Medical Laboratory Journal
Volume:15 Issue: 1, Jan-Feb 2021

Although extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) is a secondary target for national TB control programs, its significance has increased worldwide. In order to study the epidemiology of EPTB in the Northeast of Iran, this survey was conducted.

A population-based, retrospective analysis of all cases of EPTB during 2012–2015 reported to the TB Unit of the Golestan was performed. Socioeconomic and environmental variables, sites, admission, mode of diagnosis and outcome status were collected. Data analyzed through SPSS 25.0 by descriptive and analytical statistical methods.

A total of 741 cases of EPTB were included. Patients were mainly female (59.1%), age of 0 to 40 years old (57.6%), less than five years of education (46.7%) and mainly Fars (39.6%). Non-native ethnicities significantly acquired EPTB more than native ethnicities (p<0.001). Mortality rate was 5.1%. Smoking detected more frequently in EPTB patients (p<0.001). HIV status of most EPTB patients (89.3%) were unknown. The most common forms were pleural (30.5%) and lymphadenopathy (22.0%). Cultures and PCR performed in only about 10 percent of EPTB patients in our study.

EPTB was more prevalent in non-native population. Improvement of socioeconomic conditions and screening program may be successful in reducing the problem among immigrant

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common debilitating neurodegenerative disease caused by inflammatory demyelinating processes in the central nervous system. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of core stability training on serum levels of progranulin and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in women with MS.

The study population consisted of 24 women with MS (aged 25 to 40 years) in Bojnourd (Iran) with expanded disability status scale score of 2-5. Patients were randomly divided into two groups of core stability training (n=12) and control (n=12). The training group performed 30-40 minutes of core stability training, three sessions a week for eight weeks. Blood sampling was done 24 hours before the first session and 48 hours after the last training session. Serum levels of progranulin and TNF-α were measured using commercial ELISA kits. Analysis of covariance was used to assess data at a significance level of 0.05 . 

The eight-week core stability training was associated with a significant increase in serum level of progranulin (P=0.037) and a significant decrease in the level of TNF-α (P=0.000).

The findings indicate that the eight-week core stability training could significantly change serum levels of progranulin and TNF-α and improve the condition of women with MS. Therefore, this type of training could be applied as a complementary therapy for MS patients.

Head louse, also known as Pediculus humanus capitis, is an obligate ectoparasite that is a distributed all around the world. The aim of present study was to determine the prevalence of head lice infestation in primary school students in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran.

Overall, 3,032 students (1,515 boys and 1,517 girls) from 33 primary schools in Tabriz were selected via multi-stage cluster sampling in 2018. The students were examined individually and privately by experts. Head lice infestation was confirmed by detecting adult or nymph or nits less than 1 cm from base of hair. Data analysis was carried out in SPSS software package (version 23). Association of participants’ characteristics with pediculosis infestation was evaluated using logistic regression and chi-square test at significance level of 0.05. 

Head lice infestation was present in 130 (4.29%) students, while the prevalence of this condition was higher in girls (2.11%) than in boys. The highest prevalence (6.05 %) was observed in children age 6 years old regardless of gender. The rate of head lice infestation was lowest among students aged ≥12 years (3.17%). There was a significant relationship between head louse infestation and parent’s occupation, family size, the frequency of combing and hair style.

Although the prevalence of head lice infestation in Tabriz is relatively low, screening and treating schoolchildren should be done continuously in order to reduce the infestation rate.

Chemokines are a group of proteins involved in both innate and adaptive immunity with a significant role on homeostasis and immune system development. The present study aimed to evaluate effects of eight weeks of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation exercise after coronary artery bypass surgery on expression of chemokines CCL2 and CCL5 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of middle-aged men.

The study was performed on 45 middle-aged men that had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery. The subjects were randomly divided into three groups of control (n=15), aerobic exercise (n=15) and combined aerobic-resistance exercise (n=15). The trainings were performed three times a week for eight weeks at 60-75% of target heart rate. Fasting blood samples were collected 24 hours before the first training session and 48 hours after the last training session. Lymphocytes were separated by centrifugation. Change in gene expression was investigated by real time-PCR. Data were analyzed in SPSS (version 16) using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s post hoc test.

The eight week exercise training significantly decreased expression of CCL2 compared to the control group.

Rehabilitation exercise can be an effective way to prevent, control or reduce atherosclerosis by lowering expression of CCL2 and CCL5.

The spread of infectious diseases and malignant diseases has been increasing in the recent years. The use of chemical drugs, in addition to the development of drug resistance, also cause serious side effects. We conducted the present study to examine the antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-cancer effects of E. camaldulensis as a herbal remedy.

