mahmood vakili

Pediatric obesity is one of the most serious public health problems due to high prevalence and negative outcomes. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of Pediatric overweight and obesity and some associated factors among students of elementary school in Yazd- Iran- 2016.

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, a total of 1253 healthy elementary school students were selected by multistage sampling. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated. The diagnosis of childhood overweight and obesity was based on WHO criteria. The parents of the students had the consent to participate in the study. Data analysis was performed by using SPSS version 16 software. Data were reported as mean ± standard deviation or frequency and analyzed by using chi-square test. P-value less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

In this study 531 (42.4%) were male and 722 (57.6%) were female. In this study 11.5 % of the boys and 10.2 % of the girls were obese. Also, 10.2 % of the boys and 14.8% of the girls were overweight respectively. Relationship between gender and BMI was statistically significant (P< 0.0001). Obesity was more frequent in boys but overweight was more frequent in girls. The relationship between BMI and father's occupation (P= 0.03) and mother's occupation (P= 0.03) and mother's education (P= 0.02) was statistically significant.

Due to the high prevalence of obesity and overweight in primary school children, school-based interventions in this age group is necessary.

Noise exposure may cause a kind of sensorineural hearing loss. Noise-induced hearing loss is known as an occupational disease, but the effect of exposure to recreational noise is not completely understood. This study aimed to assess the impact of exposure to recreational noise on hearing status.

This was a cross-sectional study of 304 medical students. The participants were randomly selected from medical students in years 4 to 6 and were divided into two groups regarding their exposure to recreational noise. Conventional audiometry was done for all participants, and hearing thresholds at different frequencies were compared between two groups. Data were analyzed using SPSS (ver. 20) using Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Mann-Whitney U, and chi-square tests.

The mean age of the participants was 23.18±3.14 years. In total, 74.7% of participants were exposed to recreational noise. The mean duration of noise exposure was 4.67±2.91 years. The most frequent exposure was to music via a headphone or hands-free (27.3%). All hearing thresholds in both groups were within the normal range and there was no significant difference between the two groups regarding hearing thresholds.

The results of the present study showed that any exposure type of recreational noise (music, eulogy, or lecture) in the young population did not affect hearing thresholds.

Islamic instructions suggest waking up near dawn at night and spending time praying to Allah. This is the time of maximum melatonin secretion, that is a hormone mainly functioning in the circadian rhythm. Melatonin secretion declines with age and leads to different clinical consequences. This study aimed to investigate the melatonin levels among night vigil prayers, non-prayer late sleepers, and those with regular night sleep.

A questionnaire including information about age, gender, education, and occupation was used to collect the demographic information of the participants. Melatonin was measured with two blood draws (at 23:00 to 24:00 and 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.).

There was a significant difference between both nocturnal and daily melatonin of the night vigil prayers with the other two groups. The average daily melatonin serum level had no significant difference in groups of regular night sleepers and the nonpraying late sleepers (p=0.306). Moreover, an adverse significant relationship was found between age and nocturnal melatonin (R=0.38, P<0.0001) and between age and daily melatonin (R=0.25, P=0.02).

The night vigil prayers have a higher average of nocturnal and daily melatonin serum secretion compared to the nonpraying late sleepers and regular night sleepers. Therefore, waking up at night accompanied by approaching Allah, prayer, supplication, and good thinking is related to the release of more melatonin.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are prevalent infectious conditions affecting individuals in their youth and middle age. The increased use of broad-spectrum antibiotics and the growing resistance to these drugs emphasize the necessity of understanding bacterial resistance patterns in the context of treatment. This study aimed to identify the resistance patterns of bacteria causing UTIs in patients attending two medical diagnostic and treatment centers in Yazd, Iran. Conducted for one year (2018), this descriptive-cross-sectional study involved analyzing 3563 samples of UTI agents collected from the microbiology department of the Central Diagnostic Laboratory and Shahid Sadoughi Hospital in Yazd. Identification of isolated bacteria utilized phenotypic methods, and antibiotic resistance assessments were performed using the disk diffusion method. Among 3563 positive isolates, 80.4% originated from outpatients, while 19.6% were from inpatients. The most prevalent bacteria causing UTIs in both centers were Escherichia coli (57.8%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (9.7%), Staphylococcus aureus (9.1%), Streptococcus agalactiae (7%), and Acinetobacter (0.2%). Escherichia coli isolates exhibited the highest antibiotic resistance, particularly against amoxicillin-clavulanate (62.9%) and nalidixic acid (61.9%). In hospitalized patients, resistance to ampicillin (86%) and cotrimoxazole (72%) was notable, with over half of these isolates displaying ESBL positivity. Given the varying distribution of antibiotic resistance among UTI-causing isolates in both inpatient and outpatient settings, understanding antibiotic resistance patterns in diagnostic-treatment centers across diverse geographical areas is imperative.

