سعید بکایی

In cats, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) stands out as a prevailing heart disease. The mutations in the gene that encodes cardiac myosin-binding protein C (MYBPC3) have been detected in the Ragdoll and Maine Coon breeds. 

HCM is believed to be hereditary in other breeds, too. 

Blood samples were collected for DNA extraction from 2 unaffected and 7 affected Persian breed cats with HCM. Besides accomplishing conventional polymerase chain reaction, DNA sequencing was performed. The sequence changes were utilized to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms in the MYBPC3 gene and predict amino acid substitutions based on the Acc. No. XM_019812396.1 and comparisons with the literature on identified breed variants and control samples.

Although many single nucleotide polymorphisms were found in the affected and unaffected Persian cats, no causative mutation for HCM was observed.

In this breed, HCM does not seem to be caused solely by mutations in this cardiac gene. Potential cardiac genes should be investigated to uncover other genetic reasons for this cardiac disease in the Persian cat breed.

While the survival rate has increased due to treatments for breast cancer, the quality of life has decreased because of the side effects of chemotherapy. Various toxins are being developed as alternative breast cancer treatments, and bee venom is drawing attention as one of them. We analyzed the effect of bee venom and its components on breast cancer cells and reviewed the mechanism underlying the anticancer effects of bee venom. Data up to March 2022 were searched from PubMed, EMBASE, OASIS, KISS, and Science Direct online databases, and studies that met the inclusion criteria were reviewed. Among 612 studies, 11 were selected for this research. Diverse drugs were administered, including crude bee venom, melittin, phospholipase A2, and their complexes. All drugs reduced the number of breast cancer cells in proportion to the dose and time. The mechanisms of anticancer effects included cytotoxicity, apoptosis, cell targeting, gene expression regulation, and cell lysis. Summarily, bee venom and its components exert anticancer effects on human breast cancer cells. Depending on the mechanisms of anticancer effects, side effects are expected to be reduced by using various vehicles. Bee venom and its components have the potential to prevent and treat breast cancer in the future.

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is the most significant livestock disease in the world and can cause great economic losses to the population of domestic ruminants. This study aims to investigate the economic impacts of FMD on dairy farms in West Azerbaijan province during the period of 2017-18.

Employing a questionnaire survey, this study covered all industrial dairy farms affected by the disease in eight units during the specified period. The results underwent descriptive analysis using Excel software version 2013 and SPSS version 18.

Absolute (in million Rials) and relative (percent) losses attributable to FMD were categorized as follows: mortality losses amounted to 2,170 million Rials (60.6%), distress sale of livestock reached 713 million Rials (19.9%), treatment incurred 288.65 million Rials (8.1%), short-term reduction of milk production accounted for 193.35 million Rials (5.4%), extra labor costs totaled 152.4 million Rials (4.3%), abortion amounted to 35 million Rials (1%), and sampling costs were 32 million Rials (0.9%). The total losses from FMD in dairy industrial farms were estimated at 3584.4 million Rials, equivalent to 38,758 dollars at the average exchange rate of one dollar to 92,487 Rials in 2018.

The substantial investment in dairy farms amplifies the economic impact of FMD, resulting in prolonged recovery periods and contributing to a decline in livestock and dairy production in the province and the country.

All organisms need iron for their survival and metabolic activity, and the healing process of patients depends on this element. Hence, its deficiency can negatively affect patients’ quality of life and cause disorders. Although iron deficiency is proven an important comorbidity in human and canine patients with heart failure, no research has been published on the role of iron in feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This research aimed to determine and compare the iron status of cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with and without congestive heart failure. Based on laboratory, radiographic, and echocardiographic findings, 45 client-owned cats were studied and divided into three groups: control, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) without congestive heart failure, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with congestive heart failure. Iron and ferritin concentrations, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), and serum transferrin saturation (TSAT) percentage were measured and compared in all cats. Statistical nonparametric testing was used to analyze the data. No groups illustrate any statistically significant difference for iron concentration (P=0.3), ferritin concentration (P=0.853), TIBC (P=0.1), and TSAT (P=0.639). The highest iron concentration and the lowest transferrin level and the transferrin saturation percentage were observed in the HCM group with congestive heart failure. Also, cats without congestive heart failure had the lowest TIBC compared to other groups. Unlike previous studies in dogs and humans, our study did not show a significant difference between cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy regarding iron status.

