Prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection among tuberculosis laboratory workers in Iran

Mahshid Nasehi,Abdolrazagh Hashemi-Shahraki,Amin Doosti-Irani,Saeed Sharafi,Ehsan Mostafavi 한국역학회 2017 Epidemiology and Health Vol.39 No.-

OBJECTIVES: The risk of transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from patients to health care workers (HCWs) is a neglected problem in many countries, including Iran. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of latent tuberculosis (TB) infection (LTBI) among TB laboratory staff in Iran, and to elucidate the risk factors associated with LTBI. METHODS: All TB laboratory staff (689 individuals) employed in the TB laboratories of 50 Iranian universities of medical sciences and a random sample consisting of 317 low-risk HCWs were included in this cross-sectional study. Participants with tuberculin skin test indurations of 10 mm or more were considered to have an LTBI. RESULTS: The prevalence of LTBI among TB laboratory staff and low-risk HCWs was 24.83% (95% confidence interval [CI], 21.31 to 27.74%) and 14.82% (95% CI, 11.31 to 19.20%), respectively. No active TB cases were found in either group. After adjusting for potential confounders, TB laboratory staff were more likely to have an LTBI than low-risk HCWs (prevalence odds ratio, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.35 to 3.17). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that LTBI are an occupational health problem among TB laboratory staff in Iran. This study reinforces the need to design and implement simple, effective, and affordable TB infection control programs in TB laboratories in Iran.

Comparison of the tuberculin skin test and the QuantiFERON-TB Gold test in detecting latent tuberculosis in health care workers in Iran

Ehsan Mostafavi,Mahshid Nasehi,Abdolrazagh Hashemi Shahraki,Saber Esmaeili,Ebrahim Ghaderi,Saeed Sharafi,Amin Doosti-Irani 한국역학회 2016 Epidemiology and Health Vol.38 No.-

OBJECTIVES: The tuberculin skin test (TST) and the QuantiFERON-TB Gold test (QFT) are used to identify latent tuberculosis infections (LTBIs). The aim of this study was to determine the agreement between these two tests among health care workers in Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 177 tuberculosis (TB) laboratory staff and 67 non-TB staff. TST indurations of 10 mm or more were considered positive. The Student’s t-test and the chi-square test were used to compare the mean score and proportion of variables between the TB laboratory staff and the non-TB laboratory staff. Kappa statistics were used to evaluate the agreement between these tests, and logistic regression was used to assess the risk factors associated with positive results for each test. RESULTS: The prevalence of LTBIs according to both the QFT and the TST was 17% (95% confidence interval [CI], 12% to 21%) and 16% (95% CI, 11% to 21%), respectively. The agreement between the QFT and the TST was 77.46%, with a kappa of 0.19 (95% CI, 0.04 to 0.34). CONCLUSIONS: Although the prevalence of LTBI based on the QFT and the TST was not significantly different, the kappa statistic was low between these two tests for the detection of LTBIs.

Association of Nitric Oxide Levels and Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase G894T Polymorphism with Coronary Artery Disease in the Iranian Population

Khalil Mahmoodi,Leila Nasehi,Elham Karami,Mohammad Soleiman Soltanpour 대한혈관외과학회 2016 Vascular Specialist International Vol.32 No.3

Purpose: The endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) G894T polymorphismhas been reported to cause endothelial dysfunction and may have a role in thedevelopment of coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of the present study wasto investigate the association of eNOS G894T genetic polymorphism and plasmalevels of nitric oxide (NO) with CAD risk in an Iranian population. Materials and Methods: We studied 200 patients with angiographicallydocumented CAD and 100 matched controls. Analysis of G894T geneticpolymorphism of eNOS was performed by polymerase chain reaction-restrictionfragment length polymorphism method. Plasma levels of NO were determinedusing Griess method. Biochemical analysis was conducted by routine colorimetricmethods. Results: Plasma levels of NO were significantly lower in CAD patients than controlsubjects (41.60±12.70 vs. 55.48±16.57, P=0.001). Also, the mean plasma levels ofNO were significantly lower in T allele carriers of eNOS G894T polymorphism thanG allele carriers (P<0.001). The genotype distribution and minor T allele frequencyof eNOS G894T polymorphism significantly differed between CAD patients andcontrol subjects (P<0.05). However, no significant association was found betweenthe eNOS G894T polymorphism and the severity of CAD (number of diseasedvessel) or the lipid profile of CAD patients (P>0.05). Conclusion: Reduced plasma level of NO is associated with increased risk of CADin our population. Moreover, eNOS G894T polymorphism is a significant risk factorfor CAD development via reducing the plasma levels of NO. However, eNOS G894Tpolymorphism is not a contributing factor for the severity of CAD.