DNA methylation is catalyzed by DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) which are encoded by DNMT1, DNMT3A, and DNMT3B. DNMTs play a major role in the abnormal methylation of tumor suppressors and cancer-related genes. Herein, this study explored the expression profile of DNMTs in pediatric patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), before and after methotrexate (MTX)/mercaptopurine (6-MP) treatment.

This before-after prospective study included 30 matched children in sex and age (20 children with B-cell ALL and 10 healthy children used as a control or calibrator group). The expression profile of DNMTs was assessed at two-time points; at the diagnosis time and after MTX/6-MP treatment in the consolidation-maintenance phase of therapy. Notable, all pediatric patients included in this study continued the therapy without adverse events, except two children who were excluded from the study.

The average age of the patient group was 7.1 ± 1.3 years (in the range of 4-9 years), and the average age of the control group was 8.3 ± 1.7 years (6-10 years). The expression profile of DNMTs in B-cell ALL children was obtained completely different from that in the healthy group. After MTX/6-MP treatment of B-cell ALL children, the expression levels of DNMT1 and 3A were increased (p <0.01 & 0.04, respectively), and the expression level of DNMT3B was decreased (p <0.01), significantly.

In ALL, the expression profile of DNMTs would be changed whereby contribute to abnormal growth and maturation capacity of leukemic stem cells and MTX/6-MP treatment could reverse this profile from a cancerous phenotype to the normal one.DNA Methyltransferases (DNMTs), Methotrexate (MTX), Mercaptopurine (6-MP)

 The relationship between current pet keeping and allergic diseases, including bronchial asthma in adolescents, is controversial. This study was conducted to evaluate these associations among children aged 13-14 years in Yazd.

 This study is part of a multicenter cross-sectional study of the Global Asthma Network (GAN) in Yazd, Iran, in 2020, in which 5141adolescents enrolled. Information on respiratory symptoms and pet-keeping (dog/cat/birds) was obtained by a questionnaire derived from the GAN standard questionnaire.

 Of 5141 participants who completed the study, 1800 (35%) children kept pets during the last year. Birds were the most common pet kept by adolescents (88%). Severe asthma was more common in bird and cat keepers (P=0.003 and P=0.034, respectively) than dog keepers. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant association between study-defined current asthma and cat keeping, but not bird or dog ownership (P=0.02). Moreover, we found that current any pet-keeping (birds, cats, dogs) was associated with a higher prevalence of asthma-related symptoms, including wheezing, night dry cough, and exercise-induced wheezing in the past year (P=0.002, P=0.000 and P=0.000 respectively)

 Current any pet-keeping is associated with asthma-related symptoms. Additionally, cat keeping had a significant association with study-defined current asthma. The current keeping of birds, as the most common pet in our area, or cat keeping increases the risk of severe asthma in adolescents. Therefore, as an important health tip, this needs to be reminded to families by health care providers.