The widespread prevalence of COVID-19 and the increasing number of patients indicate the need of the health system to measure the quality indicators of health care. The aim of this study was to determine the level of satisfaction of discharged patients with the diagnosis of COVID-19 from the quality of nursing services in the corona ward.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 110 patients discharged from the corona ward of 22 Bahman Hospital in Khaf over a period of six months. The data collection tool was a questionnaire of patients' satisfaction with the quality of SERVQUAL nursing services, which was conducted by the researcher by telephone from discharged patients. Data were analyzed using SPSS 15 statistical software and one-sample t-test, independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance at the significant level of α=0.05.

In the present study, 71 patients (64.5%) were male and 39 patients (35.5%) were female. The highest frequency was related to patients with literacy education (38.2%) and aged 51-60 years (44.5%). Patients' satisfaction with the quality of nursing services in general and its dimensions was moderate (p<0.001).

Since in this study, the satisfaction of COVID-19 patients with nursing services in the corona ward was moderate, it is suggested to managers to plan to motivate nurses in COVID-19 patient care wards. Also, nurses working in the corona ward must be supported in order to encourage them to provide quality care services to eventually increase patient satisfaction with nursing services.

Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is a highly contagious, fatal, and severe viral disease of small ruminants. The causative agent is a morbillivirus, Peste des petitsruminants virus (PPRV). This study was performed to detect and identify recently circulating PPR virus in small ruminants in the Khorasan Razavi region in Iran. A total of 100 samples(blood, spleen and lymph node) were collected from affected and dead animals. All of the samples were positive with Reverse Transcriptase PCR for viral genome. 7 positive samples by RT-PCR were selected randomly for sequencing of the nucleoprotein (N) gene and fusion gene (F), and genetically characterized phylogenetic analysis of PPR virus strains. Four lineages of PPR virus have been identified based on sequence analysis of the nucleoprotein (N) and fusion (F) gene all around the world. In this study Phylogenetic trees were drawn up based on sequence of the N gene and gene. Both trees have two distinct clusters, and all the detected strains are in the 4th lineage and are located in the first cluster of each tree.

Nurses, as the largest group of health care providers in pandemic COVID-19 face special occupational and familial challenges. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between work-family conflict and the quality of nursing care among nurses working in the COVID-19 ward of hospitals affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences.

In this descriptive-analytical study, 213 nurses of Covid-19 wards were entered by census sampeling from the beginning of March 2019 to the end of September 2020. Data were collected using the Carlson family-conflict inventory and the Quality Patient Care Scale (Qualpacs) Questionnaire, which were completed electronically by studied nurses.

The level of quality of nursing care was moderate (258.25±38.20) and the level of work-family conflict was high (32.03±7.08). There was a significant relationship between work-family conflict and the quality of nursing care, so that with increasing work-family conflict, the quality of nursing care decreased.

The results showed that the quality of nursing care of COVID-19 patients is related to the work-family conflict. In order to reduce the work-family conflict in nurses, it is necessary to reduce the working hours and workload of nurses and also to include training courses to balance the family and work life of nurses to increase the quality of nursing care for COVID-19 patients.

The Covid-19 pandemic, with its widespread prevalence, confronted the nursing profession with specific occupational stressors. Job stress has a significant effect on nurses' performance and jeopardizes the provision of high quality and safe care. The aim of this study was to determine the factors affecting job stress in nurses caring for Covid-19 patients.

This cross-sectional study was performed in the first 6 months of 2020. 90 nurses caring for Covid-19 patients were selected by census method. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire on nurses' occupational stressors (validity score between 0.7 and 1 and reliability with Cronbach's alpha of 84%) which was provided to nurses online.

37 (41.1%) nurses were male and 53 (58.9%) were female. The mean age of nurses was 31.39±6.32 years (range 21-45 years) and the mean job history was 10.82±5.31 years. Managerial, personal, physical, patient care and interpersonal factors were identified as sources of stress in nurses caring for Covid-19 patients, respectively.

Since managerial factors were recognized as the most source of stressors, it is preferable to plan on the managerial level to reduce stressors in nurses and subsequently improve the quality of nursing care for COVID-19 patients.

The effects of COVID-19 not only disrupt patients' lives, but also affect caregivers. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of tele-nursing on the care burden of family caregivers of COVID-19 patients discharged from 22 Bahman Khaf Hospital.

