Hydatic cyst prevalence in slaughtered animals, A neglected health problem

Lorestan and other part of Iran are one of the important endemic focuses for the major zoonotic parasitic diseases like cystic hydatid disease where several species of intermediate host are commonly infected with Echinococcus granulosus. Meat inspection records in a slaughtered house were used to determine the prevalence of Hydatidosis in sheep, cattle, and goats in Lorestan province (Aleshtar) located in South-West of Iran. The data were collected during a 5 year period from 2002 to 2006. A total of 40,431 animals (cattle 6993; sheep 14084; goats 19354) slaughtered in the 5-year period and overall 2885 (7.13%) lungs and 2885 (7.13%) livers and 1598 (3.95%) peritoneal cavity were contaminated by hydatid cyst. One thousand and eight hundred sixty eight (26.71%) out of 6993 of cattle, 2989/14084 (21.22%) of sheep and 2511/19354 (12.97%) of goats were infected by hydatid cyst in liver, lung and peritoneal cavity respectively. This study indicates that the highest prevalence of Hydatidosis was found in Aleshtar, Lorestan as compared to the rest of Iran (p<0.05). The annual prevalence of lung condemnations due to hydatidosis was increased from 8.3, 5 and 1.3% in Sep 2002 to Sep 2003 to 20.5, 8 and 5.5 % in Sep2005 to Sep2006 for cattle, sheep, and goats, respectively. An urgent attention is required to work on lack of awareness among farmers, lack of a policy to destroy the infected organs, prevention of access of dogs to raw offal’s and other responsible factors.Lorestan and other part of Iran are one of the important endemic focuses for the major zoonotic parasitic diseases like cystic hydatid disease where several species of intermediate host are commonly infected with Echinococcus granulosus. Meat inspection records in a slaughtered house were used to determine the prevalence of Hydatidosis in sheep, cattle, and goats in Lorestan province (Aleshtar) located in South-West of Iran. The data were collected during a 5 year period from 2002 to 2006. A total of 40,431 animals (cattle 6993; sheep 14084; goats 19354) slaughtered in the 5-year period and overall 2885 (7.13%) lungs and 2885 (7.13%) livers and 1598 (3.95%) peritoneal cavity were contaminated by hydatid cyst. One thousand and eight hundred sixty eight (26.71%) out of 6993 of cattle, 2989/14084 (21.22%) of sheep and 2511/19354 (12.97%) of goats were infected by hydatid cyst in liver, lung and peritoneal cavity respectively. This study indicates that the highest prevalence of Hydatidosis was found in Aleshtar, Lorestan as compared to the rest of Iran (p<0.05). The annual prevalence of lung condemnations due to hydatidosis was increased from 8.3, 5 and 1.3% in Sep 2002 to Sep 2003 to 20.5, 8 and 5.5 % in Sep2005 to Sep2006 for cattle, sheep, and goats, respectively. An urgent attention is required to work on lack of awareness among farmers, lack of a policy to destroy the infected organs, prevention of access of dogs to raw offal’s and other responsible factors.

The Potential Anti-inflammatory Effect of Spirulina Platensis on an in Vitro Model of Celiac Disease

Background: Celiac disease (CD) is a prevalent autoimmune enteropathy triggered by the ingestion of gluten. The management of CD involves adhering to a gluten-free diet (GFD). Recent studies have been actively exploring potential supplementary or alternative therapies for individuals with CD. The primary objective of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of Spirulina platensis in regulating the intestinal barrier-related gene expression and alleviating inflammation and oxidative stress associated with CD in PT-gliadin-triggered Caco-2 cells.Methods: S. platensis extracts and a pepsin/trypsin (PT) digest of gliadin were prepared and exposed to the human colon carcinoma Caco-2 cell line. Cell viability was assessed. Total RNA was extracted from Caco-2 cells and cDNA synthesis was performed. A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay was conducted to evaluate the mRNA levels of interleukin (IL)-6, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), COX-2, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), ZO-1, and occludin.Results: Treating Caco-2 cells with S. platensis alone (P=0.01 for both) or in combination with PT-gliadin (P=0.004 and P=0.02, respectively) resulted in decreased IL-6 expression and increased occludin mRNA expression. Additionally, S. platensis extract enhanced Zo-1 mRNA levels (P=0.002) and reduced NF-κB mRNA expression (P=0.02). The combination of gliadin and S. platensis led to decreased mRNA expression of COX-2 (P=0.03) and NF-κB (P=0.04). No significant differences were observed in TGF-β mRNA expression between the studied groups (P>0.05).Conclusion: Additional investigation is needed to examine the influence of interactions between S. platensis and gliadin regarding the comprehensive response of CD to gliadin, encompassing the activation of gluten-sensitive immune cells

