Antibiotic Resistance of Vibrio cholerae Isolates from Kashan, Iran

Aims: Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease that can lead to severe dehydration and death. Antibiotic resistance is a big challenge in infective disease like Cholera. The present study aimed to understand the characteristics and trends of antibiotic resistance of V. cholerae isolations in and around Kashan, Iran. Instrument & Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, samples were gathered using census method from 1998 to 2013 in Kashan, Iran. 1132 fecal samples of patients with acute diarrhea and 237 samples of suspected water samples were taken. The serotypes and biotypes were determined by an enzymatic method. Antibiotic susceptibility test was performed by using Disk Diffusion Method. Data were analyzed using SPSS 23 software. Fisher-exact and Chi-square tests were used to compare the statistical parameters. Findings: 96 fecal samples (8.5) and 18 water samples (7.6) were positive for Vibrio cholerae. Non-agglutinating (Nag) isolates (75.4) were more common than serotype Inaba (13.2) and Ogawa (11.4). Nag serotypes were mostly resistant to cefixime (44) and ampicillin (33). In contaminated water samples also the most frequent cases were Nag serotype (50). Nag serotype showed 22.2 of resistance to ampicillin and nitrofurantoin. Conclusion: Vibrio cholerae isolates in Kashan, Iran, are highly resistant to antibiotics, especially Nag serotypes

Population-Based Resequencing of LIPG and ZNF202 Genes in Subjects with Extreme HDL Levels

Endothelial lipase (LIPG) and zinc finger protein 202 (ZNF202) are two pivotal genes in high density lipoprotein (HDL metabolism). We sought to determine their genetic contribution to variation in HDL-cholesterol levels by comprehensive resequencing of both genes in 235 individuals with high or low HDL-C levels. The selected subjects were 141 Whites (High HDL Group: n = 68, x¯=76.90mg/dl; Low HDL Group: n = 73, x¯=32.55mg/dl) and 94 Hispanics (High HDL Group: n = 46, x¯=74.85mg/dl; Low HDL Group: n = 48, x¯=29.95mg/dl). We identified a total of 185 and 122 sequence variants in LIPG and ZNF202, respectively. We found only two missense variants in LIPG (T111I and N396S) and two in ZNF202 (A154V and K259E). In both genes, there were several variants unique to either the low or high HDL group. For LIPG, the proportion of unique variants differed between the high and low HDL groups in both Whites (p = 0.022) and Hispanics (p = 0.017), but for ZNF202 this difference was observed only in Hispanics (p = 0.021). We also identified a common haplotype in ZNF202 among Whites that was significantly associated with the high HDL group (p = 0.013). These findings provide insights into the genetics of LIPG and ZNF202, and suggest that sequence variants occurring with high frequency in non-exonic regions may play a prominent role in modulating HDL-C levels in the general population

Factors affecting the outcome of community-acquired pneumonia among the patients hospitalized in Beheshti hospital (Kashan-Iran)

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common infectious disease with high morbidity and mortality. The goal of this study was to evaluate the factors affecting the outcome of pneumonia among the Beheshti hospital patients. Materials and Methods: This cohort study was done on pneumonia patients (n=140) in Kashan Beheshti hospital during 2014-2015. A questionnaire consisting the demographic, clinical and paraclinical findings and outcomes was filled-out. Results: Eighty three (59.3) out of 140 patients were male and 57(40.7) women. The majority of cases were ≥50 years old (mean age 60.02±1.70) .There was a history of diabetes in 54(38.6) .The most common signs and symptoms were coughing and the lung rales. The ninty-one and 9 of the cases were improved and complicated condition, respectively. The complication were: pleural effusion (77), empiyema (15) and abscess (8).There was positive CRP (100); increased ESR (82) and leukocytosis (80). While, there was no statistical association between the sex, age and clinical symptoms with the disease complication and outcome, there was a significant correlation between the first BS, HbA1C, CRP, duration of hospitalization, radiographic pattern and diabetes with disease outcome. Conclusion: Considering the association between the diabetes in one side and some factors (outcome of pneumonia, duration of hospitalization, history of pneumonia, times of admission, BS at admission, HbA1c, bilateral involvement, leukocytosis, increased ESR, CRP and CURB 65, the diabetes should be considered as an important factor affecting the pneumonia outcome. The managed control of diabetes can improve the pneumonia outcome