This quasi-experimental study was performed on 120 family caregivers of COVID-19 patients from the beginning of May 2020 to the end of October 2020. Samples were selected by Convenience Sampling and were randomly divided into two equal groups (intervention and control). In the intervention group, training was performed through care load-based tele-nursing for a period of one month while no intervention was performed for the control group. Both groups completed the Zarit Care Questionnaire before and one month after the intervention.

In the experimental group, the mean score of total care pressure and its components after the intervention was significantly lower than before (p <0.001), but in the control group, the mean score of total care pressure and its components (except objective pressure before and after the intervention) was not significantly different (P> 0.05).

Tele-nursing training reduces the burden of care in family caregivers of COVID-19 patients. Therefore, it is suggested that health managers, by creating appropriate policies, put the implementation of the tele-nursing process in the family caregivers of COVID-19 patients on their agenda.

The commercial layer chicken farming is one of the most important sectors of the poultry industry. This study was conducted to evaluate the status of biosecurity of commercial layer chicken farms in 9 Iranian provinces with the highest layer chicken population. 

In this cross-sectional study, 202 commercial layer chicken farms were selected from nine Iranian provinces in 2019 using stratified random sampling. Then, the required data were collected using a questionnaire by presenting to the farms in person. The results are expressed as mean, standard variation, sum and adoption rate index. 

The results showed that the adoption level of total biosecurity measures was 68.18% in the commercial layer chicken farms in Iran. This figure was 72.11%, 75% and 60.82% for conceptual, structural and operational biosecurity measures, respectively. Among conceptual biosecurity measures, the lowest adoption level (29.20%) was for distance to the nearest garden and agriculture land. Among structural biosecurity measures, the lowest adoption level (28.96%) was for a hand disinfection spot before shed. Among the operational biosecurity measures, the lowest adoption level was for water filtrations (31.18%) and microbial testing of water (33.91%). 

This study investigated the biosecurity status of commercial layer chicken farms in nine Iranian provinces with the highest layer chicken population and revealed some weaknesses in the implementation of these measures at conceptual, structural and operational levels.

More than 85% of the West Azerbaijan ruminant population are kept in households in villages. Every year some of these livestock suffer severe economic losses due to Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). The extent of these losses has not yet been investigated. One of the major direct and visible losses of FMD is the decline in milk yield, which has so far only been studied in a dairy herd in southern Iran. The present survey investigated the short-term reduction of milk production in households in villages using a questionnaire survey method. 111 cattle and 24 sheep and goats keeping  households that had reduced milk production due to FMD were studied. The mean milk production in cows from the first to fourth week after disease decreased by 42.3%, 50.7%, 44.8% and 35.5% respectively, and in sheep and goats, 49%, 41%, 36% and 26%, respectively. Mean loss of milk production per affected cow was 4,471,902 Rials, per affected household was 18,330,771 Rials and the total milk loss of affected cows of survey in disease period was 2,034,715,600 Rials. Mean milk loss per affected sheep and goats was 723,635.9 Rials, per affected households was 27,136,345.8 Rials and total milk loss of affected sheep and goats in disease period was 651,272,300 Rials, which was 43.3% of the total cow milk production and 38% of sheep and goats milk production in households, which is considered to be a serious loss.

The defects of the central nervous system caused by viruses are associated with tissue changes in certain areas of this system.

We conducted the current work to determine and categorize the pathologic pattern of central nervous system lesions in stillbirths and newborns small ruminants with neurological symptoms in Semnan province.

Primarily, we selected the affected animals and carried out systematic post mortem examination of lambs and kids. Subsequently, brain and spinal cords were completely removed. Processing, sectioning, and staining from different regions of the central nervous system was performed and 15 different regions of the brain and 10 different levels of the spinal cord were prepared. Subsequently, the histopathological study was performed and the observed lesions were arranged.

