scholarly journals Seroprevalence ofToxoplasma gondiiin Women Who Have Aborted in Comparison with the Women with Normal Delivery in Ahvaz, Southwest of Iran

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Saki ◽  
N. Mohammadpour ◽  
F. Moramezi ◽  
S. Khademvatan

Toxoplasma gondiiis an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite causing toxoplasmosis in animals and humans. Primary maternal infection with toxoplasmosis during pregnancy is frequently associated with transplacental transmission to the fetus. However it is not certain whetherToxoplasmainfection can cause recurrent abortion. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship betweenToxoplasmainfection and abortion via detection of anti-Toxoplasma gondiiantibodies in sera of women with obstetrical problems and compare the results with control group consisting of women with history of normal delivery. Sera from 130 women with abortion and sera of 130 women with normal delivery were tested for IgG and IgM anti-Toxoplasma gondiiantibodies by ELISA method. The present study revealed 24.6% of the samples with abortion and 21.5% of the samples with normal delivery were positive for IgG antibodies. However, statistical analysis indicated no significant differences(P>0.05). In addition, IgM antibody was detected in one woman who had aborted but not in women with normal childbirth. This study showed no significant difference between the case and control groups in IgG anti-Toxoplasmaantibody but detected one sample with IgM antibodies in woman with abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy. In order to determine the relationship betweenToxoplasmainfection and abortion, anti-ToxoplasmaIgG avidity and PCR to discriminate between recent and prior infections are recommended.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rasoul Nasiri ◽  
Pedram Ataee ◽  
Azad Abdi ◽  
Ghobad Moradi ◽  
Borhan Moradveisi ◽  
...  

In recent years, the prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis has increased in developed countries. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection can exacerbate asthma. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between asthma and H. pylori seroprevalence in children. In this cross-sectional study, 100 children aged 5-15 years hospitalized in Besat hospital in Sanandaj were investigated from 2015 to 2016. Fifty children with asthma were considered as the case group and 50 non-asthmatic children as the control group. The questionnaires were completed, including demographic information, history of asthma, exposure to cigarette smoke, and family history of gastric and duodenal ulcers. Blood samples were collected from the children, and the serum level of specific antibodies (IgG) of H. pylori was measured. There were 42 and 31 boys in the case and control group, respectively. The mean age in the case group was 8.12±2.29 and in the control group was 8.9±2.52 years. In the case group, 48% were exposed to cigarette smoke and in the control group, 18%. There was a statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of gender and exposure to cigarette smoke (P=0.001 and P=0.013, respectively). There was no significant difference between the case and control groups in terms of H. pylori seroprevalence. (P=0.211). There was no significant association between asthma and H. pylori seroprevalence. (P=0.22). According to our study, there no correlation between childhood asthma and H. pylori seroprevalence. © 2019 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved. Acta Med Iran 2019;57(5):299-302.


Author(s):  
Erdal Kurnaz ◽  
Yaşar Şen ◽  
Süleyman Aydın

AbstractBackground:The aim of this study was to determine the serum levels of kisspeptin and ghrelin (GAH), as well as the relationship of these two peptides with each other in premature thelarche (PT) and premature adrenarche (PA) cases and to investigate the possibility of using these peptides as markers in the differentiation of puberty disorders.Methods:A PT group aged 1–8 years (n = 40), a PA group aged 1–9 years (n = 23, female/male = 20/3) and control groups consistent with each of the previous groups in terms of age and gender were created for the study. Kisspeptin and ghrelin levels were measured with ELISA methods from blood samples drawn while fasting in the morning.Results:When the PT group was compared with the controls, the plasma kisspeptin levels of the cases were significantly higher than the control group (165.47 ± 15.45 pmol/L, 96.82 ± 12.33 pmol/L, p = 0.005, respectively). Kisspeptin levels in the PA group did not show a difference with the control group (121.36 ± 17.99 pmol/L, 95.52 ± 11.54 pmol/L, p = 0.249, respectively). No significant difference could be found when GAH levels in the PT and PA groups were compared with controls. No significant correlation was found between kisspeptin and GAH levels in the PT and PA groups.Conclusions:Our results indicate that kisspeptin plays an important role in the PT, but GAH is not associated with puberty disorders.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. e000030
Author(s):  
Shoujiang Huang ◽  
Canping Li ◽  
Xiuzhen Yang ◽  
Jianfeng Liang ◽  
Dongpi Wang

