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Mycobacterium tuberculosis typing using Allele-specific oligonucleotide multiplex PCR (ASO�PCR) method
No full textMycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) genotyping provides valuable information related to the origin and the evolution of the isolates. This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) technique for lineages identification of M. tuberculosis and compare it with mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units�variable number of tandem repeats (MIRU�VNTR) method. The lineages of 162 clinically isolates were evaluated using six pair primers by Multiplex-PCR based on SNPs. Among 162 isolates, 70 (43.2) isolates were lineage 4, following that 62 (38.3) and 22 (13.6) isolates were lineage 3 and 2, respectively. The method could not type 8 (4.9) isolates. Moreover, we could identify 71 out of 79 unknown isolates resulted from the MIRU�VNTR method. The results showed that the SNP typing method has the potential to determine the lineages of M. tuberculosis as a rapid laboratory screening test. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
Association of fear of COVID-19 and preventive behaviors (PB) against COVID-19 in Iran
No full textIntroduction: The world is currently experiencing a pandemic of COVID-19. The pandemic may affect physical and mental health. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the fear of COVID-19 and study the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and preventive behaviors against COVID-19. Material and methods: We conducted a web-based cross-sectional study to evaluate the fear of COVID-19 and preventive behaviors against COVID-19 among the volunteer population in Golestan Province, Iran in May 2020 and June 2020. The online questionnaire included the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) and the prevention behaviors against COVID-19, which are used to assess the fear and prevention behaviors of the population, respectively. The data were presented by mean and frequency. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with Fear of COVID-19 at a significant level of 0.05 in Stata 14. Results: A total of 734 of the 900 individuals contacted completed the survey, with a participation rate of 81.5. The mean age of the participants was 33.97 ± 10.68 years and 375 (51.9) were females. The mean Fear of COVID-19 score in the participants was 19.69 ± 5.96. There was a significant positive correlation between Fear of COVID-19 and preventive behaviors (r = 0.19, p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed participants with a higher perceived threat of COVID-19, women, married participants, health workers and people with underlying diseases had higher levels of fear of COVID-19. Conclusions: The fear of COVID-19 in Iranian society is high, which indicates the need to pay attention to the mental health in pandemic conditions. Appropriate intervention action can be designed and implemented according to the factors that affect fear. In addition, it should be noted that people with less fear are less likely to observe the COVID-19�s preventative behaviors. © Copyright 2021 Via Medic
Aging, social distancing, and COVID-19 risk: Who is more vulnerable and why?
No full textPerceived social support represents an important predictor of healthy aging. The global COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the face of social relationships and revealed elderly to be particularly vulnerable to the effects of social isolation. Social distancing may represent a double-edged sword for older adults, protecting them against COVID-19 infection while also sacrificing personal interaction and attention at a critical time. Here, we consider the moderating role of social relationships as a potential influence on stress resilience, allostatic load, and vulnerability to infection and adverse health outcomes in the elderly population. Understanding the mechanisms how social support enhances resilience to stress and promotes mental and physical health into old age will enable new preventive strategies. Targeted social interventions may provide effective relief from the impact of COVID-19-related isolation and loneliness. In this regard, a pandemic may also offer a window of opportunity for raising awareness and mobilizing resources for new strategies that help build resilience in our aging population and future generations. Copyright: © 2021 Faraji J et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Antibiotic heteroresistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates: a systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textBackground: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is responsible for tuberculosis; that continues to be a public health threat across the globe. Furthermore, increasing heteroresistance (HR)-the presence of resistant and susceptible isolates among MTB strains- has been reported from around the world. This phenomenon can lead to full resistance development and treatment failure. Methods: We systematically searched the relevant studies in PubMed, Scopus, and Embase (Until October 21, 2020). The study outcomes revealed the weighted pooled prevalence of antibiotic HR in MTB isolates with subgroup analysis by year, quality of study, and heteroresistance detection method. Results: A total of 38 studies which had investigated MTB isolates were included in the meta-analysis. Geographically, the highest number of studies were reported from Asia (n = 24), followed by Africa (n = 5). Nineteen studies reported HR to isoniazid, with a weighted pooled prevalence of 5 (95 CI 0�12) among 11,761 MTB isolates. Also, there is no important trend for the subgroup analysis by the study period (2001�2014 vs 2015�2017 vs 2018�2020). HR to rifampin was reported in 17 studies, with a weighted pooled prevalence of 7 (95 CI 2�14) among 3782 MTB isolates. HR to fluoroquinolone and ethambutol were reported in 12 and 4 studies, respectively, with weighted pooled prevalence of 10 and 1 among 2153 and 1509 MTB isolates, correspondingly. Conclusion: Based on our analysis, HR in MTB isolates with different frequency rate is present worldwide. Thus, the selection of appropriate and reliable methods for HR detection is crucial for TB eradication. © 2021, The Author(s)
