Investigation of heavy metals accumulation in the sediment and body of carp fish in Aras River

Heavy metals are considered as the most dangerous water contaminants because of their possibility of bioaccumulation and toxic effects. This study tried to investigate the bio-availability of heavy metals in terms of Ni, Zn, Cu, Fe, Hg, Cd, and Pb in the sediment during dry seasons in Aras River basin located in Ardabil Province, north-west of Iran. Also the metal concentration in the skin and flesh carp was measured during all four seasons in 2010 in Aras River. Sediments were collected from five stations during summer but fish sampling was carried out seasonally in five fixed stations. The results of this study indicated that there was a meaningful and positive correlation between the existence of high levels of bioavailable metals and their concentration in fish body. Among the measured metals, Fe is highly bioavailable and the highest level of Fe in the sediment was in the ST4 (93.4mg/l). This could be due to high accumulation of this element in fish body. Also, maximum concentration of Fe in fish body was in summer (1.87mg/l) as well

Comparison of the tuberculin skin test and the QuantiFERON-TB Gold test in detecting latent tuberculosis in health care workers in Iran

OBJECTIVES: The tuberculin skin test (TST) and the QuantiFERON-TB Gold test (QFT) are used to identify latent tuberculosis infections (LTBIs). The aim of this study was to determine the agreement between these two tests among health care workers in Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 177 tuberculosis (TB) laboratory staff and 67 non-TB staff. TST indurations of 10 mm or more were considered positive. The Student's t-test and the chi-square test were used to compare the mean score and proportion of variables between the TB laboratory staff and the non-TB laboratory staff. Kappa statistics were used to evaluate the agreement between these tests, and logistic regression was used to assess the risk factors associated with positive results for each test. RESULTS: The prevalence of LTBIs according to both the QFT and the TST was 17 (95 confidence interval CI, 12% to 21%) and 16% (95% CI, 11% to 21%), respectively. The agreement between the QFT and the TST was 77.46%, with a kappa of 0.19 (95% CI, 0.04 to 0.34). CONCLUSIONS: Although the prevalence of LTBI based on the QFT and the TST was not significantly different, the kappa statistic was low between these two tests for the detection of LTBIs

Association of microbiota-derived propionic acid and Alzheimer�s disease; bioinformatics analysis

Purpose: Microbiota-derived metabolites could alter the brain tissue toward the neurodegeneration disease. This study aims to select the genes associated with Propionic acid (PPA) and compromise Alzheimer�s disease (AD) to find the possible roles of PPA in AD pathogenesis. Methods: Microbiota-derived metabolites could alter the brain tissue toward the neurodegeneration disease. This study aims to select the genes associated with Propionic acid (PPA) and compromise Alzheimer�s disease (AD) to find the possible roles of PPA in AD pathogenesis. Results: Amongst all genes associated with PPA and AD, 284 genes to be shared by searching databases and were subjected to further analysis. AD-PPA genes mainly involved in cancer, bacterial and virus infection, and neurological and non-neurological diseases. Gene Ontology and pathway analysis covered the most AD hallmark, such as amyloid formation, apoptosis, proliferation, inflammation, and immune system. Network analysis revealed hub and bottleneck genes. MCODE analysis also indicated the seed genes represented in the significant subnetworks. ICAM1 and CCND1 were the hub, bottleneck, and seed genes. Conclusions: PPA interacted genes implicated in AD act through pathways initiate neuronal cell death. In sum up, AD-PPA shared genes exhibited evidence that supports the idea PPA secreted from bacteria could alter brain physiology toward the emerging AD signs. This idea needs to confirm by more future investigation in animal models. © 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG

The epidemiology of tuberculosis in the Iranians' population in 2016

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is the 10thmost common infectious disease in the world, and it is one of the major health problems in Iran despite the implementation of the National Tuberculosis Control Program. Methods: Tuberculosis data in Iran were used in 2016 by the Ministry of Health and Treatment. The data on mortality and incidence of disease were determined by age groups, sex, and the provinces of country. Data were analyzed using Excel (2010) and SPSS software. Findings: The overall incidence rate of tuberculosis in the country was 9.7 per 100000 population (10.7 in men and 8.7 in women). The highest incidence rate of TB and mortality in both sexes were over 80 years. The death rate was 1 person per 100,000 populations, 57.7 of whom were men. Most of the deaths were from pulmonary tuberculosis. The highest incidence and mortality rates were reported in Golestan and Sistan and Baluchestan provinces. Conclusion: The incidence and mortality rate of TB has decreased in recent decades in Iran. Nevertheless, considering the raising trend of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among the patients with TB, and the neighborhood with endemic countries, TB should be noticed as one of the most important health priorities in the health system of the country. © 2020 Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved

Comparison of the tuberculin skin test and the QuantiFERON-TB Gold test in detecting latent tuberculosis in health care workers in Iran

OBJECTIVES: The tuberculin skin test (TST) and the QuantiFERON-TB Gold test (QFT) are used to identify latent tuberculosis infections (LTBIs). The aim of this study was to determine the agreement between these two tests among health care workers in Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 177 tuberculosis (TB) laboratory staff and 67 non-TB staff. TST indurations of 10 mm or more were considered positive. The Student's t-test and the chi-square test were used to compare the mean score and proportion of variables between the TB laboratory staff and the non-TB laboratory staff. Kappa statistics were used to evaluate the agreement between these tests, and logistic regression was used to assess the risk factors associated with positive results for each test. RESULTS: The prevalence of LTBIs according to both the QFT and the TST was 17 (95 confidence interval CI, 12% to 21%) and 16% (95% CI, 11% to 21%), respectively. The agreement between the QFT and the TST was 77.46%, with a kappa of 0.19 (95% CI, 0.04 to 0.34). CONCLUSIONS: Although the prevalence of LTBI based on the QFT and the TST was not significantly different, the kappa statistic was low between these two tests for the detection of LTBIs. © 2016, Korean Society of Epidemiolog

Evaluation of interleukin-2 to detect active and latent tuberculosis among household contacts of pulmonary tuberculosis cases

Background: The interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) are the most important diagnostic approach to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection diagnosis. However, they cannot discriminate between latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and active tuberculosis (TB). Some recent studies suggested that interleukin-2 (IL-2) response to M. tuberculosis could be utilized as a potential biomarker to discriminate active disease from LTBI. Objectives: The current study aimed at evaluating the potential role of IL-2 to detect both active TB and LTBI among household contacts of patients with pulmonary TB in two TB-endemic regions of Iran. Methods: A total of 650 household contacts of patients with TB were invited to participate in the current study. All subjects were diagnosed on extensive clinical evaluation of active TB and LTBI based on clinical manifestations and laboratory findings. The IGRA test was performed using QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus. The serum level of IL-2 was measured using the ELISA Development Kit. Results: A total of 237 household contacts entered the final analysis, including 132 patients with LTBI and three with active TB. In addition, 14 subjects were included as TB controls and 102 as TB-uninfected controls. The serum level of IL-2 was significantly higher in active TB and LTBI patients than TB-uninfected controls. The ROC curve was plotted between active TB and LTBI, revealing that the cutoff point of 25.5 pg/mL identifies the active form with 88.24 sensitivity and 36.36 specificity. Conclusions: The current study indicated that the IL-2 assay could not discriminate between active TB and LTBI with acceptable sensitivity. © 2021, Author(s)

Susceptibility of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) clones to Neofusicoccum ribis

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of Neofusicoccum ribis to infect leaf surfaces of different rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) clones. Neofusicoccum ribis isolates previously identified on the basis of morphological characteristics and DNA sequence analysis were used to inoculate rubber leaves and seedlings in vitro and in vivo respectively. Neofusicoccum ribis isolates were demonstrated to cause lesions on rubber clones examined in this study. There was variation in susceptibility of the rubber clones to the pathogen. This study provides useful information that could be exploited to better manage the disease