Factors associated with mortality from tuberculosis in Iran: an application of a generalized estimating equation-based zero-inflated negative binomial model to national registry data

Fatemeh Sarvi,Abbas Moghimbeigi,Hossein Mahjub,Mahshid Nasehi,Mahmoud Khodadost 한국역학회 2019 Epidemiology and Health Vol.41 No.-

OBJECTIVES: Tuberculosis (TB) is a global public health problem that causes morbidity and mortality in millions of people per year. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of potential risk factors with TB mortality in Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on 9,151 patients with TB from March 2017 to March 2018 in Iran. Data were gathered from all 429 counties of Iran by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education and Statistical Center of Iran. In this study, a generalized estimating equation-based zero-inflated negative binomial model was used to determine the effect of related factors on TB mortality at the community level. For data analysis, R version 3.4.2 was used with the relevant packages. RESULTS: The risk of mortality from TB was found to increase with the unemployment rate (βˆ=0.02), illiteracy (βˆ=0.04), household density per residential unit (βˆ=1.29), distance between the center of the county and the provincial capital (βˆ=0.03), and urbanization (βˆ=0.81). The following other risk factors for TB mortality were identified: diabetes (βˆ=0.02), human immunodeficiency virus infection (βˆ=0.04), infection with TB in the most recent 2 years (βˆ=0.07), injection drug use (βˆ=0.07), long-term corticosteroid use (βˆ=0.09), malignant diseases (βˆ=0.09), chronic kidney disease (βˆ=0.32), gastrectomy (βˆ=0.50), chronic malnutrition (βˆ=0.38), and a body mass index more than 10% under the ideal weight (βˆ=0.01). However, silicosis had no effect. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study provide useful information on risk factors for mortality from TB.

Cerebrovascular Events in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Review of Published Cases

Pejman Rohani,Nazanin Taraghikhah,Mohammad Mehdi Nasehi,Hosein Alimadadi,Hamid Assadzadeh Aghdaei 대한소아소화기영양학회 2022 Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition Vol.25 No.3

Pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD) is a multisystem disorder characterized by intestinal and extraintestinal manifestations and complications. Cerebrovascular events (CVE) are rare extraintestinal complications in patients with PIBD. Statistics show that 3.3% patients with PIBD and 1.3–6.4% adult patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) experience CVE during the course of the disease. Therefore, this study aimed to review the records of children with IBD who developed CVE during the course of the disease. We retrospectively reviewed 62 cases of PIBD complicated by CVE. The mean patient age at the time of thrombotic events was 12.48±4.13 years. The incidence of ulcerative colitis was significantly higher than that of Crohn’s disease (43 [70.5%] vs. 13 [21.3%] patients). Most patients (87.93%) were in the active phase of IBD at the time of CVE. The mean time interval between the onset of IBD and CVE was 20.84 weeks. Overall, 11 (26.83%) patients showed neurological symptoms of CVE at disease onset. The most frequent symptom on admission was persistent and severe headaches (67.85%). The most common site of cerebral venous thrombosis was the transverse sinuses (n=23, 53.48%). The right middle cerebral artery (n=3, 33.34%) was the predominant site of cerebral arterial infarction. Overall, 41 (69.49%) patients who were mostly administered unfractionated heparin or low-molecular-weight heparin (56.09%) recovered completely. Patients with IBD are at a risk of thromboembolism. CVE may be the most common type of thromboembolism. Based on these findings, the most common risk factor for CVE is IBD flares. In patients with CVE, anticoagulant therapy with heparin, followed by warfarin, is necessary.

Genetic Diversity and Differentiation of Colletotrichum spp. Isolates Associated with Leguminosae Using Multigene Loci, RAPD and ISSR

Mahmodi, Farshid,Kadir, J.B.,Puteh, A.,Pourdad, S.S.,Nasehi, A.,Soleimani, N. The Korean Society of Plant Pathology 2014 Plant Pathology Journal Vol.30 No.1

Genetic diversity and differentiation of 50 Colletotrichum spp. isolates from legume crops studied through multigene loci, RAPD and ISSR analysis. DNA sequence comparisons by six genes (ITS, ACT, Tub2, CHS-1, GAPDH, and HIS3) verified species identity of C. truncatum, C. dematium and C. gloeosporiodes and identity C. capsici as a synonym of C. truncatum. Based on the matrix distance analysis of multigene sequences, the Colletotrichum species showed diverse degrees of intera and interspecific divergence (0.0 to 1.4%) and (15.5-19.9), respectively. A multilocus molecular phylogenetic analysis clustered Colletotrichum spp. isolates into 3 well-defined clades, representing three distinct species; C. truncatum, C. dematium and C. gloeosporioides. The ISSR and RAPD and cluster analysis exhibited a high degree of variability among different isolates and permitted the grouping of isolates of Colletotrichum spp. into three distinct clusters. Distinct populations of Colletotrichum spp. isolates were genetically in accordance with host specificity and inconsistent with geographical origins. The large population of C. truncatum showed greater amounts of genetic diversity than smaller populations of C. dematium and C. gloeosporioides species. Results of ISSR and RAPD markers were congruent, but the effective maker ratio and the number of private alleles were greater in ISSR markers.

