Evaluation of Toxoplasma gondii infection in western Iran: Seroepidemiology and risk factors analysis

Background: Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infectious disease, and Toxoplasma gondii is the causative factor of this intracellular protozoan disease. Due to the lack of information about the rate of T. gondii in general papulation of Markazi Province in Iran, the current study was conducted to determine the prevalence of toxoplasmosis and the related risk factor analysis in the general population of Markazi Province. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed within 6 months on individuals who were referred to diagnostic laboratories in Markazi Province. The demographic and background information of the subjects were collected using a questionnaire. Three milliliters of blood samples was collected from the participants under sterile conditions. The sera were separated and evaluated for levels of anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibody using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. The collected data were analyzed by the SPSS software using descriptive statistics and chi-square test. Results: Out of 824 people from the general population of Markazi Province who were investigated in this study, 276 (33.5) had anti-Toxoplasma antibodies in their blood. According to the logistic regression model, gender variables, location, marital status, and having a cat at home do not affect the chances of contracting the parasite. Furthermore, the chance of contracting the parasite in 41- to 50-year-olds is 0.85 times the one in the 20- to 30-year-olds. The prevalence of toxoplasmosis in men and women in Markazi Province was 33 and 34.5, respectively. Conclusion: The mean prevalence of T. gondii infection in the age groups of 20-40, and � 40 years was estimated to be 24.7, and 40.8, respectively. These rates were significantly lower than the national results (44, and 55, respectively). Therefore, regarding to the health authorities, it is necessary to raise the level of awareness of people of the region, especially at-risk groups about the transmittance and prevention methods, and infection risk factors in order to prevent the occurrence of T. gondii infection and reduce the prevalence and incidence of the disease. © 2020 The Author(s)

The role of Glycoconjugates in development of floor plate during early morphogenesis in mouse embryo

The floor plate is a small group of cells located at the ventral midline of neural tube. During early neurogenesis the floor plate plays critical role(s) in differentiation of ventral portion of neural tube. The purpose of this study was to determine the distribution of glycoconjugates in floor plate as well as underlying mesoderm (Notochord) and their inductive activities in mouse embryo. Formalin fixed sections embedded in paraffin from 10 to 14 days old Balb/c mouse embryos were processed for histochemical studies by using 5 different horseradish peroxidase (HRP) labeled lectins including: Glycin max (SBA) specific for Gal and GalNac terminal sugar, Vicia Villosa (VVA) and Arachis hypogaea (Peanut) for GalNac, Ulex europeus (UEA-1) and Lotus tetragonolobus (LTA) for ?-L-fucose. Our results showed that SBA sensitive glycoconjugates react and change in floor plate, notochordal cells and surrounding extracellular matrix and these changes were significant (P<0.05). Extensive differences between GalNac sensitive lectins were observed during motoneuron differentiation. There was no reaction with other tested GalNac lectins. Furthermore we observed significant changes (P<0.05) in fucose glycoconjugates during notochordal development. The results suggest that the timing and distribution of SBA sensitive glycoconjugates may play a key role(s) in interactions and subsequent formation of adjacent tissues such as floor plate and notochord during critical period of morphogenesis. Our finding also showed that glycoconjugates with fucose terminal sugar may play a role(s) in notochordal development but probably have no function on floor plate development. Keywords: Glycoconjugate, Notochord, Floor plate, Interaction, Embryogenesi

The Effective Clinical Teaching from Faculty Members\' and Rehabilitation Students\' Point of View

Introduction: Teaching and learning are interdependent in educational process. Teaching effectiveness, therefore, should be investigated both from teachers' and learners' viewpoints in order to achieve a better education. This study was conducted to determine and compare the factors related to effective clinical education from teachers' and students' viewpoint in School of rehabilitation in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 23 faculty members and 107 senior students selected through census sampling method. The data collection tool was a researcher made questionnaire consisted of demographic information and factors related to clinical education which contained 5 general areas (individual features of the learner, individual features of clinical teacher, clinical environment, educational planning, and clinical evaluation). 32 questions related to these areas were scored based on a five point likert scale. The data was analyzed by SPSS 18 software. Results: Individual features of clinical teachers (3.04±0.74) and students (2.96±0.67) got the most scores in two groups (faculty members and students). The effect of clinical environment and clinical evaluation were found to be significantly different between students and teachers (p <0.05). Students’ scores were higher than teachers in term of clinical environment (2.49±1.14 vs. 1.90±0.8) and clinical evaluation (2.56±1.09 vs. 1.99±0.98). Conclusion: Two areas of individual features of clinical teachers and students are ،more influential on clinical teaching than other areas. Therefore, attention to and strengthen the individual features of clinical teachers and students, systematic providing and revision of curriculum, providing proper clinical environment (in term of facilities and personnel) ،regular and accurate evaluation of internship course and giving feedback to the educational authorities could be important in the effectiveness of clinical education

Prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase genes in Acinetobacter baumannii strains isolated from nosocomial infections in Tehran, Iran

Background and objectives: bla(SHV), bla(TEM) and bla(VEB) are a group of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase enzymes (ESBLs) which are able to hydrolyze Penicillins and some cephalosporin antibiotics. The present study evaluated the frequency of ESBL genes bla(SHV), bla(TEM) and bla(VEB) in Acinetobacter baumannii strains isolated from nosocomial infections to outline the importance of these genes in antibiotic resistance. Methods: One hundred Acinetobacter baumannii strains were isolated from different nosocomial infections. After antibiotic resistance evaluation with the Kirby-Bauer disc-diffusion method, the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of Ciprofloxacin was measured using the E-test method. Then, the ESBL producing strains were identified employing Combined Disk Methods. Finally, all isolates were evaluated with the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique to detect the ESBL genes of interest. Results: Out of 100 Acinetobacter baumannii isolates, 59 were ESBL positive according to the phenotypic method. The PCR assay could not detect the bla(SHV) and bla(VEB) genes in the studied isolates, but the presence of bla(TEM) gene was demonstrated in 42 of the strains. Conclusion: The high resistance to most antibiotics, the high prevalence of ESBLs-producing strains and also a high prevalence of bla(TEM) gene in A. baumannii strains found in the current study gives cause for major concern about nosocomial infections in Iran because of the treatment complexity of these strains. Our results highlight the need for infection control measures to prevent the spread of resistant isolates, especially in hospitals