This study was performed on 20 lambs and kids with nonsuppurative inflammatory lesions in the brain and spinal cord. In the gross examination of the brain and spinal cord, we observed 4 cases of arthrogryposis, 1 case of spinal cord hypoplasia, 2 cases of hydranencephaly, 2 cases of porencephaly, and 1 case of cerebellar hypoplasia. According to the presence of nonsuppurative inflammation in the brain and spinal cord, 20 positive cases were categorized into 4 groups. In the first 3 groups, the main lesion was nonsuppurative encephalomyelitis and the main lesion of the fourth group was nonsuppurative encephalitis. Accordingly, 6 cases in the first group had extensive and inclusive nonsuppurative inflammation in over 75%  of the brain and spinal cord sections; in the second group, five cases had multiple scattered nonsuppurative inflammation in 50% - 75% of the brain and spinal cord sections; in the third group, five cases had non-inclusive and focal nonsuppurative inflammation in less than 50% of the brain and spinal cord sections, and in the fourth group, 4 cases had nonsuppurative inflammation in the brain without lesion in the spinal cord.

It seemed as though in each of the four pathological patterns, certain viral agents were responsible for the pathological changes.

Avian influenza (AI) is one of the most important respiratory diseases in the poultry industry that causes huge economic impacts and plays an important role in public health. H9N2 Avian Influenza Virus (H9N2 AIV) has a broad circulation and causes endemic infections in the poultry industry of the country.

A cohort study was conducted from July 2016 to November 2017 in broiler chicken farms of Qazvin Province, Iran to detect H9N2 AIV infection determinants in broiler chicken farms.

Sixteen out of 34 units that were included in the study had positive PCR results. Some variables such as “type of fence around the unit”, “biosecurity”, “cooling system status”, “mean maternal antibody titers”, “location height”, “proximity to public traffic lanes” and “number of units within a radius of 1 km” had significant effects on the infection occurrence in poultry units according to univariate statistical analyses (P<0.05). However, only two of them (“biosecurity” and “cooling system status”) were statistically significant in multi-variable analyses (P<0.05).

Biosecurity measures should be implemented more seriously and strictly in broiler farms to reduce the impact of H9N2 AIV infection.

The leadership style of hospital nursing managers plays a vital role in crises and is currently playing an effective role in combating COVID 19. The aim of this study was to determine the leadership style of the nursing manager (Matron) during the outbreak of COVID-19.

In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 86 nurses caring for patients admitted to COVID-19 ward were selected and entered the study. Data were collected using Clark demographic and leadership style questionnaires that were provided to nurses electronically and analyzed by SPSS software and descriptive and inferential statistical tests.

The mean age of nurses was 31.47 ± 6.39 years and the mean work experience was 5.20. 5.01 years. 60 nurses (69.8%) were female. 32 (37.2%) were married and 82 (95.3%) had a bachelorchr('39')s degree. In terms of employment status, 47 (54.7%) were formal and 22 (25.6%) were contracted and the rest were planned. The highest score was related to the Democratic leadership style (40.40. 5.87). The mean scores of transferring and authoritarian leadership style were 38.76 ± 9.16 and 26.86 ± 6.45, respectively.

The results showed that the selected leadership style of  the  nursing manager from the perspective of the studied nurses is democratic and then delegating. The use of democratic leadership style by nursing managers makes nurses feel more belonging and committed to the organization, which ultimately increases the quality of service and patient satisfaction. Therefore, nursing managers are encouraged to involve their staff in decision-making and goal setting.

Oryctolagus cuniculus are an excellent model for cardiovascular research because the size of these animals is more suitable for study and experimentation than smaller animals and are economical and cost-effective in research. One of the most important diagnostic imaging techniques is echocardiography, which is used today to perform anatomical and functional evaluation of the cardiovascular system and is one of the most accurate and sensitive non-invasive methods for examining heart diseases. Ventricular function indices could be assessed by cardiac imaging techniques. One of these important cardiac parameters is the ejection fraction, which has a valuable position along with other involved parameters. Ejection fraction is a measure of blood percentage that comes out of the heart with each contraction.

For this study, 100 six-month to one-year adult, standard and young Oryctolagus Cuniculus (in Iran) and in healthy   appearance of both sexes (50 female rabbits and 50 male rabbits) were studied without anesthesia and sedation.

In this study, the mean ejection fraction in the studied Oryctolagus cuniculus was 58.753±6.889 in male animals and 61.397±6.530 in females which indicates that the ejection fraction in the assessed male population was significantly higher than the female population.

The measured ejection fraction values were comparable to those mentioned in the authoritative books and there is no significant difference in the average size of ejection fraction measured in this study with the previous research.

Diabetes is considered as one of the most common endocrine disorders worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors associated with diabetic complications.