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of inguinal hernia (IH) on the spermatic cord using spermatic cord ultrasonography (SCU).MethodsFrom January 2016 to January 2017, boys with IH who received SCU at the start of open herniorrhaphy (OH) were enrolled in this study. The age and weight at SCU, width of the spermatic cord (SC-W), peak systolic velocity (PSV) in the spermatic artery (SA-PSV) and velocity in the pampiniform plexus (PP-V), and the interval between the initial and the second OH in boys with metachronous inguinal hernia (MIH) were recorded, and the relationship among them was studied. Boys with unilateral IH comprised the IH group, and boys with MIH comprised the MIH group. Boys with polydactylism served as the control. One-way analysis of variance tested the differences among groups. Spearman’s r tested the relationship between SC-W in the MIH group and the interval.ResultsA total of 80 boys were enrolled in this study (IH group 29, MIH group 26, and control group 25). SA-PSV and PP-V in the hernia side were faster and slower than the control, respectively. There was no significant difference in PP-V and SA-PSV of the treated side in the MIH group and in the control group. After herniorrhaphy, SC-W was tapered down to normal size. SC-W, SA-PSV, and PP-V in the treated side were all highly correlated to the interval in a curvilinear manner.ConclusionPSV was positively correlated with SC-W in boys with IH, and PP-V was negatively correlated; herniorrhaphy could reverse the impairment.


Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Staša Vodička ◽  
Antonija Poplas Susič ◽  
Erika Zelko

Introduction: The Jozef Stefan Institute developed a personal portable electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor Savvy that works with a smartphone, and this was used in our study. This study aimed to analyze the usefulness of telecardiology at the primary healthcare level using an ECG personal sensor. Methods: We included 400 patients with a history of suspected rhythm disturbance who visited their family physician at the Healthcare Center Ljubljana and Healthcare Center Murska Sobota from October 2016 to January 2018. Results: The study found that there was no statistically significant difference between the test and control groups in the number of present rhythm disorders and actions taken to treat patients with either observation or administration of a new drug. However, in the test group, there were significantly fewer patients being referred to a cardiologist than in the control group (p < 0.001). Discussion: The use of an ECG sensor helps family physicians to distinguish between patients who need to be referred to a cardiologist and those who can be treated by them. This method is useful for both physicians and patients because it shortens the time taken to start treatment, can be used during pandemics such as COVID-19, and reduces unnecessary cost.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-15
Author(s):  
Aseel S. Mahmood ◽  
Sabeeha A. Al-Sarray ◽  
Abdulkareem Al-Kazaz

Background: Primary infection of maternal with toxoplasmosis during gestation and this infection transmission to the fetus continue to be the cause complex disease in offspring. Objective: This study was conducted to test the utility of nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (nPCR) assay to detect recent infections with Toxoplasma in abortive women. Material and methods: Toxoplasma gondii DNA was detected by using B1 gene as a target for amplification which was highly specific for T. gondii and is well conserved among all of the tested strains. Blood from 60 abortive women and 25 apparently healthy pregnant women with no history of abortion (as control group) were taken in this current study. Results: The results revealed that nPCR was positive in 48(80%) subjects and negative in 12(20%), Chi-square- χ2 for patients and control was ( 13.82 , 15.75 ) respectively. Conclusion: It can be concluded that nPCR assay in blood has advantage in detection of recent and active toxoplasmosis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 167-170
Author(s):  
Onur Tezel

