The Prevalence of Pediculus Capitis among Primary Schools of Shahriar County, Tehran province, Iran, 2014

Background: Pediculosis capitis is a common parasitic infection of children, which has been neglected in many areas as well in Shahriar County, Tehran province. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of pediculosis capitis among pupils in primary schools of Shahriar County.Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in Shahriar for the period of 2012 to 2013. Data were collected by questionnaires and direct head inspection. The prevalence rate was determined in three primary schools and 750 girls participated, which were selected by a randomized cluster method. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS16) and Chi-square test.Results: Among the 750 girls who were examined, head pediculosis was observed in 36 cases (4.8%). There was a significant relationship between head lice infestation and two factors, father’s job and using private tools in hair salon.Conclusion: The results showed that pediculosis capitis could be a potentially health threatening problem for school children. It is necessary to give health education to families in order to prevent pediculosis in the study areas

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Arthropod-Related Diseases

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic that caused by the infection with the novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has re­vealed individual and global vulnerabilities all over the world. Many countries that had been struggled with arthropod-borne diseases (VBDs) are now embroiled in another challenge caused by COVID-19 pandemic. The situation that pos­es major obstacles 1) by misdiagnosis 2) delay in early and appropriate treatment of VBDs 3) difficulties in applying regular strategy for vector control and prevention methods and finally 4) irregularity in financing supports. Given the possible scenario of syndemics, it is important to plan integrated and combined measurement with the maximum partic­ipation of the people and health authorities. Here, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on some major arthropod-related diseases will be discussed. Methods: To access the collective data all related databases such as Science direct, PubMed, Elsevier, Google scholar, as well WHO web page were searched with key words “arthropoda-related diseases, COVID-19 with the name of each individual disease”. Results: The results showed that the management, control, and treatment of most important arthropod-related diseases could be delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: Dealing with COVID-19, it is crucial to consider the other main killers such as malaria, dengue fever, etc. more especially in vulnerable populations by greater political, financial and global commitment. Continued surveillance will be essential to monitor for any possible changes

Comparing Symptoms of Withdrawal, Rapid Detoxi-fication and Detoxification with Clonidine in Drug Dependent Patients

Abstract Considering the fear of drug addicts from hangover symptoms and the costs of withdrawal treatment and their importance in deciding to withdraw, it is helpful to identify various ways of withdrawal and their effects. This study investigated the withdrawal symptoms of two methods of detoxification with clonidine and rapid detoxification of clonidine with naltrexone. This was a clinical trial study. Patients referred to Shahid Beheshti hospital for narcotic addiction treatment were randomly divided into two groups. Group matching was done based on entry and excluding criteria. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire including questions on the drug abuse and the consumption method, and a questionnaire on the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. Restlessness, vomiting, feeling sick and significant decrease of diastolic blood pressure was higher in rapid detoxification method group. However, considering background variables, Spearman correlation coefficient showed significant relationship just for lacrimation. Temptation for drug consumption was lower for heavy abusers in rapid detoxification method and in general, those who had higher amount of consumption and were treated by rapid detoxification, experienced less temptation for consumption. Rapid detoxification can be the first level treatment for heavy abusers, because it reduces the temptation for drug consumption and has shorter hospitalization and, as a result, has lower cost

Comparison of Three Commonly Used Genetic Markers for Detection of Leishmania Major: An Experimental Study

BACKGROUND፡ Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease caused by an intracellular protozoan parasite called Leishmania spp. Different species produce different clinical outcomes; the majority of cases are cutaneous forms. Leishmania major is one of the main causative agents of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Various methods are being using to diagnose CL, including microscopic examination, culture, and molecular detection of the parasite genome.METHOD: In the current study, we tried to compare three common molecular markers, including Kinetoplast DNA (kDNA), Cytochrome b (Cyt b), and Internal transcribed space 1 (ITS1), for the detection of Leishmania major. After cultivation of standard strain of L. major MHOM/IR/75/ER in RPMI 1640, certain number of promastigotes was subjected to DNA extraction and different PCR reactions.RESULTS: The lowest number of the parasite (5 promastigotes) can be detected by kDNA-PCR, followed by Cyt b-PCR (10 promastigotes), and ITS1-PCR (50 promastigotes).CONCLUSION: In conclusion, kDNA-PCR was the most sensitive marker and may provide more reliable data in the initial screening, especially in false-negative results provided by parasitological methods due to the low number of parasites

Comparing Symptoms of Withdrawal, Rapid Detoxi-fication and Detoxification with Clonidine in Drug Dependent Patients

