75 research outputs found
Paternal parentage of the child born by embryo donation in Jurisprudence and Law of Iran
Although passing the Method of Embryo Donation to Sterile Spouses Act in 2003 was a positive step toward regularizing one of assisted reproduction methods, but it may be criticized due to some vagueness in its content, lack of sanction, and referring many essential issues to bylaw. One of the most important problems of this Act is that it does not clarity parentage and the legal effects of embryo donation causing confusion in the financial and non financial rights of the child. There are a lot of disagreements in jurisprudence and Law on this issue and each offers defendable principles to prove its case. Some consider the sperm donor, and some others consider the legal father as the real father of the child. Still others believe that these children are fatherless. Based on the result of the discussion, regarding the philosophy of enacting laws, intention of donors and recipients of embryos, and most importantly considering the best interest of the child which has been greatly emphasized in Islam, and also stated in the international conventions, the Iranian legislator should consider the recipients of the embryo as the legal parents of the child noting a kind of abstractive and presumed parentage. Keywords Embryo donation, paternal parentage, legal husband, sperm dono
Epidemiology of hepatitis C virus in Iran
In Iran, the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV)
infection is relatively low according to the populationb
a s e d e p i d e m i o l o g i c a l s t u d i e s . H o w e ve r, t h e
epidemiology of HCV is changing and the rate of HCV
infection is increasing due to the growth in the number
of injecting drug users in the society. In addition, a shift
has occurred in the distribution pattern of HCV genotypes
among HCV-infected patients in Iran. Genotype 1a is the
most prevalent genotype in Iran, but in recent years,
an increase in the frequency of 3a and a decrease in
1a and 1b have been reported. These variations in the
epidemiology of HCV reflect differences in the routes of
transmission, status of public health, lifestyles, and risk
factors in different groups and geographic regions of Iran.
Health policy makers should consider these differences to
establish better strategies for control and prevention of
HCV infection. Therefore, this review was conducted to
present a clear view regarding the current epidemiology
of HCV infection in Iran.
Key words: Hepatitis C virus; Blood donors; Injecting
drug users; Hemodialysis; Hemophilia; Thalassemia;
Genotypes; Occult hepatitis C virus; Epidemiology; Ira
Epidemiology of hepatitis C virus in Iran
In Iran, the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV)
infection is relatively low according to the populationb
a s e d e p i d e m i o l o g i c a l s t u d i e s . H o w e ve r, t h e
epidemiology of HCV is changing and the rate of HCV
infection is increasing due to the growth in the number
of injecting drug users in the society. In addition, a shift
has occurred in the distribution pattern of HCV genotypes
among HCV-infected patients in Iran. Genotype 1a is the
most prevalent genotype in Iran, but in recent years,
an increase in the frequency of 3a and a decrease in
1a and 1b have been reported. These variations in the
epidemiology of HCV reflect differences in the routes of
transmission, status of public health, lifestyles, and risk
factors in different groups and geographic regions of Iran.
Health policy makers should consider these differences to
establish better strategies for control and prevention of
HCV infection. Therefore, this review was conducted to
present a clear view regarding the current epidemiology
of HCV infection in Iran.
Key words: Hepatitis C virus; Blood donors; Injecting
drug users; Hemodialysis; Hemophilia; Thalassemia;
Genotypes; Occult hepatitis C virus; Epidemiology; Ira
Epidemiology of Hepatitis E in Pregnant Women and Children in Iran: A General Overview
From an epidemiological point of view, hepatitis E is an old
infection in Iran, but only recently has its importance as a
public health concern been considered from research and
public health standpoints. As such, there is still a long road
ahead to clarify the real burden of hepatitis E virus (HEV)
infection in Iran. According to the available epidemiological
studies, the seroprevalence of HEV infection among pregnant
women is between 3.6% and 7.4%, and among Iranian
children is between 0.9% to 8.5%, varying by geographic
regions within the country and directly dependent upon the
sanitary status of each. In addition to evaluating the sanitation
level of a society, community-based seroprevalence
studies of HEV infection demonstrate the most prevalent risk
factors, the major routes of transmission, and the epidemiological
patterns of HEV among that country’s population. In
this review, the current knowledge about the pathogenesis
and epidemiology of HEV infection in pregnant women and
children in Iran, as well as the recent advances in diagnosis,
prevention and treatment of HEV infection have been summarized
Epidemiology of hepatitis E virus in Iran
Iran is known as an endemic country for hepatitis E
virus (HEV) infection, while there are variations in
the epidemiology of HEV infection throughout the
country. The available epidemiological studies in
different regions of Iran show HEV seroprevalence
of 1.1%-14.2% among general population, 4.5%
-14.3% among blood donors, 6.1%-22.8% among
injecting drug users, 6.3%-28.3% among hemodialysis
patients, 1.6%-11.3% among patients infected
with other hepatitis viruses, 27.5% among patients
with chronic liver disease, 30.8% among kidney
transplant recipient patients, and 10%-16.4% among
human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients.