Prediction of response to treatment in children with epilepsy

Abstract Objective: This study was conducted to predict the response to treatment in patients treated with anti-epilepsy drugs. Material and Methods: This analytical questionnaire-based study was conducted in 2014 among 128 patients with epilepsy admitted to Mofid Children's Hospital, Tehran, Iran. The inclusion criteria were children 2 months to 12 yr of age with epilepsy and patients who experienced fever and seizure attacks at least once were excluded from the study. Patients were followed up for 6 months and the response to their treatment was recorded. The good response to treatment was defined as the absence of seizure with two drugs during follow up. Results: Seventy-two patients (56.3%) were boys. The age of the first seizure was under 2 yr old in 90 patients (70.3%). History of febrile convulsion, family history of epilepsy and history of asphyxia was found in 16 (12.5%), 41 (32%), and 27 (21.1%) patients, respectively. Seizure etiology was idiopathic in 90 patients (70.3%), and the number of seizures was 1-2 in 36 patients (28.1%). Overall, 57 patients (44.5%) had cerebral lesion according to CT scan or MRI, and EEG was abnormal in 101 patients (78.9%). In 6-month follow-up, 40 patients (31.3%) responded well to the treatment and 88 patients (68.8%) responded poorly to the treatment. History of asphyxia (OR = 6.82), neonatal jaundice (OR = 2.81) and abnormal EEG (OR = 0.19) were effective factors in response to treatment. Conclusion: Abnormal EEG is an effective factor in treatment response in the children studied. Key Words: Pediatric, Anti-seizure drug, Response to treatment, Children, Epileps

Diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection among pediatric household contacts of Iranian tuberculosis cases using tuberculin skin test, IFN- γ release assay and IFN-γ-induced protein-10

Background: Although the World Health Organization has recommended the diagnosis and prophylactic treatment of latent tuberculous infection (LTBI) in child household contacts of tuberculosis (TB) cases, the national programs in high-burden TB regions rarely implement adequate screening of this high-risk group, mainly because of resource limitations. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of LTBI among pediatric household contacts of TB cases in two high-burden provinces in Iran. Methods: We conducted a cohort study in children who had been in household contact with a TB index. All subjects were assessed for active TB disease. For LTBI diagnosis, tuberculin skin test (TST) and QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) were performed at the time of the index TB case diagnosis, as well as, 3, 12, and 18 months, if the first results were negative. In addition, interferon-γ-induced protein-10(IP-10) concentrations were measured for all participants. Results: A total of 230 children were enrolled, who had contact with an index TB case. Three contacts were diagnosed with active TB. According to the TST/QFT-Plus results, 104 (45.2) children were identified with LTBI during our study. Significantly increased IP-10 levels were found in LTBI patients compared to healthy contacts. Accordingly, more than 50 of LTBI contacts and about 10 of healthy contacts were considered as IP-10-positive. Conclusion: This study alarmingly illustrates a high prevalence of LTBI among Iranian children exposed to TB cases. We, therefore, emphasize that the children living in close contact with an infectious TB case should be screened effectively and receive prophylactic therapy. © 2021, The Author(s)

Isolation, identification and characterization of endophytic bacteria antagonistic to Phytophthora palmivora causing black pod of cocoa in Malaysia

Black pod rot is the most significant factor limiting production of cocoa (Theobroma cacao) in Malaysia with average annual losses of above 30%. This work was carried out to isolate, characterize and screen bacterial endophytes from cocoa plants for their biological control activities. Their mechanisms of action as well as abilities to reduce black pod rot disease were also investigated. In total, 103 endophytic bacterial isolates were obtained from healthy cocoa tissues (leaves, branches and fruits) from seven states of Malaysia in 2016 and screened for their antagonism against P. palmivora in vitro. The best two isolates AS1 and AS2 with more than 80% inhibition of radial growth (PIRG) were selected for subsequent experiments. Sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA region indicated that these two isolates belonged to Pseudomonas aeruginosa (AS1) and Chryseobacterium proteolyticum (AS2). Bioactive volatile compounds were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS). Major compounds present in P. aeruginosa extract were identified as Eicosane (9.11%), Hexatriacontane (6.87%), Tetratetracontane (5.17%), trans-2-Decenoic acid (17.04%) and 1-Phenanthrenecarboxylic acid, 1,2,3,4,4a,9,10,10a-octahydro-1,4a-dimethyl-7-(1-methylethyl) (3.60%). In C. proteolyticum extract, major compounds were identified as Eicosane (11.29%), Tetratetracontane (10.82%), Heneicosane (10.78%), Hexatriacontane (9.04%) and Phenol, 2,4-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl) (5.92%). Effectiveness of P. aeruginosa and C. proteolyticum in reducing black pod lesion was confirmed on detached cocoa pods with 100% inhibition for both isolates. These results indicated that these two bacterial isolates have potential to be used as bio-control agents against P. palmivora