Risk Factors of Anthroponotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Among Residents in Endemic Communities in Southeast of Iran in 2019

Introduction: In this study, we aimed to identify the risk factors associated with the incidence of A.C.L in three endemic areas of Kerman City. Moreover, the residents' knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards A.C.L were assessed. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 195 residents of three endemic areas in Kerman City involved by A.C.L disease from January to March 2019. The risk factors for A.C.L were recorded using a checklist. Structured questionnaire was administered for data collection. Data were analyzed by ANOVA, correlation analysis, and linear regression via SPSS version 22. Results: The main risk factors for A.C.L identified in the study areas included construction waste, presence of old and dilapidated houses, poor sanitary conditions, refugee and immigration, as well as the presence of domestic animals in close physical proximity to humans. The response rate of this questionnaire was 100 . Among the respondents, 41.5 were males and 58.5 were females. Majority of the respondents (61) claimed that they had heard about A.C.L and were familiar with this infectious disease. Only 25, 66.7, and 32 of the respondents had good knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards A.C.L, respectively. No significant association was found between the participants' gender and their levels of knowledge (P = 0.827), attitudes (P = 0.446), and practices (P = 0.603). Conclusions: The residents of endemic areas had a weak level of knowledge towards A.C.L. So, educational programs should be implemented in order to improve the residents' knowledge in Kerman City. © 2021. All Rights Reserved

Radio Pulsars

Almost 50 years after radio pulsars were discovered in 1967, our understanding of these objects remains incomplete. On the one hand, within a few years it became clear that neutron star rotation gives rise to the extremely stable sequence of radio pulses, that the kinetic energy of rotation provides the reservoir of energy, and that electromagnetic fields are the braking mechanism. On the other hand, no consensus regarding the mechanism of coherent radio emission or the conversion of electromagnetic energy to particle energy yet exists. In this review, we report on three aspects of pulsar structure that have seen recent progress: the self-consistent theory of the magnetosphere of an oblique magnetic rotator; the location, geometry, and optics of radio emission; and evolution of the angle between spin and magnetic axes. These allow us to take the next step in understanding the physical nature of the pulsar activity.Comment: Invited review for Space Science Review