One of the potential consequences of COVID-19 is the interruption of childhood vaccination. The aim of this study is to investigate the frequency of vaccination delay in children during the COVID-19 outbreak in Yazd, Iran.
In this cross-sectional study in 2020, 667 children living in Yazd were enrolled through multi-stage sampling method. Date of birth, vaccination dates of 2-, 4-, and 6- months of age, gender, family size, birth order and municipal area were extracted from the Integrated System Information Block (SIB) system. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22.
among 667 infants, 322 (48.3%) were girls and 345 (51.7%) were boys. In total, 53.5% of children had delay in vaccination at 2-month of age, 54%, at 4-month, and 45% at 6-month regarding vaccination appointment. Moreover, the dangerous delay was 3% in vaccination rounds for 2-month-olds, 5.4% for 4-month-olds, and 1.7% for 6-month-olds. At all the three appointments, there was a statistically significant difference between both the family size (P-value: 0.025, 0.017 and 0.004, respectively) and birth order (P-value: 0.015, 0.007 and 0.013, respectively) regarding vaccination delay.
Despite the high frequency of one or more than one day delay for 2-, 4-, and 6-month-old infants regarding vaccination appointments, dangerous delay in the mentioned times was relatively infrequent. Meanwhile, family size and birth order were two influential factors respecting vaccination delay in children. It is essential to raise awareness among families, particularly those with larger size and higher number of children about the importance of timely vaccination.

Bacteriocins are peptides with antimicrobial properties. They are ribosomally synthesized and produced by both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The bacteriocins produced by Escherichia coli are called colicins. Colicins in commensal bacteria inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria and in pathogen strains, they increase bacterial virulence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of col V and col Ia genes in Escherichia coli specimens isolated from patients with urinary tract infections in Yazd City, Iran.

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 160 Escherichia coli samples were isolated from urine specimens and identified by common biochemical tests. The amplification of col V and col Ia genes was performed by PCR method using specific primers and after sequencing, the results were analyzed using SPSS version 16 software.

In this study, out of 160 Escherichia coli isolates examined, calicin gene was detected in 26.9% of the isolates. The frequency of col Ia gene was 24.4% and the frequency of col V gene was 10.6%. Furthermore, in 8.12% of isolates, both genes were identified together. The frequency of isolates containing only col Ia gene was 16.2% and isolates containing only col V gene was 2.5%.

In this study, isolates with col Ia gene showed high frequency. Most strains with col V gene also had col Ia gene. Therefore, the col V gene is often observed together with the col Ia gene.

Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is a chronic inflammatory lesion thatmimics the clinical symptoms of carcinoma. Another type of chronic granulomatous mastitis is immunologicalmastitis, which is related to the infiltration of IgG4 plasma cells. This study aims to determine thestatus of IgG4 positive plasma cells in IGM samples.

This is an analytical-cross-sectional study. 46 women diagnosed with IGM wereselected for the study using census method. The percentage of IgG and IgG4 in plasma cells was determinedbased on immunohistochemical method. Age and type of surgery were also recorded. The datawas entered into SPSS software, version 22 and analyzed using statistical tests. P<0.05 were consideredstatistically significant.

The mean age of patients was 35.02±6.82 years. The mean percentage of IgG positive plasmacells among tissue inflammatory cells was 6923±23.42 and the mean percentage of IgG4 positive plasmacells was 23.39±22.33. Among infiltrated plasma cells, 1.89% were positive for IgG4 and the ratio of IgG4to IgG in plasma cells was 0.91. Based on the results of Pearson correlation test, a positive and significantcorrelation was found between the percentage of IgG4 and IgG in plasma cells (r=0.600, P=0.004).

A significant percentage of infiltrated plasma cells are IgG4 positive, which can play a role inthe development of IGM. Therefore, further investigation and comparison with immunological mastitisis recommended.

Different kinds of smoking tobacco may affect pulmonary function and reduce some spirometric parameters. This study aimed to assess the relationship between smoking cigarettes and waterpipe and spirometric parameters.

This was a cross-sectional study on 1543 middle-aged individuals, as a sub-study of the Shahedieh cohort study in Yazd. The participants were randomly selected from the Shahedieh cohort population and were divided into 6 groups according to their smoking habits: non-smokers (n=455), cigarette smokers (n=139), waterpipe smokers (n=287), ex-cigarette smokers (n=131), concurrent waterpipe and cigarette smokers (n=121), and cigarette or waterpipe passive smokers (n=410). Spirometry was performed on all participants and spirometric parameters were compared between different groups. The data were analyzed by SPSS (version 20) using Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Kruskal-Wallis, and Mann-Whitney U tests. 