A case-control study was performed on the data of 70089 diabetic patients (4622 cases and 53613 controls) extracted from the SINA Electronic Health Record (SinaEHR®) in a population covered by Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in 2018. The effect of independent variables on the likelihood of diabetic complications was investigated using single-variable and multivariate logistic regression models with the control of the potential confounding effects.

Using the multivariate logistic regression, the odds of developing diabetic complications were 0.35 (0.31-0.38) for living in the city, 0.73(0.67-0.79) for living in the suburbs and 0.31(0.28-0.33) for living in rural areas relative to the metropolises, 0.84 (0.78-0.91) for illiterate subjects, 0.70 (0.66-0.75) for physical activity, 1.51(1.34-1.71) for stage 1 hypertension and 1.87 (1.43-2.44) for stage 2 hypertension relative to normal blood pressure, 0.79(0.74-0.85) for uncontrolled low density lipoprotein and 1.42(1.33-1.51) for uncontrolled hemoglobin A1C.

Various risk factors were identified to increase the odds ratio of diabetic complications. The most important risk factors were uncontrolled glycosylated hemoglobin and stage 1 and 2 hypertension. Control of these factors can reduce the chance of diabetic complications in diabetic patients.

Patients with coronavirus disease are more likely to have multiple problems after recovery. Numerous studies conducted on coronaviruses, especially severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which has spread rapidly around the world, have motivated us to gather and provide information in the form of a review article.

In this study a rapid review study on the complications of coronavirus disease was performed in published research articles in Latin and Persian in the period 2001-2020 were conducted in databases. Out of 61 research articles found, 31 articles were reviewed evaluate.

In a number of patients, sometimes severe side effects emerge after the disease onset, and their quality of life may be affected for years. Covid-19 causes a variety of disorders, including respiratory, intestinal, renal, cardiovascular, and neurological diseases. Severe cardiovascular damages, such as myocardial infarction, arthritis, and heart failure, are also considered the complications of Covid-19. Also, studies have shown that the social, individual, economic, and health effects of the disease remain in the community for many years. The disease causes cardiovascular, hepatic, and neurological complications in individuals infected by the virus.

In this review, we focused on short- and long-term complications of Covid-19 in patients recovered from the acute phase of Covid-19. Due to these cases, it is very important to study and recognize the side effects of this disease.

reducing production and death. The disease in endemic areas would be mild or subclinical in indigenous cattle and clinically acute in exotics.

This study was conducted to evaluate the resistance of indigenous cattle in comparison with Holstein and crossbred cattle against Theileria annulata through assessment of clinical signs and response to treatment.

For this purpose, the data history and clinical examination were observed on 51 naturally affected cattle with T. annulata (17 Holstein, 17 crossbred and 17 indigenous cows). Examination of blood smears was used for diagnosis. Detection of schizonts in lymph node punctured smears confirmed validity of the suspect samples. All three groups of cows were treated with buparvaquone along with oxytetracycline. Their clinical signs and the results of blood smear examinations were recorded before and 48 hours after treatment. The severity of clinical signs, parasitemia rates and response to treatment were compared among the groups.

The results showed significant difference (p <0.05) in severity of fever, intense and abnormal lung sounds, mucosal changes (pallor, jaundice, petechiae) and ruminal hypomotility among the groups. There was no significant difference in parasitemia rate and response to treatment among the groups.

This study indicated that Iranian indigenous cattle in comparison with Holsteins and crossbreeds had milder clinical manifestations and no significant difference in response to treatment for tropical theileriosis.

Doxorubicin is one of the most widely used anticancer chemotherapeutic agents in small animal practice. The use of doxorubicin can cause cardiotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and nephrotoxicity.

This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of ascorbic acid on doxorubicin hepatotoxicity in mice.

Twenty-four Balb/c mice were randomly divided into four groups. Group one received normal saline, group two received 100 mg/kg ascorbic acid, group three received 8 mg/kg doxorubicin and group four received ascorbic acid and doxorubicin intraperitoneally, with the same doses of groups 2 and 3. Twenty-one days after injection, the mice were euthanized. The activities of ALP, ALT, AST enzymes and total bilirubin levels in the serum samples were measured. Liver samples were evaluated histopathologically.

The activities of ALP, ALT, AST, and total bilirubin levels and histopathologic scores of hepatotoxicity were significantly lower in the group that received ascorbic acid + doxorubicin in comparison to those of the doxorubicin group.