Abstract Background: Considering the fear of drug addicts from hangover symptoms and the costs of withdrawal treatment and their importance in deciding to withdraw, it is helpful to identify various ways of withdrawal and their effects. This study investigated the withdrawal symptoms of two methods of detoxification with clonidine and rapid detoxification of clonidine with naltrexone. Methods: This was a clinical trial study. Patients referred to Shahid Beheshti hospital for narcotic addiction treatment were randomly divided into two groups. Group matching was done based on entry and excluding criteria. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire including questions on the drug abuse and the consumption method, and a questionnaire on the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. Findings: Restlessness, vomiting, feeling sick and significant decrease of diastolic blood pressure was higher in rapid detoxification method group. However, considering background variables, Spearman correlation coefficient showed significant relationship just for lacrimation. Temptation for drug consumption was lower for heavy abusers in rapid detoxification method and in general, those who had higher amount of consumption and were treated by rapid detoxification, experienced less temptation for consumption. Conclusion: Rapid detoxification can be the first level treatment for heavy abusers, because it reduces the temptation for drug consumption and has shorter hospitalization and, as a result, has lower cost. Keyword: Drug abuse, Rapid detoxification, Clonidine detoxification, Withdrawal symptoms

ITS2-rDNA fragments of Leishmania species isolated from the great gerbil in Iran, 2021

Background: The great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus), is widely distributed in Asia and is a natural reservoir for zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in many endemic areas, as well as Iran. Materials and Methods: In this study, infection to Leishmania species was investigated by two methods, parasitological and molecular survey, in the small number of R. opimus collected from Jovain, a Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ZCL) focus located in North East of Iran. Results: Parasitological observation showed infection in only one of five rodents. But, ITS2-Nested-PCR revealed Leishmania infection in three out of 5 gerbils, including the parasitological positive one. Based on the PCR amplified size, two cases of infections were Leishmania major and one Leishmania turanica, their sequences are accessible in GenBank. The results of sequence analysis were consistent with the results obtained based on the size of the PCR. Conclusion: These findings re-confirm the important role of R. opimus in the natural circulation of Leishmania spp and indicate the need to be concerned about the disease in the study area

The First Report of Eustigmaeus Johnstoni (Acari: Stigmaeidae) Parasitic Mite of Phlebotominae Sand Flies from Iran

Background: Stigmaeids mites have been recorded only on Phlebotominae sand flies up to now. Five species of Eustigmaeus, and three of Stigmaeus were reported on infested sandflies in different country up to the present.Methods: Sand flies collection was done using CDC light trap and sticky paper. The mites were isolated from in­fested specimens, mounted in Puri’s medium and identified using reliable keys.Results: A mite infested Phlebotomus papatasi was observed during a study on sandflies of one of the southern provinces of Iran, near to the Persian Gulf. Several scars resulting from mite attachment were found on abdominal tergites of this female sand fly. The mites were identified as Eustigmaeus johnstoni.Conclusion: This parasitic mite is one of the eyeless species, which has a great distribution over the world, reported from Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Yemen, Cyprus and Palestine. But, this is the first record of this species from Iran

Evaluation of the Effect of a Preoperative Single Dose of Gabapentin on Emergence Agitation in Patients Undergoing Breast Cancer Surgery

Background: Emergence agitation is a transient confusional state that usuallyoccurs within 10 to 30 minutes of recovery from general anesthesia. It may lead to seriousconsequences and increasing hospital costs. This study evaluates the effect of gabapentinon emergence agitation in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery.Methods: This randomized, double blind controlled trial enrolled 100 femalepatients with American Society of Anesthesiologists' classifications I and II who werecandidates for breast cancer surgery. Patients were randomly assigned into two groups(n=50) that received either oral gabapentin 600 mg or placebo. Induction andmaintenance of anesthesia were similar in both groups. At the end of surgery, patient'sagitation score, pain score, and presence of nausea or vomiting were reported. In theward, the presence of headache or dizziness was checked during the first 8 h. Mann-Whitney test was used for comparison of agitation and pain scores between two groups.Chi-square test was used for comparing occurrence of nausea, vomiting and qualitative.The qualitative demographic variable and t-test compared quantitative demographicvariables.Results: There was a significantly lower incidence of emergence agitation in thegabapentin group before (P<0.001) and after (P=0.029) extubation. There weresignificantly lower mean agitation scores before (P<001) and after (P=0.006) extubationand in the pain score (P=0.005) in the gabapentin group. The need for remifentanilinfusion (P<0.05) during surgery was significantly lower in the gabapentin groupcompared with the placebo group. Occurrence of nausea and vomiting and gabapentinside effects that included headache or dizziness did not significantly differ between twogroups (P=0.126, P=1, P=0.629 respectively).Conclusion: Gabapentin not only decreased postoperative pain but also effectivelyreduced emergence agitation without any significant side effects in patients undergoingbreast cancer surgery