m. nasehi

Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) is a disease with high economic relevance.

This study aimed to determine a fast alert surveillance system for bTB before the outbreak in the epidemic region of Iran.

This cross-sectional study was conducted using the Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model for monthly bTB detections (reactors). These reactor cases result from the positive Tuberculin Purified Protein Derivative (PPD) test on cattle farms for the period between April 2007 and March 2019 in Razavi Khorasan province. Autocorrelation functions (ACF) and partial autocorrelation functions (PACF) plots were used to determine model parameters. The Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) were employed to select the best-fitted model. The root mean square error (RMSE) was applied for the evaluation of the models. Then, the best-fitted model was hired to predict the cases for 12 oncoming months. The data were analysed by STATA (ver. 14) software with a significant level at P≤0.05.

ARIMA (3, 0, 3) 12 was introduced as a recommended fitted model according to white noise residual test (Q=22.87 and P=0.98), lower AIC (541.85), and more precise model RMSE (1.50). However, the forecast values were more than the observed values.

The application and interpretation of ARIMA models are straightforward, and may be used as immediate tools for monitoring systems. However, we proposed an Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average with Exogenous Input (ARIMAX) model with some measurable exotic factors such as economic fluctuations, climate changes, and pulmonary tuberculosis to introduce a more precise and accurate model for the fast alert surveillance system.

A great number of tuberculosis (TB) patients present to the private sector to receive care; therefore, integrating TB control programs into private sector activities can enhance the control of TB. The Public-Private Mix (PPM) program is suggested by the World Health Organization to engage the private sector in TB control programs. In this study, a plan designed for PPM was piloted Karaj, Alborz Province, Iran.

In this community trial, pre-intervention assessment covered 18 months prior to the study. The intervention was a PPM package that was integrated into the health system by Karaj County Health Center. Then, three-month post-intervention data were collected. Analysis was performed with the SPSS 16 software using chi-square test.

After the intervention, there was an increase of 40.7% in suspected cases of TB per month and an increase of 101.7% in smear positive TB cases diagnosed by Karaj laboratories. The ratio of smear positive cases to all suspected TB patients was 4.57% before and 6.56% after the intervention. The percentage of three sputum sample positive patients was 75.5% and 89.9% before and after the intervention, respectively.

The developed PPM program markedly improved the case detection; therefore, it is suggested to fix the potential defects of the program and implement it in all parts of the country.

Over the past decades, the Iran’s anti-tuberculosis campaign has become highly structured and many achievements have been made. The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of the TB surveillance system and its components in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
 

The data of this study were obtained from the surveillance system of the Center for Communicable Disease Control, a review of the records, documents, books and published articles, and also interviews with process owners and experts of TB surveillance during 2017-2019.
 

Case finding and treatment and follow-up of TB patients and their household contacts are done In the TB surveillance system. The implementation of the DOTS, (DIRECTLY OBSERVED TREATMENT SHORT-Course) is a major component of the TB surveillance system. Patient registration is done in an online application, which allows extracting and reporting the important indicators of the program. In this surveillance system, there is a special sensitivity to the treatment of patients, so the incidence of multi drug-resistant TB in the country is lower than that of the neighbors. The presence of regional laboratories that cover the entire region of the country is one of the strengths of the TB surveillance program in Iran.
 

Despite budget problems, the anti-TB program in Iran has many achievements. However, new strategies need to be considered to reduce the incidence of TB.

Social marketing is a method that acts through identifying the needs and demands of the audience and specifying the components of the behavioral market using the results of developmental research. So far, social marketing has not been used to involve the private sector in the tuberculosis (TB) control program. The aim of this study was to design a Public-Private Mix (PPM) program using social marketing.

This qualitative study was conducted using focused group discussions (FGD) with six different groups, including tuberculosis coordinator physicians, specialists from different fields in the private section, and managers of selected private laboratories and hospitals in Karaj in 2013 and the components of the PPM program were determined according to the results of the qualitative study.

Most of the participants believed that participation of the private sector in the TB program was associated with significant challenges, including the lack of a well-defined process for communicating with the private sector, lack of a suitable platform, lack of appropriate monitoring tools, private sector’s lack of compliance, private sector’s lack of familiarity with national TB program protocols, lack of appropriate incentive and punitive measures, lack of appropriate feedback to the private sector, and monopoly in laboratories.

To run PPM in the TB program, it is necessary to involve laboratories in the program voluntarily. It is also essential to provide an informational and incentive package containing effective and low-volume tutorials; the package should facilitate feedback and promote respect for the private sector.

One of the most common patterns of ethanol consumption is binge drinking, which is associated with long-term behavioral disorders. So the interventions causing to improve health conditions in a short-time can be very important. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of curcumin and swimming training after binge ethanol drinking on the mitochondrial biogenesis of the hippocampal tissue in male rats. In an experimental study, Wistar male rats (200-250g) received ethanol/dextrose for four days every eight hours. After six days of avoidance, rats in the ethanol group were randomly divided into four groups: 1) control; 2) swimming training; 3) curcumin; 4) swimming training and curcumin. A dextrose group was also considered as ethanol control in a completely similar period. PGC-1α and TFAM genes expression was measured in the hippocampal tissue. After 20 days of withdrawal, PGC-1α expression was significantly less than that in the dextrose group. After two weeks, swimming training could but nocurcumin could not significantly increase PGC-1α gene expression comparing to the control group. The combination of curcumin and swimming significantly increased the expression of PGC-1α and TFAM genes in the hippocampus tissue. The results showed that combination of curcumin and swimming training could increase the expression of PGC-1α and TFAM genes, and improved mitochondrial biogenesis in the rats' hippocampus after binge ethanol drinking

Mycobacterium bovis is responsible for 5-10 % human tuberculosis all around the world. It especially infects children and people living in weak health-care regions. Currently، 25% of people with tuberculosis in Iran are afflicted by extrapulmonary tuberculosis (often related to M. bovis) that has exceeded standard amount. This investigation is an effort for studying human tuberculosis and bovine tuberculosis in Sistanobalouchestan province that has the maximum incidence rate of human tuberculosis in Iran.

In this ecological study، human tuberculosis data were provided from Tuberculosis and Leprosy Office of Ministry of Health and Medical Education. The bovine tuberculosis data were received from Veterinary Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Among all studied towns in Sistanobalouchestan province، “Zabol” had the highest amount of extrapulmonary tuberculosis and total human tuberculosis for each year and “Zahedan” had the highest incidence rate of bovine tuberculosis. Meanwhile، all types of tuberculosis have been decreased within this ten years period.

This study has shown in all towns of Sistanobalouchestan province human tuberculosis has a high incidence rate. Bovine tuberculosis had an indeterminate way and in last 4 years، the incidence rate has not been reported. Further studies including microbiological experiments and detection of precise species of infecting bacteria are strongly recommended for upcoming researches.