Epidemiologic evaluation of toxoplasmosis and leading risk factors in HIV/AIDS patients in Arak City, Iran

BackgroundToxoplasmosis is a common opportunistic infection that can be fatal in immunocompromised individuals, such as those with HIV/AIDS.AimsConsidering the rising incidence of HIV/AIDS in human populations worldwide and the high risk of toxoplasmosis among these patients, the current epidemiologic study was conducted to identify the characteristics and leading risk factors of toxoplasmosis among HIV/AIDS patients in Arak City, Marzaki Province, Iran.Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in HIV patients under the care and counselling of the local health centre of Arak City. We included a total of 49 patients with HIV/AIDS who completed a written informed consent form and a two-part questionnaire. Demographic data and information about various risk factors were collected in the questionnaire. Blood samples were collected from each patient. Anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG and IgM antibody assays and PCR were conducted on serum samples. Logistic regression and chi-squared (&chi;2) tests were used for statistical analysis. P values less than 0.05 (p < 0.05) were considered significant.Results Of the study participants, 22.4 per cent were Toxoplasma seropositive, with 20.4 per cent and 2 per cent being IgG- and IgM-positive, respectively. Among the participants, those who had occupational exposure to soil had the highest risk for toxoplasmosis (p < 0.043, OR=7.243).ConclusionThe seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in HIV/AIDS patients is lower in Arak than in the general population in most parts of Iran. This is possibly owing to racial and geographic differences

Effect of the Walking Exercise Program on Cancer-Related Fatigue in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia Undergoing Chemotherapy

publishedVersio

Interactive Multi-level planning for energy management in clustered microgrids considering flexible demands

This paper presents a novel interactive multi-level planning strategy for the energy management of distribution networks with clustered microgrids (CMGs). CMGs are a group of microgrids with multiple renewable energy resources that comprise various technologies, such as photovoltaic systems, wind turbines, micro turbines and electric vehicles. This study develops an innovative multi-level optimization framework for the energy management coordination between microgrids and CMGs in the lower level, between clusters and distribution systems, and finally between distribution systems and upstream networks in the upper level. Accordingly, an hourly optimal energy management (HOEM) system is applied to minimize the multi-objective objective function for each level. The lower level may be operated in islanded or grid-connected mode in some hours. This is decided by changing switches between MGs, clusters, and grids, while the upper level is only operated in the grid-connected mode. Moreover, a demand response program that has a great effect on the hourly planning of switches is modeled in the upper level. The proposed model is tested on CMGs and actual distribution systems. The results show the significance of this planning strategy in the techno-economic aspects and optimal power transaction in the distribution system operation.© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Genetic Linkage Analysis of the DFNB21 Locus in Autosomal Recessive Hearing Loss in Large Families from Khuzestan Province

Background: Hearing loss (HL) is the most common congenital defect in humans. One or two in thousand newborn babies have prelingual hearing loss. Autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL) is the most common form of hereditary deafness. Hearing loss is more common in the developing countries which is due to genetic and environmental (cultural -health factors) reasons. HL has a wide range of clinical demonstrations including: congenital or late onset, conductive or sensoryneural, syndromic or non-syndromic hearing loss. The goal of this project is to determine the portion of the DFNB21 (TECTA) in ARNSHL in families with negative GJB2 gene in Khuzestan province. Materials and Methods: We studied 21 families with ARNSHL with at least 4 patients and negative for GJB2 mutations from Khuzestan province. Genetic linkage analysis was performed using STR markers linked to DFNB21 locus. Results: Following genetic linkage analysis and haplotyping, out of 21 families with ARNSHL, one family showed linkage to the DFNB21 (TECTA) locus. Conclusion: The results of this project confirm other studies in Iran and give insight into the most common loci causing ARNSHL in Iran which could be helpful in research and clinic

Isolation and Genotyping of Acanthamoeba from Soil Samples in Markazi Province, Iran

AIM: A previous study confirmed the contamination of water sources with this parasite in Arak, Markazi Province, Iran. The current study investigated soil sources and determined the predominant genotype of Acanthamoeba in this region of Iran. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-eight soil samples, collected from different regions of Arak, Markazi province, Iran, were evaluated in this study. The samples were processed and identified by culturing on a specific medium, performing PCR assay, and sequencing the PCR products. Finally, using the NCBI database, the genotypes were determined. RESULTS: Of 48 soil samples, 33.3% and 31.25% were contaminated with Acanthamoeba according to the culture and molecular assays, respectively. The majority of these isolates belonged to the T4, T5 and T6 genotypes of Acanthamoeba. CONCLUSION: The genotypes of most isolates from soil samples in Arak similar to other regions of Iran belong to T4 genotype of this parasite. New sequence accession numbers include MG066681 and MG298785-MG298794. &nbsp

