forough kajbaf

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral disease that is common between humans and animals.

This research aims to investigate the epidemiological and clinical pathological factors in suspected Crimean-Congo fever patients referred to hospitals for CCHF.

Ninety-six patients were included based on the standard case definitions by the World Health Organization. In this cross-sectional study, the cases of suspected and confirmed CCHF were examined by serology and using a checklist of epidemiological information, including sex, age, season of infection, occupation, history of contact with animals, mode of infection, and clinical symptoms. Finally, the data were analyzed with SPSS software version 22, and P < 0.05 was considered significant.

Among the 96 patients admitted to the CCHF ward, 42 were confirmed by ELISA (36.5% IgM, 14.5% IgG) according to the WHO case definition. The age of the patients (male and female) ranged from 16 to 76 years, with the most common group being women aged 39.5 to 45 years. Most participants were housewives (37.5%), followed by various other occupations. Seasonally, most infections occurred in summer (56.25%) and spring (37.5%). Common symptoms included sudden onset (77%), fever (93.75%), muscle pain (89.5%), and bleeding (56.25%), with epistaxis being the most common. Regarding animal contact, 68.75% had a history, mainly with live animals, meat, and slaughter activities. All patients initially had mild leukopenia, lymphopenia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia; mean hemoglobin levels were 10.11 ± 2.6 g/dL. We observed that patients had slightly increased ALT (128 ± 67.2 U/L), AST (165 ± 116 U/L), and ALP (298 ± 57.5 U/L) levels in the laboratory results. However, average increases in erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) levels (76.5 ± 8.6 mm/hr) were observed. Additionally, kidney evaluation of patients showed normal Cr (0.8 ± 0.1 mg/dL) and BUN (15.7 ± 1.2 mg/dL) levels.

Based on the information obtained, it is recommended to diagnose the disease in a timely manner and train at-risk groups to prevent the occurrence of epidemics.

Trichomoniasis is one of the common infectious diseases in birds, which is caused by the flagellated protozoan Trichomonas gallinae. The symptoms of the disease are various and include anorexia, diarrhea, swallowing, purulent plaques and bad and sour smell inside of the oropharyngeal cavity. Conventional diagnosis is based on the preparation of a wet mount and its examination under a microscope. This is a descriptive-analytical study. Since no study has been conducted to compare the wet mount method and PCR in the diagnosis of trichomoniasis in Tehran, In this study, we decided to use the molecular PCR method and based on the amplification of the ITS1/5.8S/ITS2 gene of Trichomonas gallinae to compare its accuracy, specificity and sensitivity with the wet mount method. From 60 pigeons referred to the clinics in Tehran, 2 samples were taken from their oral cavity and crop using sterile swab. A wet mount was quickly prepared from a sample and examined under a microscope. Another sample was also used for PCR testing. 40% (24 samples) with the wet mount method and 85% (51 samples) were positive with the PCR method. The data was analyzed with SPSS software version 24 and with a confidence level of 95% there is a significant difference between the results of wet mount and PCR in the diagnosis of trichomoniasis. Therefore, compared to PCR, the wet mount method has good "specificity" in the diagnosis of trichomoniasis, while it has low "sensitivity" and "accuracy" in the diagnosis of trichomoniasis.

Growing evidence has shown that the apoptosis of cells plays an important role in the advancement of the Diabetic nephropathy (DN).

This study attempted to discover the therapeutic potential of Peganum harmala leaf extract in the apoptosis of diabetic kidney disease.

In the present experimental research, 32 male Wistar rats were studied, and diabetes was induced by streptozotocin (STZ) (65 mg/kg). The animals were randomly divided into four groups (n=8, in each group) as follows: control, diabetic, control+leaf extract, diabetic+leaf extract. For our purposes, the methanolic extract of P. harmala leaves (150 mg/kg) was given by gavage for 28 days. Flow cytometry and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses were utilized to determine the percentages of apoptotic cells. Also, histological alterations and blood biochemical parameters were evaluated.

The P. harmala leaf extract has a high amount of flavonoids (25.84%), a lower percentage of alkaloids (0.14%), and some antioxidant properties. Serum urea (P<0.001) and apoptosis (P<0.05) significantly elevated in diabetic rats relative to the control ones. The mean of fasting blood creatinine, urea, and albumin level was not significantly changed in diabetic+leaf extract rats as compared to the diabetic ones. Histopathological results also displayed that diabetic complications in the kidney could not be improved following treatment by the leaf extract of P. harmala. In addition, the leaf extract could not significantly reduce the apoptosis and caspase-3 expression compared to diabetics in renal cells.

Based on our findings, the leaf extract of P. harmala is unable to inhibit apoptosis in the diabetic kidney model.

The dangerous side effects of diabetes are diabetic nephropathy, which has a relatively high prevalence in diabetic patients and causes renal failure. Investigating the process of destruction and the mechanisms that prevent it, in order to reduce the tissue damage, especially with the treatment of plants, can be a significant issue.

In this research, Espand with scientific name of Peganum harmala, a plant of the Zygophyllaceae family and its effective substance called harmine in diabetes-induced renal injury, were studied on 80 male Wistar rats in experimental and diabetic groups. Rats were treated with methanolic extract of seeds and leaves of Peganum Harmala and Harmine. After tissue passage and fixation, Microscopic slides were prepared and studied. In tissue studies, four factors of epithelial changes, tubular destruction, leukocyte inflammation and capillary obstruction were detected in the kidneys.

The diabetic rat group received harmine and the diabetic rats receiving the extract of the seed were less damaged, while in the diabetic rats recieveing the leaf extract these lesions was higher and it was interesting to note that there was no difference in the experimental groups with the positive control group.

According to the tissue results in our study, seed extract and harmine have the ability to prevent tissue damage caused by diabetes, which can be attributed to the harmine alkaloid in the seed.

Type 2 diabetes is the most prevalent form of diabetes mellitus and is associated with a variety of complications. Homocysteine is an important independent risk factor for atherosclerotic diseases in both diabetic and non diabetic subjects. The association between these two is still unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the serum homocysteine levels in uncomplicated type 2 diabetic patients and control subjects. Eighty five diabetic patients and 85 healthy control subjects with the mean age of 57.65 and 57.68 years, respectively, were selected during 2010 in Ahwaz City, southwest of Iran. Serum glucose, lipids and lipoproteins were measured by standard enzymatic techniques and homocysteine levels by enzyme –linked immunosorbent assay method. In patients as a whole and with respect to the gender, homocysteine levels were generally lower than controls. Compared to other studies, homocysteine levels ranging from 12.19 to 18 μmol/l were slightly higher in both population. Homocysteine levels, however, were compatible with normal range of adults. The patients were not nephropathic and it is most likely that this is the main reason for maintaining the normal levels. Slightly higher levels of homocysteine in the region are due to multiple genetic and environmental factors.