FEV1%, FEV1/FVC, and PEF25-75% were significantly lower in cigarette smokers, compared to waterpipe smokers and non-smokers. The measures were not significantly lower in waterpipe smokers in comparison to non-smokers. The frequency of obstructive pattern and small airway diseases was significantly higher in cigarette smokers compared to waterpipe smokers and non-smokers.

The results of this study showed that in the middle-aged population, spirometric parameters related to airway obstruction (FEV1, FEV1/FVC, and FEF25-75%) were significantly lower in cigarette smokers than in non-smokers and waterpipe smokers, but these parameters were not significantly different between waterpipe smokers and non-smokers.

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is one of the most important causes of neonatal diseases and postpartum fever. GBS infection can be transmitted from the infected mother to her baby during delivery. This bacterium is also involved in causing urinary tract infections and asymptomatic bacteriuria, pyelonephritis, cystitis and urethritis. In addition to capsule, Pilus is known as a virulence factor of GBS. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of pilus islands and antibiotic resistance in GBS isolated from urine of pregnant women in Yazd, Iran.

In this cross-sectional study, 33 GBS samples isolated from the urine of pregnant women were studied by the multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for the presence of pilus islands PI-1, PI-2a and PI-2b. Antibiotic resistance phenotype of tetracycline, penicillin, gentamicin, erythromycin, levofloxacin and clindamycin was determined by disk diffusion method. Data were analyzed using SPSS, version 16.

PI-1+PI-2a was the most frequent pilus island in the GBS isolates 28 (84.8%) and the frequency of PI-2b was 5 (15.2%). The frequency of PI-1+PI-2a was 50% in serotype III and 25%, 14.3%, 7.1% and 3.6% in serotypes Ia, II, Ib and V respectively (P=0.492). The sensitivity of all GBS isolates to penicillin was 93.9% and highest resistance to tetracycline (97%), clindamycin (24.2%) and erythromycin (21.2%).

Most of the GBS urine isolates examined carried the PI-1+PI-2a gene, which increases bacterial potency in colonization and resistance to the immune system. Penicillin was best choice for prevention.

Ischemia-reperfusion injury is an important problem for ovarian torsion. It is generally caused by the damage of reactive oxygen species. Antioxidant agents such as curcumin may protect the ovaries from damage caused by oxygen free radicals. The present study was performed aimed to evaluate the effects of curcumin on ischemic-reperfusion (I / R) injury by evaluating biochemical and histopathological parameters.

Thirty-six female Wistar rats (200-250g) were divided into six experimental groups: control, sham, torsion (3 hours of ischemia), torsion and detour (3 hours of ischemia and 3 hours of reperfusion) and treatment groups 1 and 2 (Ischemia was divided into 3 hours, reperfusion for 3 hours and then intraperitoneal injection of 100 mg / kg curcumin half hour before detorsion and half hours after detorsion). Malondialdehyde (MDA) test was performed by taking blood samples from rats and special kits. After ovarian resection, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was performed for histopathological evaluation of the ovary. Data were analyzed by SPSS statistical software (version 18) and one-way variance and Kruskal-Willis statistical tests. P< 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The amount of malondialdehyde (MDA) showed a significant difference in the torsion and detour groups compared to other groups (P <0.001). In histopathological evaluation, the number of ovarian follicles at different stages of development showed a significant decrease in torsion and detour groups compared to control, sham and treatment groups (P <0.001), but no significant difference was observed between the treatment groups. The number of corpus luteum was significantly reduced in the treatment, torsion and detour groups compared to the control and sham groups (P <0.001).

Curcumin probably maintains ovarian function through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties following ischemic-reperfusion injury.

 Fractional exhaled nitric oxide can be used as a biomarker of some respiratory diseases.

This study was conducted to compare exhaled nitric oxide in cigarette and water‑pipe smokers with nonsmokers.

