فهرست مطالب حسین برنا

Brucellosis is the most common zoonosis and is a health issue in Iran. Considering this disease is endemic in Qaen, this study intended to investigate the epidemiologic characteristics of brucellosis during 2015-2021. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 421 brucellosis patients, based on the information from Qaen Health Center from 2015 to 2021. To describe the data, frequency, mean, and standard deviation indices and to analyze the data, Chi-square and T-test statistical tests were utilized using SPSS software version 21. The incidence rate was calculated based on 100,000 at-risk populations per year. The average incidence rate of brucellosis from 2015 to 2021 was 135 per 100,000. The highest incidence rate was 156 per 100,000 people in 2021, and the lowest was 20.58 per 100,000 in 2017. The mean age of brucellosis patients was 36.78 ± 19.85  years. The most frequent clinical symptoms were musculoskeletal pain in 317 cases (75.3%) and fever in 160 cases (38%). The consumption history of unpasteurized dairy products such as milk and cheese was 33% and 27%, respectively. Farmers and ranchers, with 239 cases (56.7%), and the rural living population, with 282 cases (67%), were the most frequent cases of brucellosis. The incidence rate of brucellosis in Qaen has an upward trend and is higher than the provincial and national averages. According to the latest national guidelines, this county is classified as a highly polluted region.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging disease, whose first case was reported in December 2019, and rapidly affected the world. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the frequency and factors associated with morbidity and mortality due to COVID -19 in Ghaen, Iran.

This retrospective descriptive-analytical study used the information sources of the portal of Shohada Ghaen Hospital, Gaen, Iran, from March 2020 to December 2021, which was collected from 1,124 patients with suspected respiratory infection referring to the hospital. Data using Chi-square and Fisher's exact test for univariate relationships. Moreover, two-way logistic regression was used to investigate the causal relationships, and P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

In this study, the mean age of participants (n=1,124) was obtained at 51.6±24.5 years, and 546 (48.6%) subjects had a positive COVID-19 test by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, among whom 65 (11.9%) cases passed away. Clinical symptoms of body aches, coughs, diarrhea, and shortness of breath were associated with a positive COVID-19 test. It was also revealed that habitat, diabetes, cardiovascular and lung diseases, age, and job were risk factors of COVID-19 infection, and hospitalization in the ICU and age were identified as risk factors for COVID-19-caused death (P<0.05).

In the present study, cough and shortness of breath were found to be the most frequent symptoms among patients and deceased individuals. Since these symptoms may be associated with a worse prognosis, they require the special attention of medical staff. The findings of this study also showed that the elderly were more at risk of death from this disease than other age groups, which increased the need for more education and attention to this group of society.

Scorpion’s sting has created one of the most significant health and medical issues in Iran. Lack of sufficient knowledge of the fauna and the seasonal activity of scorpions in an area poses a serious challenge to the control programs. Each year, several cases of scorpion sting are reported in Qaenat county. In this regard, the present study aimed to identify and determine the fauna and scorpions of this region.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on the scorpions that were caught using Ultra-Violet (UV) light, pitfall traps, and hand-catching methods every month in Qaenat City in South Khorasan Province in Iran during 2017. After their capture, the scorpions were stored in plastic containers of glycerin and 70% ethanol and were identified using a valid morphological key.

A total of 912 scorpion specimens from the buthidae family were collected, including six species of Mesobuthus eupeus, Androctonus crassicauda, Orthochirus scrobiculosus, Compsobuthus matthiesseni, Mesobuthus caucasicus, and Odontobuthus doriae. M. eupeus and O. doriae had the highest (60.96%) and lowest (0.88%) frequencies, respectively. Moreover, most of the scorpions were collected in December in rural areas, while the least number of them were collected in May.

Due to the diversity of scorpion species in the studies region, it is essential to educate and raise the awareness of individuals living in this region about methods of preventing scorpion stings.