A comparative study on the effect of ethanol extract of wild<em> Scrophularia deserti </em>and streptomycin on<em> Brucellla melitensis</em>

Introduction: Brucellosis or Malta fever is one of the most prevalent bacterial zoonosis which is transmitted to human being from animals. High fever, myalgia, and arthralgia of the large joints are the important symptoms. This study was aimed to evaluate the anti-brucellosis effect of ethanol extract of wild snapdragon on Brucella melitensis bacteria. Methods: This is an experimental in which after preparing the ethanol extract of wild Snapdragon (Scrophularia deserti), the anti-Brucellosis impressions of the extract on Brucella melitensis which is separated from goat&rsquo;s abortive fetus were studied by serial dilution and disc diffusion method. Results: In disc diffusion test, the disc containing 60 &mu;g/ml extract the inhibition zone was 9.7mm after 72, for streptomycin (20 &mu;g/disc) 13.3 mm and for streptomycin plus 60 &mu;g/disc extract discs it was 21.5 mm, after 72 hours incubation at 37 centigrade. After analyzing the data; the MIC for serial dilution test was 52 (576 &mu;g/ml) for the first repetition and 50 (576 &mu;g/ml) for the third repetition of the extract with OD600=1.56. For standard medicine "streptomycin" with OD600=1.67 it was 52 (360 &mu;g/ml). Conclusion: Ethanol extract of wild Scrophularia deserti is effective on Brucellla melitensis and its consumption might be useful in these patients.</p

Effect of dehydroepiandrosterone on meiotic spindle structure and oocyte quality in mice

Objective(s): Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has been reported to improve pregnancy chances in women with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) and to reduce miscarriage rates by 50–80%. This study, therefore, assesses effects of DHEA on number of retrieved oocytes and meiotic spindles.Materials and Methods: A randomized, prospective, controlled study was conducted on eight groups, four groups of young mice and four elderly. All young and old groups received different oral doses (35, 50, 75 mg/kg) of DHEA for 3 months. Meiotic spindle assessment was done by immunocytochemical techniques using a confocal laser microscope (Leica TCS-4D).Results: Statistical surveys showed that in control young groups 80% (P=0.0845) and in the old control group 73.3% (P=0.000) of the meiotic spindles have a normal shape and structure; the difference was meaningful. The young with 50 mg/kg of DHEA in 85.4% and the young with 75 mg/kg of DHEA in 84.2% were normal in shape and structure. Statistical analysis showed that the difference was meaningless (P=0.845). The old group with 30 mg/kg of DHEA in 81.1%, the old with 50 mg/kg of DHEA in 83.9%, and the old with 75 mg/kg of DHEA in 79.0% showed normal shape and structure. The meiotic spindle disruption ratio in old mice showed a significant difference (P=0.000) in comparison with others in young groups. Statistical analysis showed that difference between DHEA and control groups is meaningful. But this difference was meaningless between DHEA groups.Conclusion: Results showed that DHEA has a positive and improvement effect on the meiotic spindle in old mice

Socioeconomic inequalities in prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension: evidence from the PERSIAN cohort study

Background Elevated blood pressure is associated with cardiovascular disease, stroke and chronic kidney disease. In this study, we examined the socioeconomic inequality and its related factors in prevalence, Awareness, Treatment and Control (ATC) of hypertension (HTN) in Iran. Method The study used data from the recruitment phase of The Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN (PERSIAN). A sample of 162,842 adults aged > = 35 years was analyzed. HTN was defined according to the Joint National Committee)JNC-7(. socioeconomic inequality was measured using concentration index (Cn) and curve. Results The mean age of participants was 49.38(SD = +/- 9.14) years and 44.74% of the them were men. The prevalence of HTN in the total population was 22.3%(95% CI: 20.6%; 24.1%), and 18.8%(95% CI: 16.8%; 20.9%) and 25.2%(95% CI: 24.2%; 27.7%) in men and women, respectively. The percentage of awareness treatment and control among individuals with HTN were 77.5%(95% CI: 73.3%; 81.8%), 82.2%(95% CI: 70.2%; 81.6%) and 75.9%(95% CI: 70.2%; 81.6%), respectively. The Cn for prevalence of HTN was -0.084. Two factors, age (58.46%) and wealth (32.40%), contributed most to the socioeconomic inequality in the prevalence of HTN. Conclusion The prevalence of HTN was higher among low-SES individuals, who also showed higher levels of awareness. However, treatment and control of HTN were more concentrated among those who had higher levels of SES, indicating that people at a higher risk of adverse event related to HTN (the low SES individuals) are not benefiting from the advantage of treatment and control of HTN. Such a gap between diagnosis (prevalence) and control (treatment and control) of HTN needs to be addressed by public health policymakers

Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol

High blood cholesterol is typically considered a feature of wealthy western countries(1,2). However, dietary and behavioural determinants of blood cholesterol are changing rapidly throughout the world(3) and countries are using lipid-lowering medications at varying rates. These changes can have distinct effects on the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, which have different effects on human health(4,5). However, the trends of HDL and non-HDL cholesterol levels over time have not been previously reported in a global analysis. Here we pooled 1,127 population-based studies that measured blood lipids in 102.6 million individuals aged 18 years and older to estimate trends from 1980 to 2018 in mean total, non-HDL and HDL cholesterol levels for 200 countries. Globally, there was little change in total or non-HDL cholesterol from 1980 to 2018. This was a net effect of increases in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreases in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe. As a result, countries with the highest level of non-HDL cholesterol-which is a marker of cardiovascular riskchanged from those in western Europe such as Belgium, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Malta in 1980 to those in Asia and the Pacific, such as Tokelau, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. In 2017, high non-HDL cholesterol was responsible for an estimated 3.9 million (95% credible interval 3.7 million-4.2 million) worldwide deaths, half of which occurred in east, southeast and south Asia. The global repositioning of lipid-related risk, with non-optimal cholesterol shifting from a distinct feature of high-income countries in northwestern Europe, north America and Australasia to one that affects countries in east and southeast Asia and Oceania should motivate the use of population-based policies and personal interventions to improve nutrition and enhance access to treatment throughout the world.Peer reviewe

Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories: a pooled analysis of 2181 population-based studies with 65 million participants

Summary Background Comparable global data on health and nutrition of school-aged children and adolescents are scarce. We aimed to estimate age trajectories and time trends in mean height and mean body-mass index (BMI), which measures weight gain beyond what is expected from height gain, for school-aged children and adolescents. Methods For this pooled analysis, we used a database of cardiometabolic risk factors collated by the Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Collaboration. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends from 1985 to 2019 in mean height and mean BMI in 1-year age groups for ages 5–19 years. The model allowed for non-linear changes over time in mean height and mean BMI and for non-linear changes with age of children and adolescents, including periods of rapid growth during adolescence. Findings We pooled data from 2181 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in 65 million participants in 200 countries and territories. In 2019, we estimated a difference of 20 cm or higher in mean height of 19-year-old adolescents between countries with the tallest populations (the Netherlands, Montenegro, Estonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina for boys; and the Netherlands, Montenegro, Denmark, and Iceland for girls) and those with the shortest populations (Timor-Leste, Laos, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea for boys; and Guatemala, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Timor-Leste for girls). In the same year, the difference between the highest mean BMI (in Pacific island countries, Kuwait, Bahrain, The Bahamas, Chile, the USA, and New Zealand for both boys and girls and in South Africa for girls) and lowest mean BMI (in India, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, Ethiopia, and Chad for boys and girls; and in Japan and Romania for girls) was approximately 9–10 kg/m2. In some countries, children aged 5 years started with healthier height or BMI than the global median and, in some cases, as healthy as the best performing countries, but they became progressively less healthy compared with their comparators as they grew older by not growing as tall (eg, boys in Austria and Barbados, and girls in Belgium and Puerto Rico) or gaining too much weight for their height (eg, girls and boys in Kuwait, Bahrain, Fiji, Jamaica, and Mexico; and girls in South Africa and New Zealand). In other countries, growing children overtook the height of their comparators (eg, Latvia, Czech Republic, Morocco, and Iran) or curbed their weight gain (eg, Italy, France, and Croatia) in late childhood and adolescence. When changes in both height and BMI were considered, girls in South Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and some central Asian countries (eg, Armenia and Azerbaijan), and boys in central and western Europe (eg, Portugal, Denmark, Poland, and Montenegro) had the healthiest changes in anthropometric status over the past 3·5 decades because, compared with children and adolescents in other countries, they had a much larger gain in height than they did in BMI. The unhealthiest changes—gaining too little height, too much weight for their height compared with children in other countries, or both—occurred in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, New Zealand, and the USA for boys and girls; in Malaysia and some Pacific island nations for boys; and in Mexico for girls. Interpretation The height and BMI trajectories over age and time of school-aged children and adolescents are highly variable across countries, which indicates heterogeneous nutritional quality and lifelong health advantages and risks