parasite

Demodex spp., a cosmopolitan mite, can exist as a commensal or parasitic organism. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Demodex spp. infestation in patients with common skin diseases and explore the potential association between demodicosis and these conditions in Urmia, northwest Iran.

A total of 246 patients attending the Skin Polyclinic of Iranian Urmia Taleghani Hospital were enrolled in the study. Samples were taken from the nose wings, cheeks, and forehead regions of the face area of the persons using the standard superficial skin biopsy method.

Demodicosis was detected in 43 (16.3%) patients, with 42 cases attributed to D. folliculorum and 1 case to D. brevis infestation. The highest positivity was found in the 31‒50 (21.4%) and 51‒72 (22.2%) age groups. In the rela tionship between demodicosis and skin diseases, Demodex spp. was found in 13 (32.5%) of 40 patients who had skin disease; 6 of these patients with rosacea (42.9%) and 7 with eczema (29.2%). Mite infestation was found in 6 (37.5%) of 16 patients who had hemodialysis due to renal insufficiency. Furthermore, 46.7% of positive patients reported using common goods. The prevalence of demodicosis was similar among patients residing in villages (17.2%) and cities (17.6%).

This study sheds light on the potential association between Demodex infestation and common skin diseas es such as rosacea and eczema in Urmia, Iran. Therefore, there is a pressing need to augment research endeavors on de modicosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. Toxoplasma gondii infection is one of the risk factors of MS. Knowing the correlation between T. gondii infection and MS could lead to a better understanding of the disease incidence. This study aimed to assess the correlation between T. gondii infection and the disease incidence in infected individuals.

Serum samples of 38 MS patients referring to the neurology clinic of Ghaem hospital in Mashhad in 2019 were analyzed by Pishtazteb commercial kit for anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The obtained data were analyzed with SPSS software Version 20.

Among the 79 tested individuals, 22 were positive, and 57 were negative for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies. Among the negative cases, 29 (50.9%) had MS, and 28 (49.1%) were controls. Among the positive cases, nine (40.9%) patients had MS, and the remaining 13 (59.1%) were controls. The frequency of IgG antibody in the case and control groups was not significantly different (p= .427). Anti-T. gondii IgM antibody was negative in all samples. There was no significant difference between the types of MS regarding the frequency of anti-T. gondii antibodies (p= .402).

 No significant difference was found in the frequency of anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies between the two groups. However, further studies with larger sample sizes are recommended to gain a better understanding of the relationship between anti-T. gondii IgG antibody positivity and MS incidence

We aimed to investigate the frequency of Demodex infestation and clinical implications in connective tissue disease patients with facial erythema.

Patients diagnosed with a connective tissue disease and had facial erythema were consecutively enrolled in the study from 2019-2020. An age and gender matched control group was formed from healthy volunteers. Presence of Demodex was investigated by standardized skin surface biopsy. Number of Demodex mites over 5 per centimeter square was considered meaningful for infestation. Topical or systemic metronidazole treatment was given to the connective tissue disease patients with Demodex infestation. Facial erythema visual analog scale was questioned in patients at treatment onset and one month after.

A total of 31 connective tissue disease patients with facial erythema were enrolled. Control group included 31 healthy volunteers. Demographics and comorbidities were similar between groups. Demodex infestation was present in 58.1% of the disease group and in 25.8% of the control group (P=0.01). Pruritus was the most common symptom in patients with infestation. Median (IQR) facial erythema visual analog scale score was 6 (3) at treatment onset and was 2 (2.5) one month later (P<0.001).

When evaluating facial cutaneous lesions, Demodex infestation should not be overlooked in a patient group like connective tissue diseases with dysfunctional immune system.

Hydatid cyst is an anthropozoonotic disease caused by Echinococcus for which man is an accidental intermediate host. The hydatid disease commonly involves the liver and lungs. Involvement of extrahepaticopulmonary sites is extremely rare and only a few isolated cases have been reported. In 2022, a 49 year old female from the southern part of Indian subcontinent presented to us with recurrent hydatid cyst of liver co-existing with hydatid cyst of the left broad ligament, twenty years following the initial procedure. She underwent exploratorylaparotomy and cystectomy and was then managed by ERCP and stenting following which she is asymptomatic till date. Though there are no hard and fast rules, the management of such cases mandate proper exploration to avoid any recurrence. Tailored surgical approaches maybe required according to the patient condition for effective, safe and recurrence free treatment of hepatic hydatidosis.

Sarcocystis is a genus of coccidian protozoa that at least seven species of it can parasitize cattle. The global prevalence of Sarcocystis is close to 100% in adult cattle. The main aim of this study was to identify the infection rate of Sarcocystis spp. in heart of cattle in Tehran, Iran by microscopy and PCR-RFLP methods.

Totally, 100 bovine heart samples were collected from the main slaughterhouse of Shahriar, Meysam slaughterhouse, west of Tehran in 2016. At first, heart samples were completely examined for the presence of sarcocystic macrocysts. Then, for microscopic examination, 50 g of each heart was digested in sterile condition using pepsin acid digestion method. Then, the species of the parasite were detected by PCR-RFLP technique and sequencing.

Overall, 97 of 100 of the heart muscle samples were infected with Sarcocystis. All the samples were detected as S. cruzi through similar patterns in PCR-RFLP.

S. cruzi is the most common species in the heart of cattle slaughtered in Shahriar.

Acute appendicitis is one of the most common causes of abdominal emergent surgical disease worldwide. Enterobius vermicularis, a human intestinal parasite, is reported to be associated with acute appendicitis. We report a case of an 8-year-old girl who was admitted to the emergency unit with complaints of severe abdominal pain and was diagnosed with acute appendicitis. Microscopic pathological examination showed lymphoid follicles with prominent germinal centers and mantle zones within the appendix wall. Cross-sections of multiple female and male Enterobius vermicularis worms and a few longitudinal sections of E.vermicularis were seen. E. vermicularis is one of the most common human parasitic infections, so the possibility of infection of the appendix with E. vermicularis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of agents of appendicitis.

β-Hematin (Hemozoin) was synthised inside human erythrocyte by malaria parasite. The parasite avoids the toxic effects by polymerizing heme molecules into insoluble crystalline β-Hematin. C. botrys and A. annua used for the treatment of diseases like malaria, hepatitis, cancers, and inflammations.

Determine of antimalarial and anti-protozoa effects of A. anuuae and C. botrys.

C. botrys and A. annua terpenoids were extracted by acetonitrile. The antimalarial activity of plant extracts was evaluated by in vitro β-Hematin formation. Some ciliates were tested by 0.01, 0.1 and 1 mgml-1 of C. botrys and A. annua extracts. Total terpenoid were measured by spectrophotometry method. The terpenoid extracts were determined by TLC and GC-MS.

Terpenoids effects on Paramecium and other ciliates was movement inhibition and cell targeting and cilia isolating induction and cell disjointing. Anti-malarial study on β-Hematin formation showed that acetonirile and aquatic extracts of shoots and roots of two species are antimalaria. Inhibiting effects of acetonirile and aquatic extracts of A. annua shoots were much of double effects of shoots of acetonirile extracts of C. botrys and aquatic extracts of A. annua root. Total terpenoids of two plants were 0.317- 4.46 mgg-1dw. TLC and GC/MS analysis showed that the acetonirile extract of A. annua contains artemisinin and several kinds of terpenoids, but in extracts of C. botrys with highe terpenoids content didn’t find artemisinin.

The inhibiting effects of C. botrys on some ciliates and in vitro β-Hematin formation is from other terpenes in the extracts probably.