This cross‑sectional study was conducted on 549 adult subjects as a sub‑study of Shahedieh cohort in Yazd. Participants were divided into 5 groups according to their smoking habits: non‑smokers (n = 202), cigarette smokers (n = 121), water‑pipe smokers (n = 129), cigarette ex‑smokers (n = 58), water‑pipe and cigarette smokers (n = 39). The smokers were also categorized into heavy and light smokers. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide was compared between the groups. Statistical Analysis Used: The data were analyzed by SPSS (ver. 20) using Kolmogorov‑Smirnov, Kruskal‑Wallis, and Mann‑Whitney U tests.

Fractional exhaled NO was lower in all smokers than nonsmokers, but cigarette smokers showed the least level of NO than other groups. Fractional exhaled NO was not significantly lower in water‑pipe smokers than nonsmokers.

Cigarette smoking significantly affect fractional exhaled NO, but water‑pipe smoking did not significantly affect exhaled NO level.

Unwanted pregnancies around the world due to the lack of support from families are a threat to the health of mother and child and one of the causes of increasing their mortality and a major obstacle to improve the productive and sexual health. This study was performed with aim to investigate the frequency of unwanted pregnancies and its related factors in the hospitals of Tabriz.

This cross-sectional study was performed in 2020 on 550 pregnant or newly delivered women who referred to the hospitals of Tabriz. Data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of 14 questions by interview including demographic data, past obstetrics history, wanted or unwanted pregnancies and contraception method. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 17) and Chi-square test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The frequency of unwanted pregnancies in the study population was 26.2%. The frequency of unwanted pregnancies was higher in women aged 41-50 years or women and/or spouses with undergraduate education. Prevalence of unwanted pregnancies was significantly related to female occupation, family income, and previous unwanted pregnancy history (P<0.001). The highest frequency of unwanted pregnancies was observed in individuals with withdrawal contraceptive method (P<0.001). There was significant relationship between unwanted pregnancy and the spouses’ opinion about use of contraceptive method and the level of his awareness about contraception (P<0.001).

In this study, more than a quarter of pregnancies were reported as unwanted and regarding to the problems of unwanted pregnancy, development of training programs to control this and accept pregnancies by families, even if unwanted, seems necessary.

surgical site infection is one of the most important causes of mortality and morbidity: use of the prophylactic antibiotic is one of the effective methods for its prevention, the present study aimed to investigate the status of prophylactic administration of antibiotics in Surgery Department of Shahid Sadoughi Hospital of Yazd City in 2018.

this descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 600 patients from General Surgery Department of Shahid Sadoughi Hospital of Yazd City in 2018. Data were collected by questionnaire. Selection of the prophylactic antibiotic (pa), the dosage, time, type and the route of antibiotic administration were compared with ASHP ( American Society of Health System Pharmacistis) and -Clinical Medicine Strategy of Using Preventive Antibiotics in Surgeries (Iranian guideline). Data were analyzed by SPSS version 16 software.

Mean age of the patients was 35.02 ±19.12 years. Regarding the use or non-use of antibiotics 85.2%, the route of administration 85.2%, the dose of the drug 64.7% were in accordance with the instructions. The time of drug prescription was in accordance with the national instructions in 72.3% of cases and in accordance with ASHP in 72.8% of cases. The most inconsistency with ASHP and Iranian guideline was seen in the type of the antibiotic that was in accordance with ASHP and Iranian guideline in 50.7% and 48.8%, respectively. The overall appropriateness of PA was found in 50.7% and 48.8%  cases according to ASHP and Iranian guideline, respectively.  

In the recent study, the most inconsistency with ASHP and Iranian guideline was seen in the type of prescription antibiotic.