These variations reflect differences in the status of
public health and hygiene, risk factors, and routes
of transmission in different regions and groups.
Therefore, it is necessary to review the epidemiology
of HEV infection to determine the most prevalent risk
factors and routes of transmission, and to evaluate
the effectiveness of preventive strategies employed
in the public health services of the country. Moreover,
the other epidemiological aspects of HEV, including the
genotypic pattern, extra hepatic manifestations, and
incidence of chronic infection need to be investigated
among Iranian population to expand the current
knowledge on the epidemiology of HEV and to clarify
the real burden of HEV infection. Therefore, this review
was performed to provide a general overview regarding
the epidemiology of HEV in Iran
Utilizing Microbiome Approaches for Antibiotic Resistance Analysis; an Ocular Case Evaluation
Background: Metaorganism or microbial communities of eukaryotic organisms provide an inclusive set of functions related to immunity, host metabolism, and stress tolerance. Ocular microbiota refers to pathogenic and commensal microorganisms in or on the eye. On the one hand, antibiotic treatment can give rise to pathogen overgrowth due to an imbalance of microbiota and cause various ophthalmic diseases. On the other, antibiotic therapy is considered the leading cause of antibiotic resistance. The present study aimed to describe the bacterial community changes following antibiotic treatment in the ocular surface microbiome.
Material and Methods: In this scenario, we evaluated the composition of thirteen canine ocular microbiomes during treatment with a typical mixture of antibiotics, neomycin-polymyxin-bacitracin. Microbiome taxonomy and downstream bacterial richness and evenness were analyzed using microbiome bioinformatics platforms.
Results: Accordingly, bacterial taxonomy at the level of phyla and genus was mapped, and alter of antibiotic resistance genes werereported. An increase in the Staphylococcus genus traced during the time and one month following antibiotic treatment. Bacterial network, alpha, and beta diversity indicated a significant microbiota change at the genus level.
Conclusion: This study highlights the effect of commonly used ocular antibiotics on commensal microbiota and the emergence of the antibiotic-resistant genus
Prevalence of Hepatitis E Virus among Adults in South-West of Iran
Background. Knowledge regarding prevalence of HEV in general population can be an indicator of the public health and hygiene.
Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence ofHEV among adults in South-West of Iran. Methods. Blood samples
were taken from510 participants, 206 (40.4%) males and 304 (59.6%) females fromFebruary to July 2014.Detection of anti-HEVIgG
and IgM antibodies was carried out by ELISA test. Results.The overall anti-HEV IgG and IgMprevalence rates were 46.1% and 1.4%,
respectively.Anti-HEVIgG and IgMseropositivitywere not statistically associated with gender and race/ethnicity.Meanwhile, there
were significant differences between the age groups regarding HEV IgG and IgMseropositivity. HEV IgG seroprevalence increased
with age from 14.3% in subjects aged 18–30 years to 71.4%in persons over 71 years old, and considerably individuals aged 61 to 70
years had the highest HEV prevalence (90.9%). Also, 5.7% in the age group 18–30 years and 2.2% in the age group 31–40 years were
positive for anti-HEV IgM antibodies and the highest rate was observed in subjects aged 18–30 years. Conclusion. In conclusion,
high HEV IgG seroprevalence of 46.1% was observed among adults in South-West of Iran
Design and Production of a Multiepitope Construct Derived From Hepatitis E Virus Capsid Protein
The aim of this study was to design a high
density multiepitope protein, which can be
a promising multiepitope vaccine candidate
against Hepatitis E virus (HEV). Initially, conserved
and antigenic helper T-lymphocyte
(HTL) epitopes in the HEV capsid protein were
predicted by in silico analysis. Subsequently, a
multiepitope comprising four HTL epitopes
with high-affinity binding to the HLA molecules
was designed, and repeated four times as high
density multiepitope construct. This construct
was synthesized and cloned into pET-30a (þ)
vector. Then, it was transformed and expressed
in Escherichia coli BL21 cells. The high
density multiepitope protein was purified by
Ni-NTA agarose and concentrated using Amicon
filters. Finally, the immunological properties
of this high density multiepitope protein
were evaluated in vitro. The results showed
that the high density multiepitope construct
was successfully expressed and purified. SDSPAGE
and Western blot analyses showed the
presence of a high density multiepitope protein
band of approximately 33 kDa. Approximately
1mg of the purified protein was obtained
from each liter of the culture media. Moreover,
the purified multiepitope protein was capable
of induction of proliferation responses, IFN-g
ELISPOT responses and IFN-g and IL-12 cytokines
production in a significant level in
peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)
isolated from HEV-recovered individuals compared
to the control group. In conclusion,
the newly produced multiepitope protein can
induce significant T helper type 1 responses in
vitro, and can be considered as a novel strategy
for the development of HEV vaccines in the
future. J. Med. Virol
Molecular evaluation of hepatitis B virus infection and predominant mutations of pre-core, basal core promoter and S regions in an Iranian population with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a case–control study
This study was designed to evaluate the prevalence, genotypic patterns, and predominant mutations of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among diabetic patients.