Genetic Diversity and Differentiation of Colletotrichum spp. Isolates Associated with Leguminosae Using Multigene Loci, RAPD and ISSR

Farshid Mahmodi,J. B. Kadir,A. Puteh,A. Nasehi,N. Soleimani,S. S. Pourdad 한국식물병리학회 2014 Plant Pathology Journal Vol.30 No.1

Genetic diversity and differentiation of 50 Colletotrichumspp. isolates from legume crops studied through multigeneloci, RAPD and ISSR analysis. DNA sequence comparisonsby six genes (ITS, ACT, Tub2, CHS-1, GAPDH, and HIS3)verified species identity of C. truncatum, C. dematium andC. gloeosporiodes and identity C. capsici as a synonymof C. truncatum. Based on the matrix distance analysis ofmultigene sequences, the Colletotrichum species showeddiverse degrees of intera and interspecific divergence (0.0 to1.4%) and (15.5-19.9), respectively. A multilocus molecularphylogenetic analysis clustered Colletotrichum spp. isolatesinto 3 well-defined clades, representing three distinctspecies; C. truncatum, C. dematium and C. gloeosporioides. The ISSR and RAPD and cluster analysis exhibited a highdegree of variability among different isolates and permittedthe grouping of isolates of Colletotrichum spp. into threedistinct clusters. Distinct populations of Colletotrichum spp. isolates were genetically in accordance with host specificityand inconsistent with geographical origins. The largepopulation of C. truncatum showed greater amounts ofgenetic diversity than smaller populations of C. dematiumand C. gloeosporioides species. Results of ISSR and RAPDmarkers were congruent, but the effective maker ratio andthe number of private alleles were greater in ISSR markers.

Effect of Foliar and Root Application of Silicon Against Rice Blast Fungus in MR219 Rice Variety

Abed-Ashtiani, Farnaz,Kadir, Jugah-Bin,Selamat, Ahmad-Bin,Hanif, Ahmad Husni Bin-Mohd,Nasehi, Abbas The Korean Society of Plant Pathology 2012 Plant Pathology Journal Vol.28 No.2

Rice blast disease caused by Magnaporthe grisea (Hebert) Barr [teleomorph] is one of the most devastating diseases in rice plantation areas. Silicon is considered as a useful element for a large variety of plants. Rice variety MR219 was grown in the glasshouse to investigate the function of silicon in conferring resistance against blast. Silica gel was applied to soil while sodium silicate was used as foliar spray at the rates of 0, 60, 120, 180 g/5 kg soil and 0, 1, 2, 3 ml/l respectively. The treatments were arranged in a completely randomized design. Disease severity and silicon content of leaves were compared between the non-amended controls and rice plants receiving the different rates and sources of silicon. Silicon at all rates of application significantly (${\alpha}$ = 0.05) reduced the severity of disease with highest reduction (75%) recorded in treatments receiving 120 g of silica gel. SEM/EDX observations demonstrated a significant difference in weight concentration of silicon in silica cells on the leaf epidermis between silicon treated (25.79%) and non treated plants (7.87%) indicating that Si-fertilization resulted in higher deposition of Si in silica cells in comparison with non-treated plants. Application of silicon also led to a significant increase in Si contents of leaves. Contrast procedures indicated higher efficiency of silica gel in comparison to sodium silicate in almost all parameters assessed. The results suggest that mitigated levels of disease were associated with silicification and fortification of leaf epidermal cells through silicon fertilization.

Effect of Foliar and Root Application of Silicon Against Rice Blast Fungus in MR219 Rice Variety

Farnaz Abed-Ashtiani,Jugah-Bin Kadir,Ahmad-Bin Selamat,Ahmad Husni Bin-Mohd Hanif,Abbas Nasehi 한국식물병리학회 2012 Plant Pathology Journal Vol.28 No.2

Rice blast disease caused by Magnaporthe grisea (Hebert)Barr [teleomorph] is one of the most devastating diseases in rice plantation areas. Silicon is considered as a useful element for a large variety of plants. Rice variety MR219 was grown in the glasshouse to investigate the function of silicon in conferring resistance against blast. Silica gel was applied to soil while sodium silicate was used as foliar spray at the rates of 0, 60, 120, 180 g/5 kg soil and 0, 1, 2, 3 ml/l respectively. The treatments were arranged in a completely randomized design. Disease severity and silicon content of leaves were compared between the non-amended controls and rice plants receiving the different rates and sources of silicon. Silicon at all rates of application significantly (α = 0.05) reduced the severity of disease with highest reduction (75%)recorded in treatments receiving 120 g of silica gel. SEM/EDX observations demonstrated a significant difference in weight concentration of silicon in silica cells on the leaf epidermis between silicon treated (25.79%) and non treated plants (7.87%) indicating that Si-fertilization resulted in higher deposition of Si in silica cells in comparison with non-treated plants. Application of silicon also led to a significant increase in Si contents of leaves. Contrast procedures indicated higher efficiency of silica gel in comparison to sodium silicate in almost all parameters assessed. The results suggest that mitigated levels of disease were associated with silicification and fortification of leaf epidermal cells through silicon fertilization.