A trend of Medical Negligence in Laser Therapy in the Capital City: A Nine-Year Survey

Background: the purpose of the present study is to investigate the common causes of injuries, claims, and decisions related to laser therapy medical malpractice during a nine-year survey. Study design: This study is a retrospective descriptive study. Methods: The legal documents in the coroner’s Office of Forensic Medicine were investigated in a national database from 2012 to 2020 in Tehran, Iran. The frequency and nature of the cases, including the year of litigation, the location and certificate of the provider, the injury sustained, the cause of legal action and judgment were collected. Results: Three hundred and eighty-three cases related to injury from laser therapy were registered in the coroner’s Office of Forensic Medicine during the study period. The incidence of litigation related to laser surgery showed an increasing trend, with a peak occurrence in 2020. Laser hair removal was the most common (51.2%) litigated procedure. General practice operators (48%) recorded the highest rate of laser-related medical complaints. lack of skill was the most common reason for failure. Among 383 cases with public decisions, 62.4% of them were fault liability in paid judgment. Conclusions: Medical claims related to laser application are increasing. However, as it is clear, the growth of laser technology and the increasing demand for lasers in medical science require more surveillance to avoid probable injuries and improve patient safety, especially surveillance of the physicians who work outside the scope of their specialty.&nbsp

Fecal carriage of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. as major reservoirs of clinically important resistance markers

Intestinal normal flora can become reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes present among the strains responsible for nosocomial infections. It is suggested that gram negative intestinal bacterial flora have increased capacities to obtain antibiotic resistance genes and therefore can act as main reservoirs for transfer of resistance genes to other pathogenic bacteria. This study aimed to compare fecal carriage of clinically important resistance markers for more frequent members of enterobacteriacae between nondiarrheal and community associated diarrheal patients (control group) versus their counterparts from the patients with nosocomial infections (case group). 261 stool and 190 clinical samples were collected from outpatient and hospitalized patients from 6 hospitals in Tehran, Iran. The samples were cultured on MacConkey agar plates and colonies were identified by standard biochemical methods. Antibiotic sensitivity testing of the isolates against 13 antibiotics was performed according to the CLSI guideline using the disk diffusion method.   Among stool and clinical samples, more frequent identified enterobacteriaceae bacteria were included E. coli (58.99/ 3.15%), Klebsiella spp. (22.61/7.36%), and other members of enterobacteriaceae (8.86/1.06%), respectively. Overall, resistance against four of the main antibiotics (3th and 4th generation cephalosporins, gentamicin, imipenem, and ciprofloxacin) was significantly higher among the case group (50-75% versus 10-14%). Analysis of these results showed similar dissemination of resistance phenotypes among the isolates from the control group in ranges of 1.5-7.6% and 4.4% for E. coli and Klebsiella spp., respectively. Our results suggested that the fecal carriage of resistant phenotypes related to the β-lactam antibiotics in E. coli and Klebsiella spp. in compare to the clinical isolates is rapidly increasing. This may be caused by dissemination of β-lactamase producing E. coli in the community from the hospitals. There were no significant correlations between the two groups of the samples, as the clinical samples had shown 3 to 7 folds excess resistance phenotypes. Surveillance studies of the resistance patterns among the samples from different regions will provide awareness about dissemination of these bacteria within the community as reservoirs of main resistance markers

Potential Molecular Mechanisms of Bisphenol A in Obesity Development

Bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor, is associated with metabolic disorders. However, several studies have suggested that exposure to BPA can cause obesity. It has recently got more attention from scientists as a risk factor for obesity due to its ability to mimic natural estrogens and bind to their receptors. Nonetheless, the molecular mechanism underpinning the environmental etiology of metabolic disorders has not been not fully clarified. In this regard, BPA exposure directly disrupts endocrine regulation, neuroimmune and signaling pathways, and gut microbes, resulting in obesity. In addition, epidemiological studies have revealed a significant relationship between BPA exposure and the development of obesity, although conflicting results have been reported. Therefore, this review summarized the possible role and molecular mechanisms associated with BPA exposure that may lead to obesity based on in vivo and in vivo studies