Evaluation of the compatibility of ultrasound and hysteroscopic findings and histopathological results in women with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB)
No full textBackground and aim: This study aimed to determine the compatibility of ultrasound and hysteroscopy findings and histopathological results in women with abnormal uterine bleeding. Due to the high prevalence of cesarean section in our country and since less attention has been paid to cesarean section defects (isthmocele) as a cause of abnormal uterine bleeding, even in cases where hysteroscopy findings and ultrasound are not fully matched, in the present study, the presence of isthmocele during hysteroscopy and its compliance with the ultrasound reports is examined. Material and method: In this cross-sectional study, 913 women with abnormal uterine bleeding who met the inclusion criteria, were studied. After obtaining written consent from the patients, hysteroscopy was performed under local or general anesthesia, and ultrasonography was also performed. If polyps or myoma were observed, the resection was performed using scissors or a resect scope. The site of cesarean section defects was also examined by hysteroscopy. In the absence of focal lesions, endometrial curettage was performed, and all samples were sent for pathological examination. Data were entered into SPSS software, version 23, and analyzed. Results: The study included 913 patients with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) with an average age of 41.13± 9.22. The mean duration of AUB in patients was 10.97±14.61 months. The most common form of bleeding was intermenstrual spotting, which was seen in 27.7 of patients, followed by menorrhagia in 26.4 and menometrorrhagia in 21.1. In ultrasonography findings, the most common findings were polyp and then myoma in 38.1 and 20.0 of patients, respectively. In hysteroscopy, the most common findings were polyp, myoma, and normal evaluation, respectively. A positive and significant correlation was found between the presence of isthmocele in ultrasonography and the number of cesarean sections (CC=0.189, p-value=0.0001) and the duration of bleeding (CC =0.086, p-value=0.009), and there was also a positive and significant correlation between isthmocele finding in hysteroscopy with the number of cesarean sections (CC=0.566, p-value=0.0001) and parity (CC=0.200, p-value=0.0001). An inverse and significant correlation was also observed between the age of patients and abnormal pathological findings in ultrasonography and hysteroscopy. Based on the kappa coefficient (19.2), hysteroscopy was a more appropriate method in diagnosing patients with AUB. Conclusion: The ultrasound and hysteroscopy diagnostic methods demonstrated appropriate sensitivity in investigating cases of abnormal uterine bleeding. However, the hysteroscopy was actually useful in diagnostic experiments of AUB. © 2021 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved
Impact of opium use on the conventional coronary artery risk factors among outpatients in Afghanistan: A case-control study in Andkhoy City
No full textBackground: According to a recent study, opium use like other risk factors, is considered an independent risk factor for Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). Its association with other risk factors increases the risk of CAD. However, debate continues about this association. Aim: To explore the association between the conventional CAD risk factors and opium use among patients visiting an outpatient clinic in Andkhoy, Afghanistan. Methods: The case-control study was performed on 574 patients aged 18 years and above including 161 opium addicts and (case group) and 413 non-addicts (control group) from October 2017 to April 2018. Results: There were 277 males (48.3) and 297 females (51.7). The mean age was 53.2 (±13.1) for opium users and 53.9 (±13.5) for non-opium users. Opium use was associated with male gender (OR=8.2, 95 CI: 4.2-16.0), smoking (OR=9.0, 95 CI: 4.7-17.3), decreased Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) levels (OR=1.0, 95 CI: 1.0-1.1), decreased total cholesterol levels (OR=3.4, 95 CI:1.8-6.2), physical inactivity (OR=3.9, 95 CI: 2.1-7.2), and hypertension (OR=15.1 95 CI: 6.7-33.8). Conclusions: We found that the opium use was associated with male gender, smoking, hypertension, decreased total serum cholesterol levels and decreased FBS levels. However, the association between opium use and the decreased total serum cholesterol levels and decreased FBS levels may be due to short-term hormonal and neural effects. Therefore, it should be advised not use opium as a cardioprotective agent. © 2021 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved
The effect of CRISPR constructs microinjection on the expression of developmental genes in Rag1 knocked-out mice embryo
No full textDespite all the advances in the production of transgenic mice, the production efficiency of these animal models is still low. Given that the expression of developmental genes has a critical role in growth and development of embryo, we determined the expression pattern of pluripotency, trophectoderm and imprinting genes in the Rag1 (recombination-activating gene 1) knocked-out blastocysts resulting from microinjection of CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9) constructs into the zygote cytoplasm of C57bl6 mice. Following microinjection, the embryos were cultured and the gene expression of developed blastocysts and natural blastocysts (Sham and control groups) were evaluated using real-time PCR. The agarose gel to confirm the deletion in the Rag1 gene in Rag1 knocked-out blastocyst. Our results showed that the expression of trophectoderm genes (-TEAD-4 and Cdx2), pluripotency genes (Nanog and Oct-4) and imprinting gene (H19) in the Rag1 knocked-out group was significantly lower compared with the embryos obtained from Natural fertilization. According to these findings, manipulation, embryo culture and microinjection of CRISPR constructs into the zygote cytoplasm of mice led to reduced expression of imprinting, pluripotency and trophectoderm genes. Therefore, the Rag1 knocked-out embryos produced by the CRISPR/Cas9 system are of low quality, which reduces the chances of live birth in these animals and may cause various abnormalities in fetuses. © 2021 The Authors Veterinary Medicine and Science Published by John Wiley & Sons Lt
CRISPR-Cas systems in Proteus mirabilis
No full textThe Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) is a bacterial defense mechanism against bacteriophages composed of two different parts: the CRISPR array and the Cas genes. The spacer acquisition is done by the adaptation module consisting of the hallmark Cas1 Cas2 proteins, which inserts new spacers into the CRISPR array. Here we aimed to describe the CRISPR-Cas system in Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis) isolates. CRISPR loci was observed in 30 genomic contents of 109 P. mirabilis isolates that each locus was consisted of two CRISPR arrays and each array had a different preserved leader sequences. Only the type I-E CRISPR-Cas system was common in these isolates. The source of the spacers was identified, including phages and prophages. CRISPR spacer origin analysis also identified a conserved PAM sequence of 5�-AAG-3� nucleotide stretch. Through collecting spacers, CRISPR arrays of P. mirabilis isolates were expanded mostly by integration of bacteriophageal source of spacers. This study shows novel findings in the area of the P-mirabilis CRISPR-Cas system. In this regard, among analyzed genome of P. mirabilis isolates, Class I CRISR-Cas systems were dominant, and all belonged to type I-E. In the flanks of the CRISPR, some other elements with regulatory role were also found. A motif of 11 nt size was found to be preserved among the analyzed genome. We believe that it might has a CRISPR-Cas system transcription facilitator by targeting the Rho element. © 2021 Elsevier B.V
Comparing the effect of two low-dose and high-dose four-drug regimens of furazolidone in eradicating helicobacter pylori
No full textBACKGROUND Antibiotic resistance is a major cause of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) treatment failures. The increased resistance to clarithromycin and metronidazole has reduced the ability of this therapeutic regimen and prompted researchers to look for other drugs. One of the antibiotics of interest in this regard is furazolidone because of its low drug resistance. The aim of this study is compare two-drug regimens including low-dose and high-dose furazolidone in the treatment of H. pylori. METHODS This study is a clinical trial in which the studied subjects were categorized into two groups. The first group underwent treatment with amoxicillin 1000 mg-BD, furazolidone 100 mg-BD, omeprazole 20 mg-BD, and bismuth subcitrate 240 mg-BD for two weeks (low-dose OFAB). The second group received furazolidone 200 mg-BD (high-dose OFAB). Then eight weeks after completion of the treatment, they were examined in terms of eradication via the UBT test. RESULTS 85 participants completed the study in each group. The response to treatment was 76 and 83 in the low and high-dose groups, respectively, based on intention to treat analysis. Based on per protocol analysis the response to treatment was 78 and 84, respectively, if excluded patients had completed their protocol and had response to treatment, and 72 and 79, respectively, if excluded patients had completed their protocol and did not have response to treatment (p = 0.298). In the low-dose and high-dose groups, 16.5 and 24.7 of the participants suffered the complications of treatment with furazolidone (p = 0.18), respec-tively. Three patients in the high-dose group and one in the low-dose group did not complete the treatment because of the medication�s bad taste (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION Low doses of furazolidone had a comparable therapeutic effect compared with high doses, but patients experienced significantly lower levels of bad taste, which was a major cause of reluctance to continue treatment. Therefore, we think four-drug low-dose furazolidone treatment is a good choice in eradicating H. pylori. © 2021 The Author(s)