $p$-Schur property.</span

Case report of Stomoxys calcitrans bites in residential area of Kashan, Iran

Stomoxys calcitrans has spread throughout the world and can be found anywhere food and weather conditions are desired. This is the first report of fly biting in Iran caused by Stomoxys calcitrans in Ravand, West of Kashan, central of Iran. Based on our survey, traditional home aviary in the garden courtyard was the development and breeding place of these flies. These flies can painfuly bit during the day. The larvaes and pupa were removed from birdhouse floor and transported to Entomology laboratory of Environmental Health Group, Kashan University of Medical Sciences. Laboratory tests determined that larvaes and pupa belonged to Stomoxys calcitrans species. By using insecticide spraying in the aviary floor by Sevin, bitings were stopped. The present study was the first report on the stable fly bites in Iran. Consumption remaining of vegetables as food in aviary house would attract reproduction of the Stomoxys calcitrans flies

Investigation of the removal of cyanide from aqueous solutions using biomass Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The industrial revolution and the rise of factories and industrial towns caused the increasing production of wastewater that contains hazardous compounds in the aqueous ecosystems. The purpose of this study was to investigate the removal of cyanide from aqueous solutions using yeast of Saccharomyces cerevisiae biomass. In this experimentalâ interventional study, to measure the concentration of cyanide, the titrimetric method was used. After determining the concentration of cyanide in the samples exposed to the S. cerevisiae yeast, the removal rate was calculated. In the concentration of 5 mg/l of cyanide and at 15, 30, 60, 90 min of contact, yeast weight values of 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 g/l, at the pH of 5, 7, 9 were studied. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 16 software. The study showed that with increasing the contact time of the yeast, cyanide removal efficiency increased. Concentration of 0.5 g/l of yeast at pH of 9 and contact time of 15 min had the lowest percentage of removal of cyanide, while concentration of 1.5 g/l of yeast at pH of 7 and contact time of 90 min had the highest level of removal of cyanide. About 0 g/l yeast concentration at all times showed a significant relationship (p < 0.001). According to the findings, this yeast is a suitable adsorbent for the removal of cyanide ions from wastewater. The yeast is easily produced in the very cheap fermentation process medium. Therefore, by replacing the expensive and noneconomical treatment methods with yeast biomass, contaminated wastewater can be treated. © 2016 Balaban Desalination Publications. All rights reserved

Impact of mass screening on the number of confirmed cases, recovered cases, and deaths due to COVID-19 in Iran: An interrupted time series analysis

Background: Mass screening for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) began in Iran on March 23, 2020, with the purpose of improving early detection of patients for their own health and to prevent onward transmission to others. In this study, we evaluated the impact of the change towards mass screening on new cases reported, cases recovered, and deaths due to COVID-19. Methods: This study analyzed the daily reports on the number of new cases confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, cases recovered, and deaths due to COVID-19 provided to the Ministry of Health and Medical Education of Iran. Changes in trends on these outcomes were evaluated using interrupted time series analysis. Results: From February 19 to May 6, 2020, a total of 519 544 COVID-19 tests were done and 101 650 diagnoses were made (case/test ratio 19.6). For the same period, 6418 deaths due to COVID-19 were reported (case fatality ratio 6.3). The number of cases detected increased significantly over the period of scale-up of mass screening (P = 0.003), as did the number of recovered cases (P = 0.001). The number of deaths due to COVID-19 did not change before versus after mass screening. Conclusion: Following the scale-up of mass screening for COVID-19 in Iran, the rate of new cases detected and reported recovered accelerated significantly. Mass screening is likely to have detected many mild and asymptomatic cases that were infectious. Our data support the role that mass screening, coupled with isolation and contract tracing, can have in slowing the COVID-19 epidemic. © 2020 Academy of Medical Sciences of I.R. Iran. All rights reserved

Uncommon human urinary tract myiasis due to Psychoda sp. Larvae, Kashan, Iran: A case report

Contamination of human and animal body tissues with flies� larvae and diptera cause myiasis. A 26 yr old female patient refers to Kashan Shahid Beheshti Hospital, central Iran because of urogenital infection, pain in the right part of stomach, smelly and red-dish vaginal discharge and frequent urination. In the first checking, urine sample was taken. In the sample, active and alive larvae were seen. The live samples were taken to the Environmental Health Department Lab of Kashan University of Medical Sciences in clean glass jars. In the morphological survey, Psychoda sp larvae were identified. In Iran, this study is the first report of this species of larva that causes urinary myiasis. This fly larva is not carnivore or bloodsucker and feeds on bacterial agents. Obser-vance of personal hygiene especially during defecation and urination is essential to prevent contamination of this type of myiasis. © 2016, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). All rights reserved