Ascorbic acid may be useful in the prevention of doxorubicin hepatotoxicity in mice. Further studies are recommended for evaluation of the use of ascorbic acid in small animals.

Covid-19 is a highly infectious viral disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, which has spread worldwide since its emersion in December 2019, causing an unprecedented pandemic. Currently, it has no targeted vaccines or treatments, and effective treatment options are very limited. It is important to identify drugs that effectively inhibit a specific target of the SARS coronavirus. This is the third deadly outbreak of coronaviruses in human society which has put pressure on the global health care system and affected the global economy a well. However, the treatment options of Covid-19 are still very limited. The development of drugs that target and inhibit essential proteins in the viral life cycle is a practical approach to overcoming this hard situation. The main protease, a cysteine protease, is an attractive target for antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2 and other coronavirus infections due to its essential role in viral replication and transcription. To quickly detect effective compounds for clinical use, programs such as molecular docking drug design and virtual screening of pre-designed drugs to identify new compounds and drugs that target the main protease of the COVID-19 are performed. Combining these structural studies, virtual screening, and experimental screen, several therapeutic candidates such as repurposed drugs and ab initio designed drugs have been proposed. In this review study, suggestions for inhibitors and possible potentially effective drugs against the main protease of SARS-CoV-2 were discussed. This study paves the way for advanced experimental research to evaluate the pharmacological potential of these compounds for the treatment of Covid-19.

Today, due to changes in human lifestyle and consumer demand incidence of foodborne diseases is on the rise. The aim of this study was to investigate the mortality rate of foodborne diseases and their related factors.

In this cross-sectional study, data on deaths registered according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10th revision) were extracted from death registration and classification of causes system in the Ministry of Health and Medical Education of Iran from 2011 to 2018. Data on deaths from food and water borne diseases including Salmonella, Shigella, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium botulinum, and other foodborne diseases were extracted from database of death registration and classification of causes system. The demographic variables of dead people considered in this study include age (under 5 years, 5-20 years, 20-40, 40-60s and over 60 old), gender, nationality, and the location where people died (urban, rural and unknown).

The majority of deaths cases occurred at the age of 60 years and in older age groups (P<0.001). The results show that across all the age groups mortality rate from foodborne diseases was higher among men than among women (P=0.110). Most of foodborne diseases were reported by people living in urban areas (P<0.0001). The results of this study showed that most of the deaths from these diseases occur in the warm seasons. In this study, the crude death rate was 10 cases per one million inhabitants.

The results of this study showed that there was a significant difference between the mortality rate due to different bacterial agents. This study suggests that demographic variables are important predictors of mortality from foodborne illness and should be further investigated.

Bordetella bronchiseptica is a gram negative pathogen of the respiratory tract in dogs, pigs, cats, horses, laboratory animals and human beings.

The goal of this study was detection of Bordetella bronchiseptica in oropharynx region of pet and kenneled dogs by PCR and culture and evaluation of antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates in Iran.

The samples were collected by sterile swabs from oropharynx region of 62 pet dogs (including 31 dogs with clinical respiratory disease signs and 31 dogs without clinical respiratory disease signs) and 62 kenneled dogs (including 31 dogs with clinical respiratory disease signs and 31 dogs without clinical respiratory disease signs). Bordetella bronchiseptica was detected by PCR and culture and antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates were evaluated.

Based on the PCR results, Bordetella bronchiseptica was detected in 16.1% of pet dogs with clinical respiratory disease signs, 9.6% of pet dogs without clinical respiratory disease signs, 22.5% of kenneled dogs with clinical respiratory disease signs and 16.1% of kenneled dogs without clinical respiratory disease signs. On bacterial culture, Bordetella bronchiseptica was isolated from 3.2% pet dogs with clinical respiratory disease signs, 3.2% kenneled dogs with clinical respiratory disease signs and 6.4% kenneled dogs without clinical respiratory disease signs, none of the pet dogs without clinical respiratory disease signs was positive on bacterial culture. The isolates tested by the agar dilution method were susceptible to tetracycline, enrofloxacin, co-trimoxazole and doxycycline, moderately susceptible to ceftriaxone and resistant to ampicillin.