Streptococcus agalactiae, a group B streptococcus (GBS), is commonly found in the vagina, rectum, and urinary tract of pregnant and non-pregnant women. This bacterium, not only causes neonatal infections, but also causes invasive diseases including urinary tract infections in pregnant women and non-pregnant adults. Penicillin and macrolides are the main antibiotics in the treatment of GBS infections, but the prevalence of resistant strains is increasing. On the other hand, the distribution of bacterial capsule serotypes varies depending on the sampling time, geographical location and type of sample, and it is necessary to determine the most common type of capsule type in preparing a suitable vaccine. The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial resistance and capsular serotypes in GBS isolated from urine samples of patients referred to Yazd City medical centers, Iran.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 85 GBS isolates from 6068 urine positive culture samples for phenotypic survey and determining the pattern of antibiotic resistance to antibiotic disks using Kirby-Bauer method. Moreover, capsular serotypes of isolates were determined by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

The frequency of GBS in urinary samples was 1.4%. The highest antibiotic resistance was to tetracycline (97.6%) and the lowest to penicillin (0.0%). The predominant capsular serotype was III (50.6%) followed by serotypes Ib (14.1%), V (12.9%), IV (7.1%), and II (5.9%). 9.4% of isolates were non-typeable.

The prevalence of GBS in urinary specimens was low, and capsular serotype III was predominant as in previous studies. Macrolide resistance is increasing in urinary GBS isolates.

Lymphoid-tyrosine-phosphatase which is encoded by the protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor 22 (PTPN22) gene plays a pivotal role in the regulation of immune responses by dephosphorylating several signaling intermediates of immune cells.

Since a balanced immune response has been shown to be important during pregnancy, the purpose of this research was to compare the frequency of the PTPN22 C1858T polymorphism in women with unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss (URPL) vs. in a control group for the first time.

Genomic DNA from 200 individuals with URPL and 200 individuals without URPL (the control group) at the infertility center in Yazd, Iran was isolated using the salting-out method. The PTPN22 C1858T polymorphism of the two groups was analyzed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Genotype frequencies in the women with URPL and the fertile control group were compared using the Chi-square test.

There were significant differences in the frequency of the PTPN22 1858T polymorphism in the URPL individuals vs. the healthy controls, i.e. 32.0% and 21.5%, respectively (p = 0.01).

Our findings suggest that the PTPN22 1858T polymorphism could play a role in recurrent pregnancy loss. Therefore, genotyping of the mentioned polymorphism can help clinicians to predict the probable risk of URPL.

Infected vegetables are a means of transmitting various and widespread parasitic and infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of women referring to comprehensive urban health service centers regarding vegetable disinfection in order to assess the educational needs in this regard and to make the necessary plans to increase people’s knowledge.

This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study population was women referring to comprehensive health service centers. A sample with a volume of 180 people was selected from a total of 5 districts in the north, south, east, west, and center of Yazd, which has a total of 22 comprehensive urban health service centers. The data were collected using a questionnaire and entered into the computer through SPSS statistical software. Depending on the type of variables, appropriate statistical tests, such as ANOVA were used.

The results showed that about 54.4% of women in this study had a good knowledge about vegetable disinfection. According to ANOVA test, there was a statistically significant relationship between attitude and occupation (p = 0.002). However, there was no statistically significant relationship between knowledge and practice with occupation (p = 0.46) and (p = 0.87). There was also no statistically significant relationship between knowledge, attitude, and practice with education level.

According to the results, it is necessary to use an educational program on the proper use of disinfectants for women in comprehensive health centers

Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus or GBS) is a natural resident of the gastrointestinal tract of healthy individuals, and is the most common cause of sepsis, meningitis, pneumonia, and severe diseases in newborns. Resistance to penicillin and macrolides, as selective antibiotics for the treatment of GBS infections, is increasing. In this study, we aimed to determine the capsule serotypes and antibiotic resistance pattern of Streptococcus agalactiae isolated from pregnant women referred to the Valiasr hospital in Borujen City, Iran.

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, a total of 760 vaginal samples were collected from pregnant women in the period between 35-37 weeks of gestation. Following conventional phenotypic evaluation and GBS confirmation, GBS isolates resistance to antibiotic disc was assessed through disk diffusion test. Finally, capsular serotypes were determined using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (multiplex PCR) method.

Out of 760 pregnant women participating in this study, 70 (9.2%) were carriers of GBS. Our finding disclosed that the lowest and highest resistance among GBS isolates were related to penicillin (0%), and tetracycline (92.85%), respectively. The most common capsular serotypes were III (45.71%), followed by II (17.14%), VI (14.28%), Ib (11.42%), V (8.57%), and Ia (2.85%), respectively.