Objective: The main causes of thromboembolic events are atherosclerosis, vascular endothelial injury, and hypercoagulability. Coagulation is activated through two basic mechanisms, including intrinsic and extrinsic pathways, leading to thrombin production as a result of a series of enzymatic reactions. The intrinsic pathway is evaluated with activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and extrinsic pathway with prothrombin time (PT). This study aimed to investigate the relationship between thromboembolic diseases and coagulation parameters. Material and Methods: Patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) (n=216), acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (n=25), pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) (n=15), and patients without an emergency pathology (n=71) (Control Group) in the emergency department were retrospectively reviewed in the period from 01 November 2016 to 31 March 2019. Results: The aPTT (25.61±5.93 sec), PT (12.05±2.26 sec), and INR (1.04±0.19) values of the AIS group were statistically significantly lower compared to values of the control group (p = ˂0.001, ˂0.001 and ˂0.001 respectively). Similarly, the aPTT (27.15±8.97 sec), PT (12.26±2.75 sec), and INR (1.03±0.25) values of the ACS group were statistically significantly lower compared to those of the control group (p=0.012, 0.030, and 0.001, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between the PTE group and control group in terms of aPTT, PT, and INR values (p= 0.133, 0.758, and 0.711, respectively). Conclusion: Shortened aPTT levels in cases without a history of anticoagulant use at the time of admission can be considered to be a predictive and effective tool for clinicians in arterial embolic events (AIS and ACS).


Author(s):  
Fatemeh TABATABAIE ◽  
Taher ELMI ◽  
Majid KHANMOHAMMADI ◽  
Lame AKHLAGHI ◽  
Mahmoud MAHAMI-OSKOUEI ◽  
...  

Background: Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that belongs to the family Coccidae. We aimed to evaluate IgG avidity and the changes of anti-Toxoplasma immunoglobulins M (IgM) and G (IgG) in patients with acute leukemia and lymphoma. Methods: Ninety eight patients with Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and lymphoma, selected from patients referring to Imam Reza Hospital of Tabriz (38°04′N 46°18′E), in terms of the presence of anti-Toxoplasma IgM, IgG, IgG avidity antibodies and the major risk factors were evaluated. Results: The results of pre-chemotherapy evaluation showed that of the examined patients, only two cases, one patient with ALL and another patient with lymphoma, had a positive IgM titer. Overall, 46 cases had positive IgG titers, including 20 patients with AML, 15 patients with ALL and 11 patients with lymphoma. Three (3.06%) patients were positive for anti-T. gondii IgM and one of them was with new infection of toxoplasmosis in lymphoma patients. The post-chemotherapy IgG titer evaluation showed 46 [46.9% (95% CI 37.4–56.7)] positive IgG cases that this result was similar to the result of pre-treatment phase. One [1% (95% CI 0.2–5.6)] positive IgG avidity case was detected using ELISA method, in a patient with lymphoma whose IgM was also positive. There was no significant difference between the type of leukemia and the history of contact with cat. Conclusion: Performing specialized tests to diagnose toxoplasma infection before starting treatment, in immunodeficiency patients who undergo chemotherapy, is necessary; therefore, these tests should be considered in therapeutic protocols.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javad Ghaffari ◽  
Ghasem Rahmatpour Rokni ◽  
Armaghan Kazeminejad ◽  
Hosein Abedi

BACKGROUND: Alopecia areata is a non-scarring hair loss, which typically starts quickly. Atopy is one of the possible predisposing risk factors for this condition.AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of thyroid disease, atopic dermatitis and allergic diseases in children with alopecia areata and compare the results with healthy individuals.METHODS: This case-control study was conducted on 50 patients with alopecia areata, diagnosed by a dermatologist, and 150 healthy individuals as the control group. Participants filled the questionnaires, and necessary tests were performed.RESULTS: In this study, the mean age of the participants was 2.55 ± 14.26 and 3.19 ± 11.92 in the case and control groups, respectively. Prevalence of asthma was 22% in the case group and 12.5% in control group (P = 0.109). Also, allergic rhinitis and eczema were observed in 20% and 22% of the subjects of the case group, whereas they were reported to be 8% and 10% in the control group (PV = 0.03 and 0.175, respectively). Moreover, 28% and 8% of the participants in the case and control groups had a family history of atopy and allergic disorders, respectively (P = 0.046). A significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding gender, type of delivery and contact with animals.CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of this study, a significant association was observed between the prevalence of alopecia areata and atopic conditions, such as allergic rhinitis and history of atopic dermatitis.