This study has shown the high prevalence of Bordetella bronchiseptica infection in dogs in Iran. Bordetella bronchiseptica can infect the people who have contact with the affected pet dogs and those kept in overcrowded shelters.

Understanding the epidemiology of outbreaks of waterborne and foodborne diseases is essential for adopting prevention and control strategies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reported outbreaks in Iran during 2012-2018.

In this retrospective descriptive study, secondary data extracted from reports of outbreaks of waterborne and foodborne diseases submitted to the Ministry of Health, the Centers for Communicable Disease Control, from 2012 to 2018. Epidemiological trends and aspects of outbreaks were analyzed according to etiologic factors, location of the outbreak, food vehicles, month, year and geographic location.

Between 2012 and 2018, 20615 food and waterborne disease outbreaks were reported, resulting in 158650 illnesses, 19664 hospitalizations, and 288 deaths. The cause of the outbreak of waterborne and foodborne illness has been identified in only 40% of cases based on laboratory results. The most common cause was Escherichia coli (30.6%) followed by Shigella (1.8%). Outbreaks most frequently occurred in personal home (69.1%), ceremony (5.8%), and restaurants (4.4%).

Although reporting of outbreaks of waterborne and foodborne illnesses has improved in recent years, we are still underreported. There is great variability in outbreaks investigation and reporting throughout the country. This study is based only on reports of outbreaks to the Ministry of Health and does not necessarily indicate the correct burden of outbreaks in the country. Strengthening and training of those involved in the reporting system, including for the collection of epidemiological data and samples, is recommended.

Echinococcosisis one of the most important parasitic zoonotic diseases that is important in many parts of the world, like Iran, in medical, veterinary and even economic fields. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge andattitude of health care provider in Amol county in preventing the echinococcosis.

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 194 of Health Care Provider were selected viacensus method.Data Collection Toolswas a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of three sections: demographic information, knowledge and attitude. To analyze the data, descriptive and analytical statistics were used using SPSS 18 software.The significance level was considered to be 0.05.

The mean score of knowledge was 61.8 ± 17.9 and the attitude was 57.4 ± 21.4, respectively. Among the variables studied, exposure, education, and male gender were more knowledgeable (P<0.05). There was also a significant association between the history of exposure to disease and attitude (P<0.05). The association between knowledge and attitude showed that there is a significant positive correlation between knowledge and attitude (P <0.05).

Knowledge and attitude of Amol's health care provider in preventing the echinococcosis are moderate and education improves two components. Also, revising the form and content of education, adopting a comprehensive approach, providing appropriate and effective teaching materials and placing it at the disposal of health care providers seems necessary

  Struvite crystals (Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate) are one of the most common causes of urolith formation in cats. Presence of these crystals in urea leads to urinary obstruction and idiopathic cystitis. The prevalence of urinary crystals has increased in recent years, thus there has been a growing interest in development of noninvasive, fast responsive therapies. Vitamin C is a safe compound with antioxidant properties. This vitamin is known as urine acidifier as well. Since struvite crystals are more soluble in acidic pH, it could be expected that vitamin C application could improve crystals dissolution as well as their disposal. It could also prevent other complications.

This study was designed to analyze the effects of vitamin C in reducing the rate and intensity of struvite crystals with current long term therapies such as diet alteration, acidifier’s applications and diuretics.

Ten male domestic cats with clinical signs of lower urinary tract disease were selected. Struvite crystalluria was confirmed by urine analysis and ultrasonography. Cats were divided to treatment and control groups each containing 5 cats. Both groups were treated by conventional therapies for two weeks, however, during the 1st week the treatment group received injectable vitamin C (100 mg/kg, every 24h, SC) and the control group received oral DL Methionine (200mg/cat, every 8h), in addition to conventional therapies. Urine was collected at days 0, 7 and 14 and its pH, specific gravity and number of crystals were calculated. Presence of floating echogenic foci was evaluated using ultrasound.

Significant decrease in struvite crystalluria was observed in both groups. However, in group treated by vitamin C this decrease was faster and more effective. In addition, in case of obstruction, vitamin C showed better therapeutic effects.

According to these results, vitamin C injection could be a therapeutic approach in treatment of urinary tract obstructions where fast response is needed to avoid further complications. Oral methionine seems to be a suitable choice for prophylaxis in patients with moderated signs and relatively high urine pH or continuing therapy to prevent recurrence of disease.