In this study, we detected low prevalence of GBS, as well as low level resistance to macrolides. In addition, predominant capsular serotype was III. 

According to the World Health Organization, Iran has a high level of deaths caused by traffic accidents. Assessment of the death trend and examination of the mortality rate can provide useful information for policy makers to take preventive measures and reduce the casualties caused by these accidents. In this study, the status and trend of mortality due to traffic accidents was investigated over a period of 10 years.

This descriptive study investigated the trend of deaths from traffic accidents in Iran during 2009-2018. The study data were collected from the Iran Forensic Medicine Organization and the Statistics Center websites. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS  version 24 and Microsoft Office Excel 2013  software. The  frequency,  percentage, annual rate, and   independent  sample test   were  run  to  analyze the data.

On average, 24.1 per 100,000 people were killed in traffic accidents during the study period. A significant difference was found between the number of deaths due to road accidents in men compared to women (p-value <0.05). More than 77 percent of the victims were men and more than 67 percent of the deaths occurred out of urban  roads. Semnan, Markazi, and Kerman provinces had the highest mortality rates, while Tehran, Alborz, and Ardabil provinces had the lowest mortality rates during this 10-year period.

The death rate from traffic accidents decreased during the study period. Compared to the global average, this rate is not at the desired level, which requires appropriate policy and management to implement  effective programs.

Formaldehyde (FA) exposure is an important cause of cellular injury and oxidative damage in testis, leading to infertility. This study aimed to assess the protective effects of curcumin on sperm and stereological parameters in testes from formaldehyde-exposed NMRI mice.

At 6-8 weeks of age, 24 adult male NMRI mice weighing 30-35 g were categorized into four groups (n=6) based on the treatment they received: Group І (control) received no treatment, group ΙΙ received FA (10 mg/kg), group ΙΙΙ received FA (10 mg/kg) and curcumin (100 mg/kg), and group IV (Solvent) received dimethyl sulfoxide (0.2 ml/day). Materials were administered intraperitoneally for 35 days. After excision, epididymis tissues were placed in 1 mL aliquots of Ham’s F10 medium at 37˚C for 20 min and were then used in analyses of sperm parameters. Testes were fixed and stained with Hematoxylin & Eosin to investigate stereological indices. We also determined lipid peroxidation levels using malondialdehyde assays.

Mean sperm parameters (count, motility, viability, and morphology) differed significantly between groups ΙΙ and ΙΙΙ (p≤0.001). Stereological indices, including Leydig and spermatogonia cell numbers and surface-to-volume ratios of seminiferous tubules were significantly higher in group ΙΙΙ than in group ΙΙ (p≤0.001) . Finally, malondialdehyde levels in group III were significantly lower than in group II (p=0.001).

The data showed that the curcumin, as an antioxidant, reduced FA-induced damage in sperm parameters and stereological indices in mice testes.

Asthma, as the most common chronic disease in children, encompasses substantial health and socioeconomic burden worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence, severity, and management of asthma in adolescents aged 1314 years. This crosssectional study, which was part of the Global Asthma Network (GAN) 2020 survey, was conducted in early 2020 in Yazd, Iran. A total of 48 schools in Yazd city were selected by cluster sampling. In this study, 5141 students, including 3069 (59.7%) females and 2072 (40.3%) males participated. Prevalence of ever and current wheezing was 19% and 9% respectively. The former was significantly higher in males than females (p<0.001). About 2% of the participants, which was 22.1% of students with current wheezing, had severe asthma. The prevalence of severe asthma was significantly higher in males (p=0.026). Our results showed that 4.8% of students had confirmed asthma by a doctor, significantly predominant in males (p<0.001). The prevalence of using inhaled medicines in the past 12 months was 3.8%, which was significantly higher in males than females (p<0.001). The prevalence of using shortacting βagonists (SABA) and longacting βagonists (LABA) was 2.3% and 1.4% among the students, respectively, with a male predominance (p=0.019). About 1.2% and 0.8% of participants were using inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and the combination of ICS and LABA, respectively, which was significantly higher in male participants (p<0.001). According to our findings and in comparison to the previous ISAAC study in Yazd, the prevalence of severe asthma has decreased which indicates better management of asthma during the past two decades.