Methods
Serum samples were obtained from 733 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 782 non-diabetic controls. The presence of HBsAg and HBcAb was determined by ELISA. Nested PCR, targeting S and pre-core regions of the HBV genome, followed by sequencing was carried out to determine HBV genotypes and predominant mutations in the S, basal core promoter (BCP), and pre-core regions of the HBV genome.
Results
Of 733 diabetic patients, 94 cases (12.82%) were positive for HBcAb, 28 cases (3.82%) were positive for HBsAg, and 19 cases (2.59%) had HBV-DNA with genotype D, sub-genotype D1/D3 and subtype ayw2. An occult HBV infection was found in one of the HBV DNA-positive samples, which was positive for HBcAb but negative for HBsAg. P120T/G145R, G1896A/G1899A, and A1762T/G1764T were the most frequent point substitution mutations detected in the S, pre-core, and BCP regions of the HBV genome, respectively. P120T and G145R mutations were associated with low levels or undetectable levels of HBsAg in serum. Therefore, routine tests based on HBsAg detection cannot detect HBsAg-negative infected patients.
Conclusions
Relatively high prevalence of HBV infection was found in diabetic patients, while all of the HBV-infected patients were unaware of their infection. Therefore, screening for HBV infection should be included in the management program of diabetes for timely diagnosis and treatment of infected but asymptomatic patients
BK and JC polyomaviruses and risk of urothelial bladder carcinoma: a preliminary study in the northern shores of Persian Gulf, Iran
Abstract
Background: Bladder cancer is a challenging public health concern in South of Iran because of its high prevalence
and the related medical expenses. Although the exact etiology of bladder cancer remains unknown, given the cell
transforming ability and oncogenic potential of the members of Polyomaviridae families, this study was conducted to
evaluate the magnitude of BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) and John Cunningham polyomavirus (JCPyV) among patients
with bladder cancer residents in the northern shores of the Persian Gulf, South of Iran.
Methods: Totally 211 patients with bladder cancer were enrolled in this study. Bladder biopsy samples of these
patients and patients with interstitial cystitis as well as autoptic samples of healthy bladder were tested for detection
of BKPyV and JCPyV by semi-nested PCR–RFLP followed by sequencing.
Results: BKPyV and JCPyV were detected in 1.7% and 6.1% of bladder cancer samples, respectively. These samples
were infected with JCPyV genotypes 2, 3 and 6 and BKPyV genotypes I and IV. BKPyV and JCPyV coinfection was
detected in 2 samples. Moreover, one of the healthy bladder samples was positive for BKPyV, and one of the interstitial
cystitis samples was positive for JCPyV. Although the majority of infected patients were in the age group 70–79 years,
male, residents in Tangestan, stage Ta–T1, and low-grade and high-grade papillary urothelial carcinoma, the preva-
lence of BKPyV and JCPyV among patients with bladder cancer was not statistically associated with age, gender, place
of residency, and stage and grade of the tumor.
Conclusion: Despite identifying BKPyV and JCPyV in a number of bladder cancer biopsy specimens and the high
prevalence of bladder cancer among people resident in South of Iran, it is suggested that these viruses are unlikely
to be effective causative factors in bladder carcinogenesis in this region. Therefore, environmental risk factors and
genetic backgrounds may have a more prominent role than human polyomaviruses in the development of bladder
cancer in South of Iran.
Keywords: Urothelial bladder carcinoma, Human polyomavirus, BK polyomavirus, John Cunningham polyomavirus,
Prevalence, Genotype, Risk factors, Ira
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