Solution of nonlinear Volterra-Hammerstein integral equations via rationalized Haar functions

Rationalized Haar functions are developed to approximate the solutions of the nonlinear Volterra-Hammerstein integral equations. Properties of Rationalized Haar functions are first presented, and the operational matrix of integration together with the product operational matrix are utilized to reduce the computation of integral equations to into some algebraic equations. The method is computationally attractive, and applications are demonstrated through illustrative examples

Semiorthogonal spline wavelets approximation for Fredholm integro-differential equations

A method for solving the nonlinear second-order Fredholm integro-differential equations is presented. The approach is based on a compactly supported linear semiorthogonal B-spline wavelets. The operational matrices of derivative for B-spline scaling functions and wavelets are presented and utilized to reduce the solution of Fredholm integro-differential to the solution of algebraic equations. Illustrative examples are included to demonstrate the validity and applicability of the technique

Profiles of risk: a qualitative study of injecting drug users in Tehran, Iran

BACKGROUND: In Iran, there are an estimated 200,000 injecting drug users (IDUs). Injecting drug use is a relatively new phenomenon for this country, where opium smoking was the predominant form of drug use for hundreds of years. As in many countries experiencing a rise in injecting drug use, HIV/AIDS in Iran is associated with the injection of drugs, accounting for transmission of more than two-thirds of HIV infections. This study aimed to: describe the range of characteristics of IDUs in Tehran, Iran's capital city; 2) examine the injecting-related HIV risk behaviors of IDUs, and 3) suggest necessary interventions to prevent HIV transmission among IDUs and their families and sex partners. METHODS: Using rapid assessment and response methods with a qualitative focus, six districts of Tehran were selected for study. A total of 81 key informants from different sectors and 154 IDUs were selected by purposeful, opportunistic and snowball sampling, then interviewed. Ethnographic observations were done for mapping and studying injecting-related HIV risk settings and behaviors. Modified content analysis methods were used to analyze the data and extract typologies of injecting drug users in Tehran. RESULTS: Evidence of injecting drug use and drug-related harm was found in 5 of 6 study districts. Several profiles of IDUs were identified: depending on their socioeconomic status and degree of stability, IDUs employed different injecting behaviors and syringe hygiene practices. The prevalence of sharing injection instruments ranged from 30–100%. Varied magnitudes of risk were evident among the identified IDU typologies in terms of syringe disinfection methods, level of HIV awareness, and personal hygiene exhibited. At the time of research, there were no active HIV prevention programs in existence in Tehran. CONCLUSION: The recent rise of heroin injection in Iran is strongly associated with HIV risk. Sharing injection instruments is a common and complex behavior among Iranian IDUs. For each profile of IDU we identified, diverse and targeted interventions for decreasing sharing behavior and/or its harms are suggested. Some notable efforts to reduce the harm of injecting drug use in Iran have recently been accomplished, but further policies and action-oriented research for identification of effective preventive interventions are urgently needed

Investigating the Relationship between the Structure of Educational Program and Research Outputs in Top Iranian and international Architectural Schools

Academic educational programs such as architectural programs are all influenced by the quality of education and Premier academic staff. They also consist of theoretical, practical and experimental units. One of the criteria for evaluating such international educational programs is the rate of their research outputs in an international ranking called QS. The lack of knowledge about the relationship between the structure of educational programs and the rate of their research outputs in an international scale causes the inconsistency between educational programs and research outputs. This matter consequently leads to a lower international ranking of universities. Thus, the current article aimed at addressing this issue for the first time. To collect data, the thirteen and three top international and Iranian architectural faculties with higher impact factors in the global rankings were selected. Then, the meaningful relationship between the research outputs and their educational systems upstream and downstream levels, including the relationship between the quality of education, educational programs, faculty members and allotted hours to theoretical, practical and experimental units and the research outputs were investigated. The results revealed that there is no relationship between having top academic staff and allotted hours to theoretical, practical and experimental units and the research outputs in all top international faculties. In addition, the results showed that there is no relationship between the hours allotted to research units and the research outputs of top three Iranian architectural faculties