Despite the advances in cardiovascular diseases, death caused by these diseases is still considered as the leading cause of mortality. In this study, some of the effective factors on the deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases were investigated

This cross-sectional analytical study investigated the efficacy of Poisson regression models and negative binomial regression models on factors affecting mortality from cardiovascular diseases. The death data were extracted from the death registration system for Yazd province in 2017.Gender, age, education, occupation, location, and city of death were also extracted for each deceased. The two regression models were then fitted to the data

  A total of 5,015 deaths were recorded, of which 1,642 were due to cardiovascular diseases.
Cardiovascular disease mortality rates were significant using negative binomial regression in terms of the educational variables, place of residence, type of residence, and age. Death rates caused by cardiovascular diseases were not significant for age and occupational, educational, and residential variables.

If the time of death is considered as an offset variable, the regression model of two negative sentences is more effective in showing the factors affecting death due to cardiovascular diseases according to AIC and BIC criteria. In the case that the total number of deaths is considered as the offset variable, the Poisson regression model is more efficient.

Due to important role of Streptococcus agalactiae, Group B streptococci (GBS), in production of invasive disease in neonates, investigation regarding the pathogenicity and antibiotic resistance factors is necessary in selecting the appropriate therapeutic agents. Beside capsule, the pilus has been currently recognized as an important factor in enhancing the pathogenicity of GBS. Resistance of GBS to selected antibiotics is noticeably increasing which is mainly due to the anomalous use of these drugs for treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of pili genes followed by antibiotic susceptibility of GBS, previously serotyped, isolated from pregnant women in the city of Yazd, Iran.

Fifty seven GBS from pregnant women were subjected to multiplex PCR for determination of PI-1, PI-2a and PI-2b pilus-islands and simultaneously, the phenotype of antibiotic resistance to penicillin, tetracycline, erythromycin, clindamycin, gentamycin and levofloxacin was determined. Antibiotic resistance genes (ermA, ermB, mefA, tetM, int-Tn) were further diagnosed using PCR and multiplex PCR.

PI-1+PI-2a with 71.9%; followed by PI-2a (21.1%) and PI-2b (7%) were observed. PI-1+PI-2a in serotype III was (73.2%), serotype II, Ia, Ib and V were 12.2%, 9.8%, 2.4% and 2.4% respectively. GBS penicillin sensitive was 89.5% and 96.5% resistance to Tetracycline. The frequency of resistance genes were as follows: tetM (93%), ermA (33.3%), ermB (8.8%), int-Tn (80.7%) and mefA (0).

Majority of GBS contained PI-1+PI-2a. Hence presence of this pilus stabilizes the colonization, therefore designing a program for diagnosing and treatment of infected pregnant women seems to be necessary.

The mental health of nurses, as providers of care, has a significant impact on the quality of care. Happiness has a close relationship with many health components. Considering the importance of mental health in nurses, this study was conducted to investigate happiness among nurses in educational hospitals of Yazd Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences.

The present descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 210 nurses using stratified sampling method (Proportionate to the number of nurses in each hospital). Data were collected using a 2-part questionnaire including background information and Oxford Happiness Standard Questionnaire with 29 questions and a score range of 0-87. Data analysis was performed by SPSS/16 using Chi-square test and ANOVA.

The mean age of nurses was 31.8 ± 6.09 years. In terms of happiness levels, the majority of nurses (57.6%) had moderate levels of happiness and the average score of happiness was 37.54 ± 11.88. A significant relationship was found between happiness with physical activity (P= 0.022), employment status (P=0.025), ward (P = 0.038), work shift at night (P=0.111), satisfaction of health (P <0.0001), love of the job (P = 0.001), and satisfaction of workplace conditions (P<0.0001).

The findings showed that the level of happiness was moderate in the majority of nurses. Therefore, the researchers recommend planning and implementing appropriate interventions to increase the happiness of nurses and improve the quality of nursing care.