2021 ◽  
pp. 014556132110112
Author(s):  
Erkan Yıldız ◽  
Aydın Balcı ◽  
Okan Selendili ◽  
Selçuk Kuzu

Objectives: Besides the common symptoms of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) including fever, shortness of breath, and cough, a “sudden loss of smell” has recently been added as a diagnostic symptom. The relationship between paranasal sinus computed tomography (PNS CT) and sudden loss of smell in COVID-19 was examined. Materials and Methods: Two groups were selected for the study, the COVID-19 and the control groups. The control group consisted of 40 patients who applied to our clinic with headache and therefore underwent PNS CT. The other group consisted of 40 patients with COVID-19 who were diagnosed with sudden loss of smell with the Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center (CCCRC) olfactory test. Clinical and demographic characteristics, tomography results, and olfactory test scores of patients with COVID-19 loss of smell and control group patients were recorded. The relationship between CT changes in the olfactory cleft and the degree of loss of smell was evaluated. The “Opacification in the olfactory cleft” was accepted as a positive CT finding. Results: Comparison of patients with COVID-19 who had a loss of smell and the control group indicated that a significant difference was observed in terms of CT findings ( P = .022). When we evaluated the paranasal CTs obtained from our patients with loss of smell, the CT of 13 patients showed pathological findings ( P < .05). As the COVID-19 progressed (pneumonia and respiratory failure), the degree of loss of smell increased ( P < .05). A statistically significant relationship was found between the CCCRC score and the presence of PNS CT findings ( P = .0012). Conclusion: The PNS CT findings are significant in patients with COVID-19 with a loss of smell and were significantly associated with the degree of loss of smell. In patients with olfactory loss due to COVID-19, PNS CT can help in diagnosis. However, for this imaging to be diagnostic, a larger patient series is needed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
A T M Hasibul Hasan ◽  
Muhammad Sougatul Islam ◽  
Nushrat Khan ◽  
Nazmul Hoque Munna ◽  
Wahidur Rahman Choton ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundFatigue has been observed after a number of infectious disease outbreaks around the world. After the outbreak of SARS CoV-2 in Wuhan, China in 2019, the disease turned into a pandemic very rapidly. Mental health is a key issue associated with such outbreaks. To explore the fatigue level among physicians working in designated public and private hospitals in Bangladesh, we conducted a matched case-control study of post-SARS-CoV-2 fatigue.MethodIn this study 105 physicians who were diagnosed as COVID-19 infected, got treatment, and declared cured at least 6 weeks before the interview date, were recruited as cases and the same number of age and designation matched healthy physicians as control who are working in the same hospital. Case and control were selected in 1:1 ratio from each of the hospitals. The study population was selected by inclusion and exclusion criteria after taking informed written consent. Data collection was done by a semi-structured questionnaire. Diagnosis of COVID--19 infection was done by detection of SARS CoV-2 antigen by RT-PCR from reference laboratories in Bangladesh or by HRCT Chest.ResultAround two-thirds of the physicians were male (67.6% versus 32.4%). Most of them aged less than forty years (80.5%). The cases had a greater number of comorbid conditions than those who were negative. The FSS score (mean) was much higher for cases (36.7 ± 5.3 versus 19.3 ± 3.8) than the control group with a statistically significant difference with no significant gender differentiation. Similarly, around 67.7% of the previously COVID positive physicians represented in the highest FSS score tertile compared to the respondents in the control group had a mean score of less than 3. The difference was also highly significant.ConclusionPhysicians, who had a previous history of COVID-19 infection had a higher total and mean FSS score, signifying a more severe level of fatigue than the physicians who had never been COVID-19 positive while working in the same hospital irrespective of their age and sex.


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