Changes in the Epidemiology of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Northeastern Iran.

The province of Khorasan-Razavi in the North East of Iran is an endemic area for anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL caused mainly by Leishmania tropica) and zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL caused mainly by Leishmania major). Based on clinical signs, some cities were considered as ACL foci while others were considered to be endemic for ZCL. This paper reviews studies performed on patients diagnosed with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) via the use of direct slide examination, ELISA, electrophoresis isoenzyme, RAPD PCR and PCR in Mashhad; the study also includes cases of CL in other cities of the Khorasan-Razavi province where only PCR used as a diagnostic tool. The data show that both Leishmania tropica and Leishmania major caused CL in most of the cities investigated. Our review shows that Leishmania major was found in areas where ACL is prevalent and Leishmania tropica was observed in areas with high incidence of ZCL. This distribution represents a major change in the epidemiological pattern of Leishmania in the Khorasan-Razavi province

Fish tank granuloma: An emerging skin disease in Iran mimicking Cutaneous Leishmaniasis.

OBJECTIVE: Mycobacterium marinum causes a rare cutaneous disease known as fish tank granuloma (FTG). The disease manifestations resemble those associated with Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL). The aim of this study was to determine whether FTG was the cause of cutaneous lesions in patients who were referred to the Parasitology laboratory of Imam Reza Hospital in Mashhad to be investigated for CL. MATERIALS/METHODS: One hundered patients, clinically diagnosed with CL between April 2014 and March 2015, were included in this study. Ziehl-Neelsen staining was performed to identify acid-fast Mycobacterium in addition to bacterial cultures using Löwenstein-Jensen medium. Skin lesion samples were also collected and kept on DNA banking cards for PCR testing. RESULTS: Twenty-nine of the 100 individuals with skin lesions, and therefore suspected of suffering from CL, tested positive for Mycobacterium marinum by PCR. Of these, 21 (72.4%) were male and 8(27.6%) were female. In 97% of these cases the lesions were located on hands and fingers. These patients had a history of manipulating fish and had been in contact with aquarium water. A sporotrichoid appearance was observed in 58.6% of the patients with mycobacterial lesions; 67% of patients had multiple head appearance. CONCLUSION: Patients suspected to have CL and who test negative for CL could be affected by FTG. Therefore, after obtaining an accurate case history, molecular diagnosis is recommended for cases that give a negative result by conventional methods.Internal fundin

SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues

Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene), including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

peer reviewe

Analyzing Organizational Processes by using Process Mining Technique (The Case of Academic Staff's Grade Process of Persian Gulf University)

Moving toward process-oriented approach makes a requirement for managers to assess and review their process. If this issue doesn't occur, organization face with a set of problems such as increase cost, waste of time, and low productivity. In the new era, a large part of the process is carried out through the use of new technologies on a web-based or under software programs. Process Mining is an approach to analyzing stored data that helps organizational managers to improve processes. Therefore, the present study wants to analyze one of the processes of Persian Gulf University by using existing data and using process mining technique. For data analysis, Microsoft Excel and Disco software were used. Results show that the process averagely perfomed in 51 days and 7 hours and the main bottleneck of the process is in the evaluation of staff's grade committee (39 days after accepting the request by the head of institute and 34 days and 3 hours after approving a request by the head of faculties)

Studying Spatial Metaphors in Four Works by Male and Female Writers from a Cognitive Semantics Perspective

Metaphor has a long history and a high position in Persian literature. Literature is a social phenomenon and the connection between literature and society is undeniable. The present research has tried to investigate the difference in the use of upper and lower spatial metaphors in four different works by male and female authors in four decades. In order to show how spatial metaphors are used in these works and whether the influence of society's conditions in the emergence and the application of spatial metaphors is concrete. For this purpose, novels from the 60s Nakhlhaye Bisar, 70s Roye Mahe Khodavand ra Bebos, 80s Cheraghha ra Man Khamosh Mikonam and 90s Paeiz Fasle Akhare sal Ast were selected and were analyzed in a descriptive-analytical way according to Lakoff & Johnson (1980) and in the framework of cognitive semantics. The body of the research is the sentences from all four novels, which were analyzed. The findings showed that the amount of high metaphors is used more in the works of female authors, lived experiences play a role in the use of metaphors and high metaphors do not always have a happy meaning and low metaphors do not always have a sad meaning.Introduction In the present study, an attempt has been made to examine high spatial metaphors that express hope and low spatial metaphors that express despair, based on the views of Lakoff and Johnson (1980) within the framework of cognitive semantics. Metaphor studies have been extensive, but spatial metaphors in novels and literature and their analysis considering the social situation have been less studied. The books of Lakoff and Johnson in the 1980s and 1990s, namely "Metaphors We Live By" and "Philosophy in the Flesh: The Embodied Mind and its Challenge to Western Thought", revolutionized understanding. The mentioned metaphors are also drawn from four popular Iranian novels of the 1960s ("Nakhlhaye Bisar"), 1970s ("Roye Mahe Khodavand ra Bebos"), 1980s ("Cheraghha ra Man Khamosh Mikonam"), and 1990s ("Paeiz Fasle Akhare Sal Ast"). For this purpose, the current research aims to address the following questions by analyzing novels written by male and female authors within the given framework:How do the top metaphors always have a positive and happy meaning while the bottom metaphors always have a negative and sad meaning?Based on lived experiences, in which novel is the frequency of high metaphors higher than low metaphors?What is the frequency of metaphors in the works of female authors compared to male authors?Methodology The research was conducted using a descriptive-analytical method, and descriptive statistics were employed. The text corpus was selected from popular works that have been reprinted numerous times and address social issues. To investigate spatial metaphors expressing happiness and sadness, novels authored by both men and women from the 1960s to the 1990s were chosen to determine the influence of societal conditions on metaphor usage across decades and gender. The selected novels include "Nakhlhaye Bisar" by Qasim Ali Frosat (1960s), "Roye Mahe Khodavand ra Bebos" by Mustafa Mastour (1970s), "Cheraghha ra Man Khamoosh Mikonam" by Zoya Pirzad (1980s), and "Paeiz Fasle Akhare Sal Ast" by Nasim Marashi (1990s). Metaphors were cataloged systematically, and data from the beginning, middle, and end of each novel were analyzed based on the framework proposed by Lakoff and Johnson (1980), categorized as metaphors of high and low division, and metaphors of despair and hope.Discussion and Conclusions According to the analysis conducted, a significant finding in this research concerning the first question is how the top spatial metaphors consistently convey happiness while the bottom metaphors consistently signify sadness. However, it is noteworthy that not all top metaphors carry positive meanings, nor do all bottom metaphors convey negativity. For instance, in the novel "Nakhlhaye Bisar," sentence (4) "Our hearts are raised," the verb "raised" constitutes a top metaphor, but within cognitive semantics, the overall meaning of the sentence does not necessarily imply positivity or happiness; the verb "raised" is associated with heartbreak, rendering the meaning negative. In response to the second question regarding the prevalence of high metaphors relative to low metaphors based on lived experiences, it was confirmed that there is a significant relationship between metaphors and the influence of social atmosphere and lived experiences. In the aforementioned four decades, specific metaphors were more prevalent, reflecting social changes influenced by events such as war, revolution, and economic fluctuations. In conclusion, the hypothesis concerning the third question, regarding the frequency of metaphor usage in works by female authors compared to male authors, was confirmed based on the data; the frequency of high metaphors in works by female authors is 35%, whereas low metaphors comprise 65%. In works by male authors, high metaphors constitute 33%, while low metaphors make up 67%