We extracted E. camaldulensis using a hydroalcoholic solution. The antiviral effect of the plant was investigated at the time of the Herpes simplex virus entry and once the virus entered the cell. Moreover, we evaluated MIC and MBC of E. camaldulensis on Klebsiella pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyrogens, Streptococcus agalactiae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Corynebacterium glutamicum. For the evaluation of cell cytotoxicity, HFF-2 (NCBI: C163) and A549 )ATCC: CCL81) cell lines were utilized.

The results of the cytotoxicity test indicated that both cell lines were sensitive to the hydroalcoholic extracts of E. camaldulensis. The MIC for A. baumannii, K. pneumonia, and C. glutamicum was 6.25 µg/ml, and the MIC for S. aureus, S. pyogenes, and S. agalactiae was 12.5 µg/ml. MBC was evaluated as 25 µg/ml for S. aureus, S. pyogenes, and S. Agalactiae. It was 12.5 µg/ml for A. baumannii, K. pneumonia, and S. Agalactiae. IC50 value on entering the virus into the cell was 40 µg/ml, and following the absorption of the virus, the IC50 value was 80 µg/ml.

The results of this study demonstrated that E. camaldulensis is of antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-cancer potentials and could be used as a candidate for the preparation of a new drug.

Cardiac apoptosis is one of the most important cardiovascular complications of diabetes. We aimed to investigate the changes of Bax, Bcl2 and caspase 3 in cardiac tissue of diabetic rats after six weeks aerobic exercise.

Thirty two male Wistar rats were randomly divided into healthy control, diabetes control and diabetes + exercise groups. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin solution (55 mg/kg). Two weeks after the injection, fasting blood glucose levels were measured to confirm induction of diabetes. The exercise program was performed five days a week for six weeks. Variables were evaluated by ELISA and western blot analysis. All statistical analyses were performed in SPSS (version 22) using ANOVA and at significance of 0.05.

The induction of diabetes in the control groups resulted in a significant increase in Bax, Bax/Bcl2 ratio and a significant decrease in Bcl2 levels (P=0.024). The six-week training exercise in diabetic groups significantly decreased Bax and Bax/Bcl2 ratio and significantly increased Bcl2 (P=0.018).

Our finding showed that diabetes could increase apoptosis in cardiac tissue. In addition, the six-week aerobic exercise can be used as a non-pharmacological strategy to reduce diabetes-related apoptosis in cardiomyocytes.

Cryptosporidium spp. is a major cause of gastrointestinal illness in humans. There are no data available on geospatial distribution of Cryptosporidium spp. in the Mazandaran Province, Iran. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the spatial patterns and demographic factors associated with Cryptosporidium spp. infection in the Mazandaran Province, North of Iran.

Fecal specimens were collected from diarrheic individuals (n=215) who were referred to health centers in the Mazandaran Province during 2014-2015. The specimens were examined for presence of Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts by Ziehl-Neelsen acid-fast staining.

  Cities of Sari, Neka, Noshahr and Behshahr were identified as disease hotspots. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection was significantly higher in subjects under 10 years of age as well as those living in low-altitude areas and rural areas without access to standard water sources.

Our findings and the GIS-derived data could be used to facilitate cryptosporidiosis surveillance and monitoring of Cryptosporidium spp. distribution in the study area.

Osteoarthritis (OA) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are highly prevalent. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of regular aerobic training and hyaluronic acid on cardiac tissue Wnt signaling pathway in experimental model of knee OA.

42 male rats were divided into 6 groups (7 in each group): 1) control, 2) patient, 3) salin, 4) HA, 5) exercise, and 6) exercise + HA. In the training groups, the OA model was first induced, followed by 5 days of running on the treadmill for 5 weeks. Hyaluronic acid was injected intra-articularly. After 12 to 14 hours of fasting and 72 hours after the last training session, cardiac tissue sampling was performed for β-catenin and glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3β) analysis. The expression of the β-catenin and GSK-3β genes in the cardiac tissue was analyzed by RT-PCR. Data analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA if  a significant difference was observed by Tukeychr('39')s post hoc test (P <0.05).

Induction of OA in rats led to a significant increase in β-catenin gene  and a significant decrease in cardiac tissue GSK3 gene compared to healthy control group. The results also showed that regular aerobic training, hyaluronic acid injection, and a combination of both treatments reduced the cateninβ gene and  increased the cardiac tissue GSK3 gene compared to the rats of OA group.

Regular aerobic training in combination with hyaluronic acid may exert its protective effect by reducing the expression of β-catenin and increasing the expression of cardiac tissue GSK-3β gene ; this may be  caused by the heart disease in the model, empirically preventing osteoarthritis.