International Journal of Infection
Volume:10 Issue: 1, Jan 2023

 This study aimed to investigate the relationship between ABO blood groups and the mortality rate, disease severity, and length of hospitalization (LOH) in patients with COVID-19.

 A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 1 to June 1, 2020. Demographics, comorbidities, and biochemical data were gathered, and the association of ABO blood groups with mortality rate, disease severity (hospitalization in general ward or ICU), and LOH was investigated using standard univariate analysis and logistic regression.

 Out of 398 patients who were positive for COVID-19, 65 (16.3%), 71 (17.8%), 9 (2.3%), and 252 (63.3%) had blood groups of A, B, AB, and O, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that for each day of hospitalization, the odds of death increased by 4% (OR = 1.04, P = 0.004). Also, the chance of death was 43% lower in patients with blood group O than those with other blood groups (OR = 0.574, P = 0.032). In patients with blood group A, the chance of hospitalization at the ICU was five times higher compared to patients with other blood groups (OR = 5.038, P = 0.002). The LOH was 5.437 and 2.6 days shorter in Rh-positive patients and those with blood group B, while patients with blood group A were hospitalized 3.7 days longer than individuals with other blood groups.

 The present study showed that COVID-19 mortality was lower in patients with blood group O compared to individuals with other blood groups. Also, blood group A was associated with more severe COVID-19 disease and longer LOH.

 With the increasing rate of bacterial resistance and the emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens, urinary tract infections (UTIs) are now among the most important public health problems worldwide.

 This study aimed to investigate the antibiotic resistance patterns of UTIs in Shahid Rahimi and Shohada-ye Ashayer hospitals of Khorramabad, Iran, in 2021.

 In this cross-sectional study, 250 patients with UTI were included. Demographic characteristics and data related to the pathogen types and antibiogram were collected from their medical files and recorded in a researcher-made checklist. The collected data were analyzed by Stata software version 14 at a 5% significance level.

 The study population consisted of 163 women (65.2%) with a mean age of 54.52 ± 10.12 and 87 men (34.8%) with a mean age of 51.87 ± 12.01. The most common pathogens reported were Escherichia coli (41.20%), followed by Staphylococcus saprophyticus (20.80%), and Klebsiella pneumonia (18.40%). The most frequently reported resistances were against Amoxicillin (59.2%), followed by Ampicillin (53.6%), while the least reported were Imipenem (11.6%), followed by Amikacin (17.6%).

 A high rate of resistance was observed against the commonly used antibiotics. It is crucial to prescribe antibiotics, particularly those with relatively low resistance rates (such as imipenem and amikacin), cautiously to prevent bacterial resistance against antimicrobial agents.

 This study aimed to ascertain the computerized tomography findings of 56 children diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at Ali Ibn Abitalib Hospital in Zahedan, Iran.

 This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on 56 pediatric patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who were treated at Ali Ibn Abitalib Hospital in Zahedan from March to August 2020. The computerized tomography (CT) scans were performed for these children because they did not show signs of improvement, had decreased oxygen levels during the treatment, had severe respiratory symptoms, or had a breathing disorder. The CT findings were reviewed to determine the frequency of normal and abnormal scans. The distribution of lesions (unilateral, bilateral, peripheral, central), type of opacity (consolidation, ground glass, etc.), and presence or absence of bronchiectasis, effusion, cavity, and lymphadenopathy were recorded. The frequency of each type of lesion was then calculated.

 Of the patients, 30.36% had a normal CT scan. The most common CT scan finding was ground-glass opacity (42.86%), followed by consolidation (35.71%). The distribution of lesions was mostly bilateral (64.10%) and mainly peripheral (66.67%).

 One-third of children with COVID-19 had normal CT features. Ground-glass opacity and consolidation were more common than cavity or pneumatocele, pleural effusion, bronchiectasis, and lymphadenopathy.

 The new coronavirus has been responsible for the recent pandemic. It mainly affects adults; however, children of all ages, including neonates, may also be affected. The disease has shown different manifestations and symptoms so far.

 The present study reported four neonates with COVID-19 admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. All neonates had positive PCR results and suffered from pulmonary hemorrhage during hospitalization.

 The clinical symptoms, laboratory findings, and imaging findings were severe in neonates with COVID-19 and pulmonary hemorrhage, possibly related to surfactant damage and degradation.

Listeriosis is an infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes, a facultative, intracellular, Gram-positive bacterium. Listeriosis predominantly affects pregnant women and other high-risk groups. Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium responsible for food-borne infections and is associated with serious illnesses, such as septicemia and encephalomeningitis. Chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) are often used as nanomaterials due to their properties, such as antibacterial activity and non-toxic nature.

This research aimed to determine how the activity of cell division proteins and formate acetyltransferase-activating enzymes affect the expression of pfLA and ftsL genes in L. monocytogenes in response to CNPs.

In this study, six strains of L. monocytogenes were investigated. The molecular changes in the expression of pfLA and ftsL genes in L. monocytogenes, both before and after exposure to CNPs, were analyzed using a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay.

The study found that the expression of pfLA and ftsL genes in L. monocytogenes altered following exposure to CNPs. Specifically, the pfLA gene expression increased, while the ftsL gene expression decreased in all strains of L. monocytogenes.

Based on the present results, CNPs appear to be effective in preventing infections and complications associated with listeriosis.